Long grass in field/ management

[kayeandGin]

Hi everyone - Happy Friday!

I am very lucky in that i have access to around 5 acres that we have just love don to two weeks ago. The horses have grass which is great however due to losing my last horse to laminitis (she already had this when i got her) and trying to avoid it, i'm concerned ive gave them too much. Also looking for advice on feeding, they usually get a bucket of beet pulp and a bit of apple chaff (no real reason other than i'm a bit soft) and i do have a bale of hay i can use if temps drop. Would it best to bring them in during the night? Just looking for advice on how best to manage them and the grass (pictures attached).

 

[Kirstd33]

You're going to split the camp here, with half of us insanely jealous as our fields are currently resembling Shrek's swamp and then the other half trembling into their soaking hay nets for their laminitic ponies!
For what its worth I'd strip graze it, moving the fence by a couple of feet each day as it'll encourage them to graze it all and not just trample it down. Keeping them in at night will obviously keep it looking better with the current rain forecast too, but then you'll be feeding more hay?

 

[kayeandGin]

You're going to split the camp here, with half of us insanely jealous as our fields are currently resembling Shrek's swamp and then the other half trembling into their soaking hay nets for their laminitic ponies!
For what its worth I'd strip graze it, moving the fence by a couple of feet each day as it'll encourage them to graze it all and not just trample it down. Keeping them in at night will obviously keep it looking better with the current rain forecast too, but then you'll be feeding more hay?

Hiya! Thank you for your reply. I completely understand that, i have been in both situations myself . I don't mind feeding hay as my hay supplier is amazing at only £20 a bale. The issue with that is my young horse is terrible at being stabled and they get buddy sour if they are separated ! I will work on the stabling and strip graze x

 

[Burnttoast]

Laminitis isn't a given just because horses are on grass. Once a horse has endocrine challenges things do become more difficult, but with a bit of weight management and (this is just my opinion) avoiding herbicide use, including in forage (I sourced unsprayed hay), I kept our retired natives healthy and sound on 24/7 access to grass into their 20s (one is still alive, but in new accommodation/management so I'll be interested to see how he does). They were tracked on grass and fed hay in the summer, and had free access Nov-May to grass that had been rested all summer, with hay when they ran short. My boy got a bit fat in the spring, but would lose it again over the course of the year (he also hated being stabled and I never did - they had a free-access yard and shelter). I suspect avoiding chronic stress (high cortisol) probably helps with preventing lami too, so if your young one hates stabling work on it carefully, or not at all.

 

[AppyLover1996]

I am in the same boat as you - I have Baggs who is my part native and Rabbit who is a sports horse type, so it's a balancing act for them both in terms of grass!

I would personally strip graze to preserve the ground as much as possible, and then top up with hay where necessary.

I work on a 3-4 week rolling basis moving my lads around to new parts of the field (although I do stretch this to roughly 6-8 weeks in the summer when they're prone to getting too portly!), and I find it keeps them happy with enough grass to munch on, keeps them in the field and not tempted to escape, rests each part of the field long enough for it to recover and grow new grass and keeps the ground as nice as it can be . My boys don't have a massive chunk of field each time they're moved, but they have enough room to do zoomies, play fight and also keep out of each others way if they don't feel like hanging out together x