Turning horse out after winter on to lush grass

[mr_boony]

I need to turn my horse out asap as am running out of haylage. She has been off work all winter and has been out in a bare paddock with just haylage which she has a huge bale out there and just eats wat she wants. The field is meadow grass, used for making hay last year and is nice but not overly lush. I do t have anywhere I can introduce grass to her slowly would she be alright to put straight out? She is welsh cob x tb, feet like concrete, never had colic and every summer goes out in lots of grass.

 

[Luci07]

I need to turn my horse out asap as am running out of haylage. She has been off work all winter and has been out in a bare paddock with just haylage which she has a huge bale out there and just eats wat she wants. The field is meadow grass, used for making hay last year and is nice but not overly lush. I do t have anywhere I can introduce grass to her slowly would she be alright to put straight out? She is welsh cob x tb, feet like concrete, never had colic and every summer goes out in lots of grass.

Presume you want her to go out 24 x7? in which case how about putting her in her new field for a while, depending on how good you really judge the grass to be and then putting her back in her old field with the end of your haylage. Then just increase the timings - hopefully she would be then out full time before you run out of haylage!

 

[pottamus]

Well I would never risk it...perhaps old fashioned but I have always made changes to diet over at least a week period...just in case. Could you not put your horse out for a few hours a day and build it up a bit over time...if it was me I would rather buy another bale of haylage and do it gradually than risk it...even if you had to buy a few of those small baled haylage bales.

 

[Booboos]

Either use both fields for a while, gradually introducing her to longer periods in the richer field, or strip graze her in the richer field. I wouldn't just turn her out 24/7 in the rich grass to be honest, too risky (not just colic but laminitis is a serious consideration).