Managing with to much grass

Hormonal Filly

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I have a summer and winter field at our livery yard, its nice to be on a yard with grass so am not moaning. At previous yards it was 20 horses in one tiny field, so it is nice to be able to manage it yourself, farmer lets you do as you wish. But have decided this year to section their summer field off and strip graze it thinking I could manage them better without being paranoid they'll getting fat.

It must be over 2 acres of decent grass in their summer paddock, its square size with automatic water at one end. They did originally have the entire summer field a week ago but my cob is being tested for PSSM and EMS so I've built a small paddock for him only about 200ft by 100ft for now.

I have made a bigger paddock for my other gelding just under half the field size, thinking i'd increase the size of the paddock as he eats it away.

How big does a paddock need to be for the grass to grow as he eats it? I think having just under 2 acres will be far to much for 1 horse and he'll be huge in no time.
 

Toby_Zaphod

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Quote " How big does a paddock need to be for the grass to grow as he eats it? I think having just under 2 acres will be far to much for 1 horse and he'll be huge in no time".

This is difficult to say as depending on weather & what type of grass you have will depend on rate of growth. I just strip graze my horses & move the electric fence a couple of feet each day. This gives them adequate grass, mine are out from about 7.30am to around 2.30pm when they come in to their stables. They chill out there for a while, eat some hay & then are worked. If the grass starts growing too fast & there is too much for them I run another fence across the paddock to keep them off some of the paddock they've already grazed off & this gets moved daily as well. I suppose it's 'double strip grazing?' By doing this I can make better use of my grass & after grazing off the summer paddock I can strip graze them again going back up the paddock. When that's been done it will be autumn & I move them into the winter paddocks. I've done this for years & my horses look good all year round, never fat & in the winter never poor.
 

Hormonal Filly

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Quote " How big does a paddock need to be for the grass to grow as he eats it? I think having just under 2 acres will be far to much for 1 horse and he'll be huge in no time".

This is difficult to say as depending on weather & what type of grass you have will depend on rate of growth. I just strip graze my horses & move the electric fence a couple of feet each day. This gives them adequate grass, mine are out from about 7.30am to around 2.30pm when they come in to their stables. They chill out there for a while, eat some hay & then are worked. If the grass starts growing too fast & there is too much for them I run another fence across the paddock to keep them off some of the paddock they've already grazed off & this gets moved daily as well. I suppose it's 'double strip grazing?' By doing this I can make better use of my grass & after grazing off the summer paddock I can strip graze them again going back up the paddock. When that's been done it will be autumn & I move them into the winter paddocks. I've done this for years & my horses look good all year round, never fat & in the winter never poor.

Thank you for the reply! Thats kind of what I wanted to know. Mine are out all night and then in for 3-4 hours during the day. I do sometimes keep them out 24/7 but its easier to ride if they're in for a few hours.
Stupid question maybe, but do you move the electric fence to more grass a couple of feed a day and move the fence behind them in a couple of feet a day or does their paddock gradually increase in size?
 

Hormonal Filly

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An absolute tonne of electric fencing and a very good energiser!

Ah I see. I am currently using hooks and tapping onto the farmers electric fencing (which is super strong so works) but I'd have to buy a fencer if I went down that route. I will change it and give the cob a long 'stretched' paddock across the bottom fence line, so he can move about more for now without having to much grass. I suppose I could use my fencing and make a almost track around the edge of the field. He does like to go through electric fencing, so it has to be pretty powerful!
 

Toby_Zaphod

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Quote "Stupid question maybe, but do you move the electric fence to more grass a couple of feed a day and move the fence behind them in a couple of feet a day or does their paddock gradually increase in size?"

No the paddock remains the same size, what I give with one fence & take away with the other. To ensure you get power through the fence I use gate hooks onto the electrified sides of the paddock this also makes it easier to move the strip grazing fences. Also if I have any doubt that power is running into the moveable fences I connect up using a thin wire with a crocodile clip on each end. I get them off Ebay, about £1.68p for a dozen of them.
 

Hormonal Filly

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Quote "Stupid question maybe, but do you move the electric fence to more grass a couple of feed a day and move the fence behind them in a couple of feet a day or does their paddock gradually increase in size?"

No the paddock remains the same size, what I give with one fence & take away with the other. To ensure you get power through the fence I use gate hooks onto the electrified sides of the paddock this also makes it easier to move the strip grazing fences. Also if I have any doubt that power is running into the moveable fences I connect up using a thin wire with a crocodile clip on each end. I get them off Ebay, about £1.68p for a dozen of them.

Thank you! Its quite difficult with one of mine in the bigger area if I move away from the water source, as any water bucket he knocks over within 10 minutes and acts dying of thirst, so have been trying to move his paddock around the trough. Currently it looks like this, the gate is on the left.. I have gate hooks on one of each side to electrify the red fencing which is what I put up. Around the edge of the entire field (black square) is all post and rail fencing with electric on the top row so if you see I am trying to stay around the edges to keep it electrified without buying a fencer but can do if needed.
FIELD PIC.png
 

Tarragon

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I also second a track system; it is something I would set up if I was allowed to!
If you are going to use strip grazing then be wary because if you move the strip on too frequently or the new strip is too big it is no better then giving them free access.
 
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sportsmansB

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Can you just use two lines, one either side of the water trough, and shift them about that way? Excuse my art on your lovely picture
1556190894575.png1556190894575.png
 

Hormonal Filly

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Ahh yes good idea, Just add another fence line and move it that way. Thank you!
LOL - wouldn't go as far as lovely picture! A paint moment which took me way longer than it should!
 

Nudibranch

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If the outer fence is electrified then why not just have an inner fence running inside as a track, either all the way around or 3 sides of a rectangle, an L shape or whatever? A track doesn't have to be linked up. I've done restricted grazing for many, many years and in all that time a track system has worked best. Why faff with double fencing it across when you've one permanent fence in place and a decent current to tap into? As Tarragon says, strip grazing can be risky, especially for metabolics, pssm, etc. Its more about preserving the land than fatty maintenance.
 

JillA

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Ah I see. I am currently using hooks and tapping onto the farmers electric fencing (which is super strong so works) but I'd have to buy a fencer if I went down that route. I will change it and give the cob a long 'stretched' paddock across the bottom fence line, so he can move about more for now without having to much grass. I suppose I could use my fencing and make a almost track around the edge of the field. He does like to go through electric fencing, so it has to be pretty powerful!

You can cross the track with electric fencing, you just need a good length of lead out cable and some matting like conveyor belting to cover it to tap into the power from the existing electric fence. That's how I have dome mine for years - on the odd occasion they trip over it and pull it free but they soon get to know it
 

ester

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Genuinely a track would be better for both of them. The main issue is getting strong corners but a few options there and you could run it off the main elec fence.

We have lot of grass (low lying clay) and we try and get them on it early then sort of strip graze the middle by moving the fence in and out. The main question then is what to do with the middle - we make hay and then it grows as foggage for winter turnout. Some YO need introducing to the idea ;).
 

ester

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preferably make the whole thing narrower and let them both have it (unless you need to split them of course but I'm thinking fat cob is the coloured and gelding is the welsh? who having a rest won't need masses either), it will work as not a complete round but I don't think they walk as much (can see them from the bedroom window) and we have in the past started with an L ike you have for fat cob when we've missed the boat/grass growth to move them over.

You still have the advantage this way that to water they potentially have to go for a wander.

This is ours, I would build it narrower but I missed the build last year ;) they don't get the fence moved when it is this wide
39925366_10160891478245438_658303054935752704_n.jpg


This is more the width I'd do for two, though we do makes sure the corners aren't too tight. This was the end of the wet summer in 2012.
39925366_10160891478245438_658303054935752704_n.jpg


We do have another acre next to it but that just gets used after we have cut hay in the main field and we strip graze it as would be a bit too long and thin for a track for two.

Both of ours respect electric well. As all our fencing is on battery we just run a separate one on the inside track. Originally we used hotline metal corner posts but they are hard to get in once the ground is hard. Latterly we've put 4 3-4" round stakes in which is cheaper and works better, but we do fence them off them in winter as blonde madam is inclined to chew.

You'd be welcome to visit as don't think said paddock is too far from you (20min north of stockland) but I don't think it looks much different in person to in real life.

It genuinely has been a life saver for us. I first did it when Frank was lame and I was rehabbing his feet, the first year he was back at Mum's she wasn't keen to put the track up so was muzzling/strip grazing but he has since had some jaw/teeth issues so don't want to muzzle and is now retired so needs to move a bit more (he is likely metabolic now and we treat him as such, as best we can with quality of life anyway).

The main issue we had was not really leaving space for riding/lungeing to start with as that's what we have (and the grass grew too quick in the other paddock!)
 

Hormonal Filly

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Thanks @ester! Really helpful reply and thank you for the photos! How many acres is that? Mines quite a bit smaller than that now looking at your photo.. I was told its just under 3 acres but can't see it is if yours is that big?

I could put both in together I suppose.. my other gelding is coming back into work (I hope!) in a couple of weeks and hes on the finer side than my cob (which is odd) I may make a track tomorrow and do it similar to this in the drawing, specially as my other gelding has eaten the grass down on the right side now. I could also gradually let them eat the middle by moving the pen out. FIELD PIC.png

Its hard to show on a drawing and I am not the best! Does that track size of yours keep them sufficiently happy, not hungry?
 

ester

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ours comes out as 1.96 with a similar calculator- Im rubbish at remembering to take the 'wildlife area' ergo the bit we never bothered to clear out of the total land size (and the dry ditch down the middle!)

It also means I can work out that that is 0.84 acres of total track space, so you can see how much more they have to move around that than an equivalent square paddock.
 

Hormonal Filly

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ours comes out as 1.96 with a similar calculator- Im rubbish at remembering to take the 'wildlife area' ergo the bit we never bothered to clear out of the total land size (and the dry ditch down the middle!)

It also means I can work out that that is 0.84 acres of total track space, so you can see how much more they have to move around that than an equivalent square paddock.

IF I do a track for half the field currently its 0.7 acres, would that be efficient for 2?
 

ester

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yes I think google earth is showing me how it is now given the date so the fact that I would make it narrower is still the case and 0.7 isnt much different to 0.84. That is genuinely plenty for ours on our ground.
 

scats

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I have two good doers on very good grass. Currently they are grazing a field just under 3 acres and they are out from about 6pm- 9.30am and then come in during the day to soaked hay and to be worked. I strip graze the field and give them about a foot a day. It seems to be enough to satisfy that need to munch when they first go out, then they are happy to wander around and nibble on the more grazed part of the field for the rest of the night. When Diva was here, it was more difficult, as if she deemed there to not be enough grass in a field for her liking, she would bulldoze her way out!

I have two other fields resting at the moment, but think we will just have them topped several times this summer as the amount of grass that has sprung up on them is giving me nightmares!
 
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Crazydancer

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I've only been able to sort my own grazing for 1 summer, and that summer was the easiest I've had, and my horse and his cob companion were the sleekest they'd ever been. We did something like the 'segment' picture earlier in the thread, and basically what we gave in one direction, we took away in the other, and they moved onto the longest grass, honestly I had palpitations looking at it, but because I guess it was more like standing hay at that stage, they were happy as they were stuffing their faces, but the bulk was so large I think the sugar risk was lower. I have no scientific evidence to back this up, just the experience of seeing a couple of lovely, sleek not-at-all-overweight good doers happily eating!! Interestingly, the only time they put weight on was just before we moved them on, the grass was short, and we had a bit of rain. The grass tips came through and in 2 or 3 days we could see a difference. This was for 2 horses on 3 acres and the grass quality wasn't hugely good, plenty of weeds mixed in. With a PSSM horse I know the rules are different, but honestly if I could do that again for my horse, I'd do it in a heartbeat. I'll try and find a photo of them in the grass, the land sloped away and you could really only see their backs in the long grass.
 
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MyBoyChe

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Last year I sectioned off the bottom third of my paddock and let my highland graze the front two thirds which included the bit that had been trashed through the winter, I opened the bottom end up in quarters from November onwards and he grazed it almost right down without getting too gross. I reduced his hay right down whilst he had the foggage to eat and hes lost more weight this winter than in previous years so I would say it was quite successful. I did have to strim off a bit of the foggage that had laid down and gone damp and he wouldnt eat it. This year I have sectioned off the middle so he has to keep walking around the outside, I suppose we have about the equivalent of 2 tennis courts sectioned off so again he is left with the trashed bit from winter and the bottom end where the foggage was. So far he isnt ballooning but its early days!
 
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Hormonal Filly

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@ester @SEL and everybody else.

I think i'm going to design something like this, this evening. Do you think it would be sufficient? I may make the 'track' on the right smaller for now and gradually increase it more. I think i'll put them in together as half of the track my other gelding has already grazed off..

FIELD PIC.png
 

JillA

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It isn't set in stone - you can adjust and review and maybe even reconfigure depending on how it works or not as the case may be. That's the nice thing about it - it evolves to suit you and your horses.
 
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