How's your grass doing with lack of rain?

Supertrooper

Supertrooper

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We've got our field split into three, top part is resting, middle has got a 15hh cob in and 11hh pony, bottom has got a 16.3hh shire x in. Not worried about two in middle field and to be honest not too concerned about shire x as don't want him getting too fat, having worked so hard to get weight off.

So do I put him in rested bit for a few weeks (grass isn't that lush) or supplement grazing with hay?

God we need rain!!!
 
Can you put him in with the other two?

Our nine + acre field has got loads of grass at the moment, really need to fence of a third for the horses, but have been so busy can't get OH to get on with it.
It looks like we are going to get a bit of rain tonight here, just heard a clap of thunder!!
Some of the farms in the area have started silageing allready, not sure that is a good sign!!
 
We have quite a bit on the fields that were rested over winter but once it's been eaten, if we don't get any rain it will just burn and not grow back. The winter paddocks (which they came off a month ago) are dreadful, no growth at all - usually they are doing pretty well by now after a month of rest.

Spoke to my vet yesterday who said he is seeing lots of horses who are lame because of the ground.

We've had about 10 mins of rain in more than a month. It's desperate! Our fields are cracked and the arena is fetlock-deep for the horses so pretty much unusable (though YO has started watering now :) ) thanks to lack of rain.
 
Field they're in at the moment is really ready for a rest but need some new fencing before we can move them. Will be sorted in a couple of weeks so they can get onto some better grass which I'm sure they'll be pleased about! Considering they've been living out in current field since last august I don't think it's doing too badly. Really need some rain to get the grass growing in the hay fields now though, it's starting to come but much slower than usual. :(
 
We have very little grass. We are on clay and the ground is rock hard and cracked. Horses not happy on their feet. Still feeding hay. Managed to get second hand Haygain which has been wonderful. Hay by now quite dusty and it is so much easier than soaking.... Need some rain....soon.
 
4.5 acres, all mown hard down by Fuzzys over the latter part of winter - kept rotating them till 3 weeks ago over each paddock even just for a few days as didn't want grass to get away from me.
No rain for about 5 weeks now but had keep them in 2 small paddocks now & had to section off one other paddock as too much grass for fatty-fuzzy-wuzzys.

Ground hard, cracked in clay parts or just abrasive on the sandy parts:(
 
We have three small fields, none of which do very well with grass anyway, with a 14.2hh skinny TB and a 15.3hh average-doer IDx. Absolutely no grass to be seen, skinny TB is getting haylage three times a day and ID is getting three feeds of chop a day (not allowed hay / haylage, un-related medical reason). They're both looking ok, certainly not fat, but both are absolutely starving hungry - despite neither wanting to eat more than they're fed at each "meal time".

If we do end up with rain, we're hoping it'll just mean that the grass has time to recover enough to provide them with enough to keep them occupied. My mum said today that it's similar to that mid-winter thing of chucking as much food at them as they'll eat, but still fighting a losing battle. We expected to be having to be restricting their grazing soon, not wishing there was more!

*Rain dance* :p
 
Grass? What's that?! Been feeding hay, ours never grew back in our top paddock after last summer (well draining gravel base), we do have a smidge in the shade of the trees where it's still damp enough to actually grow. Can't put them in the hay paddock which got wrecked by some pub landlord having a treasure hunt last weekend telling people to climb over our gate to look for the bunny and count the eggs in his basket - was stuck to the INSIDE of our gate so they trampled en mass round our paddock to the inner gate and back looking for it - don't think it'll recover if we don't get rain, and we need to mend the fence (this weekend's job) before putting them in the woods, which fortunately does have grass.
 
We have a massive thunder storm this evening, must have been an inch of rain if not more!

I really hope that we get some more of the next few days, I want everything to grow :(
 
Not a drop here.... I've been to Yeovil tonight aswel and bone dry there too.
As for my field, its not looking awful but we usually would have started stripping it by now - haven't yet as there is nothing to strip them off!
Also got 10 sheep - trying to get them to eat down my docks which have grown!
 
In Herts and mine is still growing. In the morning there is still dew on it. My over winter field which is now empty is really lush. The field I am currently using is in full sun most of the day!
We are on clay soil here.
But when I look there are lots of little growing shoots of young grass. I have a good doer gets fat on thin air. As he is just retired I wish I could exercise him in someway to keep his belly down, but he is out 24/7! He can change shape overnight. But is just within normal limits for him at the moment.
 
We are rapidly running out of grass. Usually have more than the yard needs and can get a good cut of hay off it, but I am worried about the lack of it. Can't remember when it last rained. Ground is rock hard as well, mind you it didn't stop the yard "expert" jockey from jumping on it yesterday...idiot.
 
I have 6 smallish paddocks for 1 horse, he's in the 2nd to last. Then all my grass will be gone. :(
However still have quite slot of land that is not fenced, so may have to buy some more tape and poles and just make a new paddock up there somewhere.
 
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