Grass sickness

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Bexx

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So, after about 4 weeks of hunting I finally found a space on a yard with the facilities I require. However, I have learned that in the past 4 years, at least 5 geldings have died from grass sickness. The geldings are always turned out in the same field and the YO has no plans to move them. Obviously I am now not going on is yard and will continue my search, even if I was to buy a mare. I just can't believe that, 1) the yard owner is not investigating/doing anything about it or 2) that people are still happily turning their horses out in the field. Am I completely over reacting here?!?! What would you do?
 
I'm with you- that's completely irresponsible. Could you get a welfare officer to talk to the YO about it or something? I'm not particularly sure what I would do, sorry I'm not much help!
 
I have just lost my 10 yr old appaloosa to grass sickness on the 18th may. We immediately moved our other horses off the paddock they were in and have since clarified with the vets not to use the paddock for quite some time. However there are many factors which go into a horse contracting grass sickness, not just the paddock which they are on, but weather/time of year etc but most importantly it is down to the individual horses and whether or not they are susceptible to it. The vet who dealt with my horse at the hospital I took him to said its down to bad luck really as they are not sure on what causes it exactly.

Saying that though I wouldn't want to graze any of my horses on a paddock which I knew had had one horse suffer grass sickness, let alone 5!
 
Tia0513 said:
I have just lost my 10 yr old appaloosa to grass sickness on the 18th may. We immediately moved our other horses off the paddock they were in and have since clarified with the vets not to use the paddock for quite some time. However there are many factors which go into a horse contracting grass sickness, not just the paddock which they are on, but weather/time of year etc but most importantly it is down to the individual horses and whether or not they are susceptible to it. The vet who dealt with my horse at the hospital I took him to said its down to bad luck really as they are not sure on what causes it exactly.

Saying that though I wouldn't want to graze any of my horses on a paddock which I knew had had one horse suffer grass sickness, let alone 5!
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Sorry for your loss:(
 
what tia said =)

Also it is been said ( nothing about grass sickness is really definite) that young horses are more prone to it - do the mechanically poo-pick ?? disturbance in the ground increases the risk - I would personally never put my horse out in that field but some horses are just no susceptible to it there is this one place I know of that has had 5 horses grazing there for 4years and never had a problem but a new horse came and caught it .
 
Thanks twinkley, it was quite an ordeal :(

Yeah the vet also said the main age range was 2-7 yr olds but predominantly 3-4yrs were more prone although other cases have been older like mine. Such a dreadful disease & I hope they find a cure for it.
 
An acquaintance sent her stallion on loan to a farm where two horses had died from GS within 5 months of his arrival. The two farms are miles and miles apart. When the stallion came home after a few months away, he died three weeks later of GS.

One particular risk is disturbance of fields through the use of diggers and heavy machinery. When drainage works or pipe-laying for water troughs is necessary, it should be done when horses have no access to that field for an extended period time (as in a whole season). We poo-pick daily, but I have never heard that not removing manure everyday will exacerbate the risk of GS.

I would never put a horse on fields where others have died of GS. Good decision, OP.
 
I count myself lucky that I have never encountered grass sickness in all these decades but after losing my mare to colic I know how devastating such a loss can be.
There is a lady I know 'Ulla Balletta' who sadly lost her beloved horse and now dedicates all of her spare time to raising awareness and fundraising for research into Grass Sickness. She really is knowledgeable so if anyone would like to know more about Grass sickness visit her facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/219636401382141/
or see her story on the Equine Grass Sickness Fund 'In memory of William'
 
Don't just think grazing when considering grass sickness. The only two youngsters I have known that died of grass sickness did so when in 24/7 during winter and just been on haylage. The vets were 100% sure of diagnosis in both cases and it was the acute type. I also now worry about the forage I feed as if it is bought in to a livery yard how much can you know about that land?
 
cyberhorse said:
Don't just think grazing when considering grass sickness. The only two youngsters I have known that died of grass sickness did so when in 24/7 during winter and just been on haylage. The vets were 100% sure of diagnosis in both cases and it was the acute type. I also now worry about the forage I feed as if it is bought in to a livery yard how much can you know about that land?
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Yes this is also something to consider, the yard in question cuts its own hay and haulage, however it has only ever been geldings that have been affected :confused: mares and geldings are turned out separately, geldings always in the same field. I have been told that the field was fertilised at the beginning of spring, however I'm not sure how long it was rested before they were back grazing it. The last case of grass sickness occurred yesterday
 
cyberhorse said:
Don't just think grazing when considering grass sickness. The only two youngsters I have known that died of grass sickness did so when in 24/7 during winter and just been on haylage. The vets were 100% sure of diagnosis in both cases and it was the acute type. I also now worry about the forage I feed as if it is bought in to a livery yard how much can you know about that land?
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That is so true as some don't even pull ragwort and sell for hay:(

Yesterday OMG and they thought you would still take the livery slot!
 
Risk factors are acidic soil/thin grass cover
Cool dry weather for a period of over a week
Spring/autumn
Young horses
Stressful situations eg travel, competition
Soil disturbance whether natural (moles and birds) or artificial (harrowing, mechanical poo pickers
Failing to poo pick the field (not sure whether that's due to horses then having to eat patches of contaminated grass or overgrazing the non pooey areas.
Horses only eating grass (or not being taken off the grass for a period every 24 hours to eat something else)
Contaminated forage (hay lower risk than haylage)

I think if factors such as the above can be identified and mitigated against then it is reasonable to graze the land again, but if no changes are made it is unwise to risk it. Sometimes there's no choice but to reuse the land, my neighbours lost a horse to GS but they only have that patch of land, and dont have a livery supporting income so they have kept horses there sincem but they have changed the management of them eg no longer out 24x7.
 
lachlanandmarcus said:
Risk factors are acidic soil/thin grass cover
Cool dry weather for a period of over a week
Spring/autumn
Young horses
Stressful situations eg travel, competition
Soil disturbance whether natural (moles and birds) or artificial (harrowing, mechanical poo pickers
Failing to poo pick the field (not sure whether that's due to horses then having to eat patches of contaminated grass or overgrazing the non pooey areas.
Horses only eating grass (or not being taken off the grass for a period every 24 hours to eat something else)
Contaminated forage (hay lower risk than haylage)

I think if factors such as the above can be identified and mitigated against then it is reasonable to graze the land again, but if no changes are made it is unwise to risk it. Sometimes there's no choice but to reuse the land, my neighbours lost a horse to GS but they only have that patch of land, and dont have a livery supporting income so they have kept horses there sincem but they have changed the management of them eg no longer out 24x7.
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Thanks for this, as far as I am aware, field is not poo picked, there is a coverage of grass at the minute but I'm sure that will soon be eaten away. There seems so be a large number of pheasants around that area, also a stream that runs through a bird coop settles in a pond in the middle of the field. The horses I am looking at are all youngsters. I will deffinitly be continuing my search for livery
 
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