# paddock advice



## melanie (Nov 17, 2010)

I have been helping a friend out with her horses in return for riding lessons. She's roped me in to cleaning out the muck in the paddock and have discovered quite quickly it's hard work. Trying to convince her to buy a machine to make the job easier. I like the look of the trafalgar machine....anyone have any advice on this product?


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

Hard work? Oh no! 

Seriously - it's only as hard as a person wants it to be. Putting off cleaning, only makes more to clean or more of a mess to clean. 

Truly depends on her time management and the number of horses in the turn out. AND any possible physical limitations she has - bad back, knee, elbow, etc. But I see nothing wrong with the good old pitch fork and manure buggy for a couple of horses. More than that and we use the skid loader.


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

I am with MLS.

Horses are hard work. Period.


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

I don't understand why you think this friend should spend a boatload of money on something just to make _your_ life easier.

You've agreed to clean out her paddock in return for riding lessons. If you find it to be too much work, then you should pay her for lessons and forget about the trade.


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## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

Looks like lugging the hose around and trying to get it in position would be more trouble to me


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## Spastic_Dove (Oct 4, 2007)

They're really not worth the money -- Especially since the entire reason you got 'roped into mucking' was to theoretically save money. 

Just bring a radio or your ipod and get it over with.


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## Amir (Nov 18, 2009)

For serious?

I've picked up poop in a 5 acre paddock and bagged it all, lugged it up a hill to the front of the property to put it on the road to sell, BY MYSELF in about 4 hours. There were about 4 horses on the property and it hadn't been cleaned in 2 months :shock:

As everyone else has said, horses are just hard work. You gotta love 'em to do it.

If you think picking up poop for half an hour a day is too hard of a job, either get a ride-on mower or quad bike and get something to attach to the back so you can spread the manure, or, start paying for your lessons.


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## melanie (Nov 17, 2010)

OK, I get what you are all saying! I know horses are hard work and I'm not afraid of a bit of hard graft! Just to put the record straight, I am having the lessons free because she won't accept any money. I wanted to help out a friend to make life easier for her when I can no longer help her - I don't expect her to pay for it!! The general opinion is that paddock cleaners are a waste of time, so I am grateful for that advice - unless anyone can recommend them as life changing as I soon won't be able to help her as much.


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## charlicata (Jan 12, 2010)

Just use the fork and a wheel barrow. If you have some music you can listen to, that would help. If you can get it cleaned really good once, and then keep it up every day, it won't take as long. My biggest problem is keeping the noses out of the wheel barrow, and trying not to elbow my guys in process. On a positive note though, it's GREAT for building up muscles!!!


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## Hunter65 (Aug 19, 2009)

The workload depends on the layout too. My old barn was all paddocks all over the place, slogging through mud to the poop pile, it took a really long time to clean them all. I was leasing a horse and I paid the money rather than clean paddocks for riding. A couple of other girls did the trade but by the time they finished the paddocks they were too tired to ride lol.


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## ali (Nov 17, 2010)

I agree that horses are hard work and you just have to get on with it.........however, if there is anything that can make life easier and gives you more time riding, go for it!


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## xXEventerXx (Nov 27, 2010)

you think thats hard??? try picking 15 paddocks in the winter when the poops frozen and you have to get it all or you get in trouble... 

I didnt mind picking pens it gave me time to bond with some horses, one horse was abused and noone could get near him and i found it was rewarding to clean his pen because everyday he would get closer and closer to smell me. He eventually trusted me and i could pet him. Now hes a great lesson horse. SO picking pens was a great thing to do a machine would have spooked him


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