Home Farm Holistic Livery

24/08/2026

Is there any more room in the barn?
Our horses enjoy natural and man-made shade

18/08/2026

Our horses are out overnight on stubble now the hay has been made.
The grass in the margins is now standing hay. Even so, our laminitis prone and EMS ponies are muzzled and benefit massively from the freedom and movement.
Which one do you think is the Anglo Arab?

16/08/2026

Let's talk hay!
What have been your hay wins, fails and learning curves?

It makes up the majority of the average horse's diet, and certainly all the horses' here at Home Farm.
We have spent 10 years or more now obsessing over hay:
What grass species? What's the sugar/starch content? Is it too dusty? Too wet? Should we change to haylage? Was it sprayed? Was it fertilised? Was it second cut? First cut? Does the weather and month it's cut in make a difference?
We started making our own hay to control as many variables as we could.
And we learned a lot about what worked and what didn't. We thought we knew a lot.
Then we had a forage test revealing last year's August cut (only cut of the year), zero ryegrass, unsprayed, unfertilised, biodiverse meadow hay was 11.7% combined sugar and starch. We thought we had it down and under control. We didn't think it was even possible! Last time we tested our hay was sitting at 5% for a July cut batch. So, now we are busying ourselves testing forage, trying to figure out why it's happened, if it is an anomaly, or if it is likely to be a long-term trend, gathering data and trying to understand what has gone on. We will share our results when we get them!

We'd love to hear other people's hay journeys, the good, the bad and the ugly and maybe we can all learn something by sharing our experiences 💚

15/08/2026

14/08/2026

It's a wrap!
2026 hay mown, baled, and stacked by our brilliant contractors!
186 bales from our own fields and 85 from a local wildflower meadow.
Forage samples taken from each different field profile and bales marked so we know which parcel we are using and when.
We take one late cut in August, once the grasses, herbs and wildflowers have set seed - better for the land and better for our horses 💚

We are taking this opportunity to make a public apology our hay contractors, Mark and Karl, for asking them to leave what has been referred to as a "caterpillar highway", "wildlife strip", and "Brazilian" (pictured) - Apparently leaving an unmown strip brings their tractor prowess into disrepute, with other local farmers asking if they should come and "mow the strip they missed" for them. Sorry! But, in our defence, we think it's only right to leave something for the creatures our meadows rely on, and vice versa.

Also, special shout out to yard owner Lesley, who has been out taping and marking bales all day without stopping for lunch, and who had to be forcibly removed from the top of the stack at 6.30pm to go and eat 🤣

13/08/2026

Our shaded water buffet provides welcome enrichment in the heat.
They all have different preferences.
Monty chooses Seaweed and Apple Cider Vinegar and Millie
Milk Thistle powder and Plain Salt water.
Slippery Elm and Bentonite Clay are popular too!

12/07/2026

They like the new AstroTurf!

11/07/2026

Today we said a sad goodbye to Pejo and Tibs who are relocating after spending 3 years with us. Also a very sad farewell to their lovely owner😢

10/07/2026

Even on the hottest day of the year ( 31 degrees)they were foraging round the track for tasty thistles and clevers