Horse Spring Paddock Care Tips 2023
Spring is finally here, with the nights drawing out and the weather turning warmer, it’s the perfect time to carry out some spring maintenance on your paddocks. Carrying out paddock maintenance not only keeps your system running smoothly but also ensures the health and safety of your horses too.
Fencing Checks
Checking your fencing is super important to avoid injury and ensure it’s doing its job safely and properly. There’s nothing worse than turning up to do the horses in the morning to find that they're not where they’re supposed to be!
Wooden Fencing:
- Check for loose rails and posts.
- Check for large cracks or splinters.
- Check for loose or protruding nails.
- Check the integrity of and chewed parts of the fence.
- Treat wood accordingly with a paint/wood treatment to protect it against the elements. Treating woodwork can also help to discourage chewing.
Electric Fencing:
- Check your tape is sound (any fraying fabric or metal)
- Check for overgrowth around your fencing, plants, and trees touching the fence can have a huge impact on the efficiency of your fencing system!
- Check your posts are sound, if wooden that they aren’t loose, and that the insulators are properly attached. With electric posts check for bending or snapping.
- Use a fence tester to check your currents.
- Check the connections on your clips to the battery and fence haven’t corroded or are loose.
Did you know: We always recommend Electric Tape for horses as it is the safest to use! It will snap easily if the horse gets caught up meaning it’s less likely to cause injury. Rope and wire are much more robust and are much more likely to injure your horse should they get caught in it.
Check out our full range of fencing supplies HERE
With the spring grass coming through, this may be the time to also consider strip grazing. Especially for horses prone to Laminitis or excessive weight gain, this can reduce their access to lush spring grass! The fence should then be moved at regular intervals to allow access to the fresh grass.
When strip grazing, you should consider the size of your paddock and the likelihood of potentially poaching the ground.
Remember: When horses are exposed to lush grass, this may cause scouring whilst the digestive system adjusts. We recommend considering a Gut Balancer like this one from Protexin for a bit of extra support!
Ground Maintenance-
As the ground dries up and there is no longer a risk of frost, this is a perfect time to roll, harrow & reseed your paddocks. Rolling will help to level out any dangerous ruts in the field created by wet weather! Harrowing is perfect for removing light-rooted weeds, removing dead grass, and improving the overall health of your grass.
When re-seeding, it's important to rest the area of the field until the new grass reaches 3-4”. This ensures that the grass has a secure root structure before being grazed by livestock.
Remember: Seeding should only be carried out once the risk for frost has gone. If done before, the frost will kill off any seedlings before they have had a chance to become sturdy!
We are also now stocking a specialist herb mixture designed for horses and ponies. Spice up your grazing with this specifically developed blend for horses and ponies. The herbs in this mix are especially nutritious species and provide a good source of minerals and trace elements. The mix also includes several deep-rooting plants to help ensure longevity.
Poisonous Plants
Spring is also a perfect opportunity to check for any poisonous or dangerous plants as this is the time of year they start to grow.
Checking for poisonous plants is incredibly important as they are very toxic to horses. Other dangerous plants include Foxglove, Deadly Nightshade, Acorns & Oak, Yew, Privet & Rhododendron.
Pictured Below- Young Ragwort Plant 
Photo Credit: World Horse Welfare
Pictured Below- Sycamore Seedling In Paddock
Photo Credit: Redwings
Grass Mats
This time of year is perfect for laying grass mats. Grass mats are used to create stable footing in gateways and other areas, to prevent the mud in those areas from getting too deep. They are super easy to install and require very little maintenance if installed properly. Before laying, ensure the area is as flat as possible and free of any ruts or mounds.
We have Grass Mats available for collection in-store. Click the image for more information.
Why Pasture Management Is Important
Pasture management is vital in ensuring the health and well-being of the horses that graze them. Having a well-managed pasture can not only help with worm and parasite burden (by poo picking regularly) but also helps to ensure the horse is getting the nutrition that they need. Pasture management is an investment well worth taking on, if you need any more advice please don't hesitate to get in touch and speak to a member of our team!