How long after Topping?

KJJ

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OK - having a bit of a 'set-too' with someone regarding turning out horses on 'topped' fields...

Pray tell how long it should be left before horses can graze?

(Most grass was taken away but there is still a fair amount of cut grass on top of the cut stems)

Thanks.

K x

(Will be interesting to see peoples responses - and if they differ!!
grin.gif
 
We turned ours out 3.5 days after topping this time. However that was when we had 3 dry days at over 26oC.

As soon as it looks like hay and is dry you are save from a colic point of view.
 
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was it topped pasture, or has it not been grazed b4 topping ?

[/ QUOTE ]Not been grazed before - roughly 3-4ft of grass!!
 
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We turned ours out 3.5 days after topping this time. However that was when we had 3 dry days at over 26oC.

As soon as it looks like hay and is dry you are save from a colic point of view.

[/ QUOTE ]LOL DRY?????? not likely in this weather then!!
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Agreed with all the rain we've just had, it will be a devil of job to work out when the grass is colic safe.

On the other hand should rot down, but will take more like 5 days.
 
We top our while the horses are on the grass and never take them off, but it is more small bits of tall grass we remove than the whole area.

Haz
 
if it is being grazed then the horses never come off, but as you say it hasnt bin grazed, well there was a bit of research a while back, that said that all the laminitus causing agents are in the stem of long grass so you shouldnt graze after mowing. & that grazing long grass is better than grazing after mowing.
google it & see what it comes up with.
 
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