Paddock Paradise for my horse

            I haven't been riding much lately. Talana and I have been doing other things instead. She has been working on growing in her winter coat, and is moderately fluffy now. What I find remarkable is that she is staying shiny. She's not quite as glossy as she was during the summer, but her coat has not turned dull like I am accustomed to. Sometimes when the angle of the sun is just right, I can still see some dapples in her saddle area.
            I can see that she's been laying down to sleep during the night. It leaves muddy spots in certain places on her tummy and her legs. I am glad that she is comfortable enough here to sleep so soundly. She seems to generally feel comfortable and peaceful. Most often when I look out the window to check on her, I see a relaxed horse who is either grazing or snoozing in the sunshine. On some windy days, she is more alert and will trot around. But I haven't seen her be upset here. If she smells other horses - I know there are some nearby, she must smell them sometimes - I have seen no sign of it. She doesn't call for them. She does, however, call to me when I have her breakfast.

             I love this view, where I can see her out the window when I sit at the computer. Keeping her down in the meadow, which is past the trees in this photo, was good in that she got access to more grass. However, I really missed seeing her from the house. I didn't expect that to affect me so much, but I found it really irritating! I like to be able to just look out and see what she's doing.
            I thought at first that this was something I couldn't do anything about. But, as always, I have been reading. One of the things I have been reading about is how to keep a horse on small acreage. The amount of land I have available for my use is adequate, if I manage it carefully. But it's not expansive. It would be different if I had access to the whole meadow, of course - but I feel that it would be rude to push for more access at the moment when the land owners have already been so kind. So I am interested in keeping the land I have in good shape, not just for Talana's benefit, but for everyone who enjoys it.
            There is a system of land management called the "Paddock Paradise." You may have heard of it. There's a book about it, by Jamie Jackson. The basic idea is that horses are supposed to move around, not just stand and eat in one spot all day. To create a Paddock Paradise, you reconfigure your fence so that the horse has a "track" to walk around, rather than a rectangle or circle that encompasses the entire area available to them. Maybe they have access to the whole area, but they have to walk on the track to get to everything they need. Water is over here, salt is over there, grazing is spread out in different areas (or hay is spread in little clumps all over, not big piles). Other obstacles are included, too: rocky areas, graveled areas, a log that has to be stepped/jumped over or maneuvered around.
            One of the things that makes me re-think what I can do for Talana is the inclusion of these obstacles. Someone who has land that has been used for horses for many decades - say someplace in the rolling hills of Kentucky or Virginia - would have to build in rocks and rough areas. Those huge pastures of bluegrass have been carefully manicured for a very long time to not have any hazards: No boulders, no rocky areas. Steep areas have been landscaped to be nice and flat, comparatively. But here in Maine, I have the opposite situation. About fifty percent of the land that belongs to the house I live in is rocky and hilly. Those scrubby bushes you see are actually part of the backyard. I had assumed that this area was not worth anything to Talana, because it is "too steep" and "too rocky." But look at where these horses live: http://thesoulofahorse.com/blog/our-paddocks-paradise-2/
            That's nothing but rocks! My rocky backyard is no worse than that. It's just covered in bushes and weedy things. So I went for an adventure into the bushes to see what I really have back there. It turns out that there is even grass growing between the rocks, wherever the bushes don't block all the light. If I were to take down the chest-high undergrowth, Talana would be able to navigate around the rockiest areas just fine. And, furthermore, I could connect the yard up here to the meadow down there. She would then be able to make her way down to the meadow to graze. I could keep her water and salt up here, so she'd have to come up and down the hill. I could still move the fence around down in the meadow to manage which parts she has access to at one time.
            In the winter, I don't think this would work well. I don't like the idea of encouraging Talana to attempt a rocky hill in the snow and ice. It's just too dangerous, even for a sensible horse like her. The best scenario would be that she chooses not to go down there. So I think she will have to be satisfied with the area around the house, as I originally planned.
            I don't know if I'll have time before the snow comes to get this area opened up for her. It may depend on how early winter arrives this year. But I've already started work. Anything I can do now will help when things begin to thaw in the spring.

            This pile of rocks marks the edge of the yard before the hill slopes down. This particular spot may not be the place Talana wants to use as a path. Off to the right of this picture, there is a more gradual slope that is less rocky. These rocks were likely taken out of the yard to make it flatter and easier to mow many years ago. They are stacked quite loosely, and I will probably re-stack them so that they don't turn underfoot when stepped on. I may move them somewhere else altogether. It wouldn't be difficult to roll them down the hill to some muddy spot where they are needed, for instance. All I'd have to do is jiggle them loose and give them a push. The way they are right now, I wouldn't ask Talana to attempt to traverse them. It just seems like a sprained ankle (or worse) waiting to happen.
            I didn't realize just how much space there is here until I began taking down the tansy and wild roses that have grown up. It's actually taken over a third, maybe half, of what used to be grassy yard! And having my own pile of rocks to use for landscaping feels like a windfall. I am glad I have such rich resources to use right in my backyard. Who knew I'd be so happy about having lots of rocks?
            I have been doing battle with the tansy ever since I moved here. The tansy is the stuff that leaves all those woody brown canes behind. It's a truly nasty weed. It's poisonous, so nothing eats it. It smells bad, so no one likes to touch it. It grows five feet high, so you can't walk through it or see over it. It spreads incredibly rapidly with thick roots and millions of seeds yearly. Blech. A monoculture is not beautiful, or wildlife-friendly, and that is just what the tansy creates. I really dislike the stuff. Also, once it's grown up, it's hard to cut it down. It tends to kill weed-whackers because it's too woody. It takes a lot of muscle power to knock it down with a sickle. And it grows in places you can't take a lawnmower. But it turns out that a hedge trimmer works quite well to knock it down! So that is what I have been using. I'm still left with the stubbly canes sticking up, and I'll have to do something about that. But at least I can see the ground now. Honestly, I'm a lot less concerned about leaving the roses and raspberries alone. Talana doesn't mind them at all, and they spread slowly enough that they can be managed with a once-a-year trimming.
            It feels good to work on things that will help Talana. I find that I enjoy the chores I do to keep her comfortable, and her areas clean. Reclaiming the yard is a big project, but I feel very motivated to do it. I know Talana will like it when I am done. That makes it worth the sore muscles and punctures from thorns. It's also worth missing out on a few weeks' worth of riding. Riding is fun, but we can do that most any time. This nice weather will only last so long, and I want to use it to work on things that will have a lasting impact on Talana's comfort.
            Here she is from my window again, enjoying the afternoon sun.