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Post by MoodyMare on Dec 10, 2014 17:28:04 GMT
As title states: what is your winter grazing routine on your yard. What do you find works best for you. Have you got any grazing restrictions depending on the weather? We currently have day turnout and with the weather set to get worse im unsure of my next move... my current thought is to just asses the weather and inform liveries whether the field will be open or shut in the morning at least then they will know the day before and can organise themselves. The feild is shut now until ive decided what is best, and they will just have turnout in the menage as the field is too wet and they have got them out their far too long. it doesnt help that the majority of grass is now gone and i can be doing without broken fences also as they are reaching over for food. Has anyone got any suggestions? Thanks
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Post by shazbat500 on Dec 10, 2014 17:37:53 GMT
On our yard half the liveries go out 1 day then the other half the other so we have alternate days out. I usually put my mare out 1st thing in a morning and bring her in at lunch time, she's usually ready for in then anyway as the grass is getting a bit sparse. Some of the liveries leave them out all day but that is due to work commitments so its not really possible for them to get them in any sooner. Usually after the new year when there's no grass left people just put them out whilst they are doing there mucking out etc as there's nothing for them to eat and they just stand and look miserable in the mud, its more of a case of letting them stretch their legs for an hour
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dis
Junior Member
Posts: 82
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Post by dis on Dec 10, 2014 18:57:25 GMT
Mine are out 24 7 and have hay twice a day . Yet to see any mud. And they have a further ten acres of untouched grass to munch.
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Post by sjw87 on Dec 10, 2014 21:05:00 GMT
I rent my yard so am able to manage my grazing as I see fit. We are on clay so ground gets very wet but we do have hedge boundaries (checked regularly for bare spots) so they do have shelter from the weather.
Over summer, they go out overnight and in during the day. I keep this routine up for as long as possible depending on the weather and grass coverage.
A month ago they moved to daytime turnout (8am-5pm) and in the last couple of weeks have gone to mornings only - by lunchtime they are more than ready to come in and I'd rather them eat hay in the stable than have it blowing all round the field.
I don't agree with horses having 'duvet days' as such but if the weather is particularly bad with persistant heavy rain, they don't want to go out. The case would be different if we had more/drier grazing.
In your case, having liveries, it depends on your set up. Group turnout doesn't make putting hay out feasible and if in individual paddocks with electric fencing, they haven't got the shelter they need to be happy out all day in bad weather.
A lot of yards reduce turnout to half days but if liveries are at work all day, getting them in at lunchtime may prove difficult. If you're happy to get them in, liveries may not be happy about paying for that service. Offering all day turnout every other day is unlikely to help the state of the ground unless hay can be put out (that lasts all day) as once the novelty of going out has worn off and they've had a nibble at what grass is out there, they will stand around by the gateway for the rest of the day, churning it up.
I agree with your reasoning for making a decision the night before so liveries can be prepared but you need a back up plan if weather changes overnight or isn't as forecast.
Ultimately, the welfare of the horses is essential (and at least you are allowing them to go out in the arena) but liveries are notorious for trashing grazing and then moving on to somewhere else to trash theirs and so on. You then get left with the bill for sorting it and nowhere to offer as grazing for new liveries coming in their place.
You know your liveries and whether they are the type to take the p!$$ or not. Maybe have a yard meeting to offer them the options and see what the general consensus is. They will either come to amicable arrangement with you or you will have to do what you have to do to balance turnout with protecting your land and leave them to like it or lump it.
Sent from my GT-I9195 using proboards
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Post by maxandpaddy on Dec 10, 2014 21:15:15 GMT
Where we are on a livery yard its judged daily, they try to avoid 'duvet days' but when its piddling it down and the fields are getting wrecked we're sensible and respect them asking for a day in. Plus we're right next to a river so when its high we dont risk them out as it can flood.
We have an indoor school so they they can stretch their legs while you muck out, but most of us lunge/ride in there on an evening
They're been careful now and trying to safeguard the fields for later, so its a case of managing the land and making sure theres something left in case January/February are particularly bad
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Post by chalky284 on Dec 10, 2014 22:22:09 GMT
As I have moaned about many times on here, there are no yards around me that offer winter turnout, and even summer is restricted. In my opinion this is due to nothing more than tightly packed yards with far more stables than the land can possibly accommodate even if it was the driest land around! You really need to consider the welfare of the horses, they must be allowed freedom to exert their natural behaviours. Whilst the odd day in, if the weather is horrendous, is manageable. Completely closing the fields is not. I totally appreciate that you must tend your land, but even a few hours turnout is better than none at all. As mentioned above some people may well struggle with part day turnout but if rules are set out clearly, then they'll either have to pay or choose not to have their horse out on days they can't manage it. So in answer to your question, I'd be inclined to offer part day turnout. Then your conscience is clear with regard to welfare and you can give your land a bit of relief with horses on it for less time. Do you have separate winter grazing?
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Post by nici on Dec 11, 2014 0:02:19 GMT
I am so glad I have my own yard. We have nearly 8 acres and 4 ponies, all under 13.2, so plenty of land and still grass in the 4 acre winter field. Ponies normally live out 24/7 all year. I have one in on box rest at the moment, and I have to say I don't envy those of you with no winter turnout. Pony is so bored, and the whole mucking out twice a day routine is very tedious! (Although in fact I only muck out in the evenings - I call in on my way to work in the morning, and don't want to get stinky so just move pony to a clean prepared stable, meaning 2 stables to muck out in the evening!) When the grass runs out in the winter field I will put hay in there - 2 of the ponies go hunting, so can't afford for them to start dropping weight at this stage in the winter.
As I have separate smaller paddocks for spring/summer/autumn I'm prepared for the winter field to be somewhat trashed each year by springtime, although as it then gets rested for several months it recovers pretty well.
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sarahp
Happy to help
Posts: 9,510
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Post by sarahp on Dec 11, 2014 8:06:11 GMT
I have my own land, currently more than I need for the ponies on it which helps. But I've always kept them out 24/7 as default, sometimes in at night according to circumstances - all weaned foals come in at night through their first winter. But when I've been using the land harder I've always had one field used for mares and geldings over the winter which gets trashed, more or less according to weather that year and number of ponies. It's then useful the next summer for the fatties, although I'm waiting to graze it again this year having grazed it down in Oct/Nov and expected to get no more grass growth on it but it's thick and lush. Ds first to take the top off! Once there, they'll stay until grass growth next year.
I can appreciate the problems of livery yards, but equines need turnout, so why not have one sacrifice field used through the winter on a rotational basis and look after the rest?
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Post by B_31 on Dec 11, 2014 13:52:20 GMT
Im on livery and we have day turnout... 9/4
at the moment, we have tons of grass but the fields are so wet - they are just caked in mud and miserable - mine would rather be in
fields are shut for a few days - which is fine by me in all honesty...mine is fine as long as everything else is in too...
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Post by Louise Dixon on Dec 11, 2014 19:06:44 GMT
Mine are out all the time and will remain so, but I am aware how lucky I am being able to keep them at home where there is no shortage of space. It is a real balancing act trying to preserve fields in good condition and keep horses metally happy and healthy. I don't envy anyone having to make this decision, or anyone who is on a yard where the fields are shut but with a horse/pony who struggles without daily turnout. In an ideal world, I would like to have my youngsters by the house so I could continue occassional handling, but the only field by the house which wouldn't get totally wrecked in the winter with ponies in it all the time is just big enough for 3, so I have the boys' ponies in it so they can continue to ride. If I was still riding (I have stopped because I'm pregnant) I would have one less for them and one for me in there instead. It is a bit of a trek finding the others, and I didn't particularly enjoy finding them on 230 acres in a blizzard on Tuesday to worm them, but they were all so good about it, even the youngsters who get very little handling, and the majority of the time it is a pleasure to see them living like this - I do recognise how lucky I am, though! I do take liveries for winter grazing if anyone has a youngster or an older pony needing a holiday to come and live on the hill as part of the herd if anyone wanted to bear it in mind for next year - I have a pony from over 3 hours away here this year.
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Post by brt on Dec 12, 2014 23:15:43 GMT
I sacrifice all my fields bar 1 which i use for the dogs. Then come end of Jan they go onto 1 field to rest the others for summer. The fatties then go on the trashed field in summer and the broodmares once foaled onto the dog's field. How ever much they get trashed, with a bit of harrowing and rolling they always come back. i don't fertilize any of my fields ever, never needed to with Welshies and much prefer a poor field and have them living as they should than be vain about how pretty my fields look.
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sarahp
Happy to help
Posts: 9,510
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Post by sarahp on Dec 13, 2014 7:43:51 GMT
Louise Dixon - if you were nearer you could have had some of my babies for winter grazing with pleasure! I have everything here this year as there has been so much grass available but I have in the past sent some away to a couple of different places with success.
brt - I do similar, but graze round the place with the ponies followed by the sheep until the grass is finished in each field, I don't call this sacrifice though as they don't usually last long enough to get churned up by feet and muddy. The sheep are housed when they've been all the way round and the mares and geldings come into the winter field, which slopes and has a copse in the bottom for shelter, which they love. I do have to make other arrangements for entires and weaned foals though. I totally agree with your field management for natives, and do much the same.
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Post by MoodyMare on Dec 13, 2014 12:19:06 GMT
Thanks for all your replys. We have 32 acres and 17 diy liveries. They horses when put out r just stood at the gate in the mud pawing to come back in. And reaching over the fencing wont be long till one has burst through. Really in a lose lose situation. They dont want put hay out as its an added cost. They dont want to keep in because they are going through double hay and bedding. Some horses are out for 5am with no feed naf all majority of horses have finished there nets by midnight and are then throw out first thing to stand with nothing to eat till about 7pm so u can see why grazing doesnt last long! We have a seperate field for summer and they can be out 24/7. Im not bothered if they ruin the field as i dont have to put my own 2 in there as they have their own winter feilds with 1 full livery and we can afford to sacrifice one field. however im not prepared to fix fencing every evening because they dont want the cost of feeding them... the feild has been shut the last few days purely because we have had non stop rain...
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sarahp
Happy to help
Posts: 9,510
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Post by sarahp on Dec 13, 2014 13:22:56 GMT
Seems to me that you don't have so much of a turnout problem as a feeding one! If no grass they need hay when out, as I'm sure you know, and as they appear to get if kept in. No wonder they break the fences if starving hungry.
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Post by shazbat500 on Dec 13, 2014 13:33:11 GMT
agree with sarahp we only have a 4 acre field to use in winter so the grass gets eaten off fairly quickly with 8 horses on it, but they are all fed on a morning before being turned out so they go out with a full belly. Our yard owner won't let us turn them out if they've not been fed first.
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dis
Junior Member
Posts: 82
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Post by dis on Dec 14, 2014 8:24:46 GMT
What type of fencing is it? I would use mains electric if possible to protect your fences. Are all liveries in together? its often easier to have them seperate as then they are only haying their own horse not everyone elses, plus they can manage their own grazing. At over 1 acre each they should have enough, more than most yards give.
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