Managing grazing rotations

[AutumnDays]

It's a 5.5 acre field, split into four acre and a bit paddocks, two access lanes and a yard. The horses graze in rotation to the sheep, so sheep graze one paddock for about 3 months, then the horses graze it for about 3 months, then it gets harrowed,rolled and rested for about 9 months before the sheep go back on it. This was working fine when there were two... Then number three came along, and he's a big lad! The grass isn't lasting as long as it was initially, which is to be expected, but the paddock they have been on since December is now looking a bit bare, they had a stock bale of hay put in with them on Saturday, and it's now completely gone, between the wind blowing it and those horrors pulling it apart to lie on!! I won't be putting a whole one out again that's for sure ... Do I stick to my plan, or do I need to move them every month or two? It was working well as one is a fatty and following the sheep meant there wasn't a lot of grass,and the cross grazing has been doing a fab job for worm counts in both species, but the girls aren't going to be able to eat enough grass down before the horses go in if it's a monthly or so move (they are only five Shetland Sheep!) what would you do in this situation? Stick to the plan and ration hay (I don't mind them dropping weight, nobody is in anything that can be called work! My worry is always weight going on, hence the pre grazed field plan), or move more frequently? Or am I just overthinking and fussing over nothing? Below is what their grazing looks like in comparison to the Sheepers grazing, for an idea

 

[YourValentine]

Challenging one. For grass & soil health and to get the most benefit from rotating, you want to give the fields a min 6 week break. How you've been doing it sounds really good.

The new pony who needs more/eats more could they move first with the sheep and the other two who need less follow after?

Could you get a bale net to reduce waste (or organic amendment to boost soil helath) and slow their eating of hay so they can stay longer on their current patch?

The ground looks lovely and dry! Are they out 24/7?

 

[AutumnDays]

@YourValentine they are out 24/7. We are a wet area on clay, but have done ditching around the place to try get some water off the fields, so it's not as bad as it once was. New boy is a bit wary of the sheep, he's only been with us 3 weeks, and he'd never seen sheep before then! He could go with them once he settles around them though, that's an idea

 

[Sail_away]

I’ve found with our fields they do much less damage if they’re on a bigger space - would it be an option to give them 2 fields to graze over winter? Then you’d still have one resting and one for sheep.
Otherwise, if the field isn’t cut up, and you’re not worried about them losing weight, I’d probably ration hay and see how they do. I just pop a few sections in morning/evening if they need it, I think they’d do the same as yours with a round bale.

 

[canteron]

No real help, but I think you have to accept that it’s impossible to keep everything perfect over Winter. I have different plans every month depending on what the weather gods throw at us.
In Spring, with a bit of luck, it all looks lovely again quite quickly.

 

[Goldenstar]

You have increased the amount of horses grazing by one third .
So you need to change something to allow for that .
You won’t be able to keep with the same system .
The idea of horses living in just over an acre paddocks the whole year brings me out in hives but needs must and all that .
It’s also pretty well impossible to manage horses with very difficult nutritional needs out doors I know I tried it.
One needed restricted forage one needed lots of forage nightmare.
I also tried out the bales out thing it did not work here the best it sort of worked was letting them onto the bale part of the day by using electric fenced paddocks .
Finally the best thing here was hay hutches with breeze blocks in the bottom to weight them in the wind .

 

[nikkimariet]

Muzzle the new boy provided he isn’t needing the weight in the first place? Just every other day.

Its amazing how some of them now the grazing down isn’t it. Rooni barely dent it and apart from one fenceline his still looks how it did when he went on it on October. The other field is pretty good but much more eaten down. Previously we’ve had 2/3 really good hoovers and Bruce in particular was put on every paddock during swap over to eat it right down. He did a great job!!!

 

[Suechoccy]

I have 5 acres for 3 big horses, split into 2 acres and 1.5 acres with access to stables, and the other "back" 1.5 acres with access to both first paddocks but not stables. During grass growing periods, they get either the 2 or the 1.5 acre and I rest the "back". During winter and during leaner grass periods in summer they get either of the 2 or 1.5 acres with stables plus the "back". They have hay put out in loose piles most of the year round.

I find now we're into depths of winter and grass not growing and ground not drying out, the field does much better if they have a larger acreage to be in than a smaller one.

 

[AutumnDays]

No real help, but I think you have to accept that it’s impossible to keep everything perfect over Winter. I have different plans every month depending on what the weather gods throw at us.
In Spring, with a bit of luck, it all looks lovely again quite quickly.

It isn't a worry about how the fields look, it's more about them going into a paddock with "new" grass regularly that was my worry.

You have increased the amount of horses grazing by one third .
So you need to change something to allow for that .
You won’t be able to keep with the same system .
The idea of horses living in just over an acre paddocks the whole year brings me out in hives but needs must and all that .
It’s also pretty well impossible to manage horses with very difficult nutritional needs out doors I know I tried it.
One needed restricted forage one needed lots of forage nightmare.
I also tried out the bales out thing it did not work here the best it sort of worked was letting them onto the bale part of the day by using electric fenced paddocks .
Finally the best thing here was hay hutches with breeze blocks in the bottom to weight them in the wind .

They also have access to a 400m x 20m lane with hedgerow and a coppice the whole time as well as the acre and a half of grass, and have to walk down to the water and shelter, so it's not just a square. I was more concerned about "new" grass more often through the year and wondering if it would be like putting them on "spring" grass all the time, but I think it's just an over think. Loose hay rations morning and evening have been working since I posted this, and the only reason the field is split is because some parts are horrendously bog like in winter, so it's to save them sinking in it. This is the first few months this system has been in use, there is also another 4 acre paddock being cleared to be put into the rotation, I'm just trying to manage this as best as I can for the land type and keeping everyone happy