Musical fields!

[reindeerlover]

Riiiiight, this is a bit like the "goose, fox and sack of grain" riddle...

I have 4 horses. 2 are fat (Oscar and Miss Dynamite)and 2 are thin(ner than I'd like)- Eric and Copper.

I have 2 fields.

Currently I have a fat and a thin one in each (Oscar and Copper/ Eric and Miss Dynamite) and they all get on well apart from one fat one occasionally fluttering her eyelashes at the thin one and pinching a few mouthfuls of conditioning cubes.... Ideally I would like both fatties in one field eating hay, balancer and chaff in their lightweight turnouts, taken off during the day if it's dry and the thin ones eating haylage in another field and chowing down on their twice daily feed mountain.

However...

One fat one is lame and older (Oscar) and I don't want the young fat one (Miss D) terrorising him (she is currrently in with field boss who is thin and does no chasing or bullying). One thin one is very very stupid (Copper)and sometimes wanders right up to field boss thin one (Eric) and gets chased away with teeth and feet- then kicks out as he runs away and risks adding extra dodgy lumps to poor Eric's accident prone leggies.

Please help! I know this sound stupid but I can't feed haylage if they're all mixed up together and I don't want Oscar getting bullied or Copper/Eric ending up injured! The other option is to bring thin ones in at night and stuff them full of haylage (may have to do this with Copper anyway as he is a pansy) but would really much prefer them to be outside.

Disclaimer 1.1: The horses are not "fat" or "thin" they are just slightly more so than I would like..

Disclaimer 1.2: If your head hurts from thinking too deeply about this I am not responsible.

Disclaimer 1.3: All cookies/jelly tots/ ice cream eaten whilst pondering this thread is totally and completely calorie free.

 

[MrsMozart]

I got to the third line...

Having just been through the fat/thin/laminitic/two fields/how many electric poles do I have/how much tape/etc., my brain is frazzled and indeed frayed.

No idea, but I wish you all the luck in the world in sorting it out, and a large hot choccy to help you along the way

 

[Jane_Lou]

Could you possibly divide the fields with temp fencing and split them up during the day so that the "thin" ones can have their haylage and feed undisturbed and then open the fields back up at night so they are back in their pairs?

 

[reindeerlover]

Could you possibly divide the fields with temp fencing and split them up during the day so that the "thin" ones can have their haylage and feed undisturbed and then open the fields back up at night so they are back in their pairs?

Now, that may work except I have a feeling that the fat ones will turn into amazing showjumpers/ limboers if they see haylage and I don't have the time to build 12 foot high walls

MrsM- thanks for the hot choccie but I really think a valium and several alcoholic beverages are in order! Ouch, head hurts..

 

[Echo Bravo]

So does mine, heading for the ibrofen, could you strip graze them.

 

[tallyho!]

One fat one is lame and older (Oscar) and I don't want the young fat one (Miss D) terrorising him (she is currrently in with field boss who is thin and does no chasing or bullying).

Here-in lies your answer!!!

Miss D chases Oscar (I'm sure he can look after himself once he gets fed up of Miss D's shenanigans) and they both run around losing weight all by themselves!!! You will have four skinnies in no time!

 

[reindeerlover]

Here-in lies your answer!!!

Miss D chases Oscar (I'm sure he can look after himself once he gets fed up of Miss D's shenanigans) and they both run around losing weight all by themselves!!! You will have four skinnies in no time!

You're brilliant!!

I have moved them, I now have a field for thin successfull ex racehorses and one for fat useless lumps (don't start- they can't read!) and all seems mostly well. I brought stupid Copper and Fat Miss Dynamite in for breakfast and fed the others in the field then I de-rugged everything, bit my tongue and just swapped fields! Copper (memory of a goldfish) thought it was his first time in a field and so galloped around and screeched to a halt with millimeters to spare beside the fences and then had a wonderful muddy roll in the worst patch of the field. All others just stood gaping at him in sheer horror. Then started eating.

It is wonderful! It means that the fat ones have finished all their feed by the time I have hayed and filled water so I can take the nosebag off one (not trusted with a bucket) and make sure the other one eats all his bute. The thin ones can eat for hours at a time and are right next to the hay barn so I can throw in tonnes of hay for them (until the haylage arrives....).

Aaaand.... RELAX!