Native plants and animals can be a great help to your PA horse property, from helping to minimize mud to reducing pests and parasites. Take a look at a few of the ways that organisms naturally found in your area can improve your property: Native plants and trees can help reduce mud by absorbing water in the soil. Trees like Douglas firs, willows, and dogwoods love water, and can help dry wet areas or prevent excess runoff. Well-placed native trees can also provide shade for your animals, and plants will help keep topsoil in place and prevent erosion. The animals found in Eastern PA can also be a huge help to you – most specifically, local birds and bats. Birds like the ubiquitous barn swallow and Eastern bluebird eat a LOT of insects, and can significantly reduce the parasite population on your farm. Encourage these feathered friends by providing nesting boxes and leaving horse hair from your grooming sessions on the ground for the birds to use as nest-making material. Bats can also be a huge help in keeping the insect population on your PA horse property at a manageable level. These helpful creatures can also be encouraged to call your farm home by putting up a bat house, but it can take a bit longer for a group of bats to move in. Once you do have a group of bats on your PA horse farm, they will quickly devour every mosquito they can find. Encouraging the growth of native plants and animals not only helps preserve the natural ecosystem around you, but can also vastly improve the health of your land. Consult a local expert to see which species will fit in best on your PA horse farm.
from PA Horse Farms http://www.cshorseproperties.com/blogs/cindy_stys/archive/2014/07/24/let-the-nature-improve-your-pa-horse-farm.aspx
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