Pasture eaten and trampled

Since May 22nd the horse had been grazing in an area next to the building site. We had a lot of fresh gras there and wanted to keep the horse close to human activity so that it learns about the noises and movements.

Spring brought an abundance of gras and wild flowers. The gras in the picture is getting ready to let the seeds fly off with the wind.

On June 21st - a month later - the pasture looked quite different. By now temperatures have risen and there is no more rain until fall.

The horse ate well and trampled everything else down. The trampling is a good thing. It makes sure that the soil is covered and not exposed to direct sunlight.

This was a useful experiment. We now have an idea about what a single large grazing animal can do to an area.