Sweet Pepper Ranch Archives – The Northwest Horse Source

Small Farm Makeover: Storage Tips for Barn Managers

November 14, 2024November 14, 2024 by Alayne Blickle

Blanket hooks numbered corresponding to stall numbers. Photo Courtesy Alayne Blickle.

Keeping Barns Organized and Clutter-Free Aids Safety and Sanity Norma Stein has ridden and owned horses for over 50 years. She started out in hunters and transitioned to eventing, eventually spending most of her years in dressage. Now she thinks of herself as “a retired dressage rider who trail rides …

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Small Farm Makeover: Rodent Control on Horse Properties

October 10, 2024 by Alayne Blickle

Barn Owl Box. Photo Courtesy Alayne Blickle.

Consider Natural Solutions Fall is a good time to consider rodent control plans as that’s when mice and rats really start showing up in our barns looking for a warm, dry place to hang out for the winter. Rodents are probably one of the toughest challenges to deal with on …

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Small Farm Makeover: Free and Natural Insect Control

March 26, 2024 by Alayne Blickle

Image Courtesy Alayne Blickle.

Free and Natural Insect Control One of my favorite times of year is the March/April time frame when swallows begin returning to the Pacific Northwest. These vivacious little birds overwinter in Central America and return to North America in time for the spring nesting season. These pretty little birds provide …

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Small Farm Makeover: Winter Preparedness on Horse Properties – Part 2 of 2

November 30, 2023November 25, 2023 by Alayne Blickle

Photo Courtesy Alayne Blickle

Take Winter by Storm! The dead of winter and early spring are times for damaging, dangerous storms in North America. Making chore efficiency updates on your horse property and having backup supplies on hand is helpful for getting through the most challenging time of the year for horse owners–and it …

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Feature Story: Winter Preparedness on Horse Properties – Part 1 of 2

November 25, 2023September 5, 2023 by Alayne Blickle

Regular manure removal is critical in winter. Photo Courtesy Alayne Blickle.

Fall Chore Efficiency Farmers and ranchers know the drill well—they use late summer and early fall to do their prep work for winter. Horse owners can take notes from our older and bigger cousins and do the same, as fall is the right time to get things done! Cooler temperatures …

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Small Farm Makeover: Composting Horse Manure-Simplified!

June 13, 2023December 22, 2022 by Alayne Blickle

Photo from Alayne Blickle

Correctly Managing Manure Doesn’t Need to be Difficult or Expensive There are many reasons why a mismanaged manure pile is a problem—from chore inefficiency to horse health issues (horses allowed to graze near their own manure are quickly reinfested by larva that hatch from worm eggs shed in manure), to …

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Small Farm Makeover: Create a Winter Paddock

October 19, 2022 by Alayne Blickle

Photo by Alayne Blickle

Considerations for Building and Locating a Sacrifice Area on Your Farm Probably the most important aspect of managing pastures is the time when you take your horses off your pasture. You can greatly improve the health and productivity of your pastures by creating and using a winter paddock or confinement …

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Thank you for supporting the businesses that support The Northwest Horse Source

Thank you for supporting the businesses that support The Northwest Horse Source

Thank you for supporting the businesses that support The Northwest Horse Source

Thank you for supporting the businesses that support The Northwest Horse Source

Thank you for supporting the businesses that support The Northwest Horse Source

Thank you for supporting the businesses that support The Northwest Horse Source

Thank you for supporting the businesses that support The Northwest Horse Source

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