Is your horse kept on something other than grass?

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J&C

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Does anyone keep their horses on something other then grass?

I don't mean kept in their stables but do you have a "field" that they live in which isn't grass? If so what and why? :)

Just wondering if we are the only ones!
 
Oooohhhh I'm interested too - what are yours kept on? Mine are currently on not a lot of grass and mud! :D
...must let them into the saved summer grazing soon!...
 
In winter. mine is kept in a rubber matted yard area outside his stable, with the stable door left open as the ground in his paddocks is just too boggy and wet over winter, i dont want to ruin it, else id have no grazing come spring. It does mean feeding haylage all winter (plus a bucket of graze-on), but i prefer it that way to be honest.

He seems to cope well with it, very relaxed and doesnt weave like a maniac like he does everywhere else, gives him just enough freedom to not feel closed in, but not enough to get speed up in, plus he can walk round so his legs dont fill, and he has shelter when he wants it. xD
 
There's a small 'turnout' paddock at my yard. Big enough for one horse or three ish ponies. Made of earth and mud. Great for getting them out for an hour before I ride if I don't want him covered in mud!

It's big enough to have a canter or trot but not a gallop.
 
One of mine gets terrible mudrash - his whole leg will swell within days of being in mud/wet and we live in a bog in the Pennines..

This year we had a few lorry loads of road chippings tipped outside the stables, electric roped it off, and the horses go out from 7am-7pm with haylage in nets. It has worked wonders. The horses are so much happier than being in most of the time, they can and do wander from net/pile of hay to another and check out things going past etc. They go out once a week for a few hours in the real field. Its rare that they go crazy - they seem to miss rolling more than anything.. So far not a peep of mudrash.

autumnwinter2011037-1.jpg


autumnwinter2011038-1.jpg
 
Honey thats really interesting, kinda similar to ours!

Our ponies are kept on woodchip as they are very lamanitic, as well as other health issues! They do really well on it and still run about, roll, etc and don't seem to miss the grass at all. It has worked wonders so I was just interested to see if anyone else kept their horses like this for health (or other) reasons. Perhaps it should be more widely recommended, especially to fat ponies!

Btw, the rest of the horses are kept at grass ;)
 
I am really interested in this subject as I keep my horses at home and we are on clay and in the winter the fields are a total mess and I would love to find a solution to keeping them over winter without ruining the fields. So if you use woodchip or road plainings how much do use and what size area for how many horses do you set aside ?
 
Our bit is the stable yard, which is concrete, and 50x35m square, plus an L shaped area of chippings which is probably 40mx15m in one bit with a 15mx15m bit of hardcore in front of the haysheds/portable stables that you can see on the first pic. We had lots and lots of hardcore put down when we built the yard (probably 10+lorry loads) and last year we had three loads of chippings delivered at £100 per load (4 wheeler lorry - can't remember the weight). The pics were taken on their first day out - now it is covered in hay! Hubby reckons grass may grow over the summer. It has really been a godsend for their physical health and also mental (mine and theirs!)
 
Mine are mainly on grass but I also have a yard area with plainings down in front of the stables that I can keep them in and feed them hay when the fields are very muddy. They prefer the fields but it is good to have this option if the weather is really bad or one is lame etc. They still have space to wander around and interact with each other and not confined to a stable.
 
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