Snow, setbacks, and spring preparation — Tiara Teamster Journey

SPRING has sprung… going to drive the boys this weekend
Nope. Sorry. I was wrong. S N O W.

SPRING has sprung… definitely going to drive the boys this weekend
Wait… what?? SSNNOOWW.

SPRING has sprung.
Okay Mother Nature… this is getting ridiculous! SSNNOOOWWW and gale-force winds.

As my Teamster journey continues with Ted and Loki, so does my pasture and feed journey. Neil and I live on a humble amount of acreage. We have enough to have fun, but it also means we need to be smart and intentional as we head into the season.

Our goal is simple: Keep our horses healthy AND Keep our pastures productive

There are two key pieces to this: Horses and Pasture Maintenance.

Horses

Spring can be a risky time for issues like Laminitis (founder), and Fjords in particular are prone to it. Fresh spring grass is packed with sugars and very tempting, but potentially dangerous. As Fjords have appetites as big as their gorgeous eyes, we have to govern the time in the growing field.

Because the grass is just starting to grow, this is actually a good opportunity to introduce grazing in small, controlled amounts. Short grazing times allow their gut to gradually adjust, and since the shoots are still short, intake stays limited.

Pasture Maintenance

Now is the time to prep your fields for the growing season. Harrowing helps break up and spread manure, preventing dead grass buildup and encouraging even growth.

Bonus: it’s a great excuse to get out and put your team to work, harrowing can be a fun and useful job for your horses.

Pasture Growth Management

For example, on one acre with two horses, grazing should be limited to about 1–2 hours per day during active growth. This gives the pasture time to recover and continue producing.

Right now, we’re allowing about one hour of grazing per day, and adjusting hay accordingly. We’ve also added some temporary fencing so we can start rotating sections that weren’t previously used.

Rotation is going to be a focus for us, less stress on any one area, better regrowth, and healthier feed overall.

Spring may not be cooperating (yet), but the prep work we do now sets us up for the whole season ahead.

Plowing is our next adventure!