When you realize that maybe you’re getting too old to care for horses at home

[LCDR]

I am in South Carolina. I do not weed, at least for the past 5 years. I depend on the properly maintained grass to control any weeds. The winter rye grass seed I order from my local feed store. I have used a number of types, buying what is designed for winter horse and cattle forage in my area. I am currently using Attain, a hybrid which was developed at the University of Florida.

I have found over the years that what I save by not having to buy much hay in the winter essentially is about what I spend on the winter rye grass seed plus fertilizer for it. But the horses get to forage and graze on green grass all year versus baled hay. And I have far fewer hay bales to lift.

In fact I use so little hay that I now just pick up Standlee compressed bales at Tractor Supply a few at a time as I need them. Which cuts out the worry about finding good local hay and storing it.

[stargzng386]

That’s pretty cool I’ll definitely be looking into that at my local feed store. What fertilizer do you use? My pasture suffered from benign neglect the past could years and looked rough this last winter. I had to weed spray in spring because I had uncontrollable buttercups. I used Grazon. I’d rather put the money and time into improving the pasture versus having to spray I really don’t like using the chemicals. I plan on putting down lime and overseeding in late summer.

[prudence]

I just want to say - keep all these ideas coming! Many of us are at this point, and the rest of you will probably be here sooner than you think. Any suggestions on how we can make horse care easier as we age are so appreciated!

My summers are easiest - I keep hay right outside my house on a couple of pallets, hauling and unloading maybe 6 bales at a time using my little pickup for my three horses. In the morning I toss a few flakes into the pasture, fill water buckets and I’m done. Manure is mowed in the pasture maybe twice a week.

Winter I keep horses separated in stalls with paddocks and have to muck daily which is a lot of work. I’m thinking of just leaving everything open and maybe manure will end up outside. I like to blanket and have the barn closed up but maybe I’ll need to let horses be horses. And I know eventually I’ll have to get help. I guess there are people who will come by mornings and evenings, feeding, watering and mucking (sort of like a young me!) but I may not be able to afford such a person. Any very rough ideas on costs?

[Jarpur]

@LCDR

We have plenty of Hispanic folks looking for work doing odd jobs on horse farms, but communication about what I need done is a problem.

There’s the Ultimate English/Spanish Dictionary for Horsemen, by Maria Belknap

Feeding a horse the right amount of food, putting on the proper equipment, and knowing when to call the vet are not tasks that can be left to chance. With Hispanics and Latinos now dominating the equine work force, the language barrier can pose a problem for bosses and employees alike. That’s where The Ultimate English-Spanish Dictionary for Horsemen can help. Written specifically for horse people, the dictionary covers topics and words that regular English-Spanish dictionaries might not. For example, horse health care, feeding, grooming, tack and equipment, and breeding terms are part of the more than 10,000 topically grouped word and phrase entries commonly used in the horse industry. Additional features include a points of the horse illustration labeled in both Spanish and English, regional variations, and a pronunciation guide.

[LCDR]

After I sow the rye grass seed (I use 100 pounds of seed per acre), which in my climate is around mid-October, I wait until the seeds start to germinate, which will take 2-3 weeks if there is sufficient rain, and then I apply a nitrogen fertilizer (100 pounds of nitrogen per acre). Usually by Thanksgiving I have lush green rye grass pastures, so I need to feed some hay in October and November as the coastal bermuda in the pastures is becoming dormant for winter.

Applying the fertilizer too soon will just give the summer bermuda grass a final growth kick and it steals the new nitrogen fertilizer from the rye grass, so that is why I wait until the rye starts to grow before fertilizing.

I adjust things every year based on the previous year’s performance. I keep a logbook or diary of everything horse and farm related to refresh my memory about when I sow, when I fertilizer, and when the seeds germinate. That is another thing really helpful as you get older.

BTW, I got this winter grass advice indirectly from a grounds supervisor at the Augusta National golf course. But instead of picking a rye grass to play golf on during the winter, I use a rye grass developed specifically as horse and cattle winter forage. It has wider blades than the slender ornamental rye grass seed you buy at places like Lowes and Home Depot. The winter rye grass seeds I have used are Winter Hawk, Attain, Bulldog, and Flying A. Attain has been the easiest to find in my area the past two years. And if birds arrive to eat your newly sown seed, don’t worry. Each 50 pound bag contains approximately 7 million seeds, so there will be plenty of seeds left for the pasture.

[prudence]

Just wondering if anyone has used porta-grazers to cut down on trips to the barn. Thx.

[SharonA1]

I found the Portagrazer to be more work, just speaking for myself. It is easy to soak hay because you can stuff the hay in, add water, and then pull the plug to drain out the water, but for me it wasn’t significantly better than throwing a hay pillow or a small-hole hay net in a clean muck bucket and filling the muck bucket, then dumping out the water. And the portagrazer is just more fiddly and hard to clean than a muck bucket and a hay net.

But, in the camp of “sometimes it’s fun to add gadgets,” the portagrazer does what it is supposed to do.

[Tarlo_Farm]

In addition to all the great suggestions, you might add riding less. I’m sure your horses won’t care - unless you’re competitive.
At 65 I typically ride only in the spring and fall. Too cold in the winter, too hot in the summer.
I hope your husband is a cancer survivor.

[whhisperbaby11]

The comment on the portagrazer prompts me to add on here, that I use automatics.

[Spudsmyguy]

My good friend who is pushing 80 keeps her horse at home and seems to get it all done without too much difficulty. She has a neighbor who helps with the heavy lifting in exchange for free manure.

[prudence]

Automatic feeders? Will they work for 24 hours?

[eponacelt]

Girlfriend…I’m only 48 and I feel you.

Full time job, 3 horses (2 in full work), husband, and 10 acres where everything grows and grows and grows. I wonder how long we can do this. I wondered even harder when my husband had back surgery and was fully out of commission for months. It was grim for a while.

The thing I’ve found the most helpful is hiring out for the big jobs - trees, new barn roof, maintaining fence lines, delivering and stacking hay. I used to do all of this myself (or with Mr. eponacelt). No. More. Somethings are just better left to other people, either because they’re too time consuming or too awful.

When I worked off the farm (now WFH), I had a girl (a series of them over 5+ years) who would do evening chores and mucking for me 3 days a week. It was a little thing, but it was magical. I also have someone who cleans my house every 2 weeks which gives me more horse time on the weekends.

[sherian]

I switched to big squares - my awesome hay guy delivers and stacks them in my shed, I use the tractor to drop one in the end of the barn aisle once a week to feed off in the barn. I do try to keep a dozen small squares around in case I can’t use the tractor, and loading,unloading and stacking 12 reminds me why I don’t do the hundreds I used to and why I am paying for that tractor to move big bales!