©
2006 Cherry Hill www.horsekeeping.com
Cherry Hill's
Horsekeeping
Newsletter
March 2001
SPRING
IS IN THE AIR!!
Spring is a time of hope and promise.
We are headed into a new horse training and riding season. It is a perfect time
to evaluate your progress, adjust your objectives and set new goals.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Too
Many Megs
Too
Much Manure
Lighter
Blankets
Stronger
Muscles
Pasture
Grooming and Rest
Spring
Deworming Choices
Recent
Articles
*****************************************
Too
Many Megs
My server has just informed me that horsekeeping.com is bursting at the seams!
It has reached the point where I either have to stop posting new articles or send
them more $$ to buy more space!
Until I decide what to do, I'm going to refer to articles already posted on the
Horse Information Roundup page.
Too
Much Manure
We just finished spreading 18 loads of manure. If you weren't on board last
year at this time, then you can read all about spreading
manure.
And if you are interested in other options for handling manure, read Manure
Management.
Lighter
Blankets
The days are definitely getting warmer and the nights are not so cold. It's
that time of year when you probably should change your horse's clothing from
an insulated blanket to a lighter blanket or turnout sheet. I prefer waterproof
breathable turnout sheets this time of year because they are more suitable for
the changes in weather and stand up better to the abuse from muddy conditions.
Read about blanket selection and care in the Horse Clothing section of the
Horse Information
Roundup.
Stronger
Muscles
With shedding season right around the corner, pretty soon I will be assuming the
arms above the head grooming position for several hours every day. In years
past, my shoulders would get very sore in the spring from all of the grooming
and bathing necessary to get seven horses shed out and looking gorgeous.
16 months ago, my husband and I started a three-times-a-week strength-training
program at home. It is so much a part of our routine now that I can't imagine
NOT doing it. The benefits are many but in terms of horse care tasks, it
makes loading a year's worth of hay in the barn much easier, makes hefting grain
bags a breeze, and the endless grooming strokes of March and April are no longer
brutal!
If you aren't doing strength training now, consider it. Although it doesn't
take a great deal of strength to ride, horsekeeping tasks do go more smoothly
if you keep your muscles toned.
Pasture
Grooming and Rest
It is time to give our pastures a rest. Last week, I moved my horses off
the pastures, then groomed and seeded them (the pastures, not the horses!)
If a pasture was home to a horse that made "stud piles" of manure, then
I used the bucket of the tractor and a harrow to spread those piles evenly around
the pasture. I seeded the bare areas using a pasture grass mix that
is suited to our climate and altitude (high and dry!) Then I harrowed the
entire pasture with tines set shallow so as not to dig too deeply into the soil
but just to cover the seeds with 1/4 to 1/2" of soil. Now if we only
get some precipitation! The pastures will be vacant until June or until
the pasture regrowth warrants use.
Spring
Deworming Choices
Depending on where you live, your March 1 deworming could be an ivermectin
product (Zimectrin, Equimectrin) or a high-volume non-ivermectin product containing strongid,
pyrantel pamoate or a benzimidazole. What you use will hinge on when
the bot larvae leave the horse's stomach in your locale. Read horse_dewormers and talk with your vet to make
the right decision for your horses.
Recent
Articles
"Leather
Care"
February 2001, Horse & Rider
"Shape
Up Before You Mount Up", Part One and Two
December 2000, January
2001 Western Horseman
"Winter
Shoeing", p.60
December 2000, Horse & Rider
"Give
Him a Peel" (Ergot Removal), p. 35
Winning Ways, "Ride Forward with
Finesse" Horsemanship Pattern, p. 46
"Trailer Shopping Made Easy",
p. 68
November 2000, Horse & Rider
That's
it for this month. Enjoy getting hairy this month!
"Four things greater than all others
are women and horses and power and war."
-Rudyard Kipling
Keep
your mind in the middle and a leg on each side.
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