WWYD winter grazing

[Finlib]

Horses kept at home
Moving to winter grazing shortly.A field of about 3 acres not fertilized and a cut of hay taken late June.The horse (3 a little Arab aged 21 an Andalusian X T/B aged 16 a small cob aged 20)
They live out 24/7 no rugs but are corralled onto hard standing area about the size of a large outdoor school around an open ended barn 75ft by 25ft bedded with woodchip/shavings from 5pm until 8am bought into stables until lunchtime then turned back out around 11 to 12 am
Wrapped hay 7 kilos each in 6 piles (weighed put out in the back of the barn over night)All have been kept fairly trim over summer.
Only in very light work
.
Question would you let them out on the new foggage field from 11 to 5 straight away sectioning it off will be difficult a it is absolutely square and there is a bit of windage on any electric fence worried it would blow over.
The grass is longish and not green.

 

[Finlib]

The corral and barn lead straight onto the field and own during the day access gate shut at night

 

[Meowy Catkin]

What grazing do they currently have?

 

[WandaMare]

I wouldn't but I am quite cautious about grazing, our grass is very rich (dairy agricultural type) personally I would go for 2 hours to start then build up by 1/2 hour probably each week. I know my horses would go mad though so I guess it depends how restrained yours are too.

 

[ester]

It depends so much on your ground, we have unimproved mixed pasture which hasn't had any fertiliser in at least 40 years but on clay and the grass grows like crazy so a bit careful (though we do turn out on foggage in the winter, just not quite this early- it helps protect the ground when wet too).
Compared to my livery on chalk where the soil depth was poor and it took 2 lots of fertiliser to even get a hay crop - I'd have happily stuck mine out on the latter by the end of september.

 

[Finlib]

The grazing is rough meadow Currently on the last half acre of a 3 acre field that I have been grazing in sections through the summer so long rough meadow very like what they will go onto as it hasn't been grazed all summer as I have been moving a fence down every month to add an extra portion of grazing every 3 to 4 weeks.
The field they are on will be harrowed and inrested all winter
Fields aren't fertilized just a a hay crop taken each year off each.not particularly rich and fairly well drained.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

So very similar grazing? I don't think I'd worry too much then. In an ideal world I'd electric tape of an area of the new field and have them on both the old field and the section of new grazing to transition them, but you said that isn't an option so I'd just move them over. They aren't on it full time anyway.

 

[Finlib]

I could possibly fence off a diagonal corner of about half an acre for a few weeks as long if it's not too windy to get them on to it Then let them have the whole lot from mid to end of November.

 

[Surbie]

I could possibly fence off a diagonal corner of about half an acre for a few weeks as long if it's not too windy to get them on to it Then let them have the whole lot from mid to end of November.

Personally I'd do that, just in case it takes a while for them to settle in the new space. Mine would blow himself up like a balloon if he suddenly had a whole new field of foggage to play in.

 

[Pinkvboots]

It's too early I think I don't let my 2 arabs on the foggage until Christmas I tried in November one year and it sent them wild, they were only on it 2 days and it was like rocket fuel and they were not nice to ride.

 

[PurBee]

Transition as suggested. Mine would gorge until bursting, even in the space of 5 hours grazing on long foggage.

So if you can give them 1 hour there, and gradually increase - if your current grazing area can be prolonged?

 

[Not_so_brave_anymore]

When I'm switching/introducing grazing, I do 2 hrs at first, because any less than that and they just point blank refuse to come back in! I start with one day on two days off (to give any pulses a chance to show) then every other day, then finally every day. And then if they're OK with 2 hrs every day then I start to increase it. But mine have a history of laminitis, so I'm extra cautious.

 

[Jellymoon]

If they are on similar grazing at the moment, I wouldn’t worry, I’d just put them out straight away.
Unless they are prone to laminitis or overweight, then I would do it gradually.
Sounds like a lovely lifestyle they have.