Meet a Member : Lorna and Rohan (RG) Griss

A Spotlight on Fantasy Farm

We are delighted to have Lorna on our committee and to have Rohan actively involved and available to help us.

What was your motivation for buying land?

We bought our property in October 2019 after many years of looking, and many more years of dreaming. This fictitious piece of land was known by all who love us as Fantasy Farm! The plan was for me to have horses again after a very long break from riding. Neither of us are from land, though Rohan is very practical and shaping up to be a great horse husband!

What led you to join MPEL?

We have both picked up a bit over the last few years and are leaning towards a more natural way of using the land.

The Stuart Myers talk in March 2023, was a game changer for us, as was meeting the couple that sold me my mare. They are huge proponents of track systems/Paddock Paradise, running talks, clinics and giving demonstrations.

My girl is 15 and is the picture of health, so for us it was clear that there was a way to balance care of the land and have horses just being horses.

Tell us about your property?

We have 10 acres, which had had horses on it for a long time and was originally an old orchard. It is divided into 5 sizeable paddocks, with a big house paddock, orchard, dam, hayshed and laneway.

We moved in at the end of Jan 2020. Unfortunately all plans for animals, buying equipment etc were put on hold due to Covid. In a strange way, this was a blessing as the land rested.

We are on clay, so sodden paddocks are the norm for us in Winter/Spring at least.

⁠Describe how you use your land?

We are still learning, in terms of managing paddock rotation, harrowing, hay etc.

We have had four sheep on since Jan 23, and we finally got our horses this year.

We had hoped to utilise the sheep with our plan for rotational grazing, however, the sheep are more ‘free spirited’ than I had anticipated and basically go where they want, when they want, how they want.

We slashed the paddocks 2021/2022 whilst we were working things out.

We cut our first load of hay last year (420 Bales), and half of that has fed 2 BIG horses.

I am very happy to have another 330 odd bales sitting ready to go from this year.

What are the ⁠Short/Med/Long Term goals for your property

The Short/Med AND Long-term goal is to plant more trees!

Infrastructure wise, we have not made any immediate major changes, though RG did put the fence before the horse and ordered the supplies for our potential track system before she even turned up!

Short Term:

Removing the last stretch of barbed wire.

Fully fencing one of my yards, so all 4 sides are solid.

Installing a partial Track System, and manage the paddocks through rotation, and hopefully maximising hay production.

Soil Testing/Dam Testing

Re-do our electric fencing, so even the non-engineers can use it…

Medium Term Goals (Big Ticket Items):

Replace bathtub troughs with proper self-filling troughs.

All taps to run off tank water.

Hard standing for both yards.

Mats in target areas.

Loafing area for horses.

Hot wash including boom.

Electricity all through hayshed and solar lights on access points near hayshed and yards.

Streamline the Track system: install a sand pit/enrichment areas/hay station/water stations/loafing area on track.

Long Term (aka Bigger Ticket Items!)

Our plans diverge a bit.

RG's long term plans are farming, and my projects are specifically horse related!

All a compromise, as he is the one making them happen!

RG: Bank of solar panels running down the length of a paddock.

Fence off the dam.

Add a second shed for hay/equipment/horse box/tractor etc.

Gradually replace fencing/add a top rail.

Enclosed tack room/feed shed.

I have an open stable I am borrowing for a feed room, and my office is the tack room!

Wishlist: Convert to a Barn style set up, where horses have access to a large undercover area or access to their stable.

⁠Top Tip/ Hack you can share with our members:

Hack: Two Big Clydesdales= lots of baling twine.

Baling twine can fix pretty much anything....

Be strategic with rotation of paddocks, particularly if you want to produce hay.

Save up and spend the money!

Short term fixes are only ever that, though I am constantly McGuivering and/or implementing quick fixes- usually with baling twine - which will still be there in operation in 20 years’ time…

Fire Plan

How are you getting in to tend to your horses if there is an issue?

How are you getting horses out?

Where will the fire danger likely come from?

What are your access points/Exit Points?

Talk to your neighbours about your options. Have the conversation now and hopefully you will never have to implement it.

What do you wish you had done/ Wish you hadn’t done!

We wish we’d bought land 20 years earlier…

I wish I had held onto all my hay last year!

I wish we had bought a tractor that works and not a collector’s item…

I wish I had bought a Polaris. We (not me) bought a quad bike. I can’t ride a quad bike

My biggest mistake was to panic and throw a heap of old hay down when my horses were being a bit loopy galloping into and around the yards when it was slippy and muddy. It will take a hundred years to dig up/dry out and my yards are like a primordial swamp when it rains…

Top 3 resources

1.         Mornington Peninsula Equine Landcare!

2.         Local Horse Community

3.         Paddock Paradise Community

⁠MUST HAVE piece of equipment you could not do without?

1.         Tractor /Slasher -RG would say his 1963 Massey Ferguson, whereas top of my Wishlist would a newish tractor that works…

2.         Gorilla Cart

3.         Custom built (RG) Post/Pole Driver