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The GREEN HORSE - sustainable horsekeeping

Vol 28-2

In the August/September 2006 of The Green Horse you will find the following articles:

Talking Point and Information Exchange
Brains Vs Brawn by Carol Willcocks and Liz Tollarzo
WEED WATCH - Galenia Weed by Nicola Field
RIRDC Book Review
Grazing Management .... Systems by Jane Myers
Basic Fencing - Wire Straining by Pam Brookman
Growing Your Own Equine Herbs - Astragalus by Fiona Adams
Deeds, Steeds and Weeds
Caring For Dung Beetles by Sharon Roberts
Safety Warning - PTO Shafts
Understorey Planting by Chris Ferreira and Tracey Bell

BRAINS V BRAWN

by Carol Willcocks and Liz Tollarzo



It’s no secret that owning and looking after a horse requires a huge output of time and energy, and more often than not, a good deal of physical strength! Add to this the physical demands of managing a horse property, and you have a situation where brute strength can be a definite bonus!
Studies show that on average women are just not as physically strong as most men, and given that a large number of horse owners are women, this means that in order to be able to enjoy time with their horses, they need to think about ways to lessen the actual physical load.

Often, tasks can be carried out in alternative ways using more brains than brawn, it’s just a matter of adapting to suit the individual situation - why use brute strength and exhaust yourself when there could be an easier way?

Feeding and Watering
Carting feed and water buckets can be a monotonous, time consuming chore if you have multiple buckets and long distances to cover, such as between paddock shelters and large stable areas. Using a trolley that has large wheels and sides, can cut down on the number of trips and time involved, as well as decreasing the bulging biceps look. These trolleys can be purchased from hardware stores and usually fit about four 20 litre buckets. They an also be attached to a four wheel motorbike and towed around the property.

A trolley - of any kind - is a very useful piece of equipment around a horse property, and the uses range from transporting gear between tackroom and float or car, moving heavy rugs, buckets or equipment from paddocks to stables, taking hay out to yards or paddocks. It can even be used to collect manure from paddocks when modified with a plastic liner or couple of large plastic crates. If a trolley is still on your ‘wish list’, then a wheelbarrow can also do these jobs, although it does take a little more ‘manpower’ and is not as effective at carrying water buckets.

Rather than carting water, however, consider laying a length of black poly pipe from a tap or tank down to the yard or paddock where water is required. As it is UV safe and made of tough material, the pipe does not even need to be buried under ground, although laying it alongside a fence will help prevent any damage. Fittings are cheap and easy to fix and do not require glue, and a ‘ball’ float could be attached at the trough end to ensure a permanent water supply.

Manure Collection
An old fashioned sack trolley (fridge trolley) is another handy item, which also has multiple uses around the stable, and these are cheap and readily available from most hardware stores or agricultural supplier and even some stockfeeders. Using a large chaff bag, put a hole in the top at each end, then thread over the handles - voila, a quick and easy manure collector for boxes or yards. This is very useful if you are bagging manure, removing the double handling of filling a wheelbarrow and then shovelling into a bag. When full it can be wheeled away to a storage site, a new bag attached and off you go again. There is of course, always the option of offering pocket money to entice any neighbouring children to assist in manure collection!

Feed Bags
Lifting large chaff and feed bags up to empty into feed bins is another physical job - trying to balance the bag on a knee and leaning it against the feed bin is not an easy task. A set of old fashioned bag hooks are very useful, as they grab onto the bag and help to grip so that leverage can be gained.
Another option is the nifty trolley, which looks like a bag trolley but incorporates a lifting handle. By lifting the lever, the bottom part moves up to the required height and the bag of feed can be dispensed easily.

Gear Trolley
Adding fold-down saddle racks - such as can be purchased in most saddlery stores - by attaching them to a sack trolley frame with screws, makes the trolley a great saddle and gear transporter for events, especially those requiring weigh-ins, gear checks or multiple saddling- ups. One sack trolley can usually accommodate two saddle racks and bridles, saddlecloths and helmets as well. As the racks fold down, the trolley is easily stored in the front of the float for transportation or can be left intact and double as a storage rack while in transit.

Hay and Heavy Item Moving
Biscuits of hay can sometimes be messy to carry, dropping hay everywhere or slipping out of your grip, especially when carrying a bucket of feed as well. A simple chaff bag with a handle of binder twine made at each end makes a great carry all. Place the chaff bag flat on the ground, hay on top and fold the bag around the hay picking it up via the handles thus containing the hay easily and cleanly to be presented to your horse without fear of dropping half of it along the way. A horse can even be lead along while carrying one of these! Entire bales may need a wheelbarrow or trolley to transport.

About to open up a bale of hay and forgotten the scissors - binder twine can be cut by placing another piece of binder twine under the twine around the hay and ‘sawing’ it back and forth - it really works and saves walking and searching for a cutting implement.

When moving many bales of hay, a ‘slippery slide’ can be made with tin or rubber (care should be taken if using tin not to leave sharp edges uncovered). Hay, bags of feed or really anything that could possibly be ‘dragged’ can be moved across the ‘slide’ without having to lift the objects up.

Very heavy items can be moved over a series of ‘rollers’ such as jump rails, similar to the way the Egyptians built the pyramids.

When moving an awkward item, such as a refridgerator, ropes can be passed under the item and two people used to ‘lift’ it up rather than trying to get a grip underneath or around the sides of the object.
A block and tackle is a ‘strain’ saving item that all property owners would find helpful for those awkward or heavy lifting jobs.It could be used to lift feed out of a trailer for instance, if it is set up in a shed or stable where a reliable strong beam is available.

Keeping sweet with neighbours and relatives can also be a labour saving exercise as there are always times when many helpers make light of heavy work.

A four-wheel bike or ride-on lawnmover can become a multi-purpose vehicle, depending on the power of the engine, with a trailer - either made or purchased - in which manure, feed, hay or equipment can be transported. Simple carry-alls in the form of a large plastic crate can be attached, making light work of moving gear, feed and tools from place to place.

Send any time or energy saving ideas for property or horses to us at Hoofbeats (hoofbeats@iinet.net.au) for printing in the next issue and you could win a free subscription.

Caring For Dung Beetles by Sharon Roberts

The Lucyvale farming community’s National Landcare Program grant to establish new species of dung beetles in the isolated valley in Victoria involved education of property owners on caring for the beetles. This was undertaken prior to releasing new colonies, and included information about the effect of drenching chemicals on the lifecycle of the dung beetle.

Life Cycle
Dung beetles mature quickly. There are differences in maturity time between species, but generally, the first week after hatching they are babies, the second week, they are teenagers and the third week they are breeding adults. Like the young of all living creatures, they are most susceptible to toxic chemicals (including drenches) when in their juvenile stages.

Chemicals
Not all drench chemicals have been tested for their effect on dung beetles. The CSIRO commissioned a report that tested the effects on four species of beetles; Onthophagus gazella, O. taurus, Euoniticellus intermedius and E. fulvus. Drugs in three chemical families were tested; Anthelmintics, Ectocides and Endectocides.

The Anthelmintics; Albendazole, Fenbendazole, Levamisole, Mebendazole, Morantel and Oxfendazole, had no known effect on any stage of dung beetle development.
The Ectocides (synthetic Pyrethroids), Cypermethrin and Deltamethrin affected all stages of developement.
The Endectocides (Macrocyclic Lactones), are divided into two groups. Avermectins; these are Abamectin, Doramectin, Iprinomectin and Ivermectin, which had no known effect on mature adults, but affected breeding females and increased the mortality rate amongst young adults, eggs and larvae. The second group, Moxidectin had no known effect on dung beetles, when used at the manufacturer’s recommended rate for the treatment of cattle.

Reading the labels of drench chemicals and understanding how the active ingredients affect dung beetles is critical when establishing new colonies, and highly desirable for sustainable horse keeping. However, sometimes a particular parasite may need targetting with a drench that is not ‘dung beetle friendly’. By understanding the beetle hatching and breeding cycle, and observing their behaviour, it is possible to time drenching when it will be least damaging.

When dung beetles hatch, they crawl from their underground tunnels, fly to fresh manure piles (they prefer dung less than 48 hours old) and feed by sucking the juice. The dung often appears ‘fluffed up’ when they are in this juvenile stage. Depending on the species, maturity may only be a couple of weeks away, and is characterised by the beetles beginning to tunnel. Soil casts appear around the edges of the dung pile, and when flipped over, holes can be observed in the ground.

If you notice individual beetles hovering over a pile of manure, then flying off without landing, this doesn’t mean the end of the breeding season, but quite the opposite. Just like any town on a Saturday night, these beetles are cruisin’. They are the ‘guys’ checking out the ‘dung cafe’ to see if there’s an available female munching there. If not, they cruise on to the next one.

Avermectins exert their most harmful effects in manure for two to three weeks after drenching. Therefore, drenching as late as possible into the adult stage of beetle development, when the majority of egg-laying is completed may be the least damaging option.

Establishing and caring for dung beetles is the first step to reaping the benefits these beetles offer.