Spurred on by newforests track thread.
How do you keep your horse or how would you ideally like to keep your horse?
How is your horses weight?
How do you think turnout levels, quality, size, style etc affect weight and health?
In an ideal world I would like to keep ale on a partially surfaced track. In the winter months he could solely be on the surfaced areas and have hay. In drier months he could have restricted access to grazing through using strip grazing.
Currently Ale is kept out 24/7 year round and I think keeping him out has really helped with his weight and general well being. I strip graze and he's currently on just under half an acre as I'm getting to the end of strip grazing that side. Sometimes in the autumn or spring I keep him on as little as one quarter or even one fifth of an acre and feed hay. I rotate his fields so I have half an acre that I'm resting. I will strip graze him onto that until the grazed area is about one fifth of an acre and then I will shut the side he is currently on and rest it until mid winter.
In an ideal world if I couldn't do the track I would like another half an acre to have as I usually run out of grass to strip graze him with at some point in winter.
So how do you keeps yours and how do you think it effects them positively or negatively? What would you change if you could. Basically feel free to contribute anything you want.
How do you keep your horse or how would you ideally like to keep your horse?
How is your horses weight?
How do you think turnout levels, quality, size, style etc affect weight and health?
In an ideal world I would like to keep ale on a partially surfaced track. In the winter months he could solely be on the surfaced areas and have hay. In drier months he could have restricted access to grazing through using strip grazing.
Currently Ale is kept out 24/7 year round and I think keeping him out has really helped with his weight and general well being. I strip graze and he's currently on just under half an acre as I'm getting to the end of strip grazing that side. Sometimes in the autumn or spring I keep him on as little as one quarter or even one fifth of an acre and feed hay. I rotate his fields so I have half an acre that I'm resting. I will strip graze him onto that until the grazed area is about one fifth of an acre and then I will shut the side he is currently on and rest it until mid winter.
In an ideal world if I couldn't do the track I would like another half an acre to have as I usually run out of grass to strip graze him with at some point in winter.
So how do you keeps yours and how do you think it effects them positively or negatively? What would you change if you could. Basically feel free to contribute anything you want.