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A Property Management Plan (PMP) is a working plan of the design and management
of the horse property, that is based on the property's physical resources, the activities
(e.g. breeding, sports horses) that are undertaken on the property, your goals and financial factors.
A well thought out and workable PMP for a horse property has great potential benefits. It will help ensure:
- you achieve your personal goals for your horse property and lifestyle,
- the natural resources on your property (and the surrounding environment) are well managed and protected, and
- the specific requirements and personal goals of your horsekeeping enterprise are met.
A well-designed PMP will set out future property improvements, or management changes, that are achievable for you.
Many horse property managers are probably already doing many of the things that would be included in a PMP,
but may not have put these down 'on paper' as a formalised plan. Others might have done some sort of property plan but it might need updating.
A PMP for a horse property would look at ways you can eventually reach the 'best practice' outcomes that are in the Horse
SA Action Planner for Horse Properties.
Having a documented PMP is often an advantage when you need to apply to local council or other agencies for approval to
put up shelters, riding arenas and stables or make other changes to your horsekeeping enterprise.
The best result though, is knowing that our horses are gaining benefit from good pasture cover, shelter, good water quality and are
Land capability refers to the ability of land to be used for a particular purpose (or managed in a particular way)
without suffering degradation.
Different types of land have different land capability, depending on factors such as soil type, slope, drainage, rainfall
etc. For example, steep land with clay soil that gets soft when wet cannot withstand having as many horses kept on
it as flat, well-drained land.
The key is to recognise the factor/s that are present (and how minor or severe they are) that limit land
capability for horsekeeping on any piece of land.
The main land capability factors that are important for horsekeeping are:
- Potential for soil erosion
- Susceptibility to waterlogging
- Soil strength e.g. soft when wet or dusty when dry
- Saline areas
- Soil pH (although acidity can be overcome)
- Rockiness
- Streambanks, watercourses etc.
- Terrain - different slopes and aspect
A land capability class map of the property is one of the main steps in a property management plan.
- On a third overlay sheet, draw the existing property layout (fences, shelters, troughs, raceways etc).
- Draw up a fourth map overlay of your future, 'realistic' or 'improvement' property layout, based on how you could best
accommodate your future horse management on the property with the resources available to you (especially time and money).
Your aim should be to eventually reach the best practice standards for horse management as outlined in this publication.
- Write down, in priority order, the activities you plan to undertake to implement your 'realistic' property plan over a reasonable
timeframe (say 3-5 years). This would take into account time, money and other commitments.
- Work out ways you can monitor the health of the property (e.g. soil testing, periodic pasture cover assessments, or photo points).
- Include contingency measures for emergencies, and build these into the plan.
- Don't let your PMP gather dust on a shelf, but actively use and implement it, and review or update it regularly. Talk about the plan
with the rest of your family, or others who live or work on the property, and make sure everyone knows how they can help with
putting it into practice.
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Best Practice
A Property Management Plan for the management of natural resources on the horse property is in place, is
actively used and is reviewed (updated) annually.
Developing or updating a Property Management Plan ... "should not be a difficult task".
staying healthy due to mud, dust and other environmental factors which can contribute to overall
health being reduced or eliminated.
Technical assistance and other resources can be accessed to help horse property owners do this (see links), or you can do it yourself. Involving members
of your family, staff or clients (if agistment is your business), will give a greater chance of success in the uptake of the agreed final PMP.
The basic steps are outlined as follows:
- Write down your personal vision (lifestyle, time and money) and farm vision
(type and number of horses and horsekeeping system)
for the property, taking into account short and long term goals.
- Purchase an aerial photo (see links) or detailed map of your property, and at least
four sheets of clear plastic overlay (available from survey suppliers).
- On the first overlay sheet placed over the aerial photo of the property, draw the property's
physical features (hills/flats, drainage lines, creeks, dams, rock outcrops, vegetation etc).
- On a second overlay, draw the boundaries of the land capability classes on the property. Land capability classes are the different
types of land on the property
such as flat land, steep land, waterlogged areas, rocky areas, saline areas, and different soil types etc (see What is land capability? at left).
- Look at options to best match your horsekeeping system (i.e. paddocking with/without hand feeding,
yarding etc.) or other
land use enterprises with the different land classes on the property. For example, have grazing paddocks
on good land, restrict horse access to steep land etc, retain
native vegetation on rocky land and creekline areas, plan to fence off watercourses.
- Land Management Program advisers based in the Mt Lofty Ranges: phone 8391 7500, www.amlrnrm.sa.gov.au/services.html
- Horse SA: phone 8294 2460 or visit www.horsesa.asn.au
- Land capability in the Mt Lofty Ranges - Soil Conservation Boards in the Mt Lofty Ranges (available from Natural Resource centres and PIRSA offices)
- How useful is your farm land? - Land capability extension tool, Primary Industries and Resources SA.
- Property Management Planning - extension resource manual Primary Industries SA (1997).
- Aerial photos - Mapland (Department for Environment and Heritage) Level 1, 100 Pirie Street, Adelaide. Ph. 8463 3999
www.deh.sa.gov.au/mapland/eshop.html
- Hoofprints - A manual for Horse Property Management - J. Foyel, Primary Industries SA. Agdex 461/10.
- Sustainable Land Use for Depastured Horses - RIRDC Bookshop:
www.rirdc.gov.au
- Healthy Land Healthy Horses - RIRDC Bookshop: www.rirdc.gov.au
- Managing Horses on Small Properties - by Jane Myers, Landlinks Press available through CSIRO publishing or Horse SA online store.
- Check the bookstores from your State department of agriculture
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