Putting horses on new field...long grass!

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almrc

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Hi all

I have three horses who have been living out and grazing on about 4 acres all winter with lots of hay. They have recently started going off the hay and eatin the grass - good! The grass is short but obviously growing.

I have recently put the horses into another field. This has not been grazed for a while so has long grad in it. I sectioned off a bit for them but I'm just concerned them being on it as I'm use to winter and seeing them eat no grass!

This isn't their usual summer field. It's a field next door I have been offered and just using it to eat the grass down. In their usual summer field I generally do the track system. I just think after seeing them have no grass all winter then have loads it just looks scary!

Please tell me I'm being silly and to stop worrying! They are in a long strip at the moment. I was contemplating putting them back in their winter field for some of the day but have been reading about it and this short grass is potentially sweeter? They are horses and they have to eat, I just worry too much!
 
We have a Welshie who isn't allowed hardly anything or she gets lami (always seems to be rumbling in the background) and a TB who needs to eat 24/7 otherwise she becomes a rack of ribs, we recently moved her from no grass to meadow grass up to her belly... shes been there for 3 weeks and absolutely fine (we do put her back with welshie overnight in starvation paddock X
 
You have already done the right thing and sectioned them off in a smaller bit so just sort of big-strip graze them. I rotate mine through my fields and just chuck them onto new grazing, some people agree with this and others try introducing new grass very slowly. Longer grass is much less likely to cause sugar related problems. Anyway I wouldn't worry too much. Mine have always been fine and I have been doing what I have been doing for years. You just have to do what works for you. If concerned still just keep an eye on them the next couple days :-)
 
Mine went out muzzled for a week 24/7, then muzzle off overnight and now its off completely. Did this because he came from a home with sheep grass and we have very lush cow grass. He's been fine.
 
strip graze and muzzle on - better having it on for longer too than risking a gorge on the grass, until the strip is eaten down. :)
 
Devonshire dumpling said:
We have a Welshie who isn't allowed hardly anything or she gets lami (always seems to be rumbling in the background) and a TB who needs to eat 24/7 otherwise she becomes a rack of ribs, we recently moved her from no grass to meadow grass up to her belly... shes been there for 3 weeks and absolutely fine (we do put her back with welshie overnight in starvation paddock X
Click to expand...

As DD says it doesn't depend on the size of the grass it depends what type it is.
 
I have the same problem. Mine is in the old paddock during the day and the lush one at night. She will do this for a week and then go in the lush field 24/7, I am off to the tack shop now to buy a grazing muzzle and she can have this on until the field is better grazed. Shes never had lami. But is a good doer and has already out on weight. I have also upped her excercise and cut her feed down to only a handful so she can have her supplements.
 
So should I put them back in the old field at night? I know during the day would be better but it's easier for me to do it at night. Their old field is the 4 acre one which they have been on all winter but has grass slowly growing. I can't explain what their new field is like. It's not been grazed for a couple years. Or fertilised. It was cut prob a year or so ago maybe less and that's pretty much all I can explain about it. Don't really know much about that field. The grass is long ish with the long grass and those seed things!
 
I put mine out in a field a 2ish months ago that hasn't been grazed on for years, at least 4 yrs, and they were fine, they ate it down and i have reseted it for 2 weeks, the grass has had a massive growth spurt and i have put them back out there today!

im sure your's will be fine, just keep an eye on them, but if you've sectioned it off im sure they will be fine!
 
I have a small bare section, which is overgrazed where they stay overnight and then let them out on the long grass during the day for about 6 hours. Works for my cushings boy.
 
Ive made 3 winter paddocks where the grass has grown long. Im worried about putting them in there in case they get colic.should i strip it or just put them on it for a hour
 
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