Topper Mowers – How To Prevent Horse Pastures From Being Over-Grazed
If you are searching for topper mowers that can manage healthy and productive horse pastures, your best option is Farmgard NZ that offers farm equipment with the best results. A topper mower can cut grass efficiently and quickly to control weeds and even out grass growth. Horses prefer to graze on shorter and younger grass and immature plants because they are more palatable.
Access to topper mowers is very important to manage a good pasture for horses. A good strategy to control weeds and even out the growth of grass is to mow grass at a height of 4 to 6 inches. Mowing will also encourage plant shoots to spring from the bottom or roots of the original forage grass to thicken the stand. The topper mowers can be used for at least 2 to 3 times per year. However, in rotational grazing situations, mowing can be done after every grazing rotation.
Over grazed pastures with bare patches and full of weeds usually happens when there is lack of acres to sustain horse grazing. The general rule of thumb is to have 2 to 3 acres for every horse so that the pasture can easily provide enough forage for the season. Horses are difficult grazers; they have the tendency to overgraze on some areas of the paddock while leaving other parts of the paddock relatively untouched. Horses do not like grasses that are too tall; hence the need for regular mowing.
Sometimes, rotational grazing may be required to prevent pastures from being over grazed. The horses are moved from pasture to pasture so that forage plants will have enough time to rest and re-grow. If the pasture is overgrazed, leaf area of grass will be greatly reduced and the plant will not be able to use solar energy to re-grow.
Grass in pastures must be approximately 6 to 8 inches in height before horses can be moved to graze to a new paddock. After the horses are rotated out of the pasture, grass must be mowed at 4 to 6 inches to remove seed heads and weeds. The rest period for the paddock usually depends on grass growth and the season.