Anyone else running out of grass?

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L&M

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We have 7 horses and 2 shetlands who have 12 acres between them. Their paddocks are well maintained and regularily rotated/rested but nothing is growing back! I moved 3 onto a paddock today that has been rested for nearly 6 weeks, and was shocked to see how little grass growth there was - I know we have not had significant rain in our area for the last few months, but am starting to worry what we will have for winter at this rate!
I do not want to fertilize, as our grazing is normally so productive - who else is in the same boat?
 
Me too! I've swapped fields this year and what I thought was loads of grass turns out to be mostly moss when it's been eaten off. I've got sheep on too as there is normally far too much grass. I'm hoping we'll get some decent rainfall to get it away, the only rain we had was followed by a hot windy day so the ground was back to concrete straight away. Can't believe it after the wet year last summer!
 
Me too, have used one field that I don't usually graze, only got 10 large haylege bales off another and now eating down the last paddock with grass. The empty fields haven't grown back and are just brown burnt grass. Really need some rain.
Luckily all mine are fatties.
 
Shall we all club together to do a rain dance?!! Mind you, as my lad breaks up from school next week, it is bound to then rain for the entire Summer hols! Here's hoping.......
 
I've also got plenty of grass but only because the yard i rented hadn't had horses on it from december to may this year. I am also lucky that one of the neighbours bought a 2 acre plot of land years ago purely to p off another neighbour and i can put the horses on there as it saves him mowing it! The fields they are currently in or have been on are just bare and some rain would be really nice!
 
We are getting short too ! We had nothing last year as we had no rain for months, so no hay left from last year either. Started off with quite a lot as we fertilised this year but the fields we have come off in APril have not grown back, so also expect hay to be v short and expensive this year
 
I'm running out of grass in one field, it looks like it's been burnt because of the lack of rain, usually I'm desperately trying to beg/borrow or entice sheep into my field! Luckily though I have a fat native who can exist by just looking at a field :D
 
No, I am taking on my Boarders to eat ours as after November it is usually under snow and I HATE seeing grass go to waste. Fortunately QH's are like British natives and are generally really good keepers, they are all on restricted grazing.

Mind, if we carry on having these temperatures (34C plus humidex right now) and no rain that will sort the situation out.
 
No grass on our yard...even the fields which have been rested, the grass has been slow at coming though.
I've been bringing in ours in during the day as there isn't enough to keep them going 24/7 unlike other years.
Strangely though, the grass looks green but it's quite patchy and the length of a putting green!!!!
 
pointless fertilising now if theres now rain, it wont wash into the soil and wont encourage growth without water.

we are desperate for grass, have been since winter and we have half the horses grazing as normal and are normally topping by now.
 
Not only is our grass not growing, it is dying! We just haven't had enough real rain for over 3 months. I have taken less than 60 bales of hay off a field that normally gives me 180. I am now panicking because apparently this has happened all over the country and I don't know where I can get enough hay for my horses without bankrupting myself. My usual supplier has already told me that he can't give me any as he barely has enough to feed his sheep and cattle. :(
 
I can only store two round bales at a time, so I'll be well and truly scuppered if supplies run out over the winter, and I'm feeding hay now. :(

I'm just hoping for an Autumn flush of growth.
 
Yep, mine is quickly running out, this time last year the grass was growing quicker than the horses could eat it!! I also cant rotate my fields as the YOs idiot husband sub-let two of my fields for 3 very large yaks without telling his wife or me, so half of my grazing is being eaten away and there nothing i can do about it until they get kicked out in October...!! NIGHTMARE.
 
I am also running out of grass...............we just haven't had any rain at all!!!!!
I have a thoroughbred and am already feeding twice a day and he is still stood by the gate. Would you also give him some hay?

ANy thoughts appreciated!
 
Mini just up his feed, unless you have ample supply of hay.I'm down by 126 bales this year and cann't afforf the £5-£8 supplyers are asking so up their short feed and hopefully make the hay last through the winter and my paddocks are scorched off, but they are pure sand, so will have to reseed yet again this autumn.
 
We have much less than normal as much of it has been burnt off which is great as most of the horses on the yard are good-doers. It would be nice if some would grow just before winter although we'd need rain for that :rolleyes:
 
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Thanks Johnrobert, Do you reseeed yourself or get someone else in to do it? I have just bought a proprty with three acres and a couple of stables and barns. Hoping to buy a few more acres off the farmer but really thought three acres would be enough for the one horse.................oh how wrong can you be when there has been zero amount of rain!

AM looking to reseed and weedkill. Whats the best way to go about it?

Thanks
 
We have too much grass, Im amazed as weve had no rain and its green and growing. We dont have many horses though and big paddocks, Ive cut mine in half as hes getting fat!
 
One of my fields has been rested since spring! Some of the grass is waist high but other parts are very short! So no good to cut hay off!

Will it be no good in the winter as will have no goodness?? or will it be ok and save me giving them hay out there to early in the winter??
 
We have none at all, combination of bad pasture management (livery yard, not my fault, but extremely a annoying) and complete lack of rain. Even where the grass hasn't been grazed it is burned out and yellow. On the up side, my horse isn't fat! :rolleyes: and I can leave him out 24/7, feed him twice a day, and keep him in competition work. But unless it rains soon we will have to start feeding hay in the field, not idea in July!!!! :eek::eek::eek:
 
Been an utter nightmare so far this year,cant believe Im having to feed my two section a's hay in July.
Not so bothered about lack of grass causing weight loss as little chubsters could live on fresh air but they do need to be able to munch on something to keep their guts working and also my two if they feel hungry will scale cliffs and swim rivers to reach someone elses grass and already had to retrieve them from a neighbours field twice this year and god only knows how they escaped :(
 
We have some grass left at the top of the paddock but they still call to me to put out more haylage....? Can someone explain that one to me? Lush waist high had a jolly good dose of calcified seaweed in April so what is up? I poo pick so can't be sour? Oh and it's strip grazed so they have the choice of new long grass, already half eaten and short grass. TBH they seem to like the short grass more than long?? Does grass go off once it goes to seed?

I am worried by the thought of a hay shortage hopefully as we are a touch more rural we may fair a bit better than some people.

Mine are chomping through a large bale of haylage as we speak!! Have rather lovely grass belly on the lactating mare though people keep asking me if she's having triplets - but she is allowed as no crest and a lovely little bum :D
 
It is scary. Looking at our fields you'd think you were in some kind of mediteranean country with the browny, burnt tinge to the short, eaten down grass.

The horses are all well up to weight, even the TBs, so not worried about them at the moment, but it does not bear well for the coming months, or the hay yield this year :(
 
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