Early summer is a great time to do a variety of maintenance tasks around your barn and horse property. The time and energy invested now will keep your horses safe and your property looking its best, providing you with year-round peace
of mind and enjoyment.

Watching horses wade into a lush spring pasture is a satisfying sight after a long Canadian winter. Some simple management tips will ensure your horses can enjoy that lovely grass well into the next few months, weather permitting. Allowing your horses to overgraze one piece of land will create problems for both the animal and the pasture. Too much grass too soon can cause founder, and once the grass is gone, horses will often resort to eating weeds, some of which are toxic. As for the land itself, once the roots are exposed and trampled, the grass will not return and you will be left with a dry, weedy wasteland.

Mycotoxins are compounds produced by molds and fungi, and can be found in pastures as well as on dried forages, bedding, grains, and complete feeds. Of all the agricultural species, horses are among the most sensitive to toxicosis from mycotoxins. An important reason for this is that horses typically have a much longer lifespan than any other agricultural species and exposure to mycotoxins can take place over many years.