Grazing routines

[lisan]

Do horses need a set routine of which field they go in and who they go out with?

May has an acre fenced off and is by herself as her fieldmate is very overweight and she is now in the small field by herself - which she is not happy about, she has been pacing and digging - but she has noticeably lost some weight!!

The yearling and two year old are fenced off next to May, but they really need to be split as you can't have one out of sight of the other so H put them both out with their mum this morning in starvation paddock (would'nt say its really at the starvation stage thou!) and is planning to keep the yearling out with his mum and the two year old next to May (May is really nasty to both the boys so they can't go out with her) but as I take her out quite a lot it means keep swapping and changing the grazing arrangements.

I am hopefully planning on getting another, either part livery or a loan horse for me, which would help, but am just concerned about keep swapping and changing the other mare and babies round lot.

 

[spaniel]

Each time a herd is disturbed, by either swapping frineds about or bringing in new horses, all the members will need to re establish the pecking order so in theory this is not always a good thing. Whether swapping fields about but keeping the herd the same is any different I dont know.

 

[AmyMay]

It's terribly upsetting for them to keep chopping and changing - and we try to keep change to a minimum.

It would be a shame to split the yearling and two year old up though, as they will be great play mates and companions for each other.

 

[lisan]

The yearling and two year old do play lots, the two year old is rising three and H's daughter is taking him away at xmas to start breaking him and she wants to start walking him up the lane and doing bits, but can't cos the little one goes mad!!

H also needs to do a lot of ground with with the baby, but can't do anything with him without his brother! (He turns into a horror unless he gets his own way, and had dragged two of us down the lane before now!)

Not an easy situation! I'm just so glad May is quite happy on her own! (as long as she can see others!)

 

[Maesfen]

As the others have said, a settled herd is by far better even if you regularly change fields.
Do you not have stables that the youngsters could be caught into, then work one while other is shut up and vice versa? This will get them used to being separated and should be much safer than leaving one hysterical pony to run up and down the fence trying to get near the other one; you wouldn't be able to concentrate on the working one if you're always worried what you're going to come back to IMO. Yes, it would mean bringing both in at the same time but at that age, the extra handling would do them good anyway.

 

[lisan]

Not tried bringing them in seperately yet, that should be fun! Will tell H to give that a go this weekend, and I'll have the vid at the ready!!

Here is the cheeky lil chap!

 

[Shilasdair]

They're a lot better if kept in stable or established herds. At my livery yard, my horses have been in the same field, but have had 10 different neighbours in 2 years....and the YO wonders why the electric fence is getting damaged!
S