First off, if you exist, you are my HERO!
2nd off, the weedwacking is killer. I have 2 partly working DR Trimmer mowers too.
Thanks!
Don’t compete anymore (or train/give lessons) but I ride almost daily when the weather cooperates and I mow/spray/wack/drag about eight acres of pasture, and then in the autumn/spring, I move leaves off about half of that.
I don’t have a gym membership. hahahahahaha!!
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I do everything myself, plus work full-time (usually office/travel in normal times). But I’m not obsessed with vegetation so it gets done…when it gets done. It’ll still be there tomorrow.
ME. But I love lawn care. I also love to garden. Im OCD about my lawn :lol: I work full time and have 4 horses in work. I have a lot of energy as you can tell lol.
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@Jealoushe You inspire me. I work FT, mow for 6 hrs every two weeks currently, weed eat and am building a big barn. Barely seeing my two horses that are boarded. Hanging at the barn is a thing of the past right now. Yes, I am taking CBD oil to cope.
Sometimes mow in slight 2 point to keep the jarring from tearing me up so much. Just an idea to try.
I find the key to weed eating to be REALLY kicking in your core. Have the unit really HANG from your upper skeleton and don’t bend over. Set the pole at just the right length so you are moving from your upper body to work.
P.S. Ooops - missed the part on who’s riding and competing and doing all this. Not me. Not enough hours in the day. :no:
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My suggestion is don’t mow. Set a timer for one hour and do that much, once a week. Alternate so that one week is around the house, next week is down the driveway/ whatever else you want mowed.
Everything else can be bush hogged twice a year. Pastures can be done monthly.
Spray a saltwater solution on the foliage you would usually weed whack so that it dies back for a few months. Around posts, by the mailbox, etc. it’s non toxic for the animals and will save you time.
Yeah, maybe your lawn won’t look like some sort of magazine. But you won’t care when you are out showing and doing what you love!
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We have 14 acres, DH and I make every Saturday morning our mowing day. He does around the house with the zero turn and I brush hog the pasture and up and down the driveway. I usually end up doing the weed eating and love my lightweight battery powered Black and Decker with a strap. The strap is KEY for that large of a property! We can usually knock out the mowing, weed eating, and blowing in 3 hours.
OP, how much land are you dealing with and is it all pasture or lawn? Any wooded areas you can leave untouched? We have a lot of trails that I’ll skip mowing and just brush hog monthly or whenever I have extra time. The weed eating is definitely the biggest time suck, so maybe break that part up and do a little each day?
What ratio of salt to water do you use for this? Very interested in trying this!
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Mowing and weed whacking aren’t just for looks. It also helps keeps some of the bugs down and helps deter unwanted critters.
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Me, too!
There are tons of recipes on the internet, but basically you just make the saltiest water you can and spray it on the grass/weeds/etc. Some people do vinegar too, but I find some weeds are resistant to that.
It will kill the foliage and won’t allow anything to grow there until the salt washes away completely. In our climate, that’s about 6 months. If you live in a really dry area, it could be a year or two.
I prefer it since it’s non toxic and cheap. You can buy a big 50 lb bag of salt at TSC for 5$ and make tons on this.
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Hmmmm…
Oh and to answer the OP: I don’t compete and haven’t ridden much this year so far BECAUSE of farm + job. I work 40+ a week and half the year is night shift, which cuts into avail daytime to do things. Hoping to start riding more now that one project is coming to an end at the same time as the rainy weather.
Well, we have been doing it for several years now. I’m not currently showing due to the COVID situation, but I ride 5-6 days per week, lesson 2-3 of those days and do mowing, weed whacking, arena maintenance and so on around my full time job in tech. We have an efficient set up, just under 7 acres, and three horses, two of which are in work; the other one is retired.
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Get yourself a Husqvarna string trimmer.
I had gone through a couple of less expensive trimmers before I got talked into the Husqvarna. It is SO much better balanced and lighter than the others I had. With a good and properly adjusted shoulder strap I can whack for 2-3 hours at a time.
And, yes, I work, ride, show, mow and weedwhack. The farm looks pretty good but my house is a mess !:eek:!
My motto: Never buy more farm than you’re willing and able to mow yourself, lol
Hubby likes to mow around the house and do the weed wacking. I like to mow the pastures and paddocks.
I ride almost daily weather permitting. I work full-time. I mow on the weekends, but I make my husband weed-eat. If I’m gonna be gone on the weekend I’ll do sections throughout the week. I show (well, normally) only a handful of times each year.
But I also run every weekday!
Being busy keeps me sane and I love a good looking yard and pasture.
We have about 19 acres. 7.5 of which is in pasture and about 2.5 is yard. The rest is pond/woods/arena or we only brush hog it once or twice a year.
I do! DH and I have 10 horses and about 8 acres of pastures. We drag the fields frequently (between rotations), and mow when needed (generally just 1-2 times a month). The lawn gets mowed 2-3 times a month; and weedwacking the fencelines, around tractor implements, and the buildings happens monthly.
I generally show maybe 2 times a month when I have specific goals. Less if I’m just having fun. I do generally ride 1-4 horses a day though.
Having a DH who helps is important. Mine doesn’t mind driving the tractor or zero turn, so he does those jobs. We also use chemicals and sprays to keep fenceline weeds and vines manageable.
I find having the right tools for the job is essential! I use an arena groomer to drag my ring, and the weekwhacker, tractor/bushhog, and ZT mower are all big and fast enough for the jobs.
Our Farm isn’t a showplace by any standards, but it’s neat and tidy, and doesn’t look overgrown. If I was showing seriously and on the road 2-3 full weeks a month, it wouldn’t be feasible. I’m not above hiring a local kid -type to help with a targeted project or weedwacking after we let it go too long…
For me, riding is more of a priority than a pretty farm, and I manage my time accordingly. Luckily, with COVID, DH and I are home more than ever, so the farm actually looks great!
Question for you! Since you travel, do you have someone in your household that takes care of the horses/farm? Or have you found a reliable farmsitter? And if it’s the latter - any tips?
