Tips For Preparing Your Charlottesville Horse Farm For Winter

Tips For Preparing Your Charlottesville Horse Farm For Winter

We see many articles this time of year about preparing your home for winter, but what about your Charlottesville equestrian property. There is a lot to get ready on a farm before winter sets in.

 

The following are some tips to help you prepare your farm for the winter weather to come:

 

(A) Clean the gutters.  After you clean out the gutters on your home, carry the ladder down to the barn and clean the gutters on your stable and out buildings.

(B) Sweep out the hay loft before those last loads of winter hay arrive.  With the barn all closed up on cold winter days, we want to keep the dust that our horses are breathing to a minimum.

(C) If you have had portable fans on the front of your stalls, it will extend their lifespan if you clean them and put them away for the winter.

(D) Have your extension agent visit to look at your fields.  Fall may be the time to fertilize and lime your fields.  Otherwise he may recommend that it be done in February or March.  It is always important to have a pasture management plan.

(E) It may be necessary to do a final mowing of your paddocks and fields particularly if the grasses have gotten long and are starting to form seed heads.  Be careful not to cut too short at this time of year, since there will be little growth after the first frost.

(F) Fall is also a good time to drag your fields

(G) Make sure that all of your water pipes are well insulated and wrapped if necessary.  You may even need lights to put on pipes during the coldest nights.

(H) Reorganize your equipment shed so that your blade is in the front and esily accessible to your tractor when the first snowfall arrives.

(I) Clean, grease and put away mowers and bushhogs.

(J) Make sure that the blankets and turnout rugs for each horse are clean and in good repair, ready for that first cold snap.

Living on a Charlottesville horse farm is rewarding, but like any other farm property there is a lot to do.  When those cold winds blow you will be happy that you are prepared.

 

Copyright 2011 all rights reserved by Pam Dent “Tips For Preparing Your Charlottesville Horse Farm For Winter“.  Written by Pam Dent.