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Interesting...

"It would be sensible, if at all possible, for owners to remove animals from pasture and keep them stabled and fed hay. If this isn't practical, then try to feed hay from a height or from a bucket instead of scattering it on the ground."

But how many more problems is that going to cause?! Probably six times more than the original worry!
 
I can't open the links on this computer, will have to wait and use OH's. I gather it is something to do with not turning out?!
Don't say that! I have only just come to terms with stopping turning out in the school and actually using my fields (Joe was not field happy at all during the winter and extremely breakable as you probably know!) I will be turning Chloe and Storm out for as long as possible............(Sorry if I've got wrong end of the stick - must try and use OH's pc)
 
Roxy's Mum said:
Interesting...

"It would be sensible, if at all possible, for owners to remove animals from pasture and keep them stabled and fed hay. If this isn't practical, then try to feed hay from a height or from a bucket instead of scattering it on the ground."

But how many more problems is that going to cause?! Probably six times more than the original worry!
Click to expand...


I read that to be advice to owners who have horses in the immediate areas that seem to be very high risk i.e where all the cases are currently occurring.
 
I won't be keeping mine in, let alone all the time. I bet more animals are at risk of injury or death being hacked on roads but I won't be stopping that either. I believe in quality of life for my 2 and being stabled doesn't offer that.

Its very sad and very worrying and I've made my decision.
 
Totally agree with joyscarer it may be a risk but where possible i am of the opinion that horses fare a lot better if outside 24/7 as long as there is shelter either man made or natural. The hard frost has a arrived in Scotland unfortunately so has the snow so any bugs should be killed off by now. I think this disease may be more of a problem in the South East where the climate is dare i say it a bit warmer than very rural Perthshire where it is now frozen hard with the first dump of snow.
 
I would still keep mine outside. To me its a risk worth taking. My ponies get to interact with each other naturally and surely that is better for them than being couped up in a stable.

If this is a disease of the southern part of the country, how does it explain that New forest ponies live out all year, as do Dartmoors and Exmoors?
 
I think we're more likely to get grass sickness up here, there has been a handful of cases over the last couple of years.. just as horrible..
 
I know the advice about keeping them in is both more or less impossible and cruel. My 3 are out but in the sand school not because of this disease scare but because my paddocks get dangerous as they are and when there is no grass anyway and they are knee deep in mud what's the point.

I'm all for turnout 24/7 which my 3 get.
 
I have to say though that I think spreading the word is fab. An educated owner has to be a good thing. I'm in Hampshire and we've been getting temps down to 2c so the weather is on the turn.

When I think what it was like last year... This year my I'm attempting to stripe graze across rather than allowing them onto all of my winter section in a vain effort to keep Joys weight down to its summer average. The warm wet weather isn't helping.
 
Joyscarer said:
I have to say though that I think spreading the word is fab. An educated owner has to be a good thing. I'm in Hampshire and we've been getting temps down to 2c so the weather is on the turn.

When I think what it was like last year... This year my I'm attempting to stripe graze across rather than allowing them onto all of my winter section in a vain effort to keep Joys weight down to its summer average. The warm wet weather isn't helping.
Click to expand...

This is horrible and scary, but educating us doesn't seem to help, except that we may recognise the symptoms quickly. It's like grass sickness - a mystery, and there's no real way of preventing it.

My instructor's mare died of grass sickness a few years ago - a lovely home-bred five year-old ... She lived in the field next door to my horses; there have been other horses in that field since, and they've been fine. But it is a worry.
 
I haven't clicked on the link but I'm going to guess it is in regard to AEM??

Harsh as it sounds it would be almost impossible to rule it out so think we all just have to hope for the best.

I have known of a horse sadly die from it who was not that young,on a yard that stabled at night,and recieving hard feed as was in fairly hard work,so nothing like the usual criteria.

Obviously ruling out obvious risk factors if you can and being aware what to look for is important,but other than that not sure there's much any of us can do other than care for our horses the best we can.
 
I always love the fact we have so many trees and hedges around the fields at our yard as gives so much natural shelter. Since I first heard of this a few years ago it has always worried me when the leaves come down. When it is windy and they blow away that's fine, but some years like now the leaves linger, get humid and rot down where they are. We make sure we open up plenty of grass away from the edges where the leaves are the worst and I try to scoop some up when poo picking. Also make sure we put plenty of hay out when it has been raining even though they don't need it condition wise, to try to help.

Like grass sickness this terrifies me.
 
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