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Pasture management.
Field division.
Ideally, your field should be divided up to allow sections to be rested while others are grazed, to avoid over-grazing.
Dung.
Dung should be removed twice a week, all year round, to aid worm control.
Wet ground.
If your field is very wet, stable or yard your horse to prevent mud fever (a bacterial skin infection). Symptoms of mud fever include inflamed skin and cracked heels. The legs and sometimes the belly are affected. Left untreated, legs may become permanently thickened.
Weeds - including ragwort.
Fields should be kept clear of weeds, particularly ragwort.
Ragwort grows from June onwards and can grow to between 30-100cm high. The stems are woody and red near the base and the dark green stem leaves are irregular and ragged around the edge with dense yellow flowers.
Ragwort is one of the most common causes of poisoning in horses and cattle and symptoms include loss of appetite, condition and constipation.
During its latter stages, ragwort poisoning can cause horses to stagger and it can result in digestive disorders, irreversible liver damage and death.
Ragwort can be controlled by pulling the roots out of the soil, and burning the plants. In general, all weeds can be controlled by herbicides.
For more information view the Defra website.
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