The practical side of yard life
A poo-picking routine you can keep up
Quarry Stables · Practical guide
A simple rota for shared paddocks and how a regular field walk helps you spot other jobs.
Give every field a name
A rota that says ‘do the field’ is easy to misread when several people use the same grazing. Name each paddock, divide bigger fields into sections and agree who covers each one. A shared note with the date and initials is enough. If a section can’t be reached safely, mark it as outstanding and tell whoever is responsible for the yard.
Make it part of an existing trip
Link the job to a visit someone is already making. Agree where the equipment lives and where collected manure should go under the yard’s arrangements. On a shared yard, spread the work across the week so that one busy weekend doesn’t turn into a whole week without a check. The British Horse Society advises removing droppings at least twice weekly to help reduce the risk of worm-related disease.
Use the walk to notice the field
A regular lap gives you a chance to see what changed. Keep a separate snag list for a loose latch, a damaged fence, bare ground around a gate or a trough that needs attention. A note such as ‘north gate, lower hinge’ is easier for someone else to act on than ‘fence needs doing’. Flag anything urgent directly to the responsible person.
Keep the roles clear
The yard rota helps with pasture hygiene. Agree a risk-based parasite control plan for individual horses with your vet or qualified prescriber, and keep those records separately. If someone new joins the yard, show them the route, the manure collection point and who to tell when a job can’t be completed.
Sources and further reading
- British Horse Society pasture and mud management guidance
- British Horse Society risk-based worm control
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