field left to grow all summer by winter would horses need hay?

[Anna2015]

I plan on letting 8 acres grow all summer then moving 3 horses on to it in October. I have done the same thing with a 2 acre field and 2 horses and put a bale in around about November and they didn't touch the hay. It went off. They were finally interested once the grass was gone and the ground ruined which was roughly in January.

So really 8 acres grown all summer... would it be nutritious enough for 3 horses to not need/want hay? As I was told long grass looks good but isn't nutritious at all?

 

[crystalclear]

I'd say no, usually it loses its goodness and the horses need extra hay etc. also depends on the type of horses you have.

 

[Wagtail]

No not in my opinion. However it does depend on the condition, age, type and size of the horses. Also, this winter has been really mild and so the grass has not really stopped growing so this year you may have got away with it, but most winters, no. Also what would you do if you get a lot of snow?

I tend to feed hay fresh every day in the fields and every scrap is gone even though there is still lots of grass and the horses come in at night.

 

[windand rain]

Going against the grain here but we are still strip grazing grass grown from last summer we have three ponies all at the top end of good weight, I have been trying all winter to get it off. They are having about 20 square feet per day of grass plus the bits that are growing behind them and a small feed of oat straw chaff with tumeric, a few grass nuts, linseed, vitamins, salt and pepper. They are not losing enough weight at that and are pooing a heaped barrowful a day so plenty going through. Not sure the grass wouldnt have got very flattened and churned up if I had just turned them out on it and so been wasted but the strip grazing is going well and I have not bought a single bit of hay this year.
two 13hh ish highlands and a laminitic dartmoor

 

[Apercrumbie]

I wouldn't rely on not needing hay, but depending on the type of horse you may get away with it. I've always said that I would love to be able to turn away my natives on that kind of pasture and not feed them hay at all so they can really drop some weight before going into spring. However, for non fatties that would be less than ideal.

 

[Dave's Mam]

Long grass loses its nourishment. Once it becomes slightly "woody" it's all fibre, which is good in many situations, but not if you are using it for your winter feed regime without added hay. Hay retains that bit more sugar than Foggage, from what I have been taught. But I am happy to be told I am wrong.

 

[Anna2015]

Oh no I would still buy hay in case just wondering if thats a good idea because if it wasn't I may use a smaller sized field as a winter field. theres 4 fields 2 acres x 3 and an 8 acre. my plan was to use the three 2 acres in summer and rotate between them whilst allowing 8 acres to grow and use that for winter as I figured would of grown good grass.

 

[windand rain]

depends on the horses really I would kill mine if I rotated them on three 2 acre fields in the spring and summer they get quite fat enough on half an acre. If yours need to gain or keep weight on it might not work keeping mine slimish is a nightmare

 

[Anna2015]

Yeah that's another problem I am battling. I have an 19 year old TB that is a poor doer and a native! So may need to invest in a muzzle. The 3rd horse that's coming soon is also a TB that is a poor doer.

 

[Apercrumbie]

If you have two poor doers then you are going to want to start feeding hay before Christmas. I think a muzzle for the native is your best bet so they can still be turned out together.

 

[be positive]

I have a 7 acre field that I keep 3-4 in over the summer it is usually split in two, several winters I have kept 3 ponies and sometimes a horse on it with hay only fed if it snowed, this year it is open and has just 2 on it since November, 1 pony out 24/7 the other comes in during the day for feed and hay while another goes out, they have only just started having a token amount of hay each evening when I swap them, the pony is fatter than ideal and the horse is looking great.

I think 3 should be fine for most of the winter, if the grass lacks goodness topping up with a token feed and supplement will make up for any deficiency, low sugar high fibre is ideal for most horses, far better than short lush grass.

 

[SusieT]

It's ideal in my opinion, the natural cycle is to have less nutritious forage. Horses need fibre to keep the gut moving but plenty of low quality fibre is ideal for the winter and you top up if needing lots of energy etc

 

[Dry Rot]

Well, I seem to be the odd one out -- again -- as I feed according to condition. How long does it take to occasionally feel for a rib and along the top line? If they need more, they get more, with the caveat that it is very easy for youngsters to lose weight fast in wet and windy weather and inadequate shelter.

A little tip to save your fields if you are strip grazing is to have a back fence to limit access to grass already grazed down. If you fence off what they've eaten, it will keep them from wanderig over it and trampling any regrowth into the mud.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

For ponies, should be ok if stripping it as they will otherwise trash more than they eat, but tho horses will do the same (trashing) there is most likely to not be enough nutrition for them.
Mine has spent around 3 nights a week in each week since clocks change, I haven't had the need to put hay out in daytime at all yet this winter, and have just about no mud either, but I have 2 on 4.5 acres, divided into paddocks.

 

[merlin12]

I have three horses a cob ,a tb type and a retired polo pony. They have been out from December in Approx ten acres, they have had no hay but get a feed of happy hoof once a day They are rugged and are all on the he fat side. Depends on the grazing and weather as well. Can be done,with care.

 

[ihatework]

I wouldn't rely on not needing hay, but depending on the horses and land you may well not.

My old TB cushings horse went onto a large field in October (15/20 acres ish) 8 horses, some of which stay out 24/7 including mine.
The field had been rested 6 months and the grass was long and stalky.

I have no doubt the nutritional content was low but the went until the beginning of February without hay. The field is still green and they still have their heads down eating. I topped up with half a kilo of high oil nuts with some vit/min but honestly my horse has come out of this winter better than he did last year.

If they are holding weight then what they really need is their tummies full.

 

[DanceswithCows]

So long as the horses are in good nick going into the winter I'd think it'd last a good long time, but strip grazing/rotation to ration it would be the thing that might get you right through the winter without hay. I usually feed very little hay and rely on 'foggage' as it's known. I only pulled mine off this year because they are fatties and the grass never seemed to stop growing! I brought them in and fed crappy hay instead lol

 

[Pebble101]

I have two on six acres and I haven't fed hay this year. I opened the last acre last weekend. One has Cushings and EMS (but did drop a lot of weight last year due to a diet) and he has been able to live like a normal horse for 3months. I think the muzzle will have to go on soon as I have never seen the grass grow during winter and I normally start feeding hay in January.

 

[JillA]

Horses need lots of fibre (which will be there in spades in foggage) but they also need protein for soft tissue repair and immune system, and vitamins as well as carbohydrates for energy, which are probably lacking to some degree. As a minimum so long as there is plenty of foggage to provide the fibre, I would be supplementing the rest with bucket feeds. Otherwise top quality hay to top up the nutrients they aren't going to get in the foggage - with the caveat that it depends on the type and breed. Natives are much better at utilising what there is in winter grazing, a TB would struggle.
This year hasn't been typical though, the grass has never really stopped growing in this area.

 

[Christmas Crumpet]

I would say be slightly careful turning out on a field that has been rested all that time. I did the same thing - rested our top field from August when it had been grazed right down by the sheep. Left it until Jan and thought it would be fine to turn my horse out on. The grass literally hadn't stopped growing and so was mega rich and I'm sure contributed to him tying up. I assumed it would all be foggage but you could have cut it for silage, it was that green and rich!!

 

[Shutterbug]

We have 5 in just over 7 acres which has been rested all summer except for a few horses using it sporadically over summer - this is our winter field. YO puts hay in, large round bails and they do get eaten - tend to find the horses start at the bail then wander into the field then head back to the bail an hour before bring in and have some more hay - they aren't at the bail the whole time but will be getting enough to get the benefit of it as my two are looking great for February and being turned out daily. They would not be looking so good on just grass, as has been the case in previous years when I have had to factor in extra hay/feed to keep them in top condition

 

[irishdraft]

I have 3 out on foggage one native who's looking on the plump side one ID in hard work & 1 ID in light work the IDs get hard feed twice a day the native nothing all 3 have had no hay this winter so far although may start with a little this week first winter I have gone this long without feeding hay

 

[CBFan]

I personally would turn them out on 3 acres to begin with and then strip graze them across the rest over the duration of winter. That way you are preventing them just trampling the grass into the ground. We did this this winter and have only just finished strip grazing. We offered them hay early ish in the winter and they weren't interested but since we have had harder frosts, they have been more inclined to want some and then, obviously, once the grass ran out, they had some. I would have a small supply of hay 'just in case' but otherwise let them be....

 

[Copperpot]

I have 3 on 7 acres. It had never been grazed before and just used to get 2 cuts of hay from. When I moved them in during August the grass was knee high. By December I was giving them hay as it had all gone!

 

[laura_nash]

Depends on the grazing (quality, drainage etc) and the horses. I have two (1 pony 1 horse) both good doers out 24/7 in little work, we have a total of 8 acres in all. I've yet to have to feed them hay. I always have some hay in, just for emergencies or to give them something if they are standing in for any reason. The only reason I have fed hay on a regular basis in the last two years is for dieting (currently feeding hay/straw mix in a bare field as they have got too fat again, this winter is impossible for weight management). I usually give a small hard feed with minerals, linseed etc in winter, but not doing that this winter as the grass keeps growing! My acreage is all split up though so they don't get chucked out on the lot, if I did that they would probably eat or trample it all and need hay.

 

[Annagain]

Will they be on it 24/7 or in at night? If they're on it 24/7 you probably will need to feed hay but if they come in overnight I'd just give them ad-lib hay when in.

Having said that, I'd keep them on the smaller fields for as long as possible to maximise the winter grazing. If you rotate them well over the summer and the grass is good you can probably make them last until mid November. This year, with such a mild Autumn (which wasn't too wet to start with!) our lot were on their summer grazing 24/7 until the first week of December (and only moved then because the field was so wet the old spring at the bottom sprung back to life and flooded the bottom half!). Without all that heavy rain in November, they'd have managed a few more weeks down there. They then moved to the winter field and started coming in overnight. With it being so wet since, they've trashed about 40m around the gate, but the rest of their 7 acres still has plenty of grass in it.

They don't get any haylage in the field but get adlib when they're in.

 

[9tails]

I would have 8 acres for summer with the native muzzled, then rotate the 2 acre fields for winter trash paddocks.

 

[Tiddlypom]

I'm strip grazing 3 out 24/7 on 3 acres of foggage, they're doing really well on it and I'm worried that I won't get it all grazed off before the spring growth kicks in and I have to stop moving the fence.

They get 2 small feeds a day with their vits and mins, micronised linseed and salt but otherwise its just the foggage. 2 15.3hh sports horses and a small chunky pony.

 

[amandaco2]

I've done this and not needed hay for mine.depends on the winter you get though, but yes its possible they wont need hay

 

[Apercrumbie]

I would have 8 acres for summer with the native muzzled, then rotate the 2 acre fields for winter trash paddocks.

Even with muzzles I think many would struggle to keep a native trim and lami-free on 8 acres of lush grazing in the summer. For this reason I personally would prefer the reverse, although there is definitely more than one way to skin a cat so to speak.