Ground/Grazing/Grass Query :-)

[Ladydragon]

I was hoping I could pick the brains of anyone with a bit of ground maintenance knowledge...

If a turnout field has been used consistently, all weathers, for a year - is it likely to recover/re grass at all without being rested? The horse numbers have increased so that it's probably borderline/higher than the one per acre plus one acre 'rule' that I'm familiar with... There is space to move around but it's not all grazing as it's very rocky, mountainous type terrain...

The grass areas have been totally churned up and it appears there won't be alternate grazing available to let it rest... So no flattening, clearing, reseeding or fertilising - although it would probably be impossible to get machinery over the majority of it... I keep hearing "the grass will come with more sun, when it's not so cold, when it's not so wet" and I know a lot of areas are struggling to see any proper spring grass, but looking at the state of it, I'm really not convinced the ground will support new grass... A couple of the horses might well move off shortly, but I don't know if that alone will make much difference...

Thank you...

 

[horsemadelsie]

Having just bought our own bit of land I've been doing lots of research online about grass/grazing. I think if there is enough land per horse then it will recover with time. If it is badly cut up in places then it might need a bit of re-seeding in the worst spots- can you see the tops of the grass that the horses don't eat? if you can't see the grass then it won't grow. Also if there is not enough grass and it has been 'over-grazed' over the winter then it is less likely to grow back as quickly.
There was a bit of one of our winter fields that did get very badly cut up (horses racing each other along the fenceline ) and with rest for a couple of months has recovered fairly well, but not as thick as before.
If its too bad it may be worth (if possible/practical) fencing off a bit of the field and over-seeding with a bit of quick-growing rye grass. It will depend on the type of grass you have as well. I didn't know it before but there are loads of different types of grass, and rye grass is the fastest-growing that horses will eat. You may have a type of grass that takes longer to grow but is more resilient to hooves- it all depends on the grass (I can't tell the difference so don't ask! ) Good luck with your field, I know with a bit of rain and sun ours has finally started growing so keep your fingers crossed!

 

[Ladydragon]

Thanks for the reply...

We offered to section a substantial area off to rest and maybe lime it or reseed it but that won't be happening... So it'll stay as it is, and stay in constant use...

I guess I was wondering if there's a chance it'll grass up again despite this... It's not looking too good though... The colour is a very light, yellowy green - unlike the rested pastures around which are a pretty vibrant deep green... There just won't be an option of using another field to rest this one though...

 

[horsemadelsie]

Ours is quite yellowy at the moment and it has just had a massive growth spurt. While there are roots I'd keep wishing and who knows!

 

[be positive]

If constantly being over grazed and never rested eventually there will be no grass to speak of and weeds will be all that is left.
I have left some of mine on their trashed winter fields as the rested ones are so wet, as soon as it dries out they will move and winter fields should recover with a bit of help but if they were left on them by the end of the summer I think they would be bare and need reseeding not just resting, they may do anyway if this weather continues.

If this is grazing you are paying for you will probably find your hay bill goes up soon or the horses start losing weight requiring extra feed. In my view the summer months should be when the feed costs go down as the grass should provide almost all they need.

 

[Ladydragon]

If this is grazing you are paying for you will probably find your hay bill goes up soon or the horses start losing weight requiring extra feed. In my view the summer months should be when the feed costs go down as the grass should provide almost all they need.

Yes, we pay for the grazing/livery... We are still using the same amount of haylage and hard feeds as when they were in overnight at winter... When we initially started to turn out 24/7 they lost weight pretty quickly so we've have to reinstate stable time for haylage and hard feeds... In itself that's not a major problem as I know a lot of people are still waiting for ground to dry or using winter grazing...

I'm just not sure if it'll improve and have a grass flush when it does dry out - given it's probably similar to your winter area and not going to benefit from any resting period... As you say, I don't really want to be in a position where supplementary feeding is required all year around...

Thank you both...