Argh no grass, too much sun etc.

notpoodle

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Jul 16, 2003
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As if the grass situation wasnt bad enough .... the scorching weather has now killed off large parts of the remaining grass :( for a horse thats meant to be out 24/7 this time of year this is a very sh...y situation!

im still wrestling with myselfr whether i can justify keeping her in at night where she would be alone in the stable block as everyone else is out.

at the moment i have a friend bring her in earlier a couple of times a week (earlier as in before i get to the yard after work) and possibly someone else who could do that for me as well.


how many hours should she be in with ad lib hay per day you think? im trying to figure this out so i can find some sort of routine. would it be fair to bung her in the stable at night by herself?

she hasnt lost any weight yet (in fact shes put a little bit bac on since i upped the alfalfa and give her a little rest with hay every night.) but seems keen to come in (= i call her and she'll be racing to the gate .... not exactly a normal occurance!) ...

julia
x
 
we have the oposite problem we just moved all our horses to a brand new yard and it has so much grass its dangerous, all of our horses (most MENT to be eventers!) are REALLY fat! and they are in the smallest bit with least grass.
ollie's huge! (but loving it!)
 
weird how were both in the UK and theres such a huge difference in the grass :) i am a bit stuck as to what to do at the moment. eep in at night? somehow have her brought in in the afternoon for hay before i get back from work. the other liveries dont have full time jobs, so its not a huge problem for them as they have the time to hang around the yard all day during the week :(

julia
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Don't be afraid to vary your routine when you have to. Its a nice thought to have ample pasture and weather conditions to turn out 24/7 but not many of us have that. If your horse is pulling at roots of grass and weeds or eating trees to amuse himself, thats not good either. For him or the grass. I have a small acreage so I understand whats its like when the grass goes during droughts, we get extended dry periods in Fl. I hate keeping my guys stall bound too, sometimes you just have to do what you have to do, especially if the soil is sandy. Sparse grazing might lead to dirt eating. My horse gets hay 3 times a day to keep him satisfied, and I like to feed hay before turn out so hes not starved to death when he gets out. But if you leave your horse in the barn alone, he may pace and pitch a tantrum and get hurt too. It'd be better if he had a barn buddy if you keep him in.
 
notpoodle, is there anyway you could put hay out in the field for him?
at the moment, we have a patchy field, some bits are knee deep (litteraly) in rich grass, and some bits are scorched and bare!!
 
I have a similar problem but my pony is fat so I'm hoping weight loss is his response! :rolleyes:

Our fields aren't the best anyway, there are quite a few weeds but even though we don't have too, I pooh pick then Drummer will eat the longer grass round these areas.

Not been any help what so ever have I? :eek: I will stop rambling now!!
 
if she's not losing weight then i wouldn't bother bringing her in at night. it may not look like it but the grass is growing!! we moved toby out of our grazed paddock and into the grassy one. within 2 weeks the grass has come up in the grazed paddock as only Bonnie is in there pottering about with a muzzle on, so much so that theres too much for us to risk leaving just Bonnie in there. i think the grass is growing, its just been eaten before you can actually see the growth :)
 
Can I swap with you ;) my fields are about 4 ft long lush grass, not good for a recovering laminitic. Poor old Bramble is having the field with all the thistles and a small area of it at that and the grass will be trimmed.

I personally would leave her in if she's nptlosing much weight then she'd probably be happier out. If she starts loosing weight maybe hay in the fields for all the horses as they would all be suffering or get her a weight gaining short feed rather than bringing her in for a long time to hay her.

Good luck - sounds like we won't have the sun too much longer
 
putting hay out in the field is a nono as its a shared field and there would be fights etc. if i only put some for angel out. other owners have no full time jobs so arent too worried about the grass situation :rolleyes:

so would you bring in at night or for a couple of hours with hay in the day?

julia#
x
 
I bring mine in for a few hours during the day, to get him out of the midday sun and away from the flies. It gives him a chance to totally relax.

He seems to like it, when he first comes in he has his feed, hay and then lies down and has a good sleep. He lies flat out with his head on the bank and usually snores :D

I think he really appreciates the chance to have an undisturbed sleep as well as the extra food ;)
 
id have to bring her in in the evenings as im at work mid-day :rolleyes:

had her in for about two hours today while i was doing other stuff. i thin she appreciated it. she came out of the stable on her own accord :)

julia
x
 
Mine are out 24/7 (weather permitting), I bring them in during the morning for their brekkie, then I put them back out, if a scorcher of a day I bring them in for a couple of hours during midday with some hay, and let them back out again, then back in again for dinner, then if weather ok back out for the night...hmmmmm that is lots and in and out, but works for us!
 
ok sorry, at the moment I take it your horse is out day and night?

Does someone bring her in, in the morning as well as evening, or just the evening?

Could someone bring her in during evening as normal, have dinner and some hay then turn her out again, or is this what you do already? If it is and your horse looks well (weight wise) then I would stick to what you're doing, whats the saying 'if it isn't broken dont fix it'
 
yes, i come up in the evening and she gets 20mins or so in the stable to have some hay and her bowl feed (i havent actually been riding much during the week for that reason). im just worried that thats not enough. but hopefully i can get someone to bring her in a couple of hours before i get there so she has more time on the hay :) id rather not bring her in overnight as shed be on her own and she is an outdoorsy madame :)

julia

x
 
Hmmm, that's a hard one. I take it that Mr."friend with a caravan" isn't worried about it at all, or willing to change fields? :rolleyes:
Could you have her out at night and in during most of the day, so it's a bit busier for her?
TBH though, I still wouldn't be that worried unless she actually starts losing weight. Could you give her some hay to munch on while you're doing jobs/grooming etc when you're up at the yard?
 
thats what im doing at the moment. i bring her up and put her straight in the stable with hay while i get changed, go to the loo, find tack, groom, generally loom around etc.

friend with caravan is bringing his in for a feed now for a couple of hours in the day, i will try to convince him to maybe do the same with angel for some kind of charge.



i had considered in in the day as well actually, for exactly the reason you mentioned :)


julia
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