starvation paddocks pics please

Stinkbomb

Stinkbomb

Well-Known Member
Joined
7 January 2007
Messages
3,974
Location
Cloud cookoo..
goldenoakmochachino.blogspot.com
Inky currently shares aprrox one acre field with three other horses. We have recently brought two of these on to eat away some of the grass that is now gradually going down
smile.gif
I am having to re-educate myself totally regarding the amount of grass we need, as i have only been used to having horses that need grass. I am bringing Inky in at night till the grass is reduced even more but would one day like him to stay out 24/7, but only when it is safe for him not to be at risk of laminitis. I know most ponies can live off fresh air but have never had a starvation paddock before!!! Please could you post pics of your starvation paddocks with details of how long your horses graze and whether they are fed anything else to supplement their diet. This is just so i can get an idea of how much grass needs to go!!! ( strip grazing isnt an option )

Thanks
 
Hi
Haven't got any pics I am afraid, but would say, don't forget if you are reducing grazing to make sure your horse has sufficient forage to keep the gut moving, eg hay / hay replacers, and consider a vitamin supplement or balancer.
K
 
DSC01535-1.jpg


this paddock is approx 3/4 - 1 acre.. I have 4 ponies in it ATM. They have a mineral block hung up on the fence and a couple of wedges of soaked hay at night between them just to make me feel better.!!! It probably last them about half an hour.LOL.. They are all very well covered.. There is probably as many weeds in there as there is grass and I leave things like nettles cos they eat them when they wilt! Not the prettiest field but ideal for fatties.
 
Yep, my fatty has a field pretty much identical to Honeypot's. There is enough of a picking at the moment to keep her occupied so as I result I have reduced her hay ( a couple of sections AM and then the same PM) as she is just not eating it. She also gets 2 half hour goes AM and PM in the 'proper' field that my other girl is in.
 

My starvation paddock is much like Honeypots although half the size (only ever put 2 ponies in max). won't take pics at the mo cos it is full of docks and looks awful (will be topped soon
crazy.gif
). Currently have one pony in there and he gets a slab of hay at night (likehoneypots, this is purely to make me feel less of a meanie
smirk.gif
). His weight is dropping off now and I would imagine in a couple of weeks he will be allowed to go back into a larger paddock with friends. I then would probably put him back in his "fatty-quarters" at night time.
 
My Shettie has a 20m x 20m paddock, a 20m x 40m, and and 25m x 30m. At the moment he's in the smallest one at night on his own, goes out into the 20m x 40m with my cob during the day, and a couple of nights a week she goes in the 20m sq with him, to help keep the grass short.

He doesn't get any other feed apart from a small handful of Rosie's food so he doesn't feel left out, plus a vit and min paddock lick.

At the moment the grass in those paddocks is about right, but as we go through summer they get a bit bare, so the cob goes out in the 3rd paddock to graze it down before Inks gets a look in.
 
Thanks everyone!!! I find it so surprising what horses can actually live on!!!! This is definatley NOT a critisism of what anyone keeps there horses on, looking at some of the pictures on here the horses look really well and its nice that owners think about their horses diets instead of turning them onto rich grass. I think my field has a long way to go and might just get to this stage in winter!!
crazy.gif
crazy.gif
 
My "fatty paddock"

DSC01490.jpg

DSC01491.jpg


Tweenie still wears a muzzle though. Otherwise she "blows up" with gas on spring/summer grass.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top