John's horse-keeping tips, part 1

Footing:
Peeler pole is good, but initially hard to work with.  Once you get it in, though, you don't have to drag it much.

Tractor:
Get a minimum 20 hp with a front end loader.  His Kubota has only needed regular maintenance for the last 16 years, but there's no real difference between Kubota and John Deere.

Dragging:
Bring him a sample of the arena footing.  The cloth is really good because it absorbs moisture so you don't have to water as much.  There is a special dragger that you use for cloth - not one of the straight ones which just makes it ball up, but one that spins around.
It depends on if it is felt or cloth, so he'll look at the footing at tell me.

Sawdust:
Look for Wilco to have sales and then buy a pallet at a time.  Get "dryden" (?).

Hay:
I will need about 1 ton every 8 weeks for one horse.  A horse eats 20 pounds/day, and a bale lasts about three days.  This will be hard because I don't have enough horses to buy it in bulk, but enough to want to get it delivered.  The best will be if I can find someone else ordering hay and then get one of their tons because it costs less in bulk.  It can be stored so long as it doesn't get wet, but I also have to watch for condensation from the roof of whatever it is stored in.
Where to put the hay is also an issue, because I don't want to be moving hay around every day all the way across the property.  He said I'll probably want to use one of the stalls for hay and feed.