What would you do with this paddock?

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poiuytrewq

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Usually over summer I have little grass. My field is split to 3 paddocks and I usually then tape bits off as I have good doers.
Currently field 1 is ok, a fair bit od grass in parts but pretty ok. Field 2 is full of really lush green grass so not ideal but im not using it right now and it looks nice!
Field 3!!! here's my problem. Was supposed to be cut for hay so was fertilised, looked after and saved but the contractor never turned up so its not done. Obviously its all gone over and in a bit of a horrid mess now. I cant put the horses out there up to their knee's in dead looking mankiness.
Ive fenced a strip off and had planned to just move the fence a bit now and then til it was all gone. They are eating it but its a horrible tangled mess, impossible to poo pick properly and when they eat it down its just brown and dead looking.
Would you top it? and do what with the trimmings? or carry on as we are so that eventually it will be short and start afresh?
The patches they favour are getting very bare and dusty but rest is still too deep.
 
Can you borrow some cows for a week or two to eat it off? I am spoiled in that my fatties eat anything so while they eat the nice bits first they do get round to the manky bits and eventually I get a nice even eaten field.
I recently bought a new field which was waist deep in grass (and god knows what) I borrowed some cows - they did a great job and I could happily harrow in the poos without worm issues
I wouldn't top it because if it that long the long dead grass will rot the nice grass underneath - unless it's small enough for you to rake off the dead stuff.
 
So you have a field of foggage (standing hay)?

I leave part of my field to grow like this on purpose. Practically every farmer in the area has offered me sheep to put on it, but I have declined. Why? Because the horses will eat it. I srip graze it (large strips) and don't move the fence until it's eaten down well.
 
I have similar and am planning to strip graze it towards the stables so the mud and cropped grass stays behind them. I will rest the whole thing come spring but if you cant then you can always bring a strip of tape in behind the horses to keep them off most of the grazed area.
 
If the patches they have left are where they pee, then it's ready for the fence to be moved and you can always top the latrine patches later and harrow the poos (especially if you will rest the field once it's grazed).
 
poiuytrewq said:
Usually over summer I have little grass. My field is split to 3 paddocks and I usually then tape bits off as I have good doers.
Currently field 1 is ok, a fair bit od grass in parts but pretty ok. Field 2 is full of really lush green grass so not ideal but im not using it right now and it looks nice!
Field 3!!! here's my problem. Was supposed to be cut for hay so was fertilised, looked after and saved but the contractor never turned up so its not done. Obviously its all gone over and in a bit of a horrid mess now. I cant put the horses out there up to their knee's in dead looking mankiness.
Ive fenced a strip off and had planned to just move the fence a bit now and then til it was all gone. They are eating it but its a horrible tangled mess, impossible to poo pick properly and when they eat it down its just brown and dead looking.
Would you top it? and do what with the trimmings? or carry on as we are so that eventually it will be short and start afresh?
The patches they favour are getting very bare and dusty but rest is still too deep.
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Personally I wouldn't be using field number 1 or 2 at all, save your good grass for winter! I would strip graze field 3 as they will eat it eventually. If there are any patches they really won't eat you could borrow some sheep/ cows possibly to finish the job.
 
I have exactly the same in my winter paddock - a good lot of foggage. Its a waste of time getting sheep in top top it as they will not eat the long stuff.
Like Faracat, I will be strip grazing it, probably starting in November & this should hold off me having to put any hay out till around xmas.
You could be very suprised as to HOW quickly yours will knock it back, OP :)
 
I would get someone in with a flail mower (not a normal topper) to come and top the paddock. A flail mower is much better for overgrown grass, as it mulches the cuttings, instead of just topping. You can then leave the cuttings to rot and return nutrients back into the soil, or get someone to chain harrow the cuttings and dead grass out. It's then easy to rake the stuff up and keep it in a barn/spare stable for hay, or have a big beautiful bonfire.

This will encourage new and leafy grass to grow, which horses prefer. Tall spiky grasses are not yummy at all, unless you have a really good doer. One of our liveries has a horse like that and it basically eats anything and everything that it finds.
 
Faracat said:
So you have a field of foggage (standing hay)?

I leave part of my field to grow like this on purpose. Practically every farmer in the area has offered me sheep to put on it, but I have declined. Why? Because the horses will eat it. I srip graze it (large strips) and don't move the fence until it's eaten down well.
Click to expand...

My lot have been grazing my foggage for a few weeks now - it is reaching the point where green shoots are regenerating from where they have grazed it down. I didn't strip graze it, just let them on. Two big horses on about an acre and a half. Yes, they trampled some down but so long as it gets poo picked it all gets eaten, and means I can rest some of the other areas to get a bite on going in to winter.
 
Horses innards were designed by nature to deal with large volumes of poor quality roughage, everything else we give them is mollycoddling! there's no poisonous plants among it, it'll do them no harm.
 
hairycob said:
Foggage is brilliant winter grazing, especially if you have clay soil!
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Hay on the stalk, you'll have grazing for winter. Long grass is hell to poo pick, but what you have will be wonderful for winter, the seeds that will have dropped will increase the overall yield come spring.

Graze it through winter and then top early spring. My ponies always wintered on 'Hay on the Stalk'
 
JillA said:
My lot have been grazing my foggage for a few weeks now - it is reaching the point where green shoots are regenerating from where they have grazed it down. I didn't strip graze it, just let them on.
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^this^
My lot have the run of about 3 acres of foggage that hasn't been grazed for a couple of years, they've been there for about a month now and are only just starting to put a dent in it. Poo picking in long grass is a pita though.
 
Oh well I am on clay and my winter grazing is often pretty dire, perhaps this can be used to my advantage if I stop using it now and maybe strip graze the grassier one which becomes too wet to use in winter anyway.
 
Faracat said:
So you have a field of foggage (standing hay)?

I leave part of my field to grow like this on purpose. Practically every farmer in the area has offered me sheep to put on it, but I have declined. Why? Because the horses will eat it. I srip graze it (large strips) and don't move the fence until it's eaten down well.
Click to expand...

I do much the same too, mine is knee high and looks like hay but my horses still eat it and its not like its rich lush grass so I would rather it be like that.
 
I would definitely leave it and then strip graze. Save money on hay, while also having safe forage for them to eat. The "new and leafy grass" Sebastian describes is, unfortunately, pretty dire stuff for many horses as most of us know!
 
Nudibranch said:
I would definitely leave it and then strip graze. Save money on hay, while also having safe forage for them to eat. The "new and leafy grass" Sebastian describes is, unfortunately, pretty dire stuff for many horses as most of us know!
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Are you referring to laminitis?

I seed rye free grass only to reduce the sugar intake and we have no problems.
 
Faracat said:
So you have a field of foggage (standing hay)?

I leave part of my field to grow like this on purpose. Practically every farmer in the area has offered me sheep to put on it, but I have declined. Why? Because the horses will eat it. I srip graze it (large strips) and don't move the fence until it's eaten down well.
Click to expand...

this-have been doing it for the last three years on two different properties.
 
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