Pasture Management

At Little Pressmore Farm we are delighted that we offer fifty acres of well drained pasture to our clients. With a top limit of thirty horses on our yard the ratio of horse to acre means that we can provide all year good quality turnout. The gently undulating hills means that horses have a good vantage point to survey this area of outstanding natural beauty, whilst the trees and hedgerows provide an abundance of shelter. The layout of the pastures around the centrally located yard ensures that your horse can graze safely under gentle supervision. Understanding how horses graze is essential when devising a successful pasture management system.

The blind spot horses have immediately in front of the head necessitates the reliance on the senses of smell, taste and touch when grazing. Horses avoid grazing where there is a smell of horse manure reducing the possibility of picking up parasitic worm eggs. The horse restricts dunging to certain areas in the field to leave the remaining areas clean, however without effective management these areas become larger each year. Horse also use smell to identify plant species, enabling horses to be selective of grass or herbs avoiding poisonous weeds.

The aim of our pasture management program is to provide a regular food supply, stop weed growth and guard against parasites.

Spring

A selected sample of soil is taken for analysis to assess the balance of the soil, this ensures that we can apply targeted fertiliser to ensure optimum pasture growth. The land is harrowed which pulls out dead grass, aerates the soil and levelling poached areas, then fertilised. Lastly the land is rolled to push the stones beneath the surface of the soil and level the land. Our winter paddocks are closed and the horses are moved onto the summer pastures.

Summer

During the summer months we regularly harrow the ground and collect manure to prevent parasitic worm eggs spreading in the field. The pastures are regularly topped to cut the rough grass that horses do not eat and make way for more succulent grass.

Autumn

We close our summer pastures in order to rest the fields and maintain the nutrient level of the pasture for the following year. There is a decline in the nutrient level of the grass during autumn and winter. Soil samples are sent for analysis and fertilisers and weed control are applied as appropriate with the land being rolled and harrowed.

Winter paddocks