As February unfolds, it’s the perfect time to focus on preparing your property for the upcoming spring season. In this month’s newsletter, we’re hoping you’ll love our essential tips for maintaining horse jumping lanes, including expert advice on mowing practices that ensure safety and performance. We’ll also explore the importance of proper barn ventilation to keep your animals healthy and comfortable during fluctuating temperatures. Plus, now is the time to get ahead of weed control before they take hold in the warmer months. And don’t miss our exclusive deals on New Holland equipment—designed to help you tackle all your property management needs with ease and efficiency. Let’s gear up for a productive season together!
Mowing for Horse Jumping Lanes
Mowing for horse jumping lanes and pastures is an important practice for maintaining both the health of the grass and the safety of the horses. When creating a practice ring or jumping lane, keeping the grass short helps both horses and riders by improving visibility, reducing tripping hazards, and ensuring a more stable surface. A well-maintained ring also allows the horse’s hooves to have better traction during jumps, which is essential for both safety and performance.
Additionally, mowing grazing pastures occasionally is important to prevent overgrazing in certain spots. Horses often prefer specific areas to graze, and these areas can become over-consumed and unhealthy without proper maintenance. Regular mowing helps distribute grazing more evenly across the pasture, giving the grass a chance to regrow and thrive, which ensures the horses are getting the best nutrients from the grass.
In short, mowing serves multiple purposes: keeping practice areas safe and efficient for training, while also fostering healthy pastures for grazing.
Open Barn = Healthy Barn: Keep the Barn Open in the Winter
It’s understandable to want to keep your barn sealed up during the cold winter months to ensure your horse stays warm, but proper ventilation is just as important for their overall health, particularly their respiratory system. While you might be focused on keeping the cold air out, it’s crucial to allow for fresh air circulation inside the barn. Without adequate ventilation, dust, moisture, and other particles can accumulate, creating poor air quality that could lead to respiratory issues.
Horses, especially those with conditions like heaves, can suffer significantly in poorly ventilated spaces. Heaves is a chronic condition that affects a horse’s ability to breathe properly, and poor air quality can exacerbate it. Even healthy horses can develop respiratory problems if they are kept in an airtight environment for too long.
To balance warmth with good air quality, focus on protecting your horse from wind and rain rather than worrying too much about the cold. Horses are naturally warm-blooded and can often tolerate the cold better than we think, especially with the help of a blanket. Ensure that your barn has some form of airflow, such as open vents or windows, even if they are partially closed, to help maintain a fresh air exchange without exposing your horse to harsh weather conditions. This way, your horse can stay warm and comfortable without compromising their respiratory health.
Maintain Unruly Weeds in your Arena with Ventrac
Dealing with weeds in a horse arena can be a major challenge, especially when avoiding chemicals for the safety of the horses. A local horse farm faced this issue when weeds overran their riding arena, making it difficult to maintain a safe, level surface. Chemical sprays were not an option due to animal contact, and other methods like tilling and dragging had been ineffective.
The solution came with a demonstration from Ventrac, using their 4231TD compact tractor equipped with the Power Rake, Terra Rake, and Slip Scoop attachments. This non-chemical method allowed for efficient weed removal and arena restoration.
The Power Rake attachment loosens the sand or soil, uprooting weeds by disrupting their root systems and alleviating compaction. Next, the Landscape Rake grades and levels the surface, ensuring an even, consistent footing for riding. Finally, the Power Bucket attachment gathers up the debris, making cleanup quick and easy.
This approach provided several key benefits:
- Chemical-free: No harmful chemicals are used, keeping the arena safe for the horses.
- Cost-effective: The farm owner avoided the high costs of chemical treatments and new sand, making the solution more affordable.
- Efficient Weed Removal: The combination of attachments allowed for fast and thorough weed removal, saving time and labor.
The result was a restored horse arena with a safe, level, and functional surface—without the use of chemicals or expensive interventions.
New Holland Deals you Don’t Want to Miss
Year in Review
In 2024, Equine Equipment has worked hard to deliver exceptional service to horse owners across the USA and Canada, helping them save on essential equipment for their farms and facilities. Over the past year, we’ve assisted more than 500 customers in 38 states and 3 provinces. This year saw both new customers and returning buyers, many of whom upgraded their equipment or explored additional brands we offer. We’re proud to have been part of their success and look forward to continuing to serve the equine community with the best products and services in the years to come.
