Spring is here, Electric fencing for my fat cob??!

[CrazyMare]

Ok, spring is here and once again the grass has gone berserk in my horses field, and his belly is slowly expanding week by week!:rolleyes: I have been told he is very fat and I really need to get his weight down by my riding instuctor. He has a grass muzzle on 24/7 but it has started to rub him raw and he seems quite fed up with it on so - Electric fencing, great idea I thought but then all these things started to niggle me and I am just asking if this sounds a suitable plan!..
he has a 6 acre field that is cattle grazing so very lush! the people fertilize it about 5 times a year for the cows that share it (its rented) and so there horse is fine being an elderly Tb but my poor chap thinks he's in charlie and the chocolate factory, he can't help himself and so scoffs his face with it all day long! I can only ride him 3 times a week and so electric fencing seems the only option. But will he be ok with the hot weather and the flys because if he is on his own there will be no other horses to swish them away for him!:confused: :p the little paddock i would fence off will be in the middle of the field where he is kept so his field companion can stand out side, and at night because he won't have any room to have a 'horsey freak out' then I was wondering weather to let him out with his chum in the evening and over night with his grass muzzle on, any way does this sound a suitable plan?

[atillathefun]

I know what your going through I have the same problem with mine and the other 2 in the field dont get fat :rolleyes:
I would fence him in during the day with lots of fly repellant on then let him out at night - the grass doesnt have as much sugar in it at night so it shouldnt be as bad. The only thing is shade... could you fence an area where he can get shade??
You could put a fly fringe on to stop them getting on his face and maybe a fly rug if its bad :)

[CrazyMare]

There would be plenty of shade as there is a large oak tree where I was thinking about fencing it off, how big an area should I give him roughly?

[Big Ears]

about the size of half a sand school to begin with till he eats it down - if possible find a bit that is already eaten down.

you could put on a fly rug and mask for the flies.

mine is already in her small enclosure, has been for 2 weeks. - she is given about 2 hours morning and evening in the main field, then the rest in her little area - she copes with that better than muzzling.

there is enough to nibble but she has to work hard at it so it keeps her busy.

sadly as she is a recovered laminitic, no option but to be cruel to be kind - actually she isn't too bothered, she is worse with a muzzle. once he has eaten down an area you can move the fence out a bit every few weeks and give him a bit of fresh grass, but if you monitor how much it is growing outside the field, then you know how much is going into his tum....

cattle grass is sadly very bad for horses, a real killer as it is just too lush. ours is an ex cattle paddock but we haven't had it fertilised for years, but it keeps them all year round.