how to transition to summer grazing

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DBrasnett

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Gloucestershire
www.brasnett-pratt.co.uk
Our yard is opening up the summer grazing fields in 2 weeks time (weather permitting). The horses will be wormed, kept in for 24hrs and then allowed out on the summer grazing. Once this transition has happened they can be left out 24/7 if we want to.

This is my first year back in this country for a while and I can't remember how I have transitioned pony's before. I have a lovely 6 year old ID who I want to be out 24/7 by summer time (ridden 4-5 times a week). How do I go about his transition?

He is currently out in the day, in at night with 9kg of hay and 2 feeds of pasture mix, beet and readi grass a day.

Thank you
 
im doing a similar thing with my horse, although she has been stabled 24/7 since october and in the summer she has 24/7 turnout. I started turning her out yesterday for 2 hours and will gradually increase this by 1/2hr daily. Then when she is out for a full day I will prob have her go out for 12 hours at night and stable her during day then again gradually increase the daytime turnout by an hour daily.
Hope that makes sense. Not sure how long its gonna take??
 
also ment to add that I will be reducing her hard feed and hay quota gradually also - she dosnt have any extras when she is out 24/7 - just good grass (Full TB)
 
H (16.3 ISH 7yo)has been out for the past 10 days or so, he is on the same field though. i still give a bit of hay to make the transition easier and have cut hard feed in half, he's fine though loving it, so is shetland though will have muzzle on soon!
 
You're right to plan the transition carefully MM. Last spring, I stupidly turned my Section D (part Section D, part Vietnamese pot bellied pig, part Dyson vaccuum cleaner) out straight from winter sacrifice fields to lush ex-dairy pasture. Within 3 days he had a scary attack of gassy colic.

This spring, his transition to spring grazing will be more controlled, out daytime only to begin with, then gradually increase the time out. But I will also give him Coligone for 3 days before, and then during, the transition. It's ideal for such situations. PM H's_mum if you want further details x
 
When we had the luxury of separate summer fields in the past we used to let the horses out for 2-3 hrs at first onto the new grass, then gradually increase to full day before turning out over night.

Sadly around here it seems the norm is that you get one field for all seasons so we just section the back bit off in the hope that some grass will grow and they will be let on that strip by strip when the time comes...
 
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