new winter field - do i need hay?

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travelmad

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background info - my gelding is a skinny wimp - perfect health, teeth etc, just skinny - as a result and as my summer paddock is small he has had hay all summer just in case he needs it.

moving to fab winter yard where my 2 will have 1.5 acres of field. the yard charges 20 a week for grass livery, and double for winter grass livery (basically limitless hay in field). farmer says he will start feeding hay as soon as i ask him to -

with my other horses last winter i did not feed hay until december and i think i stopping in march ...

could i try do the same - he will have decent grass now and lots of it? when do you normally start hay and until when?

thanks
 
Well the usual train of thought is 1 acre per horse so you have slightly less. Much will depend on the weather, can you split the field in half to rest one half while the other is grazed? Grass doesnt grow below 6 degress (I think) so you have that against you. I would see how it goes, how much they trash it, the weather, etc. If the Farmer can provide you with as much as you want then take advantage of it. Winter grass doesnt have the same goodness in it as summer grass.
Its my first winter with horses living out, 3 on 5 acres. I effectively have 2 fields and will split them in half so one side rests whilst the other is grazed. It is well drained which is a plus factor. Again will see how it goes etc and feed accordingly. Would be nice not to have to feed hay until around December but the British weather is unpredicatable as we know!
 
:eek: of course you will need to feed hay, there is little goodness left in the grass now, depending on the size of your equines, if they are a couple of Shetlands your 1.5 field may be ok, but they are going to pouch it up like crazy unless it is really well drained, so yes you will have to supply them with plenty of hay, and make sure that there is plenty of shelter for them as well if you are expecting them to stay out all winter, they will need a good supply of good clean fresh water and to be ckecked over at least twice a day !:mad:
 
travelmad said:
background info - my gelding is a skinny wimp - perfect health, teeth etc, just skinny - as a result and as my summer paddock is small he has had hay all summer just in case he needs it.

moving to fab winter yard where my 2 will have 1.5 acres of field. the yard charges 20 a week for grass livery, and double for winter grass livery (basically limitless hay in field). farmer says he will start feeding hay as soon as i ask him to -

with my other horses last winter i did not feed hay until december and i think i stopping in march ...

could i try do the same - he will have decent grass now and lots of it? when do you normally start hay and until when?

thanks
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All depends on the weather, horses will usually let you know, and as for stop feeding hay, well not until the grass has grown and they are not eating their hay, usually end April early May with mine.
 
ok thanks all - im not a novice i know about keeping horses, checking water and to check them twice a day!

I simply wanted to ask if I need to start winter by feeding hay straight away in a new winter grass field. Thanks for the helpful replies.
 
We have so much grass we'l just wait until a lot of the long stuffs gone and they will let us know when they need a bit more. We didn't get ours in or start with hay until the 1st December last year. I think yours will probably run out of grass after a few weeks on just 1.5 acres and then it won't grow back if its cold or if they churn it up. Sounds like a good deal though of the farmers going to give them whet ever they need.
 
travelmad said:
?? why/ how?
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Sorry not to respond yesterday.

1.5 acres for two horses isn't very much (I'm making an assumption of horses here, rather than ponies). In this particularly wet weather we've had you can expect the ground to be trashed pretty quickly - hence my rather terse comment (sorry:o).

So, I'd have thought you'd need hay within a few days of them being in there.
 
Following on from amymay's comment, 1.5 acres for 2 is not a lot, and as the temperature drops, the grass will not grow as quickly as they are eating it, and with it being so wet everywhere, with less grass to hold the ground together it will churn up too...again lessening the growth...

I have 2 horses out on 4 acres, and will probably need to start feeding hay in the next few weeks (1 is a skinny tb like yours!)

IMO it is better to be feeding hay than not, especially as yours is used to it. He may eat the grass first and leave the hay, but better that he has a choice. If they lose weight in the winter, it is sooooo much harder (and more expensive) to get it back on them than if you can keep it on in the first place :)
 
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