What if?

[tas1608]

What if your grass is not really good throughout the whole year, I ask this because I have a couple of acres mostly wooded with not much apart from heather, I have 2 Highlands and a shetland, would be great if I could put them there.
Any advice would be appreciated.

P.S forgot to mention I am in the highlands of scotland so these guys are well and truly at home

[Showjumper]

You celebrate! I'd kill for scrubby, unfertilised, acres of woodland for my fatty girl to live on! :)

[Skippys Mum]

Yep, I'd be delighted to have that situation - shelter, not too much grazing, sounds pretty damn perfect to me:) Just make sure there's nothing poisonous like Yew in the woodlands

[tina1958]

Should be fine as long as theres no acorns.

[tas1608]

Thank you all, there are no poisonous plants, only a tiny bit of bracken which I am trying to manage.
The trees are mainly scots pine and silver birch, this probably sounds dumb so I aplogise in advance. If there's not much grass do I have to give them hay all through the summer? :o Not that I mind doing so, you understand, I am just a natural born worrier.
I would love my boys to be on my land, just worry there's not going to be enough to sustain them throughout the summer.
They are not in hard work just light hacks on a weekend, though that will probably change when the lighter nights come, but it certainly won't be too much more, maybe 1 or 2 hacks throughout the week.

[Skippys Mum]

Keep an eye on their condition and if you have to feed hay then do so but you might find they do just fine!

[tas1608]

Thanks, Skippy's mum, I am becoming more convinced by the day I should bring my boys home.
By the way I loved your blog, nice to see someone being honest for a change. I also have been known to swear like a F*****G trooper especially when he bolts. :D

[TALSMUM]

hi. i did the same thing. my two ponies had a lush green field that i rented from a farmer. then they both got very overweight and had the dreaded lami.
i have land that comes with my house, but it was wooded and only tiny bits of grass grew because of the shade. however i fenced the area off into two sections and put the ponies in there with hay every day and they are looking fantastic. no more worries about eating too much grass but there is a bit so they are grazing in a sense.
it is lovely having them so close.:)

[tas1608]

Thanks, thats it, I am bringing my boys home.

[SO1]

Shetlands and Highlands are normally good doers most people with natives struggle to keep their weight down so sounds ideal for them.

[Esther.D]

My Shetlands went onto a patch of heather last summer for 2 months in an attempt to keep their weight down....you would have sworn there wasn't a blade of grass on the place (actually there were a few wisps growing through the heather and a couple of small patches of rough grass) and they certainly didn't starve and there were three of them and no hay.

[blues mum]

I think they would probally be a lot happier than some of the tiny little individual starvation paddocks I have seen shetlands on :D

[tas1608]

:D
Thanks to everyone who gave me advice on keeping my ponies at home, just to update you all I have brought them home, with a friend :rolleyes:, who is only here temporarily, they seem quite happy, take a look at the video below and see what you think.

Jackson is the dark grey, the one who flaunts past saying "look at me mum aren't I lovely", Wee Mac is my shetland, the "friend" is the other grey.

Excuse the wobbly camera I had just woke up. :p

URL=http://s222.photobucket.com/albums/dd69/tas1608/?action=view&current=S8000074.flv]http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd69/tas1608/th_S8000074.jpg[/URL]

PS hope this works I am not too good with electronic gadgets :p

Ok try this if the above doesn't work

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd69/tas1608/th_S8000074.jpg (http://s222.photobucket.com/albums/dd69/tas1608/?action=view&current=S8000074.flv)

[Skippys Mum]

They look as though they are having a ball. I would imagine they could stay there summer and winter as its got lots of shelter. Obviously you may have to feed hay but you've already said you're quite happy to do that so no problems there.

Have fun!!

ps love your shetland:D

[Retty]

lovely vid!

[macapaca]

tas1608- watched your vid loved it and also the pics:D

[Thistle]

Looks like Highland paradise to me!

[kturner]

I'm so jealous, I have a lami that would love to be there!!! Shame you are so far away.

I read on a site (exmoor I think) .... Natives are bred to live on a leaf a day. Saving the money from lush field rental will probablly buy you a lot of hay.

[EnduranceAli]

Sounds like a wonderful place to keep your ponies - I would love something like that for my lot (I have a field which I have to fence into sections to avoid them having too much grass).

Ali xx

[Yann]

Ditto everyone else, sounds perfect for healthy horses:) As you say that's the landscape they were designed to live in.