Field management advice

[Maeby]

Hi,
I have two Welsh A’s who are currently in the summer field. It is clay and so after all that wet weather has now become very dry. I have fenced off their area as it had very long grass and so they have been very slowly strip grazing to open the field up. The owners would like to discuss what to do with the field as it is so dry, I know this year the grass is very rich and so am obviously keeping it managed to avoid laminitis. Is it a problem that the ground is so dry at the moment?
TIA

 

[Melody Grey]

Hi,
I have two Welsh A’s who are currently in the summer field. It is clay and so after all that wet weather has now become very dry. I have fenced off their area as it had very long grass and so they have been very slowly strip grazing to open the field up. The owners would like to discuss what to do with the field as it is so dry, I know this year the grass is very rich and so am obviously keeping it managed to avoid laminitis. Is it a problem that the ground is so dry at the moment?
TIA

I would be managing that exactly the same- I’m not sure what they want to/ think they can do about it being dry?! Watering it seems the only option but I’d be reluctant because of laminitis and the faff! Are they non-horsey and thinking it will never recover?

 

[Maeby]

They have owned horses in the past so I’m not sure what it’s all about. I thought maybe I’m missing something!? The ground does get dry in spring summer but it’s not even crossed my mind that it’s a problem.

 

[rextherobber]

Maybe they want to take a hay cut, or top the field?

 

[Maeby]

Does that mean growing some hay? What’s topping the field?

 

[rextherobber]

Does that mean growing some hay? What’s topping the field?

Yes. basically cut and bale the long grass you already have. Topping is when the grass is cut /flailed shorter, taking off any seed heads and the resulting short clippings are left to rot down in situ and fertilise the grass. So taking the top off the grass would be a simpler way of saying it!

 

[Maeby]

Yes. basically cut and bale the long grass you already have. Topping is when the grass is cut /flailed shorter, taking off any seed heads and the resulting short clippings are left to rot down in situ and fertilise the grass. So taking the top off the grass would be a simpler way of saying it!

Thanks for this! I’m a newbie to field management so this is all good to know.
I’ve just spoken to them and they say the problem is that the grass they have eaten looks scorched and dry so it won’t recover until September. They said it’s not been like that in the 18 years they’ve had it. I’m not sure why it’s like it is or what the ponies could have done differently in eating the grass, they all eat the grass short as far as I’m aware… any ideas?

 

[Clodagh]

Dry, dead looking grass will be much healthier for small ponies. Are the owners paying you for livery?
I would say there’s always more in a field, food wise, than first glance shows you.

 

[Maeby]

They own the field and I have the ponies she was saying that it won’t grow until September but the bits that I’ve now fenced off have started coming back after a couple of days. I’m getting so confused! There are some ponies in a field nearby and the grass is short and green but they have a bigger area and it wasn’t long to start with so maybe that’s it. I’ve just been thinking about restricting grass, it’s clay and there are quite a few bare patches and the rest is looking scorched. I think the plan is that they want to make the field smaller so it can start to recover and I’ll need to find somewhere else for a couple od months which is a total pain!

 

[rextherobber]

If you strip graze, the ponies will munch the grass right down, your neighbouring horses don't need to eat so low, as they have more to choose from. The grass absolutely will recover very quickly given rest and rain, even if we get a summer like the last one, where everyone pretty much had dust, the grass still recovered. I think you are definitely doing the right thing, given the sudden increase on cases of laminitis.

 

[rextherobber]

Also, grass that has grown long does look dead at the base, that's why we keep garden lawns regularly mowed. It would look like that if they cut for hay too. The grass will be fine.

 

[Melody Grey]

You could always have a strip behind your grazing to move at the same rate as you advance forward - might help to look like you’re doing something whilst still keeping grazing restricted.

It will recover though, but sounds like you need to reassure the owner somehow.

 

[Maeby]

Thanks everyone, that’s reassuring… hopefully a bit of (overnight please) rain will come and sort it out. It’s all a big learning curve for me this year!

 

[Errin Paddywack]

We used to use an acre paddock for 3 ponies, 13.2 to 12hhs. We spit it in 3 and they grazed each piece for 2 weeks which took it down to absolutely bald then moved to the next bit that had 4 weeks rest. The amount of growth in 4 weeks was incredible. Your grass will definitely come back. Grass is just about impossible to kill off unless you are using weedkiller.

 

[teacups]

Agree. I’ve been using a weedburner recently and grass just doesn’t care. I scorch and firebomb it - it just all goes green the minute it rains!

 

[YourValentine]

If you had cattle not ponies, the advice for maximising grass yield is to graze then rest for at least 4 weeks, and ideally 6.
So in your situation as you strip graze up the field you need a back fence to stop them re-grazing areas which will slow the grass recovery. Think of their grazing area as a square that slowly moves round the field.

In terms of reassuring the owners, tell them that you have adopted the "regenerative agriculture, mob/holistic grazing" model of grass management it'll give them something to Google

The ground is dry, and if you're on clay cracking, but there is still moisture held in the soil that plants can access even though it looks bone dry. If it dries out so much that there is no plant available water, all the grass, grazed and ungrazed, will go yellow, very quickly.