Fat horses and spare fields grass too long?

[I.Camilla]

My youngster and 5yo are on a constant diet as both natives and live off fresh air. Field they're in now needs a rest but I've let the other two fields rest for far too long and the grass is pretty long.

It's too wet to cut up and the grass collector would never pick up what it does manage to cut in this weather.

What does everyone do if the fields have grass that's too long? I was thinking about sectioning a small bit off but it would be trashed in a day as they like to charge about and even though it's a small section, they'll still be troffing the long grass :S

 

[rema]

I had the same problem..I have a horse that is recovering from lami so is on restricted grazing, so i have two paddocks that have been rested since June but it was not good enough for hay..I borrowed 25 ewes off the local farmer and they have done a sterling job off clearing the fields.

I will now leave until sometime in the new year and top and roll and try to get some hay off it next year.

 

[0310Star]

We strip graze at my yard, I would think they wouldn't be too fussed about hoolying about as there will be lots if grass! We normally do a section, once it is gone leave it a day so they can deflate and then move the fence along again, and so on!
p.s I also have a good doer and same with another horse on my yard and they cope fine with this as long as there is resting time as I said above for them to defate!

 

[*hic*]

Ask a local farmer if he wants to put his sheep in for a while.

 

[FfionWinnie]

Strip graze as deffered grazing over winter

 

[cblover]

Exactly the same for me. I graze an acre field over the summer and let my 2 acres grow so I can strip graze it over the winter. I start by letting them in for a few hours each day and gradually, over a month, increase their time until there are in there permanently. Same again in spring when I introduce them back into their summer field...its all done over a month again.

I use so little hay this way and the fields have a good bottom in them...so although some grass is wasted, its so much easier than having muddy fields.

 

[I.Camilla]

Do you not worry about them strip grazing on long grass? I'm not sure on grass length and how bad everything is as I've also read the very short grass is full of sugar but never been 100% sure

 

[FfionWinnie]

I don't see the problem over winter as the grass loses a lot of value. Not an expert however.

 

[Mongoose11]

Do you not worry about them strip grazing on long grass? I'm not sure on grass length and how bad everything is as I've also read the very short grass is full of sugar but never been 100% sure

My mare strggles with long grass - always gets a colicky belly. I muzzle her and usually wait for the others to eat it down a bit - she will only be with a pony this Winter though so she will have her muzzle on for a fair while!

 

[billylula]

I have the same problem. I kept ours in a corner of the field and got the farmer to top the rest. It was a nightmare as there was so much grass I had to rake it all up - nearly 1.5 acres of it. It took 10 days. NEVER AGAIN.

 

[Sparkles]

What I would WISH for that for my TB lad!!!!! Would certainly lessen feed bills currently. £20 a week on hard feed, plus £35 for haylage for about 4 days [though that is split between a few].

 

[goldypops]

I am strip grazing mine. I move it a little bit in the morning and a little bit in the evening and they have part of the summer field they can mooch about in too. Mine are natives and did seem to balloon up when they went in there 2 weeks ago but now with the weather turning cooler and no rugs they have lost a little weight. The grass is long but it is also very high in water content so for the amount they get in a strip they arent actually getting much bulk. I do this every year with no problems.

 

[I.Camilla]

Ok last question... How do you fence the strip grazing? I was thinking get two of those tape connectors to add to the perimeter of my current fields electric fencing, then a very long line of the tape that I can roll up if too long for sections and make fit as I slowly increase it? Sorry if that makes no sense I'm confusing myself as I am writing it!!!

 

[WelshD]

my pony part of my land has post and rail on one long side and tape along the other long side

To strip graze I have a gate connector on the post and rail side and a tape connector on the tape side on each strand (2)

When I want to move the tape I remove the gate connectors and move them along to the next post

then disconnect the main fence tape from a post on the tape side and pull the connector along the tape to the new place, then put the post back on where it was so in effect I have 'jumped' the post

I have two extra posts that follow the tape connector along the line, one goes each side of the connectors so the main fence isnt pulled in by the 90 degree temp fence

I've confused myself but I do hope you understand!

 

[WelshD]

Incidently I use my own sheep and goats to eat down the grass ahead of the ponies which is great. Borrowing sheep isnt necessarily easy though due to the paperwork involved in moving them off their official 'holding' especially if your land doesnt have its own holding number

 

[Honey08]

Incidently I use my own sheep and goats to eat down the grass ahead of the ponies which is great. Borrowing sheep isnt necessarily easy though due to the paperwork involved in moving them off their official 'holding' especially if your land doesnt have its own holding number

Agree with this! We did it last week so a friend could run 40 sheep on our land. It took nearly a whole day to get it done and now the paperwork has arrived they've put the neighbour's address on it!! Hopefully it will be worth it when the grass is trimmed down. Hubby is grumbling that when he goes to catch them in the dark, and shines a torch to see where they are, he usually gets two pairs of eyes reflecting in the dark, now there are eyes everywhere!

I wouldn't strip graze our fields in winter - they are too wet and you get muddy lines all over the field that don't recover very well, especially with ones that trot up and down fence lines or mooch at the gateways.

Ps, next time you have a field topped, ask the farmer to flail it - basically it chops the grass up like chaff, so it seems to rot away much faster and saves raking it all.

 

[alex2]

Similar problem at my yard, the horses needing to watch their waistlines wear muzzles. That way they have the whole field to run round, just can't eat quite so much grass quite so fast!