Preparing wild land for minis

[NoahG]

Hey everyone. I finally got a job in central coast california and I'm moving then minis to our property. The land is pretty wild other than our neighbor occasionally mowing a section for us. The ground is spotted with coastal native plants, ruts cracks and bumps. A little uneven terrain is good for them, but I was wondering if anyone here had any experience or advice pertaining to prepping ground to put down sand and pipe stall fencing.

Thank you all for taking the time to read this.
--Noah

 

[Standards Equine]

Congratulations on your new journey! That's so exciting. I'm afraid I don't know what native plants are in California or what will work best to break ground for fencing, but I wish you all the success in it!
Aside from all the people, I really enjoyed California when I was there about 8 years ago. The population where I live is nowhere comparable to the density of Sandiego, LA, etc. My only disappointment down there was being in surf culture areas and not hearing a single person say "dude"! I say dude fairly frequently and didn't hear it once down there. Off track, sorry!
I would normally suggest shelter being a priority, but your climate is far more dry than other places. Please keep us posted!

 

[NoahG]

Congratulations on your new journey! That's so exciting. I'm afraid I don't know what native plants are in California or what will work best to break ground for fencing, but I wish you all the success in it!
Aside from all the people, I really enjoyed California when I was there about 8 years ago. The population where I live is nowhere comparable to the density of Sandiego, LA, etc. My only disappointment down there was being in surf culture areas and not hearing a single person say "dude"! I say dude fairly frequently and didn't hear it once down there. Off track, sorry!
I would normally suggest shelter being a priority, but your climate is far more dry than other places. Please keep us posted!

This area in particular along the CA coast has a chilly, damp climate. Shelter for the minis and a shed for hay is on the top of my list. Our neighbors lease some of the land and keep their horses on natural dirt with plants and shrubs with zero issues but I'll talk with them.

 

[chandab]

I don't know if California has them, but should, find your County Extension Agent, and get their advice, they should know what is appropriate for your area.

 

[LostandFound]

Well, I'm on the other side of the country, but I've taken land and made it horse friendly a few times. Over here one of the big concerns is old dumping areas. Each farm dumped or burned their garbage and now that it is grown over you don't know until glass and rusty metal start showing up in your pasture. My best advice is to get some portable corral panels and feel it out for a while first. You want to get a feel for how the land works, where you can see them best, how far it is to water, which direction the shelter should face. What works for us on the ground is to let them eat the grass down, then in fall when it starts to get muddy I top it off with crushed stone. It works into the ground a bit and makes it very compact. Pasture I spread manure and seed, that usually takes care of that. I'm guessing you have totally different soil and climate so I don't know if I'm much help to you.

 

[HersheyMint]

Congratulations Noah! If I could I would love to live in central CA. I'm in the southern desert.
Hopefully your neighbor will help you out with your questions plants and shrubs. You probably have thought of these, ask about wild life predators in your area, farriers and veterinarians. Also feed stores if they carry the same type of hay you feed. Just wanting to help you think ahead. A move is huge. I'm happy for you all.

 

[NoahG]

Thank you everyone for your advice. Our neighbor who leases our land for his horses is willing to let me keep my minis in one of his pastures. Problem at least temporarily solved!

 

[MaryFlora]

Congratulations on your exciting news! You must be very pleased at finding your new place.

Separating your fenced area into smaller areas can be useful. What is the line of sight between your house and the paddock area? Not critical just nice to be able to take a quick look from your porch or windows.

Have a safe and calm move!

 

[LostandFound]

That will be a huge help! And he should be able to give you lots of info on how to turn the rest of yours into pastures or paddocks. You can get some time to enjoy before you get to start working.

 

[NoahG]

So bad news everyone. Winston has Cushings. He's also anemic, and on top of that him and Aggie both have poor thyroid function. I feel horrible. He's been lethargic lately but I thought it was just the hot weather. We'll see what's next here.

 

[MaryFlora]

I’m sorry Noah, that’s a lot to deal with all at once. Are you working with a new vet now?

I’ve been learning about Cushings myself over the past two months as a mini we recently gave a home in August was diagnosed PPID positive. He is on daily medication and does seem a bit more energized but that may also be due to the slightly cooler weather.

 

[NoahG]

This all happened literally a week before I was supposed to move them to our property. Got a call from my vet when I was back up in San Luis Obispo. I do have a vet lined up but I feel horrible. While they're dealing with their thyroid and Winston's cushings, I still really want to move them up here because the weather is cooler, damper and perfect for them.

 

[HersheyMint]

This all happened literally a week before I was supposed to move them to our property. Got a call from my vet when I was back up in San Luis Obispo. I do have a vet lined up but I feel horrible. While they're dealing with their thyroid and Winston's cushings, I still really want to move them up here because the weather is cooler, damper and perfect for them.

I hope it all comes together for you and the minis. You have said how you want to move for a while. If the weather is a help for their condition in Central CA, I sure hope it happens for you. Keep us posted, please