Warning about rich grass...

[H's mum]

Hi everyone
Just wanted to put a warning about the rich grass - We've been inundated with calls this past few weeks about horses going down with colic due to their owners not realising how rich the spring grass is (and how quick it's coming through)

If you're faced with a horse going from no winter grazing to a full flush field please be cautious and introduce the grazing in stages - so many people don't and just throw the horses out onto the grass and hope for the best - It can have disasterous consequences - I hate posting posts like this but even the sparsest looking field will have rich shoots growing which can cause an upset!

*gets down off soapbox*
Thanks
Kate x

 

[Magicmillbrook]

Ditto, I have a fatty who is on restricted grazing, even on her starvation patch she has ballooned in the last three weeks - I darent even go near her with the weight tape

 

[jinxy]

Thank you for that it is so important, and with laminitus sufferers.

My pony doesnt suffer from lami, but he is in all day and out on a night to keep his weight down. He has a haynet in his stable with a small amount in if he wants it as i heard it is important to keep their guts moving? He is in from 7am ish till around 4:30pm. Does this sound the right way of doing things? Or is he in too long? or not long enough? should i not give him an option of something to eat?

 

[Rana]

Thank you for posting this. Everyone at my yard keeps telling me to "chuck my horse out" but I'm refusing to! She's still coming in at night, and will be for at least another couple of weeks.

I'm completely paranoid about colic and lami, so nice to be reassured that I'm doing the right thing

Apollo - sounds like a good plan to me, and you can always restrict his turnout more if he's still putting weight on. I would definitely offer hay, but perhaps soak it so that it's there more for him to nibble on so he doesn't get bored, rather than for nutritional value.

 

[ecrozier]

Echo warning - two of my good friend's horses have colicked in the last fortnight - fortunately both ok now but neither had a history of it, one wasn't even ona new field, just the grass has been coming through SO quickly!
Vets said they have had SO many colic cases recently its untrue.

 

[Thistle]

[ QUOTE ]
Thank you for that it is so important, and with laminitus sufferers.

My pony doesnt suffer from lami, but he is in all day and out on a night to keep his weight down. He has a haynet in his stable with a small amount in if he wants it as i heard it is important to keep their guts moving? He is in from 7am ish till around 4:30pm. Does this sound the right way of doing things? Or is he in too long? or not long enough? should i not give him an option of something to eat?

[/ QUOTE ]



I would be keeping pony in as late as possible, I turn mine out about 8pm. If you soak hay for 12 hours it removes the slouble sugars for you can give more hay.

 

[Parkranger]

That's why I've put mine on pink powder, and make sure they also get fibre in their diet (a section of hay and a small hifi feed with supps per day) as this help balance the gut apparently.....they're not at bloated as they first were.....

 

[peanut]

Maybe I should be bringing my horse in during the day. She has no history of lami/colic but I still worry.

I've always been worried however that she would gorge if I restricted the grazing. Is this a valid worry?

 

[Doublethyme]

Yep we've had one colic at our yard this week, even though he's been stabled during the day and been on the same field and the new grass has been around a good few weeks now.

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

Thanks H's mum and here's a vote for Coligone. A few weeks ago I stupidly put my veteran cob straight onto rich grazing from sparse winter pasture. Within 6 days he had a scary attack of gassy colic. Thank god he was OK - vet gave him an injection of Buscopan which is a gut relaxant and he was fine within 10 minutes. But I did some research and Coligone is very highly recommended. I now have a supply and the manufacturers' advice is either to keep him on a low maintenance dose for as long as necessary, or make sure he has a dose whenever anything changes in his life, eg moves fields, etc etc. He's doing just fine now. Colic kills - don't take chances!

 

[dawnpetenathshir]

Mine is in all day and out at night and luckily he hasn't put on anymore weight. I ride nearly everyday but he only has to look at grass and he balloons.

 

[Theresa_F]

Thanks for this - I have spent the past week leaving my chaps out later and later each day - now out from 8 am to 9 pm on the winter paddock - grass has shot up and this weekend they are going out for the day on the summer paddock which does have a little more grass but in at night.

I am hoping to turn out 24 x 7 from Tuesday provided they are ok - our summer paddock doesn't have huge amounts of grass.

Really can't understand the chuck them out people - they do need time for guts to adjust.

 

[trendybraincell]

Well done on posting this, it is very important to remember how changes to your horses diet should be done slowly. We are always told by feed maufacturers to introduce any new feed over a period of time!

I have a native who goes out for 2 hours during the day (unfortunately no one turns out at night), I section his paddock off so its tiny but he's got a huge grassy balloon belly. The only hard feed he gets is balancer, and he's on seriously weighed restricted hay, he is on straw so he picks at that during the day.

I'm paranoid about lami more so than colic this year, but we could all do well to remember the horse digestive system is sensitive.

 

[H's mum]

Yes you're totally right to keep the gut moving by providing fibre - if you were worried about the calorie content you could always soak the hay which minimises the nutrients and then double net it so that it takes your pony longer to eat it - but ensures lots of chewing... lots of saliva production which is really important!

Turning out overnight is the perfect scenario for you too - the reason being the fructose levels in the grass is a lot lower overnight due to the lack of sunlight - so although it will be rich, it won't be as rich as it could be!
Kate x

 

[lisan]

I have been absolutely gobsmacked at the amount of people at our yard who chucked their horses out 24/7 after being in for the winter, or just out occasionally - not heard about any who have come down with colic - yet! They are also on very very rich fertilized fields

Also the amount of time the lami ponies are left out - as the are fenced in a small paddock the owners think its OK - even though the grass had'nt been eaten off first! Have noticed the vet at the yard 3 times in the last week, but not sure who or what for (huge yard, 60 stables)

 

[Len]

Hi guys,

Wandered how many of you use a muzzle? I have a best friends muzzle which my mare is in from 8am to 6pm - she has some happy hoof and is out 24/7 muzzled during the day but not overnight - mostly to reduce the risk of blisters from it.

Another pony in the same field has had this routine for about a month and has dropped weight to a nice size and has greatly reduced his crest.

My mare stresses if shes stabled alone so I have had to go for the option of a muzzle - just hoping restricting it during the day works as our field is small but lush!

 

[jules59]

H's mum - where do you live? I think I know you! x

 

[conniegirl]

all mine are out 24/7 at the moment, but still on thier winter field. all still getting hard feed as well, no colic here, but then they have been on the winter field since september last year and have wintered out!

 

[jacks_mum]

When mine move up to the top of our field which has been fenced off, Pepper will have a muzzle. They have had a mixture of in and out over the last 3 weeks and seem to be ok on it, but I do try to keep a close eye on both of them- Jack colic'd this time last year although the vet said it was because his pasture was so dry and had no grass on it, wouldn't want to go the other way this year...

 

[H's mum]

busted!

I'm from a place between Bradford and Leeds

Kate x

 

[jules59]

Ha Ha, I do know you!! You bring me my coligone! I'm julie at Shelf - I saw you last week when we were discussing my new arrival! Welly say's thanks for the emergency coligone! x

 

[jules59]

Ha Ha, do know you!! you cant go anywhere - even Devon for a cream tea via delivering my coligone! Guess who??? xx

 

[H's mum]

ROFLMAO!!!! *waves*
Gosh I can't go anywhere!!!

Hope you're well!
Kate x

 

[malibu211211]

Our YO decided she wanted to change the grazing from winter and summer fields to constantly rotating them so that they didn't get grazed down too much. Thing is we have 5 fatties on our yard out of the 9 horses that are there at present.
We had to put it to her that we needed the fatties fenced off and that they couldn't constantly move onto fresh grazing otherwise one or more would end up ill.
So at present our fatties are in at night and out in the day where-as her horses are out 24/7 in rich, lush fields

It is a little annoying that it should be the cheapest time of year with having them out 24/7 but I think I would rather pay out for hay and bedding than have my boy go down with Laminitis or colic