WWYD - field management

[bambar]

Hi All

I currently rent a field that is 2 acres. I have never worried about splitting the field up before as i had an easy horse to manage for 7 years and never really needed to bother.

I now have a little section A and due to have a welsh section D that struggles to keep weight off!

i'm worried that the grass will be far too much for a little pony and the fattie so what would you do? would you fence half of it off?

What would happen to the other half - wouldnt the grass just grow more if there was nothing on there to graze it down?

Sorry if these are stupid questions but i've never had to do this before!

 

[l_i_z_z_i_e]

If they are putting on weight you have a few options.

1. You could fence off (with electric tape) a track around the outside of the fild to keep them mobile and you can move it in to allow them a little more grass as it grows.

2. You could fence it in 2 and save the second field for the winter, but which point the grass won't have so much goodness, and you will have grass for the winter so save a bit on hay!

3. You could strip graze it, so perhaps put a line of fencing so they have a third of the field and move it gradually to allow them limited grass.


If it was me I would prob fence in half to save one field for the winter. Then you can rotate the fields in the winter to let the ground recover a bit and let the field rest and grass grow.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

I would divide it into 3, to make a 1 or 1.5 acre paddock & the other 1 or half acre into 2 'diet' paddocks.
The bigger one would be used all winter & to ride in, the other 2 used on rotation for the tubbies the rest of the year.

eg: You could have both together (once they are settled over the fence) in 1 small paddock at night & go into the other at daytime. If the grass wasn't enough, then you could muzzle & pop into the bigger paddock for a few hours.
I'd rest the bigger paddock from end August anyway, so you have something with firm roots etc to turn out on for Nov - Feb

 

[bambar]

ah yes that makes sense maybe i will go for three then. Could i not just open the whole lot up over the winter?

 

[l_i_z_z_i_e]

ah yes that makes sense maybe i will go for three then. Could i not just open the whole lot up over the winter?

You could do, depends what works well for you really. I like to rotate to let the other field rest, but depends how wet your ground gets, how much the grass grows etc. Either could work well.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

ah yes that makes sense maybe i will go for three then. Could i not just open the whole lot up over the winter?

You could do, your choice
I try to keep 1 of my little paddocks back for over xmas (they have shelters in them) or for end Jan, when everyone is fed up with the same old. Still gets scoffed within a week tho, but gives a break from the hay routine for a day or so