Preparing for the grass - Lami prone horse

Turtlebay69

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I have just moved to a new yard and just wanted some advice.

My 14.3hh 20 year old lightweight cob has suffered bad lami once in the past and balloons up when the grass comes through even when on the tiniest section of grass. My new yard allows no strip grazing or separating from the herd, so my only option is the grazing muzzle and/or bringing him in.

Can anyone recommend a good routine for me to start him with to prevent him getting fat and lami? I need to know when to start this routine ie when the grass starts to come through, when should I bring him in off the grass because I know there are different times when is best to, or just leave him with a grazing muzzle? What do I do!?

Thankyou:D
 
The yard seems very short sighted in this day and age, move to another yard, or you could turn out overnight, bring in during the day, turn out very early 6am and bring in at lunch time, for a lami prone or overweight horse or good doer, 6 hrs on grass is more than enough, most of them wants to get away from the heat and midges anyway
 
Agree with other posters, that your new yard does not sound as if it is going to be suitable for your horse....

Also to add, that when my vet came last week to do the annual vaccinations for my 3, she commented that her practice has already seen an 'unprecedented' number of winter lami cases. It seems that although the fields look muddy and waterlogged, the grass is still managing to grow.

Be very, very careful.
 
I was on such a yard at the start of last year. I had to leave after 2 and a half months. It got to the point where I had to muzzle for nearly 24 hrs or stable two ponies together. Everyone else went onto 24 hr turnout, so putting one in at a time wasn't doable. Sorry, not what you want to hear, I know.
 
Hi all. Moving yards is not an option, there are hardly any yards around where I live and it's taken me 2 years to get on this yard from somewhere awful so I am rather lucky.

The only options I have are the bringing in or muzzling, I have heard it better to turn out over night and bring in during the day very early in regards to grass?

I've managed very well each year, he had lami aged 9 so it's been a while, I've always just brought in during the day 10-5 and muzzled at night? I just was open to new routines that may work better if anyone has any?
 
My tb is footy now and on restricted turn out :(

It is hard on livery yards, you just have to do the best you can. Overnight turn out supposed to be better than during the day but was too much for mine.

I find with mine he can't tolerate rye grass grazing ( which it was on one yard ) and old pasture / meadow grasses are much better.
 
I'm just musing about laminitis at the moment. Our new boy saw the farrier this week who said she suspects he had it at some point. He is an extremely good doer and we have far too much grass at the moment, so we really need to get our act together before spring comes. The trouble is he never comes up for air..
 
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