Palmwoods equine property build

Background

Our company was engaged by a client who is a professional rider and Equestrian Australia riding instructor in the community. The client had recently moved to an acreage property where she required a large amount of paddock fencing for her competition horses and breeding program. The client also needed paddock shelters and a specialised foaling shelter for broodmares. The property also already had an existing sand arena which was run down and required resurfacing for the client to train her own horses and give lessons to clients. The grass on the property was also sparse, so the client enlisted our services to perform pasture improvement.

Challenge

The client already had several horses on the property and a broodmare ready to give birth within a week or two. This meant we had tight time constraints to complete the fencing and foaling shelter work. The client also had approximately twelve clients per day attending her property for lessons, meaning the arena revitalisation we had to do on her existing arena had to be completed in less than twenty-four hours. Another challenge with the pasture improvement was that the current pasture contained a lot of noxious weeds and high oxalate grass, which was unsuitable for horses and needed to be safely eradicated first. Finally, due to the client’s horses already living on the property, we had to make a long-term plan, paddock by paddock, to ensure pasture improvement could be performed, giving the paddocks time to rest and regrow their new pasture.

Solution

We first thoroughly analysed the site and chose the best location for the foaling shelter according to the client’s wishes. We immediately ordered the materials required and prepared the site for building and building the foundations. Materials arrived the next day, and framing was erected on the foal shelter. In the meantime, we concreted all posts for the paddock fencing. Cladding for the shelter was built the following day, and the flooring was built up with road base and compacted.

We then laid Geohex rubber flooring to ensure the shelter drained well in inclement weather. The following day, the roof was sheeted, and the structure was painted in Cribex paint. We then finished the remainder of the 250 metres of fencing over the next week and the remaining three paddock shelters.

Our team then moved on to pasture improvement, conducting a thorough soil analysis and assessing its nutrient levels, acidity, and other critical factors that influence plant growth. We implemented a strategy that involved planting various forage crops and grasses that would help rebuild the soil’s fertility while providing nutritious feed for the horses.

We first applied safe and effective herbicides to kill the weeds and high oxalate grasses which had taken over the property. We cleared other trees, brush and overgrown areas to provide the client with more useable paddock space.

The team then prepared the soil for planting. Our team worked to remove any weeds and rocks from the area, then harrowed and levelled the ground. We then spread fertiliser over the soil to improve its fertility.

Next, we selected a variety of grasses and forage crops that were site-specific- suiting the site’s climate, soil type, and the horses’ dietary needs. We planted the seeds according to a specific plan that maximised the use of space and allowed for maximum growth.

Our final task was the arena revitalisation. We arranged all road base, sand and other materials to arrive at certain times on a Monday (the client’s only day off from teaching). We spread the road base and compacted it, before the sand came, ensuring the correct amount of fall so the arena would drain well in wet weather. We then spread the sand with our state-of-the-art, laser-level box grader before finally grooming the arena to perfection. 

Results

The foaling shelter was built in time for the client’s broodmare to give birth safely to a healthy colt. The fencing and other shelters were completed quickly in order for the client’s horses to be moved into paddocks with safe fencing and shelter.

Within a few weeks, the new pasture started to regrow, and within a couple of short months, the client was thrilled to see a beautiful, lush green pasture that was both healthy and nutritious for their horses.

Finally, the client’s newly revitalised arena was no longer dusty, drained quickly and provided a safe and comfortable surface for the client to train and give lessons on. 

Conclusion

The client was pleased with the work results and the fact that our team took the utmost care to ensure work did not interfere with running her business.