Pasture Grass?

[Midnight]

I know this has been discussed somewhat before, but.. we hae just finished fenceing in our pasture, and the pasture grass seems to be tall enough....so last night we let our two horses in there. Well they just went on a feeding frenzy, and had their fat faces in the grass the whole time, I don't even think they took time to breath. It kinda scared me so I brought them back in in about 30 or 40 minutes because I was afraid they were getting too much. Until this point they were only getting hay and sweet feed. What kind of schedule am I safe in using, as far as putting them in the pasture, and should I cut down on hay??

[Outrider]

If they have free access to good grass, I would cut their hay entirely and even their grain some and let them graze all day. If the grass isn't so lush, I wouldn't cut the grain. Happy Trails!

[horselover]

I would also be careful on how long you leave them on the grass at first. Many people do not realize that they can cause their horse to get laminitis by not restricting their horse's access to grass. Once the horse's body is used to it, they are ok tyo leave. but for the first week, i would gradually introduce the grass into their diet.

[lisae]

In upstate NY, our vet recommends as follows: early on, in March, April and into May, they can be out full-time because they are building their tolerance while the grass comes on. When you see the grass getting lush, in May and June, or if they aren't used to any grass, they have to go out gradually. Start with an hour for a couple days, go to two hours for a few days, jump to a half day for a week, then finally, all day. By July 1 it isn't a worry because the heat cuts back on the richness of the grass. Also, when you're jumping to longer periods at grass, give them a flake of hay first, some claim it fills them up somewhat and keeps them from gorging. It's hard to do this schedule thing when you're working - I generally end up running home on my lunch hour for a couple weeks, or let them out morning and evening for a while. It'll depend on what kind of constitution your horse has (mine will fatten rather than founder) and on the quality of the pasture.