While the Melbourne three-day event continues in less than glorious weather we wish all our local riders the best of luck.
Big talking point this week is hay… or rather the lack thereof.
Lots of people are very unsure of the coming season and hay availability.
Please remember the weather over June, July and even August does NOT have a major bearing on the following hay cutting season.
The major growth period for hay is (of course dependent on temperature and rainfall) September – December.
Order your hay EARLY, just before cutting to ensure you get plenty, and always order as a worse case scenario.
Learning to ration to individual horses needs are also very important.
For those that can’t afford feed, try grazing your horse on the side of the road for an hour morning and evening, this will cut your feed bill considerably.
Purchasing chaff directly from supplier will also cut costs.
There’s plenty of ways to manage through tough times.
Hay is coming back down from up north, but the costs are out of reach for many people.
The long range forecast is still maintaining July, August and September to be above average for most of the country, so if possible organise some strip grazing to allow any possible growth, make sure you harrow manure now while its wet to give some fertilizing effect.
Talk to the old farmers who have seen many struggles for their advice too, it’s all valuable information.
Happy riding everyone, and please reach out if you are struggling.
