All About Soil - Part 1 - Facts about soil
In this brand new Equine Permaculture series, we will ‘dig deeper into soils’ and explore what soils are, how soil is formed, the different types of soil and how they sustain life through the soil-food-web.
Equine Permaculture
Paddock shelters that work
March 2019
When it comes to providing, planning and building shelters for our horses, what design aspects matter most? In this article, Dr Mariette van den Berg provides some handy tips and useful guidance on the location, design and construction aspects that horses will appreciate and you should consider when designing man-made horse shelters. Why build a shelter?
5 Property Improvements for all Budgets
December 2018
Here are five common changes that can be done at any stage on small and larger budgets to improve or redesign your existing horse property... When horses become part of your life and you are lucky enough to own one (or a few), the next best thing is to be able to manage them on you own place, preferably in your backyard! For those of us who rode at riding schools or had our horses agisted when we were growing up, there is nothing more appealing than waking up in the morning and wandering out in your pyjamas to feed your horses or watch them graze, while holding a cuppa.
Earth Care, People Care, Horse Care by Design: Part 1
August 2018
Throughout the past 30 issues of Horses and People Magazine, Dr Mariette van den Berg has been integrating permaculture principles with other sustainable farming practices as they relate to horse property design, layout and pasture management. In this article, we recap on the basic permaculture principles while we link back to the relevant information and many ways they can be applied to an equine setting to benefit horses, people and the land.
Series: All About Soil - Part 3 - DIY Soil tests
03/26/2018
In this Equine Permaculture series, we ‘dig deeper into soils’ and, to date, we have explored what soils are, how soil is formed, the different types of soil and how they sustain life through the soil-food-web. If you missed those articles, you can find them by clicking on Part 1 and Part 2 In the following parts, we focus on the importance of soil tests - in the lab and DIY - interpreting these soil test results, and, finally, in our last part, we will explain how these tests can help your property’s soil and pasture management.
All About Soil - Part 2 - The soil food web
In this Equine Permaculture series, we ‘dig deeper into soils’ and explore what soils are, how soil is formed, the different types of soil and how they sustain life through the soil-food-web.
All About Soil - Part 4 - Lab Soil Tests
In this exclusive Equine Permaculture series, we have been ‘digging deeper into soils’ and explored what soils are, how soil is formed, the different types of soil and how they sustain life through the soil-food-web.
All About Soil - Part 5 - Using soil tests to improve horse pastures
In this All About Soil series, we have been ‘digging deeper into soils’ and explored what soils are, how soil is formed, the different types of soil (Part 1) and how they sustain life through the soil-food-web (Part 2).
Managing Pastures for Soil Health - Part 1
November 2017
As horse owners, we care for large herbivors and, in order to support them with the food they are designed to eat, we must take care of our land. Making the right land management decisions - ones that will create healthy pastures, and adequate food resources for our horses and for ourselves - is often easier said than done and certainly not something you can buy off the shelf. By understanding the ecosystem as a whole and its natural functions, you will be able to make management decisions that support the natural patterns.
Equine Permaculture: Composting!
May 2017
Sometimes, permaculture is as simple as changing the way we look at things. This month we bring you a perfect example: Instead of looking at all that manure your horses produce daily and the hard work you do cleaning it up as ‘waste’, you can see it as your best opportunity to obtain a valuable resource to help you achieve the holy grail of permaculture - building healthy soil to support your horses’ and your land, helping both become more resilient.
Equine Permaculture: Amazing Dung Beetles
April 2017
This month, we celebrate dung beetles! For horse owners, dung beetles mean mean less cleaning paddocks and poo shovelling, and great soil development, without cost or effort - all things that align with the permaculture principles. Dung beetles also benefit your horse’s health by helping control fly and parasitic worm populations. While this is great news for all horse and cattle owners, these tiny workers need the right conditions to establish and thrive.
