Newbie need advise on getting pasture ready for horse tenants

[ARose4Heaven]

We just rented our pasture to horse people. In the past we have rented it to cattle people. 3 sides are traditional fencing with electric strung on the inside. The 3rd side is just electric fence.

We have absolutely no experience with horses. So do we need to make any changes to accommodate our new tenants?

What about our pond? Should we allow the horses access to it? We do have natural springs on the place for water, so the pond is not the only source.

 

[freemotion]

What is "traditional fencing?"

 

[michickenwrangler]

Runoff from horse wastes will definitely affect the pond, just an FYI. Part of the reason we board rather than have horses at home.

 

[goodhors]

I would close off the pond, sharp hooves tear up the surrounding ground. Let the horses use a water tank, better for everyone.

Fencing will depend on how well horses respect the electric wire. I have added fence flags to my high tensile wire, makes it more visible for horses and deer. Could be a good idea for the electric only, side. I get mine from Jeffer's supply, seems to be about the cheapest source. They last for years, with the spring clilp wire holding the flag exactly where you place them. They may pop loose if deer hit the wire, but usually easy to find and put back up.

http://www.jefferslivestock.com/fence-flags/camid/LIV/cp/MN-F1/

How high is that side's wire? I would want horse fence at least 48 inches, and capped T-posts because horses are often silly. Caps are easy to put on, not very expensive unless you have HUGE amounts of fence posts. Short wire height will get some horses jumping out, unlike "most" cows.

I mow my fields fairly often, which puts growing plant energy into the roots. Tall grass with seed heads has no nutrition. That is fine for fat, unworked horses/old ponies who don't need the extra calories. Cutting often also keeps the sprouting weeds down, no burrs or thistles to put out seeds. Horses tend to keep grazing any new growth while ignoring tall growth in the rest of the field. So not mowing doesn't promote new sprouting of other areas in the field. The taller stuff just goes to seed. You end up with tall, lush looking places they don't graze, and a lot of bald spots they grazed into dust.

Your choice, how to manage the field with cutting and I don't know what kind of horses they will be grazing to know what kind of growth is needed.