Pasture has the potential to provide
1. The horses nutrition
2. A Safe exercise area
Potentials rarely achieved, often neglected
All information given here is believed to be correct but the author cannot be responsible for any consequences of it's use.
by Denis Lindsell
Horses should not be grazed on a paddock which has recently had fertiliser applied as it may cause problems if ingested. The fertiliser may be washed into the ground quite quickly if rain follows application though it is mormally recommended to allow a period of 3 weeks.
There are several application methods available for applying "bag" fertiliser which you may be able to do yourself or may need a contractor to do the job for you.
This is a tractor mounted machine with a central hopper and a mechanism to move the ferteliser out along a boom (possibly 12m or 40ft wide) and dropping or blowing it onto the soil.
These machines often give an accurate spread pattern but have the disadvantage that the tractor needs to be driven accurately. Inaccurate driving can cause ground to be missed or receive a double dose (this problem does not normally arise in farm crops as they often have permanent marks in the crop for the tractor to follow).
This piece of machinery is likely to consist of a wide hopper (the same width as the application width) with a wheel at each end, pulled behind a tractor. The full width hopper has a mechanism in the bottom, (possibly driven by the implement's own wheels) which steadily allows the fertiliser to drop onto the ground.
This again can give an accurate distribution pattern and while suffering from the same requirement for accurate driving. However the wheels of the implement would normally leave a visible mark on the grass which makes it relatively easy to drive accurately.
This type of machine will have a central hopper with a mechanism to feed the fertiliser onto a spinning disc, which can throw the fertiliser up to 10m either side of the tractor.
This type of machine does not give such an accurate spread pattern, which can vary due to the consistency of the fertiliser being applied and due to the wind. The spread pattern is not affected so much by inaccurate driving however as the volume applied reduces at the edge of the applied width. It is necessary to overlap to achieve an even spread.
Any of the above types, particularly the latter two, may be available for use behind a quad bike or garden tractor.
For small areas, hand application may be considered though some skill is required to do it well.
With a bucket on a rope around your shoulder, use a gloved hand to through handfuls of fertiliser in an arc, covering a width of around 5m, walking in a straight line across the paddock. Use markers either side of the paddock to aim at, helping you to walk in a straight line. At the end of the paddock, move the marker, and head back across (towards a marker already in the correct position) in such a way that you are overlapping slightly.
For this method to be effective, besides needing to develop a level of skill,it is necessary not to try to apply too much in one go, and not to rush it. However the author has managed to cover approximately one acre per hour by this method.