When to start restricted grazing ?

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Ruskii

Well-Known Member
Jun 21, 2000
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So I'm to have a patch as big or as little as I want all by myself (you don't know how happy this makes me :bounce: ) to restrict my horse's grass intake. When would you move to restricted grazing ?

Ideally I thought as soon as it starts to warm up and the grass comes through. My horse is still slowly loosing weight so I don't feel he needs it right at this moment, but maybe in about a month ? I was going to continue weigh taping and as soon as I saw a gain or a two week plateau, move him to the fatty patch.

Does that sound do able ?
 
That sounds like a good plan.

I don't have any hard and fast rules. I just tend to watch the weather and assess grass growth more or less like you are planning to do.

Sometimes if I am not sure (which is quite often) I restrict the grass and feed some hay and Hi fi molasses free, or good doer instead.
 
I'd be weight taping twice weekly and restricting when I see the weight going the wrong way.

If I wasn't still restricted and unable to poo pick then my 2 would be shifted to my summer side this week and I'd also revert to counting their poos again! Anymore than 9 from Joy and they'd have their patch restricted until she did 8-9 per 24 hours as I know from experience this is the number that she holds her weight at! The Little man gets extra grass when she's being worked and additionally sometimes needs the bottom strand of tape raised so he could get under to get extra but she can't. Weight taping and condition scoring with my fingers helps me decide on his needs. That's the method I'll use again this year to aid me to judge how much grazing they get but I'm leaning towards trying to muzzle her again so I don't need to raise the bottom strand and he stays in with her all the time.
 
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I read somewhere that grass doesn't grow much if weather is below 6 degrees so I tend to use this as well checking the condition of the grass daily as a guide. I've had to let my three have all the grazing this year as it's been so wet and cold for so long (they live out 24/7). They are still on this as it's still well below 6 degrees, the grass isn't showing a flush of growth and a smaller area would just get badly poached up in a few days.
 
I have had a muzzle on Ben for 3 weeks now - ever since he was turned onto the summer grazing. The grass is already growing, especially in the South and you don't want him to put on any weight at all. I would restrict the grazing now - if he loses too much then you can always give him more grass, but with good doers it is far more difficult to get the weight off than it is to put it on.
 
If I'm honest I agree with MP. If you still feel he has something to lose before the grass grows I'd restrict now but topping up with some hay so he doesn't starve, then he might have even lost some more before the grass comes.

Mine are perfect weight for cobs for this time of year, so they are still on their winter hay rations and still have both paddocks. With mine I tend to give them a few weeks on both paddocks whilst the grass grows for them to get some minor rib coverage again then they get restricted into one half for the summer.
 
I agree with the above and think great plan.

The grass has been killed by the snow and wont grown again til temps rise so not a risk of gaining weight really now :wink:
 
Just goes to show how different we all are!

Anyone else have thinner horses in summer than in winter? I do as I can restrict grazing in summer without mucking up the land and ride more whereas in winter they need to be on a bigger area so as not to trash the land.
 
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I had intended to already be restricting but instead, because of the weather, I've had to provide more! But we've given straw instead of hay. I'm about to create my pen at the weekend and effectively 'stable' him overnight in it probably from around next week. I find if I wait until he's put on a bit, I'll never get that 'bit' back off. Prevention better than cute, although I expect him to put on during the summer, I can't stop it and have heard the evidence that a 5% increase in weight during the summer months is natural and good for then, as long as they lose it and another 5% on top of that.
 
Boys were moved to the summer paddock last week the area is fenced off in two quarters and I have moved them to eat 3/4 of last years grass and now the temo here is over 6 degrees this week so the grass will not come through and the summer paddock will be really lush now it has been topped by the boys.

Thet have both gained weight literally overnight which is why I am restricting already
 
the 2 lammi prone are on restricted 365 - by that they do not get full run of the winter fields like the girls, neither of them had grass/weight induced lammi, both mechanical/stress related - and Winter not spring/summer or autumn - but having had it we now manage for it - they have their own paddocks and hay suppliment Spring/Autumn and Winter - over summer they are strip grazed. they have just gone out into their summer paddocks - open at the moment as soon as the grass starts in earnest (or at all!) then they will be split and then strip grazed.

No hard or fast rules, depends on pony and reason, we don't muzzle so manage this way.

the Girls will be strip grazed in Summer as well for weight.
 
hmm food for thought - thank you for all the replies. The area that would be designated for mine is in dry(ish) area already and I think I might wait another week for it to dry up some more then ask for his pen to be put up.

Trouble is what my YO thinks he'll need and what I know he'll need are two different things, so off to have a discussion about the size of the pen.
 
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