Laminitics and field management

[holeymoley]

and fertilising!

My head is saying no no no.


Yard has decided to fertilise this year. Doesn’t normally. I need help with what to do. Horse is muzzled and out for 4/5hours per day normally. On really eaten down grass that is grazed by 3 horses during the day and then 3 horses during the night. I imagine the fertilising is required as there’s been more horses at the yard now than ever before. Personally I don’t think the field needs it but who am I. So the mix is fairly standard NPK mix of 20 10 10. Obviously he’ll be off this field when it’s done and for a time after it. However, how long after it? Really interested to hear thoughts.

 

[be positive]

My worst nightmare for a laminitic, unless the field gets some rain and a decent rest the fertiliser will probably do very little good but it will still be putting your horse at risk, the most dangerous time probably being after rain when the sun comes out and the grass shoots up.
In my view every YO should be giving more consideration to the increasing number of metabolically challenged equines and leaving a paddock or two to be as poor as possible, it would be far better having them out for longer and if they really embraced it by setting up a track or similar they might even be able to charge a premium for it.
At the moment everything here seems to be gaining weight even those working reasonably hard, some are having the opposite to strip grazing with the area being reduced regularly rather than increased, if it rains their fairly generous sized bare paddocks may end up tiny.

 

[holeymoley]

Tracks are not heard of here. There wouldn’t be a hope in hell of getting one unless I became rich and started a yard with one myself lol. There’s certainly a gap in the market for one, I just need the money! I just can’t get my head around the fascination with fertilising horse fields. As you say it’s becoming clearer and clearer that there’s a good chunk of horses that can’t handle grass let alone fertilised grass. Last yard done it as he was a cattle farmer and had it ingrained in to him that you fertilise and rest and continually move each field every few weeks. Needless to say that wasn’t happening for me!

There is a field I can use that isn’t getting done but it is naturally very grass abundant.

Sighs.

 

[Pinkvboots]

I wouldn't do it I would rather use a bare field and hay them, I lost my first horse to laminitis just after all the fields were fertilised 3 other horses at the yard also got it that year.

 

[Ownedby4horses]

You must be very worried as I would be, I would 100% go for the non fertilised field and muzzle. I've been on a yard in NI where they fertilised and 5 horses who had not shown signs previously all came down with laminitis, 3 didnt survive. Hope you can get sorted.

 

[Nari]

If they can't let you have suitable grazing now can you move yard? I have a laminitic and for me putting him on a fertilized field, even muzzled, is just too high risk.

 

[holeymoley]

If they can't let you have suitable grazing now can you move yard? I have a laminitic and for me putting him on a fertilized field, even muzzled, is just too high risk.

I’ve just put a post in the tack room about being in a totally rubbish horsey area. They’re really isn’t anywhere suitable. If it gets to the point where she goes ahead with it I may have to resort to putting a post up locally to see if there’s anything suitable. There is a kids riding school that has a livery space available but not sure if that could be a riot in the nicest possible way!

 

[ester]

I think it depends a bit. In wilts, very thin soil, fertilised 2/3 a year and not masses of grass modest hay crop and just enough grass to last the summer
Somerset, old lay, not been fertilised in at least my lifetime, probably more (am 37) massess and bloody massess of the stuff year on year.

However I think the possible impact of the fertiliser on the grass I would use the unfertilised one muzzled. What are the other horses that are in your field doing/going?

 

[millikins]

I wouldn't risk it. I put my laminitic pony on loan 3 years ago when I moved house. It was a BHS riding school, she was in decent amount of work, turned out on bare paddock with a bit of hay, field had been fertilized previous year, then it rained and the sun came out. She was only there 10 days and developed severe lami. She did make a recovery but currently has it again on my rubbish unfertilized land.
Incidentally are there more laminitics or is there just more ryegrass than there used to be? It's hard to find any grazing that isn't.

 

[holeymoley]

Unsure what others are doing. Most others are tb types that are out on stuff that’s already been fertilised. Mine is the latter field due to get done with a heavier cob and native pony. I don’t know if they have ever had laminitis but certainly mine had a very serious case which was going to go one way or the other.

I don’t think I’ll risk it. My guy instinct is shouting huge ‘NO’s’ . It’s certainly not worth it. Looks like he’ll be out for lesser time in the muzzle in the unfertilised field. Or it’ll be move time again.

 

[ester]

The only reason I asked was whether there was the possibility of using them to eat down the unfertilised field first?

F shared with a TB, was muzzled until most of it was eaten down then released to eat the edges the TB was fussy about!

 

[holeymoley]

That’s a good point. I don’t see the others being moved in to the field though. Normally each herd has its own field and they don’t get moved except for a couple of weeks rest/dock spraying etc Worth a try though,thanks I’ll see if it could be an option.

 

[Micky]

Mine is a cushings horse, having had laminitis in the beginning, I’ve had had him in a muzzle on medium/long grass, with no consequences, could you not use the unfertilised field the same way with the other two.. heavier cob and native? There is a specific horse paddock fertiliser with low nitrogen, which helps bind the grass to come thicker (sure this isn’t the technical way to explain it) after poaching in winter..i have just fertilised/grass seeded my fields for the first ever in 13 years, and the grass has come through thicker, it was very sparse due to peat and poaching..I’m strip grazing now, if it’s gets too long he will go in a muzzle..

 

[Micky]

SHould add I was totally stressed out about the whole fertilising thing, hubby reassured me and he was right..dang!

 

[holeymoley]

I’m going mad. So field due to be done this week, our lot have to move to the bigger field that’s just been done last week. I have no other solid option. So he won’t be going out. The other idea is we put 5 of them on the smaller fertilised field but my head is still saying no due to grass quality. So so fed up. Feels like a total kick in the teeth. I don’t think people really understand the full extent of the causes of laminitis. I think they think I’m crazy or being awkward. There’s no way we both went through all that last year to have a day out on crazy stuff and go back to square 1. I’m currently trying to contact a few friends in the area to see if they know of anywhere else.

 

[Ownedby4horses]

Oh god that really is not good at all. I think youre doing the absolute right thing in him not going out (and im someone that hates horses not getting turnout). It just isnt worth the risk. I think its a very sensible idea to look for somewhere else that could accommodate him.

Perhaps someone on here could help, even short term? Not sure where you are?

 

[Micky]

Why don’t you muzzle him and put him out with others?

 

[Nari]

Why don’t you muzzle him and put him out with others?

The quality of the grass he'd get is still too high, plus from experience you can't be sure they won't get the muzzle off and gorge themselves into a laminitis attack.

 

[Eclipse 2020]

Unfortunately people who have horses that are naturally very thin and struggling to gain weight. Don’t really care about people who have good doers. I not saying this to be mean a lot of people have never experienced a horse that lives off very little. I would probably change yards if I was you.

 

[Micky]

Unfortunately people who have horses that are naturally very thin and struggling to gain weight. Don’t really care about people who have good doers. I not saying this to be mean a lot of people have never experienced a horse that lives off very little. I would probably change yards if I was you.

Is that a dig at me Eclipse?...

 

[Micky]

The quality of the grass he'd get is still too high, plus from experience you can't be sure they won't get the muzzle off and gorge themselves into a laminitis attack.

IF he’s managed to get the muzzle off before then yes maybe it’s time to find a new yard...I was fortunate that mine never tired to remove his muzzle..

 

[Eclipse 2020]

Is that a dig at me Eclipse?...

Nope it’s not I just talking from my experienced in yards I have been to.

 

[holeymoley]

Not prepared to put him out on it at all, muzzle or no muzzle. It’s the quality of the grass not the quantity.

Nightmare.

I agree with Eclipse. Unless yo’s have experience with natives, good doers etc they just don’t understand the risk.