How are you managing?

[PSD]

So obviously we are all very aware of the grass and how rich it is this year. A lot of horses coming down with laminitis, even those you wouldn’t “typically” worry about. Vets are seeing 3-5 cases a day in my area some days which is very concerning.

So my question is how are you managing your grazing? especially those with native types. Spoke with a vet yesterday after helping my friend get her mare out of the field (she couldn’t move, took 8 people an hour to get her on a box to get back to the yard) and the vet said the worst thing you can do is give them time off at this point of the year. I try to ride every day especially in summer, to keep him fit and keep his weight down but despite this he is looking porky because of the abundance of grass.

My worry is, bringing him in during the day off the grass will encourage him to stuff his face overnight when he does go out. I don’t want to leave him stood with nothing during the time he’s in because I don’t want him to get ulcers. I’ve also considered muzzling him for the time he’s out grazing too.

I’ve already lost one horse to laminitis (mid winter, EMS was the cause not grass/obesity) and I’m so worried this year. My thinking is bring in around 6am and turn out around 4pm, hun being in will also make it easier to exercise him before he goes back out. I guess my post is just asking how different people are managing successfully

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

My field is not huge and so they are eating short grass 1 has cushings and his on prascend his a bit round but no fat pads, the other one looks fine ribs still easily felt.

I bring mine in for about 5 or 6 hours during the day.

Mine are ridden between 4 to 6 days a week mainly.

 

[PSD]

My field is not huge and so they are eating short grass 1 has cushings and his on prascend his a bit round but no fat pads, the other one looks fine ribs still easily felt.

I bring mine in for about 5 or 6 hours during the day.

Mine are ridden between 4 to 6 days a week mainly.

Our grass is quite long in one part, we have sheep grazing with them too. Not sure if that’s a good thing or not though, I know longer grass is better than shorter though. Mine doesn’t have fat pads but he is more “covered” than I’d like at the moment

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

I’ve put him on roughly about 1/3 of his summer grazing and he’s being ridden 4/5 times a week, he gets a minimal feed including magnesium and brought in a couple of times a week over night. The hot weather is halting grass growth as we haven’t had rain in weeks, im awaiting another surge when we get some mind you.

 

[Kaylum]

Keep them off the grass have a loafing area. Grass is growing even when you can't see it. Was shown a video of a horse lame in a field, on a yard where the owner had gone away and no one person brought the horse in. I was so mad. People need educating, yard owners need to get proper contracts in place and if a horse is in pain it's dealt with if the owner is away. It might not have been laminitis but still was in pain. It's basic welfare.

 

[PSD]

I’ve put him on roughly about 1/3 of his summer grazing and he’s being ridden 4/5 times a week, he gets a minimal feed including magnesium and brought in a couple of times a week over night. The hot weather is halting grass growth as we haven’t had rain in weeks, im awaiting another surge when we get some mind you.

This is my concern, I think for the moment s you say the growth isn’t too bad but as soon as the rain comes (forecast next week) it will be a different story. Unfortunately can’t limit the physical grazing as I’m on a livery yard but I can limit his time on the grazing.

I’ve never had this problem before, usually we have no grass come July because there were too many on the acreage. But since moving yards we’ve got bigger fields and more grass so now I’m getting pretty stressed!

 

[PSD]

Keep them off the grass have a loafing area. Grass is growing even when you can't see it. Was shown a video of a horse lame in a field, on a yard where the owner had gone away and no one person brought the horse in. I was so mad. People need educating, yard owners need to get proper contracts in place and if a horse is in pain it's dealt with if the owner is away. It might not have been laminitis but still was in pain. It's basic welfare.

Gosh that’s awful. I couldn’t imagine going away without having things in place for vet care etc beforehand. My friends horse was out since Friday, couldn’t move her in the field yesterday. Managed to get her on a box to get her back to the yard but she was crippled it was awful to watch.

Interestingly someone asked her how the fields were managed, farmer has them sprayed with fertiliser as opposed to using muck (like my yo does). I wonder if this has an impact

 

[Fransurrey]

I shut off half my field every year in May, which literally saves their lives I think. I feed hay all year round as a result, but still works out cheaper than vet bills and I think it balances out with the foggage I have later on in the year, when I walk the fence back. My cob is pretty spooky, as is my mare. Both I suspect are a little off their titties with the grass, but they're manageable. I'm dreading that first rainfall, though, as our ground is parched. They'll be on rocket fuel AND be plagued with horseflies which always come out after rain. My cob was looking lean at the start of May, but within two weeks he's rather well covered and we've lost two girth holes.

 

[PSD]

I shut off half my field every year in May, which literally saves their lives I think. I feed hay all year round as a result, but still works out cheaper than vet bills and I think it balances out with the foggage I have later on in the year, when I walk the fence back. My cob is pretty spooky, as is my mare. Both I suspect are a little off their titties with the grass, but they're manageable. I'm dreading that first rainfall, though, as our ground is parched. They'll be on rocket fuel AND be plagued with horseflies which always come out after rain. My cob was looking lean at the start of May, but within two weeks he's rather well covered and we've lost two girth holes.

Ours is still very green considering we’ve had no rain for weeks now!

 

[meleeka]

I must be stuck in some sort of parallel universe as my grass has stopped growing . The ground is hard with huge cracks in.

Mine are on a 2 acre track and I move the fence a bit each day, closing off what they’ve eaten. Is still really bare and short where it’s been rested. None of mine are remotely fat and still having a lot of hay.

 

[Hallo2012]

my fatter prone one is on a truly bare paddock (its 99.9% buttercups and weeds) with ad lib hay and looks good weight wise.

the less fatter prone one has some grass but its all long rough rubbishy stuff and again looks well weight wise (I struggle to keep it on him over winter)

the bare paddock is SO bare even if it shoots up after rainfall he physically cannot get much per mouthful anyway.

they are both in medium work levels- 2 x schooling (elem/medium level) and 2 x long hacks per week.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

I don't really have any grass. They are still on 2 feeds a day and ad lib hay. Tb and elderly wb. They are looking good but definitely not fat. Elderly boy is retired. Tb is ridden ever other day and compete/ clinics at weekends. Out in day from 6.30am ish until 8pm ish. In at night.

 

[GreyDot]

I'm on a livery yard so can't control the grazing. Initially mine was going out from 10pm to 5am (that was a struggle once the alarm clock went off ) as the sugars are lowest but he was just ballooning. So he now goes out from 5:30am to 10:30am and then in for the day with soaked hay and then an hour in the evening. Looking well covered but not the bloated mess he was before.
May and June are the worst months for sugary grass, according to my vet, followed by the September flush, so just need to keep managing for a few more weeks.
It's hard, though, and mine is worked 6 days a week.

 

[SEL]

Keep them off the grass have a loafing area. Grass is growing even when you can't see it. Was shown a video of a horse lame in a field, on a yard where the owner had gone away and no one person brought the horse in. I was so mad. People need educating, yard owners need to get proper contracts in place and if a horse is in pain it's dealt with if the owner is away. It might not have been laminitis but still was in pain. It's basic welfare.

The lady I bought my land off came back from holiday a few years back to find her highland frozen to the spot - the person she had paid to bring him in during the day had got lazy and hadn't bothered. He couldn't be saved.

My PSSM mare is giving me sleepless nights. About 5 weeks ago she was looking fine. Crest wobbly, could feel ribs etc. Now her crest is shocking, she's piling on the pounds and she's starting to walk like she's wearing a wet nappy which are all signs that she's getting too much grass. Not a chance I'm letting her on the long stuff so she's muzzled while the other two get their little amount of strip grazing, but she's getting more than enough from the short stuff in terms of sugar - but not in terms of actual stomach filling fibre because she's hungry and grouchy. Exercise is limited because of her suspensory injury so I'm walking her out in hand 2 miles a day but this is by far the worse Spring in the 8 years since I've had her.

The little cobs are looking fine, but they are in as much work as I can feasibly give them and not get sacked! Plus because they share with the PSSM mare they are also pretty restricted.

 

[PSD]

I'm on a livery yard so can't control the grazing. Initially mine was going out from 10pm to 5am (that was a struggle once the alarm clock went off ) as the sugars are lowest but he was just ballooning. So he now goes out from 5:30am to 10:30am and then in for the day with soaked hay and then an hour in the evening. Looking well covered but not the bloated mess he was before.
May and June are the worst months for sugary grass, according to my vet, followed by the September flush, so just need to keep managing for a few more weeks.
It's hard, though, and mine is worked 6 days a week.

That’s interesting about may and June grass. As when I look back july and august most years the grass has died off, so must be truthful.

Mine will be coming in early too I think for the next few weeks at least, he’s definitely well covered so I’m now at a stage where I’m getting a bit more concerned

 

[SEL]

I must be stuck in some sort of parallel universe as my grass has stopped growing . The ground is hard with huge cracks in.

Mine are on a 2 acre track and I move the fence a bit each day, closing off what they’ve eaten. Is still really bare and short where it’s been rested. None of mine are remotely fat and still having a lot of hay.

Where I've moved the fence back it has definitely stopped growing, but I have so much grass that I'm strip grazing tiny amounts each day and that is proving more than enough!

 

[canteron]

Good thread.
Mine are on a field which looks bare and parched - but they don’t loose weight, so must be getting something.
I have a really small paddock which I put them in overnight for 12 hours with a soaked Haynet and some barley straw.
Last year there was masses of fatal sand colic around here, so I hope the soaked hay helps and I also do a monthly course of Sand Out as I think the short dry grass means they do digest sand (if you have Sandy land).

 

[Slightlyconfused]

Our two are in during the day at the moment from about 7:30 am till 6/7pm

One is on soaked hay and off games at the moment but is still loosing weight and he has a lot to lose.

One is just coming back into work after not being right, flat and just alround low. He is 15 and just been diagnosed with cushings via TRH Stimulation test so on prasend. I am lucky in the fact he just maintains his weight, can feel ribs but has a small fat pad behind shoulder. He is on hayledge as he coughs on dry hay and refuses to eat soaked hay.

We are on livery so cannot control the feild but it is being made smaller for us. Would rather have to feed them up than worry about too much grass.

 

[sassandbells]

I am simply not managing very well

My guys are on a pretty much bare track (for context they’ve been on the same track since the beginning of April which was originally grassy, it’s not a lot of track at all) & they get weighed and soaked hay. I count the number of poos each day to figure out if they’re getting too much / too little and adjust accordingly (following vet advice).

in terms of the good doer / lami risk horse, we are exercising almost every day. Maybe 1 day off if I need a break and this has been the only way I’ve been able to keep on top of her weight. I’ve just had a week away for my birthday and she has put on a lot of weight in that short space of time so I’ll have to reassess.

It’s been an incredibly tough year & it’s fascinating to see how everyone else is managing!

 

[SantaVera]

The grass is at its most sugary 3pm to 6 pm so turning out at four is not a good idea. Better to bring in around 10 am and turn out after 8 pm. Feed some soaked hay or straw,or both during the day so horses stomach is full to avoid ulcers and stop gorging on grass when turned out.

 

[Cortez]

I no longer keep horses, but over many, many years of managing all sorts of pasture land I have found the best way to control the intake of over-rich grass is strip grazing. Horses on what looks like a bare field can still be stuffing themselves with every available shoot that dares to show it's head, and can still over fill themselves. I've only had one laminitis case (out of several hundred horses over my lifetime), a post-partum mare - and that was caused by toxins, not from grass.

 

[Burnttoast]

We are doing the same as always. Our two retired natives are on a grass track May-November. We had a very dry Feb (Norfolk so not unusual), then quite wet until a few weeks ago, now very dry again. We're feeding less hay at the moment than some years (a section each in the evening for gut fill) but grass growth has slowed noticeably in the last couple of weeks, so the oldie may get some turnout time in the middle, while the other stays on the track. I check for heat and pulses but they are fine atm and moving really well. The oldie has a BCS of just under 3 and the other just under 4 - but that's weight he put on after going on the track in May and he will drop it over the summer. I think what enables them to carry on as normal is that I never use herbicides or bagged fertiliser and I source unsprayed hay, so their metabolisms aren't presented with additional challenges, and they have access to a wide range of herbaceous and woody plants apart from grass.

 

[vam]

I am very lucky that although I am on livery I have an acre paddock that I am able to do what I want. She has EMS so is on a narrow track round the edge she can only turn around on one of the edges, the rest she has to walk to the end) and larger corners which she can lay down roll etc in. She went on it later than I wanted as the ground was so wet and I couldn’t really trash it as it is livery, I gave her an edge a week essentially strip grazing and I just opened up the last edge. Its pretty much eaten right down round the other edges but she is muzzled at all times, the short grass is her triggers so the muzzle stops her striping it right down to the earth and makes a difference. She is out overnight from about 6 ish to 7 in the morning, longer at the weekends, she has pretty much ad lib haylage as the longer she is eating that, the less grass she is eating. Its working well but last year was easier as the grass was burnt off, not so much this year but i think my grass growth looks to have stopped, my middle hasn't grown as much as i thought it would. She has a net when she is in during the day but she doesn’t tend to eat it all. Unfortunately, I am still rehabbing her so she is only walking with some small trots but she’s ridden 5 times a week. The other 2 is a 20 mins hand walk down the road and then another 20 mins in the school so no real days off, just lighter days. I’d like her to be thinner but I have no pads, can feel ribs and she is happy walking out and over stones which is normally the first sign she is feeling off.

I’m away at the start of the July and I’m trying to work out the best thing to do, give her the week off (the person looking after is very hot on lami as hers has just come through a bout this winter) so I know she will keep an eye but not sure she will ride or if I can afford to send her to my trainer for a week, she will be out less and worked there.

 

[NinjaPony]

Mine is on a totally bare little paddock in a muzzle, going out 8-10am, back in, and then out 4:30ish to 6pm. I then take him for a walk with some trot and canter. He’s still in recovery from a nasty bout of laminitis, I used another horse to strip my paddock bare before I let him near it. Ideally I’d want him out 8-5pm, but this will have to do while I’m still keeping such a close eye on him. It’s a huge nightmare.

 

[suestowford]

I have two elderly natives who need to be out all the time as it stops them from seizing up. This has been worrying me so I talked it over with the farrier when he was last here and have come up with a plan. Basically I've cut the field in half with electric fence, and the half they are using is further divided into 3. They get a section each day and are rotating between three small patches. They also get hay twice a day. The other half of the field will be winter grazing. Neither are rideable but I do walk out in hand.
I had an inspection yesterday (hands-on not just visual) and they are about right I would say. No fatty crest, or fat pads round their tails and I can easily feel their ribs. The lack of rain has helped.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

I'm astounded with the amount of fat horses this year. The owners are clued up as well, not first time novice owners. Most horses don't need 2 feeds a day and ad-lib hay. Add into that no exercise, just turnout, it's a recipe for disaster. To say anything feels wrong

 

[PSD]

The grass is at its most sugary 3pm to 6 pm so turning out at four is not a good idea. Better to bring in around 10 am and turn out after 8 pm. Feed some soaked hay or straw,or both during the day so horses stomach is full to avoid ulcers and stop gorging on grass when turned out.

Unfortunately when I’m in work bringing in at 10am isn’t doable. I can turn out later though, it’s trying to find the lesser of 2 evils. Standing him in for 12 hours a day or turning out a little earlier, thankfully the farmers got some old hay left from last year that we can use, I have to soak it anyway as he coughs

 

[PSD]

I'm astounded with the amount of fat horses this year. The owners are clued up as well, not first time novice owners. Most horses don't need 2 feeds a day and ad-lib hay. Add into that no exercise, just turnout, it's a recipe for disaster. To say anything feels wrong

Me too, the amount of people that are shocked that their horses are ill when they’ve gone onto summer grazing obese is baffling.

How can you expect them to come out of winter looking “well” and be fine to leave on summer grazing

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Our grass is quite long in one part, we have sheep grazing with them too. Not sure if that’s a good thing or not though, I know longer grass is better than shorter though. Mine doesn’t have fat pads but he is more “covered” than I’d like at the moment

It was growing like crazy here when we had the rain but its been really dry for the last 2 weeks so slowed a bit and doesn't look as green.

 

[PSD]

It was growing like crazy here when we had the rain but its been really dry for the last 2 weeks so slowed a bit and doesn't look as green.

I’ve been up just now to check the grass, it’s parched in some areas but in others it’s really green still