If horses still have turnout, how important is grazing to you?
- Thread starter little_flea
- Start date
kibob
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the link Enfys,, going to order that book
Enfys
Well-Known Member
I have it, certainly gives you some ideas to work on.
Hippona
Well-Known Member
Turnout is more importanat to me...one of mine in particular goes mad if kept in for any longer than a day or so.
2 are natives and a lack of grass does them no harm - I can always supplement for the other one.
Grazing is fairly good/well nanaged on the yard- in winter we have access to paddocks which start off with grass and quickly end up bare.....no problem, we just put hay out- I would rather my horses out in the fresh air getting excercise and playing than stuck inside all day. Occasionally over winter we do day-in, day-out which is about as much 'in' time as I and the horse can tolerate.....
2 are natives and a lack of grass does them no harm - I can always supplement for the other one.
Grazing is fairly good/well nanaged on the yard- in winter we have access to paddocks which start off with grass and quickly end up bare.....no problem, we just put hay out- I would rather my horses out in the fresh air getting excercise and playing than stuck inside all day. Occasionally over winter we do day-in, day-out which is about as much 'in' time as I and the horse can tolerate.....
PeterNatt
Well-Known Member
The issue is that most yard owners have very little understanding of grass and land management. This results in poached areas and weeds growing in their fields and padocks.
Maintaining grassland fields and paddocks correctly will result in year round grass and grazing.
Maintaining grassland fields and paddocks correctly will result in year round grass and grazing.
Faro
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Turnout is vital for my gang too. Mine are happiest living out 24/7/365 and, although they all have their own little quirks, they are all well-adjusted, vice free and know exactly how to be horses. That's why turnout is so important.
Grazing is NOT important. I would prefer to supplement with hay and feed where necessary (and I do) rather than have lush green grass. I've learnt the lesson about lush green grass since all of my horses are barefoot - something I never noticed when I had shod horses in the past was the change in the foot's sensitivity when the grass is lush. With barefoot horses you can clearly tell if the grazing is too much for them, as their normally rock crunching feet will start to show signs of footiness over the flints round here (which when the grazing is not good, they don't bat an eyelid at).
Don't really know how to explain myself very well here - I think the book Enfys mentions has a better explanation in it (but I haven't read that one yet!). But, although I don't go as far as some and say no grass whatsoever, I definitely know that close cropped, barely there, and not in its first green flush grass is the turnout of choice for mine.
Grazing is NOT important. I would prefer to supplement with hay and feed where necessary (and I do) rather than have lush green grass. I've learnt the lesson about lush green grass since all of my horses are barefoot - something I never noticed when I had shod horses in the past was the change in the foot's sensitivity when the grass is lush. With barefoot horses you can clearly tell if the grazing is too much for them, as their normally rock crunching feet will start to show signs of footiness over the flints round here (which when the grazing is not good, they don't bat an eyelid at).
Don't really know how to explain myself very well here - I think the book Enfys mentions has a better explanation in it (but I haven't read that one yet!). But, although I don't go as far as some and say no grass whatsoever, I definitely know that close cropped, barely there, and not in its first green flush grass is the turnout of choice for mine.
mrdarcy
Well-Known Member
I used to be of the grass is good camp but since I've taken my horses shoes off and really started to learn about optimum diet I'm now in the grass is evil camp! I'd much rather have no grass at all and have turnout that has a variety of surfaces - stones, pea gravel, sand, dirt - and supply all my horses forage from hay or haylage. You can keep those lovely green fields that I used to pine for - wouldn't want my horses near them. The Paddock Paradise/track systems are excellent - it'd be great if livery yards started to implement them. No more worrying about lack of grass and liveries complaining. You can get by with much less land per horse too, which has to be a good thing.
British grass is the worst possible thing to feed to horses. A green grassy field is like the McDonalds of the horse world! But turnout is vitally important - paddock paradise is the way to go.
British grass is the worst possible thing to feed to horses. A green grassy field is like the McDonalds of the horse world! But turnout is vitally important - paddock paradise is the way to go.