Topping cuts the long, stemmy grass and weeds that horses and livestock leave behind, so the paddock regrows evenly with fresh, leafy grass. It’s for horse owners, smallholders and anyone whose field has gone patchy, tufty or tall.
A tractor pulls a topper — a rotary or flail mower built for rough grass — across the field, cutting everything to an even height. The cut material is left lying where it falls to dry and break down.
Grazing animals are picky. Horses in particular create short, overgrazed “lawns” and long, rank “roughs” around their droppings. Topping evens those out and stops grasses and weeds such as docks and thistles going to seed.
The usual cutting height is somewhere around 7–10 cm (3–4 inches). Going lower scalps the grass, weakens it and lets weeds and bare patches in — a paddock is not a lawn.
Most topping happens from late spring through summer, roughly May to September, once grasses and weeds start throwing up seed heads. One cut in early summer and another later on is common; heavily grazed horse paddocks may need more.
Pick a dry spell. Cutting wet grass leaves clumps that smother the sward underneath, and a tractor on soft ground leaves ruts. Topping just before seed heads ripen does the most good for weed control.
Booked through us: £280, £575. Real jobs and what they came to — every field is different, so treat these as what past work cost, not a price for yours.