Consejos Sobre el Manejo de Agua y Tierra para la Vida Rural del Puget Sound

 Consejos Sobre el Manejo de Agua y Tierra para la Vida Rural del Puget Sound

Hay mucho que aprender sobre tener la tierra y administrarla. Este folleto le dará muchas ideas e información para poner en practica en su propiedad, de la cual usted se sentirá orgulloso. Todos nosotros somos parte de una cuenca hidráulica y nuestras acciones pueden afectar a otros. Las acciones que usted y sus vecinos hagan pueden mejorar grandemente la salud de los recursos del Puget Sound que todos apreciamos.

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Winter Horsekeeping – Meeting the Challenge

Winter Horsekeeping – Meeting the Challenge

Keeping a horse in the winter can be challenging. Even though our main issues in the winter here in western Washington are wind and rain, we can encounter the occasional problems with freezing temperatures and snow. Maintaining good horse care is a challenge here because we need to be prepared for just about anything. But by following some key Best Management Practices (BMPs) you can meet those challenges and not let them overcome your enjoyment of having a horse

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Basic Horse Care

Basic Horse Care

Owning a horse is a big responsibility and a commitment of time, energy, finances and resources. AND, it can be an extremely rewarding and exciting experience when it’s all done well. The following points outline basic requirements for owning and caring for an adult horse. You can use this checklist to review your current horse management program or to assist you in determining if you are ready to take on horse ownership. **Keep in mind that you should always consult your veterinarian on the health care program best for your horses or if you have problems or questions.** 

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Confinement Areas for Horses

Confinement Areas for Horses

One of the most important aspects of pasture management is the length of time you keep horses off the pasture. When horses are allowed year round access to pastures, grass plants can become overgrazed, making them dramatically less productive and allowing weeds to take over in their place. Grazing during the winter months is especially hard on pastures. When soils are wet they are easily compacted, suffocating the roots of grass plants and doing long-term damage to vital air and water channels in the soil. Consider adding a confinement area to your grazing system or farm.
 

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Track Paddocks: Combating Horse Boredom

Track Paddocks: Combating Horse Boredom

A confinement area (or paddock) is an enclosure meant to be your horse’s outdoor living quarters when keeping them off pastures.  Using a confinement area protects pastures from overgrazing and soil compaction, especially during winter months when grass plants are dormant and soils are saturated. Limiting time on pastures also helps manage the horse’s health and weight. 

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Safer Grazing

Safer Grazing

In horses, “fat” is not healthy. The high sugar and non-structural carbohydrate issues in hay and grass may explain why we are now seeing so many overweight horses with metabolic disorders and insulin resistance problems. The way we’ve been grazing horses and the types of pastures we’ve developed may be contributing to very serious horse health issues.

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