How Much Pasture Is Just Enough?

[minirocky]

I am trying to decide the set-up for Mac. He weighed in at 200 lbs a few weeks ago, and I was instructed by my equine nutritionist to feed him between 1.5 and 2 lbs of 14% pellets a day, and he's finally putting on some weight. I'll have to keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn't put too much weight on and possibly founder. Does it sound like I've put him on too much feed? He was pretty ribby when I got him.

My other question is - how much is too much pasture time for him? I have been keeping him in most of the time, with 2 flakes of a timothy/orchardgrass hay 2x a day. I had previously been turning him out in a basic dry lot round pen with a flake of hay, but I would like to start allowing him some time out on grass. The only problem is - the only places he can go out in have 6-8 inches of grass. I'm terrified to leave him out on it for very long. The area I was considering was about 50 x 20' or so. I don't have access to any way to shorten the grass at this point, and do not have a muzzle small enough for him.

Any ideas?

 

[chandab]

Limit the time he is on the grass, start with just 15-20 minutes a day, then gradually increase the time allowed on grass over the next couple weeks. With mine that get grass, they go out in the morning from about 8am til about noon, it seems to be a good amount of time for them. [Right now its winter, so just hay twice a day.]

 

[Riverrose28]

If he's used to being in a dry lot, I would start with letting him eat grass for half an hour at a time to start and then go up to an hour. Others may have something better to advise. This time of year some of the pasture has a lot of sugar, so you need to be careful if your horse is not used to being pastured. I myself have a half acre in grass, and I'm saving it for the winter, I'll let the guys out for half an hour each, I need to be carful cause my guys are also used to dry lots for most of the time. I do have three yearling colts out in the grass on half an acre, but we mowed it to 4"s and now it's really short, so I need to monitor them as well.

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

I think you are right to be concerned. Too much weight will not be healthy for him and being turned out on grass all day when his system is not accustomed to it will be a risk as well. My horses all get 1 - 1.5 hrs on grass daily in the summer but to start they are allowed about 20 minutes and every week I increase it by 10 or 15 minutes. I don't worry about the length of the grass much, although in the spring when its lush and they aren't used to it I am pretty careful not to let them have more than 20 minutes... some years only 15 minutes to start. If you are willing to pull him off the grass and dry lot him the larger the area the better IMO. He will actually wander around while he eats and get a bit of exercise that way, you don't want him to be in a small area and basically just stand and eat if that can be avoided. My horses are turned out in the morning on grass for their hour or so and then come in for their pellets and that takes the place of one feeding. The later feed is hay which I try to offer in ways that slow down the consumption (slow feed hay net or just spread out thinly in the paddock for them to 'graze')and that way they have food for the longest possible time without becoming obese. Of course I have no horses at the moment that I need to put weight on and the last one that needed pounds was just fed free choice hay and hi fat pellets while everything else was the same as the rest of my herd. Hope that answers your questions, there are as many ways to feed horses as there are owners it seems but that is what works for me.

 

[minirocky]

Sounds good - thanks! I will definitely err on the side of caution and start with 15 minutes or so. My old shetland foundered before I bought him, and it was a nightmare to deal with. I don't ever want to have to deal with it again if I can help it. I need to finish setting up the pasture so that he can get out. I feel so bad that he's in his stall right now because of the mud, but at least it is 12 x 24 - bigger than my full sized horses get! He's privileged.

 

[minirocky]

I think you are right to be concerned. Too much weight will not be healthy for him and being turned out on grass all day when his system is not accustomed to it will be a risk as well. My horses all get 1 - 1.5 hrs on grass daily in the summer but to start they are allowed about 20 minutes and every week I increase it by 10 or 15 minutes. I don't worry about the length of the grass much, although in the spring when its lush and they aren't used to it I am pretty careful not to let them have more than 20 minutes... some years only 15 minutes to start. If you are willing to pull him off the grass and dry lot him the larger the area the better IMO. He will actually wander around while he eats and get a bit of exercise that way, you don't want him to be in a small area and basically just stand and eat if that can be avoided. My horses are turned out in the morning on grass for there hour or so and then come in for their pellets and that takes the place of one feeding. The later feed is hay which I try to offer in ways that slow down the consumption (slow feed hay net or just spread out thinly in the paddock for them to 'graze')and that way they hay food for the longest possible time without becoming obese. Of course I have no horses at the moment that I need to put weight on and the last one that needed pounds was just fed free choice hay and hi fat pellets while everything else was the same as the rest of my herd. Hope that answers your questions, there are as many ways to feed horses as there are owners it seems but that is what works for me.

Oops, posted the last reply before I read this one. Thanks for the suggestions!

I have one area I can dry lot him, but it's not finished yet. We need another load of rock before I can safely turn horses out on it, which requires the rain to stop long enough a dump truck can get back to it. It is 75 x 70, and I have been reading about slow feeders for my big horses and I will do the same for him.

Unfortunately, right now my round pen that he was staying in has become a pond with the rain we are getting, and I would rather keep him in the 12 x 24 stall until the ground dries out. I hate mud. I do want him to have some access to grass, even if it's just for 5-10 minutes.

 

[Riverrose28]

Oh gosh, lets not mention mud! it's raining here now, I have feeders in most of the fields but my mares paddock I can't keep one in there cause one mare always tips it over and one time she tipped it over onto another mare and the mare got trapped between the rubber and the hay feeder. I had hubby take the tractor and build up the middle of this paddock so at least the mares have a dry space to eat hay, cause if I put it in the run in shed they won't let the submissive ones eat. BRATS! Sounds like you have it under control. I agree on letting the skinny ones have more access to grass, it does seem to bulk them up.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Just because one horse foundered does not mean this one will. There is debate on the issue. Some horses that chronically founder have an endocrine problem.

Here is an interesting site, if you haven't already found it.

http://safergrass.org/

 

[minirocky]

Haha, I will try not to mention mud, I completely loathe it! I am trying to keep my horses out of it this year if at all possible.

Marsha, I do understand that not every horse is the same and that some will founder while others won't. However, because minis are prone to it and it only takes one time leaving them too long out on grass to make a lot of trouble, I want to make sure I do it right from the get go. I have had laminitis issues with some of my larger horses in the past and I try to go to great lengths to prevent it. Especially since Mac is not in work at all, so he's not burning off very many calories.

Thanks for the website, I will check it out.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

My horses are all out 24/7- now, I would not suggest taking your little guy and letting him loose on 5 acres of good grazing without getting his system used to the idea, but I am just pointing out that it is possible to have fat horses without having foundered horses. I keep an eye on a couple of my mares in spring, when the grass "springs" and usually end up pulling them off for a month or so, but, out of 22 horses, that is all I do.

My horses are used to the routine, and they do not have a problem with it. At the moment my three weanlings are on green, green grass (still growing here) and are as fat as butter. They are not, nor will they, founder. They are also getting a good hard feed twice a day as, even though it looks good, there is little goodness left in grass at this time of year.

So it is up to you, he is your horse, I am just telling you about the other side to the coin, as it were!

 

[Jen M White]

We have our 2 on pasture about 12 hours a day. We worked up to that gradually because when we first got them they were only on about 2 hours a day. We have 3 acres they have the run of. The play and run around, so thy are not constantly grazing. They get a couple of flakes of hay in their nibble nets evey couple of days ( it usually lasts about that long because they are only in their stalls through the night - but do have access whenever they want ). They also get about a handful or 2 of sweet feed and grain mix when they are put to bed at night. This seems to be working well for us. We will lose the grass soon, so i will just switch over to full hay access.

These are our first 2, so any other sugestions are welcome! It's good to hear what others are doing.