Discussion on Grass, Grass,Grass...
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Adria Weatherbee
Member
Username: adriaa
Post Number: 90
Registered: 12-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, Oct 7, 2008 - 10:17 am: |   |
Good morning fellow HA members.
I have (yay!) just brought my 2 mares home for the first time. Needless to say I'm a nervous mama, although not too. They seem pretty relaxed, well my Morgan mare Monty just really doesn't give a hoot, Rosie the TB is all ears, eyes and hooves. She hates to be in a stall and when I let her out this AM she went bonkers.
This is my dilemma, I have a paddock about 80X45 which does have grass, but 2/3rds of it is very short. They are in there now.
I don't want to keep them stalled, they were in most of yesterday and all night with lots of hay, I have been pretty much giving them free choice hay. Will the free choice hay help alleviate any grass issues?
I do have a large pasture which is grass, but will introduce them slowly to that. I don't have a dirt area for transitioning.
I was thinking the grass in the paddock was not so much and they could stay in there mostly. am giving them hay in the paddock as well.
Rosie's poops are a little loose, but she does that when she is nervous as well. They are getting better.
I'm in Vermont and last night it frosted... to add to it.
Is the 2 hour rule good? I read someone elses post who did 1-2 hour twice a day, is that ok.
I also heard that TBs are less prone to Founder since their metabolism is high, they burn calories just thinking.
My Morgan mare that I just got is 19 and was previously on grass exclusively, but has been off for 2 months,also she is not fat and I am actually trying to put some weight on her, so far she's not an easy keeper.
Sorry so long, I just wondered what the variables could be on the grass issue.
thanks
Adria |
Adria Weatherbee
Member
Username: adriaa
Post Number: 91
Registered: 12-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, Oct 7, 2008 - 10:27 am: | |
Also the hay I have is 2nd cut very grassy and soft and smells so good. Where I boarded before the guy said that this does not have much fiber, not as beneficial to the gut? I have been mixing their old hay with the new...
A |
Robert N. Oglesby DVM
Moderator
Username: dro
Post Number: 21503
Registered: 1-1997
| | Posted on Tuesday, Oct 7, 2008 - 1:05 pm: | |
Hello Adria,
The article on forages has a schedule at the bottom for introducing new hay and horses to pasture. It is a very careful routine. Good quality grass hay has plenty of fiber.
DrO |
