Shetlands and grass

[Biddy48]

Hi, can I get some help? My daughter has 3 wee shetlands and boy can they eat!!! Can someone please tell me can we put them on grass that has been fertilisered a few weeks ago?
Many thanks

 

[be positive]

I would be extremely careful about putting them on grass that has been fertilised ever, they do not need much grass full stop let alone rested enriched grass as the likely hood of laminitis will increase, it sounds as if you may need someone experienced to see them and advise how they are in general, it can be a minefield with small native ponies as they will eat as if they are starving yet their expanding waistlines give a different picture, they usually require seriously restricted grazing to keep them safe, hope that helps but without seeing them or your land I am just basing my answer on my experience with ponies.

 

[Biddy48]

Thank you so much. My daughter is 14 and is really into horses and she had said that we shouldn't put them on the field but I just wanted to double check. We have them on a field at the minute that hasn't been fertilisered but they gave ate the grass near bear on it in my eyes but my daughter says there is still enough on it for them for another wee while, she has been telling me that they don't need a lot of grass so maybe I better start listening to her. Thank you so much for your help

 

[be positive]

Your daughter has the right idea, the field looks bare because they are eating it as it grows, my welsh pony is on a bare paddock but is still spending most of the time finding bits to eat and although she 'tells' me she needs more she is not losing much weight, she needs to lose a little more to be her ideal and if she is hungry she gets a little soaked hay as a top up.

 

[HeyMich]

Thank you so much. My daughter is 14 and is really into horses and she had said that we shouldn't put them on the field but I just wanted to double check. We have them on a field at the minute that hasn't been fertilisered but they gave ate the grass near bear on it in my eyes but my daughter says there is still enough on it for them for another wee while, she has been telling me that they don't need a lot of grass so maybe I better start listening to her. Thank you so much for your help

Yes, listen to your daughter. They probably don't need any extra grazing, especially as the spring grass comes through. They thrive on very bare paddocks! Save the extra field for winter maybe, but even then they may need restricted grazing.

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[Auslander]

This is what my shetlands live on - and they aren't remotely interested in the hay that I put out for them! They are designed to live on fresh air, and giving them access to good grazing is asking for trouble!

 

[be positive]

One has obviously died from starvation, the other is too weak to stand up more seriously the paddock is perfect a mix of bare ground, weeds and a few bits of grass and I bet they still require careful monitoring.

 

[Auslander]

One has obviously died from starvation, the other is too weak to stand up more seriously the paddock is perfect a mix of bare ground, weeds and a few bits of grass and I bet they still require careful monitoring.

Thankfully the dead one came back to life when I bounced a carrot of his head!

I am constantly amazed by how much they are finding to eat in that paddock - I have chucked them an armful of hay a few times, but they are still working their way through what they can forage! No sign of them losing weight...

 

[be positive]

I am pleased he was resuscitated by a much needed carrot, my sec a lives in a similar patch all summer, she went into lockdown, 10 days stabled with daily walks in mid March, just before we did, because she was gaining and just looked a little footy, she is now how I want her and the paddock is giving her enough to nibble most of the time, they really do live on fresh air and are far safer kept that way.

 

[Baccara]

Out of curiosity, (im thinking of getting one as a companion) how do you manage them in the winter? With the rain we had last winter, the ideal summer paddock of Auslander would I assume be just mud. Do they need a hard standing rather like donkeys, or can their feet and legs cope well with mud and wet?

 

[be positive]

I don't have Shetlands but the sec a spends the winter out with other 'normal' horses being kept in at night as they are, with far less concern about the weight, although in theory they lose weight in winter and gain in spring I find mine far better, and happier, to be a bit tubby, not too fat, over winter and to get the weight down in early spring when it is easier to restrict and she is far more content to be restricted, this winter she did have a tiny bit of mud fever but nothing that was of any real concern.
Next winter will be very different as I am moving and will have about an acre of hardstanding with several barns where she will live with my horse, I am looking forward to a mud free winter and hope they will not complain too much.

 

[Auslander]

Out of curiosity, (im thinking of getting one as a companion) how do you manage them in the winter? With the rain we had last winter, the ideal summer paddock of Auslander would I assume be just mud. Do they need a hard standing rather like donkeys, or can their feet and legs cope well with mud and wet?

Mine go out with the proper horses in winter, with access to a hard standing pen. They prefer the pen, as their legs are so short that they sink up to their tummies in the mud!

 

[Equi]

Less is always more when it comes to shetlands/minis! My grass is nearly bare but still far too much and as it’s their winter grass too I will be sectioning them into smaller pens and letting it get to dirt in one area. The stallion doesn’t need restricted he runs off his weight but his companion is a fatty and I will need to balance that. They come in a lot more in summer to soaked haynets and a literally bare paddock for leg stretch but in winter they go out 24/7 mostly clip the fatter ones and stick a light rug on. Always works and they come out looking good (bar the one who has just started metformin now as she didn’t loose weight this year despite winter)