Increasing turnout time?

[charlotte0916]

Hi all, I seem to have an endless stream of questions for H&H atm!

I’m due to move my mare to a new yard this week and she’ll have a big jump in turnout time - I’m trying to work out how much of a risk this could be and how to manage.

She’ll be going from 5.5 hours daytime turnout to overnight turnout when she moves. I can’t increase her turnout time very easily where she is due to restrictions at the yard and at the new yard the other two who are stabled will be out during the night so she won’t have company in and can have separation anxiety.

The only solution I can think is to rope off a strip so she can eat it eat down in the new paddock and have a grazing muzzle on the first night or two. I’m not hugely keen on a muzzle for that long though and she’s had ulcers so needs to be able to eat a reasonable amount.

Am I overthinking? We’ve had so many problems I tend to wrap this horse in cotton wool now!

 

[Annagain]

Could you turn her out as late as possible and then get her in as early as possible for the first few days, so she's maybe only out for abut 8 hours? Unless the grass is considerably better in quality, I doubt the difference between 5.5 hours and 8 hours will be too much of a jump, especially overnight when she may well have a bit of a snooze too.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

Depends on the grass i would say, as above. If it is sparse I can't see it hurting her at all however long you leave her out.

 

[Birker2020]

Hi all, I seem to have an endless stream of questions for H&H atm!

I’m due to move my mare to a new yard this week and she’ll have a big jump in turnout time - I’m trying to work out how much of a risk this could be and how to manage.

She’ll be going from 5.5 hours daytime turnout to overnight turnout when she moves. I can’t increase her turnout time very easily where she is due to restrictions at the yard and at the new yard the other two who are stabled will be out during the night so she won’t have company in and can have separation anxiety.

The only solution I can think is to rope off a strip so she can eat it eat down in the new paddock and have a grazing muzzle on the first night or two. I’m not hugely keen on a muzzle for that long though and she’s had ulcers so needs to be able to eat a reasonable amount.

Am I overthinking? We’ve had so many problems I tend to wrap this horse in cotton wool now!

yes I would definetely strip graze.

The YO is kindly holding my stable and paddock until I can find another horse but had her horses in the paddock to graze it down. She's taken them out now to allow the grass to grow but if I don't have a horse in the next fortnight I intend to strip graze and I certainly would if nothing had been in it.

 

[charlotte0916]

Thank you all foe the suggestions - I think strip grazing it might be our best solution. She has to be on a 1/4 acres max at the moment anyway while we wait got a scan so that should work well on a few fronts. Glad to hear I’m not over thinking it by not just chucking her out as some have suggested to me!