| Archive for It's About The Horse The Free Forum for those Doing Parelli - and a whole lot More! "Anything forced and misunderstood can never be beautiful." Xenophon (430-355 B.C.), |
| jokersmama |
grazing.... what is better?I'm toying with the idea of letting my horses stay out all night on the grass instead of putting them out for 2-4 hours twice a day during the daytime.I'm worried as to which is healthier letting them go 12 hours on and 12 hours off and letting them graze when the sugars are lower, or letting them out in the A.M. and P.M. then keeping them in the dry lot all night. What are your thoughts? |
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| HopeMissouri |
I feel like the more I can allow my horses to be out, moving around, rather than cooped up in the dry lot, the better it is for them. It's better for their feet, bodies and minds. | ||||||
| Horse Gypsy |
I put mine out all night right now-- then I bring them back in during the day. If I left them out there all day they would all get way too fat on this grass that is coming in. IT is sort of a tough call- but I think it is better for them to be out walking around as much as possible-- I move mine from the good grass on to the brushy part of my property where there is less to eat for the day. I think they over eat this time of year-- but by August I let them out 24/7-- but the climate is different where you are. | ||||||
| jokersmama |
Well I have been letting them out to graze all night and it seems to be working really well. The one that is usually bulging with fat pads is looking ok at the moment, and the rest of them are doing great.
This way they are all in off the pasture during the day when I want to play with them too. So far so good 
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| Horse Gypsy |
Mine seem to be doing alright with the all night thing also-- they are even coming back to the barn in the AM on there own- I get some really fat horses also-- so I have to pay attention- but so far so good! | ||||||
| PasoBaby_CarolU |
I think it depends on the lushness of your pasture and condition of your horses. Most of mine are out 24/7 with hay twice a day...but then I have five horses on 2 acres and 2 horses on 1/2 acre (only 12 hours/day there). My pastures are eaten down to nibble only and are safe. If I had lush pasture, I'd have to roll my horses in and out of the barn, they are all easy keepers.
My suggestion is to try 12 hours/day and see how that goes. If they do fine, can try 24-hours, but if they pork up, I'd limit their pasture time again. You might buy a weight tape and check them weekly. Sometimes our eyes lie to us, but if we measure and keep track it is a lot easier to see a few extra inches. |
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| Horse Gypsy |
My pasture is really thick and lush- especially this time of year- they are all completely off hay-- they will not eat it if I put it out. I have enough pasture to feed them until October depending on the amount of rain we get. I rotate- and in the past I have left them out all day but they get too fat- so this year I am bringing them in in the morning- and putting them out at night-- It is interesting because they will come off by themselves usually at some point during the day- but they still eat too much If I do not step in. They get so shinny on grass which is the good thing-- just have to watch the bellies and crests- some of mine only look a 5 on the scale when on grass so it is such a balancing act. | ||||||
| Newfman |
They don't make weight tapes long enough to get around my mares  
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| Blue Flame |
Pete Ramey tells an interesting scenario in the Lamitis 1. DVD of his series. It goes something like . . .
Horse spends all day fantasizing about grass. Meanwhile the sun is shining down and the sugar levels in the grass are going up, up, up - peaking around 4-5pm. 5pm owner comes home and turns horse out for the night - just when sugars are at a maximum. Horse runs around a bit, then head goes down and gorges on high sugar grass. During the night the grass grows and sugar levels go down, but when they are low in the early morning, the horse has already been there, done that with the grass and is only nibbling here and there when it's low sugar. Owner gets up, pours a bucket of sweet feed and brings horse in for the day. Horse spends day fantasising about grass again . . . . ----------------------------------------------- Katy Watts, safergrass.org, turns her horses out when the sugars are lowest in the grass. It means she brings them in and turns them out at less convenient (for her) hours, but it cuts lots of sugar, starch and fructan out of their diets (reducing laminitis and acidosis type risks). ----------------------------------------------- Main point being, by shifting the turnout times around by a few hours, it is possible to cut much of the sugar, starch and fructan from the horse's diet. ------------------------------------------------ Here's an article on grazing from Katy: http://www.safergrass.org/articles/managegrazing.html In fact, her whole website is worthwhile reading with regard to pasture. http://www.safergrass.org |
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| supertrooper |
It seem like everybody has a differnent time as to when the sugar is at its highest. What does Kathy Watts and PR say?? | ||||||
| Blue Flame |
Factors affecting NSC levels in grass: http://www.safergrass.org/articles/nfcfactors.html |
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| knunes |
Grazing at nightAlona,A great website to look at is safergrass.org. Katie Watts has done tons of research on this. We had a foundered mule and easy keepers so mine graze with grazing muzzzles. But the best time is the coolest part of the day when the grass isnt straining for moisture. My vet lets hers out from 5am-9am, then feeds them at night. My other friend lets hers out at 11pm til 8am. Personally I cant let mine out that long. Our mule would gorge himself to obesity plus he is IR. The website has wonderful info. karen |
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| learningthedance |
Re: Grazing at night
Yes, it IS a great website!! So much great information packed in there, I find I visit it over and over again. Definitely a keeper!
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| appellativo |
I'm glad blue flame posted that bit, I just watched that in Pete's video as well! I never knew that before. I loved the bit where he talks about horse owners being light years behind the cattle people in hay buying...cattle people will not buy hay unless the baler has a nutritional analysis done on it so the buyer can then balance minerals to the hay, whereas horse owners, bless our hearts, will just look at it and if it looks green and fresh, snap it right up, paying no mind to the fact that it could be sky-high in sugars, then wonder why our horses can't grow in a well-connected hoof wall and build a healthy hoof! I know when I am buying the hay (I board now, but when I have my horse in my backyard,) I am going to be one of those pain in the ass hay buyers asking tons of questions. Pete says if horse owners demand the analyses be done, the hay balers will at first charge more, but then as it becomes standard operating procedure, and more and more balers are doing it, the prices will become lower/competitive again. One can hope! |