Should I turn them out durng the Day or during the Night?

[3Beasties]

Aggrr!! This will be a shortened down version, I just wrote a Bl00dy essay and lost it just as I had finished!!

3 Fat Ponies, Never had Lammi and want to keep it that way!

At the moment they are turned out for about 9 hours a day. Millie has a grazing mask on and is looking pretty good, the other two don't have one on (I am working on this) and are looking quite Porky. During the night they are put in a 'Starvation Patch' which is an area about the size of a school and has VERY little grass. During the weekends they might be in/out for slightly longer.

Now someone has suggested that we should keep them in the starvation patch during the day (as there is more sugar in the grass) and turn them out over night. This means they will be turned out for at least 13 hours, but during weekends and school holidays I think they may be out longer as Children won't 'rush' to get them in. As I don't go up there in the mornings or during the weekend I don't have much control of this.

So what would you do with them? Keep them in the 'starvation Patch' during the day or during the night? Does the sugar content really make THAT much difference during the day?

 

[MrsMozart]

Yup to the sugar

. Paddock by day and field by night.

A lot of neds that need their weight watching are stabled during the day and out at night.

 

[Cliqmo]

I agree with your friend, they should be on the grazing overnight as there is less sugar in the grass and they will
eat less as need to sleep

 

[ladyearl]

Have heard of lots of people managing weight this way, succesfully.

 

[3Beasties]

Umm, I am still not convinced it is better, I know the sugar content is less during the night, But does it really balance it out that much, they will be out for nearly double the time most weekends?

Plus I think they will party all night and sleep during the day!

 

[Skhosu]

I would have them off any long grass and extend the starvation patch slowly , could be out 24/7 on that.

 

[3Beasties]

The starvation patch has a permanent/fixed fence so unfortunately it can't be extended.

 

[Bedlam]

Out at night.

Do they have stables they can go in during the day?

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

I've read somewhere recently that in one day, any horse is capable of eating 5 times the amount of grass it needs. For those of us with porky neds this is enough to make you want to hurl yourself under a bus! I'm not sure that the in during the day/out at night would full control the horse's energy intake with a determined horse. Weekly weigh tape, condidtion scoring, sensible exercise, starvation paddock. If your neds are at serious risk of laminitis, more drastic solutions might be needed eg only out for a few hours a day, rest stabled with soaked hay x

 

[Brandysnap]

Adding to Box-of-Frogs excellent advice,

I'm at a bit of a loss as to how vegetation changes from a high sugar content to low, in a matter of hours - obviously a gap in my education, so please explain more? (Genuine scientific query from a thick BSc who didn't do plants!x)

And horses graze, doze, do what horses do, throughout the day + night, + i like to keep it natural. They don't sleep through the night, as we do (as a previous post suggests)

Just want other opinions - mine is that we leave them all out as much as we possibly can, as that is natural to them. That's what i do, works for my bunch, be interested to here from other friends, as to what works for them, all bests, BS x

 

[Enfys]

Starvation patch and hay, not out in the field at all is my choice.

Like you, none of my horses have, or have ever had laminitis, I have too much lush grass for them now, so they live in turnout paddocks with ad-lib hay.

 

[sleepingdragon10]

Why ask do advice if you're simply going to ignore it? Google 'Fructan levels in grass' and you'll get tons of links(Mostly lami advice sites) which will explain the reasoning behind the theory that turning out at night is better. If the ponies are fat you will need to be proactive in getting the weight off rather than just waiting for a problem to occur.

 

[kellyeaton]

out in paddock in day and field by night!

 

[ruscara]

This is exactly the question I am puzzling over! So thanks for asking it.
I do know that fructan levels are higher in grass during the day, especially on sunny days, but if I turn my horse out in the field during the night, he is grazing for about 15 hours, whereas if he goes out for the day, it's about 7 hours (depending on the YM's schedule - she turns out in the mornings and I bring in). So the amount of grass is twice as much during the night. Also, my horse was out at night last year, and got laminitis!

So this year he's out during the day, now with a muzzle, and in his stable at night.
I will review this when the weather turns hot, with the sun and flies etc. to consider, and will probably turn out at night then. But hopefully the grass will have been eaten down by then and not be so rich. It's all such a worry ....................

 

[3Beasties]

[ QUOTE ]
Why ask do advice if you're simply going to ignore it? Google 'Fructan levels in grass' and you'll get tons of links(Mostly lami advice sites) which will explain the reasoning behind the theory that turning out at night is better. If the ponies are fat you will need to be proactive in getting the weight off rather than just waiting for a problem to occur.

[/ QUOTE ]

I wasn't ignoring it at all

, I just don't understand it so am trying to get my head around the whole thing.

 

[3Beasties]

[ QUOTE ]
Adding to Box-of-Frogs excellent advice,

I'm at a bit of a loss as to how vegetation changes from a high sugar content to low, in a matter of hours - obviously a gap in my education, so please explain more? (Genuine scientific query from a thick BSc who didn't do plants!x)

And horses graze, doze, do what horses do, throughout the day + night, + i like to keep it natural. They don't sleep through the night, as we do (as a previous post suggests)

Just want other opinions - mine is that we leave them all out as much as we possibly can, as that is natural to them. That's what i do, works for my bunch, be interested to here from other friends, as to what works for them, all bests, BS x

[/ QUOTE ]

This is what I was trying to say but obviously didn't explain myself very well, so thanks.

 

[tabithakat64]

If you have the option of starvation paddocks, it's possible they could live out as long as there is shelter from the flies and the ground does not turn boggy after a drop of rain. You could feed soaked hay if needs be.

Currently my pony who had laminitis is out in a muzzle for 5 to six hours during the day and in with soaked hay the rest of the time.

My horse is out overnight (also muzzled when he doesn't trash them). He goes out for 11 or 12 hours and is in during the day, ridden and has soaked hay.

 

[MarinaBay]

Angel is porky so at the moment I am strip grazing her and when I can she come in for the day / half a day with soaked hay - I quite often find she wants to come in. The strip grazing definately seems to be working and I am just moving the tape over every few days.

I try to ride every night bar one and i feel this helps no end. A grazing muzzle would be a no go with her so I don't have that option.

Could you use the starvation paddock as you have been but strip graze the field you turn them out in? How often do the ponies get ridden?

I do see peoles points about it being more 'natural' to leave out 24/7 the whole thought of when they do get turned out they they gorge on the grass - which is whay feeding the hay is important, a friend of mine brings in for the day and they get 1 section of hay and a small section at that her horses then go out and pig out, if its managed correctly it definatley works. When my mare was at risk of lami the farrier & vet both said the grass levels are at its sweetest first thing in the morning.

 

[3Beasties]

[ QUOTE ]
Could you use the starvation paddock as you have been but strip graze the field you turn them out in? How often do the ponies get ridden?

[/ QUOTE ]

Strip grazing isn't an option really as the field is graze by 3 others that don't need restricted grazing, plus two of the fatties would just go through it (can't use the mains) and the other one will just go over it within seconds of being turned out

They are all ridden approximately 5 times a week, a mixture of schooling, Jumping and hacking.

Millie (my pony) is definitely looking the slimmer of the 3 but she has been in a grazing mask when turned out which has stopped her getting overly fat, the other 2 (which I don't own) where left out 24/7 for longer then Millie and have not been wearing a grazing mask. They have only started coming in over night for about 2 weeks. They have more weight to shift.