Moving onto rich grazing ... What best to do?

HorseHelen

HorseHelen

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Sep 17, 2006
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at the farm, near the zoo
I've been quite pleased this year as I was pretty sure I'd got Libby's weight spot on ... Vet confirmed this when she came out at the beginning of the month

Fast forward to yesterday ...

The fields have been rotated which is part of a good field management programme by the yard manager. No complaints there but has meant Libby has gone from a grazed down field to quite a lush one

Put her in new field last night with pal and this morning she had doubled in size and poo sloppy. She came in today with hay and just been up to turn her back out

Am quite worried about lami/colic so wondering what best to do


She has hock arthritis so don't want to bring her In for long periods if u can avoid it

She has had a grazing muzzle on before (Greenguard type) which work to an extent then rub her horrendeously so doubt I could use it firm ore than a few days in a row

Any thoughts would be great

Gratuitous pic



NB: I can't strip graze the field or do a track system as three other horses will b joining Libby and her pal at wke
 
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In my opinion I would only have her out for a couple of hours to start with and build her up gradually. Rubic got gassy colic from a change in field after her surgery and it isn't nice. I'm not even sure a grazing muzzle would cut it to be honest, Rubic was in a tiny square patch of field (so was restricted) when it happened to her. Also I would recommend giving her yea-sacc or pink powder or similar in a high fibre feed as I do think that helps them process things better.
 
Pretty much the same as Rubic really, I'd be far more worried about colic or laminitis than hocks stiffening up. I couldn't out either of mine out on that, at the moment Jim's only getting a couple of hours a day out on a grazed down small patch because if I'm not very careful he goes footy & gassy. His hocks are coping & if he starts getting too stiff I'll walk him out at night, better that than lami that may result in months of box rest (or dead) or gassy colic which I know he's very prone to.

Other products I find good are EquiShure & Coligone Liquid, I'm told the powder is even better but I can't personally vouch for itas nothing would persuade Mr Fussy to eat it :banghead:
 
Ziggy is the ultimate good doer. At present he is only allowed on the rich grass with his Arab BFF for 8 hours a day, muzzled. He is on a well grazed section the ret of the time.

I have to watch him for colic and lami and all is well so far, he is slim and chipper.
 
Thanks J&Z. Libby's a good doer too. Think the old paddock with not much grass in day and muzzled at night on new paddock will be the solution until it gets grazed down

Libby won't be happy but rather that than endless box rest due to lami
 
We have a bog standard bucket muzzle. It did rub but we have perservered and her skin has adjusted well. We loop a head collar over it so she cant remove it and keep an eye on pulses and crest and heat. June wouldnt be able to live out otherwise and is muzzled 24/7
When we move to a new yard she will still be coming in over night and be muzzled to further manage her weight
 
Storm has arthritic hocks so I worry about her getting stiff - but, I worry about weight more so atm after Chloe being on yard rest and the both of them school bound - they are only having three to four hours to start with and building up gradually. Chloe did have a grumbly type colic last back end - vet said it could have been any number of things causing it but that also makes me wary of just full turnout after time off or a lusher field.
 
I was a bit concerned this morning when greeted with this .... stuffed pony too stuffed to move!



To her dismay she's in the grazed down paddock protesting there in nothing in then

I suspect she'll be protesting even more later when she's goes back in with muzzle on
 
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