Nationally acclaimed authors and experts on horse property management, Jane and Stuart Myers are to deliver a seminar of value to horse owners and the environment in Armidale.
Southern New England Landcare will host the event in the Dr Jan Milburn Room, ‘Akaroa’ Administration Building at the New England Girls School from 9am to 4pm on Saturday 20th May.
“Participants will learn how to use the natural and domesticated behaviours of horses combined with good pasture management principals to improve and maintain their properties,” said Executive Officer with Southern New England Landcare, Mrs Karen Zirkler.
Karen is pictured with her young gelding Rhodium Cowboy.
Topics include how to manage pasture for horses while also encouraging biodiversity, understanding the relationship between horses and their pastures, including issues such as laminitis and equine obesity, how to manage manure, water and vegetation, and how to plan and design a horse property.
The value of sound property management practices will be emphasised, not only in terms of horse care, horse health, financial benefits and aesthetic improvements to the property, but also in terms of environmental benefits like the effects on water catchments, weed control and erosion.
Jane Myers has been involved in the Horse Industry for more than 30 years both here and in the UK, and is the author of two books published by CSIRO called Managing Horses on Small Properties and Horse Safe: A Complete Guide to Equine Safety. She is also a co-author of Horse Sense - The Guide to Horse Care in Australia and New Zealand (2nd edition).
“A well-managed horse property provides a variety of plants that in turn support many animals – an ecosystem,” said Ms Zirkler, “and the more diverse the ecosystem, the better it can cope with environmental stresses such as floods, fire, drought, pests and disease.”
Anyone running horses whether they are on large rural properties or small acreages will benefit from attending because the pasture management principles are similar. The main objective is growing the correct grasses and other pasture species in order to reduce the feed bill, whilst maintaining good groundcover, reducing erosion and run off into waterways, reducing the worm (parasite) burden of horses and controlling weeds.
“Caring for your horse property is equally as important as caring for your horse,” said Mrs Zirkler.
“Horses are not native to Australia, and can cause a huge impact on the environment if the land they live on is not cared for properly,” she said.
“But it doesn’t have to be an expensive undertaking – in fact often a slight change in the way that you do things can lead to big savings in both time and money and have many benefits,” she said.
Those benefits include improved health for the horses and people who live on the property, lower feed bills due to more grass for a longer period of the year, happier neighbours, fewer flies and less dust and mud, cleaner water and more habitat for wildlife and increased property values. An effective horse property management system saves time and expense while at the same time is good for the environment.
Numbers for the seminar are limited to 50 and bookings are essential by calling 6772 9123.
To find out more, visit our events page here, www.equiculture.com.au or www.facebook.com/SouthernNewEnglandLandcare.
This event is supported by the Federal Government with funding through the National Landcare Programme.
