Managing a good do-er in the summer

[lucy_108]

I'm getting ahead of myself here... but, trying to be a bit more proactive rather than reactive this year!

I have a rising 5yo Welsh X who is a very good do-er. Last summer I battled with his weight and it was a real struggle that exhausted us both between muzzling, forever fencing to make strips or paddocks, trying track systems, to endless exercise to try and keep him at a healthy weight. The nightmare was that the grass really went to his feet and made him quite sore (preface: NOT laminitic, my farrier and vet both agreed it was the grass causing hoof sensitivity, on a soft surface or an even hard surface he was sound as a pound).

What have people found the best way to manage their good do-ers in summer on good pasture grass?
He is muzzled all summer.
Track system didn't work for us.
Strip grazing is a possibility but I feel like I'm always moving the fence to give him beautiful green grass which just seems counterintuitive?

Just looking for success stories of management that don't zap all your time, energy and will to live !

 

[dottylottie]

does he live out 24/7 in summer? if not, soaked hay is your best friend! i’ve never tried it myself but a lot of people love freestep, a girl on my yard really rates it.

 

[Birker2020]

I just started off in a small electric fenced paddock and increased every day by 3ft.

 

[Exasperated]

I'm getting ahead of myself here... but, trying to be a bit more proactive rather than reactive this year!

I have a rising 5yo Welsh X who is a very good do-er. Last summer I battled with his weight and it was a real struggle that exhausted us both between muzzling, forever fencing to make strips or paddocks, trying track systems, to endless exercise to try and keep him at a healthy weight. The nightmare was that the grass really went to his feet and made him quite sore (preface: NOT laminitic, my farrier and vet both agreed it was the grass causing hoof sensitivity, on a soft surface or an even hard surface he was sound as a pound).

What have people found the best way to manage their good do-ers in summer on good pasture grass?
He is muzzled all summer.
Track system didn't work for us.
Strip grazing is a possibility but I feel like I'm always moving the fence to give him beautiful green grass which just seems counterintuitive?

Just looking for success stories of management that don't zap all your time, energy and will to live !

Can be a nightmare! The more they are restricted, the more determined to gorge at the first opportunity....lose ability to pace themselves.
Are you on rye grass (typical cattle grazing, but creates a lot of issues for horses); or using a paddock with a lot of clover in?
We’ve had to ‘burn’ clover out several times from horse grazing over the years (herbicides).
If your paddock is grazed really short, plus a dry spell (summer), clover flourishes, it crowds out the grass, and is too rich for horses with sensitivity.
Twice weekly haircut with a ride on mower and you could ditch the muzzle, tho’, because muzzles can cause tooth damage.

 

[Lamehorses]

For mine I've found worrying about it less has helped
They have a grass /mud track around their summer paddock & then get strip grazed into the long grass in the middle.
I used to muzzle, keep them on short stresses grass, keep in on soaked hay & panic if they werent exercised. My horses were fat & hangry
They are now both a good weight ( according to my vet) I stress less about them having days off & management is so much easier

 

[Horsegirl25]

I have a good doer as well, also a Welsh! For the first time last year over summer, he went out overnight and in through the day with my other mare. He was on soaked hay through the summer also.
I used to muzzle but ended up taking it off as it wore down his front teeth and as others mentioned he never was able to self regulate and constantly gorged when it came off.
Summer prep starts in winter, you want him on the lean side coming out of winter into spring.
I do think having multiple sharing a field with your horse is a HUGE benefit, I wouldn't have been able to take my boys muzzle off if he was in a field by himself he would explode!

 

[IrishMilo]

Strip grazing is a possibility but I feel like I'm always moving the fence to give him beautiful green grass which just seems counterintuitive?

Just stop moving the fence. I know it's hard because you feel guilty but you have to be really tough.

I got mine down from obese to trim over the space of a year (pics are Sept 2019 - Sept 2020). Come spring he went into a tennis court size paddock that I sectioned off and that was all he got for the whole summer. I probably moved the fence 1ft every few days and he got a bucket feed twice a day of a handful of grass nuts. I brought him in during the day and he got a small net. This was when I wasn't able to work him due to physical issues so it was pure lack of grass that got him to lose weight.



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[Widgeon]

For mine I've found worrying about it less has helped
They have a grass /mud track around their summer paddock & then get strip grazed into the long grass in the middle.

I did the same - track round the outside of one acre, then the inside fence got moved in and out each day to give him a bit of long stalky grass to snack on. And I fed hay. In autumn I gradually strip grazed into the middle of the acre until he was out on the whole thing in January.

I found I just couldn't ride enough to manage his weight (I have a full time job and other responsibilities, like most people) so I had to change his management. I did feel really mean, quite often, but then I looked at how shiny and perky he was and that made me feel better!

 

[Britestar]

I agree, stop moving the fence.
Mine get a paddock at the start of summer, and that's it.
Maybe, if they've been out competing all day they might get into the bigger field for an hour before coming in for the night.

I don't feel guilty, I'd feel much worse if they went off their feet.

 

[scats]

Muzzle when grass comes through and stays on until it gets more bare.

 

[HappyHollyDays]

I’m another who had fat muzzled grumpy ponies on short stressed rye grass. Now they are unmuzzled on a virtually grass free track around an acre, fed meadow hay and a chaff based feed to add oily herbs to and I love summer again. Going into September the Connie strip grazes the middle and the EMS pony gets a 10 minute a day munch to get his gut used to grass again (he likes to colic) before they come back to their winter field in October. It’s been a game changer for all three of us and I don’t know what I’d do without my little track.

 

[spookypony]

When I had them on a private yard where I could organise things for myself, I found that the best way I could manage with the resources at hand was to keep them on a track with hay from April till October, and then in the long grass in the middle with NO extra hay from late October to early April. By Spring, they were very much on the lean side, and I didn't need to worry in the summer. Now, I'm on a yard again, where they are on a track all year round but with good hay, and my mare is a big butterball again. I'm quite worried how we'll manage this summer...I'm trying to up the exercise, but I'll have to have a conversation with the yard owner about what we might do.

 

[marmalade76]

Bring them in the day, I've found mine enjoy it, gets them away from the flies and they can have a snooze. Soak some hay for when he's in.

 

[Clare Tempest]

Mine is the same. Last Feb he was 7 out of 9 fat score and rising 5.
I soaked his hay daily and stabled him for half the day and turned out with a muzzle. Also ride him 4 times a week. I haven’t stopped soaking his hay, as I’m trying to keep him as trim as I can before spring. I would say he’s still a 6.5 fat score and that’s with daily turnout on rubbish grass and soaked hay and a balancer. It’s bloody hard work.
I would start now on the diet to get their weight down now. If I could strip graze I would, but I don’t have that option

 

[Hallo2012]

on a dirt paddock with ad lib hay and straw mixed in nets, and hedges to browse to keep him occupied.

mine is much slimmer and happier this way.

 

[meleeka]

OP- Can I ask why the track didn't work for you? I've not found another way to keep my natives trim, so they have a track round 1.5 acre which is very short/dirt. On the middle fence there's a D shape so I can move a couple of posts every day to give them a small amount of grass. I don't make the D bigger, I just always move one post out and one post in, so the D just gets moved around the inner fence. I can normally go round twice during the summer months, then I reduce it all inwards over the winter until they have the whole field for a couple of months. It works not just because of the lack of grass, but the amount of movement they get.

 

[paddy555]

Just stop moving the fence. I know it's hard because you feel guilty but you have to be really tough.

I got mine down from obese to trim over the space of a year (pics are Sept 2019 - Sept 2020). Come spring he went into a tennis court size paddock that I sectioned off and that was all he got for the whole summer. I probably moved the fence 1ft every few days and he got a bucket feed twice a day of a handful of grass nuts. I brought him in during the day and he got a small net. This was when I wasn't able to work him due to physical issues so it was pure lack of grass that got him to lose weight.

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some difference

for mine it is also going to have to be lack of grass full stop and just keep feeding soaked hay. (plus supps etc) I've made a track around the yards etc which is hardcore etc with some grass banks to graze. That has got the winter weight down and has been better than standing in a fenced off rectangle as he can wander and has friends he can talk to. Also ridden daily for about an hour but pretty slowly.

You sound to have your own place OP so it is a case of coming up with imaginative ideas as to how you can make a small but interesting area suitable for your particular horse.

I find it infuriating to have tons of grass for free and have to pay for hay but I suppose it is cheaper than vet's bills for lami. (or so I tell myself )

as Meleeka asked why didn't the track work for you? is it possible to make a part of it work?

 

[pistolpete]

Tried so many different things. Had the hangry-ness to deal with too. Strip grazing very stressful for mine! He is just such a foodie! No idea how I’m going to cope this year as he’s back in the seven acres due to mad yard owner taking down fence! He’s retired so if he gets lami it’s curtains but I feel like I’m playing roulette with his health. Interested to read all these replies. Sorry no ideas just a subject very close to my heart! Good luck.

 

[Equi]

Why do you feel the track didn’t work for you?

My summer paddock is smaller than my winter one. I put them (miniature horses) into it before the mad flush of growth, so it’s pretty bare all summer. Some times I throw a bale of hay out if it’s been a sunny spell for weeks on end (so like…3 bales in 10+ years ) but mostly they just get left to run it bare. They still put on weight but not massively. I use the same method for winter and they loose a decent amount of weight, one or sometimes two of them sometimes need fed up.

I’ve never found strip grazing to be effective at managing weight.

 

[Colin2005]

Another who'd be interested in why your track didn't work. I've found tracks work really well for most types but especially for weight management. For ponies tolerant of grass I give them a small semi circle fresh each day, on top of ad lib hay or hay/straw mix, and obviously no grass if they are intolerant.

 

[Peglo]

I’m another who makes up a track style paddock and leave them on it all summer. They get put on it in the spring before the grass grows long and that’s them. The fence doesn’t move until autumn.

 

[AppyLover1996]

My retired good doer who is part native is brought in during the spring/summer/start of autumn months for the day and has a weighed net of haylage (can't have hay due to COPD and the fact that the twerp chokes on hay, oh and he won't touch soaked hay but happily stuffs his neighbours soaked hay if given the chance - despite numerous vet investigations my vets have lovingly nicknamed him a twerp for managing to choke on hay but not haylage or anything else...) and he spends pretty much all of the time sleeping or dozing in the corner next to his mate.

He does get a small bucket feed of a scoop of grass chaff, some Pink Mash and a tiny sprinkle of mix (to keep it interesting otherwise said twerp will pee in his bucket feed and then complain ) and he stays a pretty stable weight all throughout that time. We have insanely good grass as am on a working farm and the fields are rotated regularly (plus we have cattle etc grazing too)and I've found that the above is the best way to keep him happy without the grumpiness (not that I blame him - if someone gave me sweet bugger all to eat all day I'd kick off too!).

Personally the only other reason I give him a small bucket feed is to keep him happy (all his friends are poor doers so get a decent bucket feed and all hell would break loose if my lad didn't get his miniscule portion...) and help keep stomach acid levels at a safe level, as he is prone to ulcers but at the same time doesn't need a ton of extra feed - fun fact - we did a 3 and a half hour fun ride full of gallops, canters, complete lack of brakes at some points and tons of hills and he came back passaging through the starting gate, covered in sweat but still full of running and at that point in time it was the middle of summer and he was on his summer rations aha!

Edited to add - I don't have the choice of doing a track system or anything cool like that as I'm on a livery yard but I'm incredibly lucky that the yard owner and manager always ask us liveries what we want to do regarding grazing etc

 

[marmalade76]

My retired good doer who is part native is brought in during the spring/summer/start of autumn months for the day and has a weighed net of haylage (can't have hay due to COPD and the fact that the twerp chokes on hay, oh and he won't touch soaked hay but happily stuffs his neighbours soaked hay if given the chance - despite numerous vet investigations my vets have lovingly nicknamed him a twerp for managing to choke on hay but not haylage or anything else...) and he spends pretty much all of the time sleeping or dozing in the corner next to his mate.

He does get a small bucket feed of a scoop of grass chaff, some Pink Mash and a tiny sprinkle of mix (to keep it interesting otherwise said twerp will pee in his bucket feed and then complain ) and he stays a pretty stable weight all throughout that time. We have insanely good grass as am on a working farm and the fields are rotated regularly (plus we have cattle etc grazing too)and I've found that the above is the best way to keep him happy without the grumpiness (not that I blame him - if someone gave me sweet bugger all to eat all day I'd kick off too!).

Personally the only other reason I give him a small bucket feed is to keep him happy (all his friends are poor doers so get a decent bucket feed and all hell would break loose if my lad didn't get his miniscule portion...) and help keep stomach acid levels at a safe level, as he is prone to ulcers but at the same time doesn't need a ton of extra feed - fun fact - we did a 3 and a half hour fun ride full of gallops, canters, complete lack of brakes at some points and tons of hills and he came back passaging through the starting gate, covered in sweat but still full of running and at that point in time it was the middle of summer and he was on his summer rations aha!

Edited to add - I don't have the choice of doing a track system or anything cool like that as I'm on a livery yard but I'm incredibly lucky that the yard owner and manager always ask us liveries what we want to do regarding grazing etc

He pees in his bucket in protest??

 

[94lunagem]

My summer paddock is smaller than my winter one. I put them (miniature horses) into it before the mad flush of growth, so it’s pretty bare all summer.

I do similar to this. My Welsh A lives in a post and rail small paddock from early April until the end of October (I call it prison!). It's a decent enough size for him to have a run about but small enough the grass never really takes over, he has extra hay when needed and comes out of the summer where I want him weight wise going into winter (when he then lives out with my other on long but not lush grass). His paddock is next to the big summer field and while it's not ideal to have them separated by the fence, they can still interact and managing his weight trumps what is ideal. I let him out of prison towards the end of summer on an ad-hoc basis when there's not much left on the big field.

I'm lucky that neither of mine give two hoots about being on their own, and to have had the option of making his permanent paddock due to having them at home. I did try all sorts beforehand, but there is more to life that putting electric tape back together every morning and night. He respects my internal post and tape fencing (even with no electric) in the winter but when faced with restriction vs more grass, goes through electrified tape every time.

 

[smolmaus]

My mare did better out 24/7 in the summer in a huge open field than she did when the yard decided to start "strip grazing" it. They were either gorging or starving all summer and got less freedom of movement too. Same field, same grass, doing more work but she was fatter than ever and it was stressing out the humans no end as well as we never knew when they were moving the fence! Previously they just had what grass they had and that was it and they all regulated themselves quite well. I tried a muzzle when we had a suspected bout of lami but she was miserable and the short stressed grass was the stuff she could easily eat through it, so we just moved. The rest of the summer she was out in the day with no muzzle and in at night with plenty of hay and the weight fell off her.

 

[AppyLover1996]

He pees in his bucket in protest??

Oh yes! - I've watched him do it.....

If he deems his bucket feed looks boring (or tastes boring after a few mouthfuls) he'll happily drop his ding dong and wee in there in protest - even sometimes adding some grunting to show extra levels of displeasure aha .

When I first got him, he was in a right state so he got a molasses based mix and some other feed full of all sorts of naughty (but tasty for horses) ingredients to help him gain the weight back and entice him to eat. I've tried dropping the mix several times and each time results in a peed in bucket - if he's feeling extra sassy he'll lob said peed in feed bucket over the door at some poor unsuspecting sod walking by! Funnily enough however all the other stuff he was having (rice bran, linseed oil, rowan barbary ready mash and copra) he doesn't care about in the slightest if it's in his bucket or not.....