why wont they eat the grass?

L

lisa+pilgrim

New Member
Feb 6, 2009
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south Wales, UK
hi guys, well my field is looking pretty good, there are some patchs of deep good grazing among the more bare patchs, but what i cant understand is that they are not interested at all in the good grazing and spend all there time picking at the crap stuff.

dont know how well these pics will be but heres some to show what its like

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were quite rich in clover which iv been told is good

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so was just wondering if anyone has any advise to why there being so picky and not eating the good stuff.
 
My horses are doing the same.. they really like the shorter grass, new fresh shoots as it is sweeter and richer... mine are leaving the long grasses and the denser grass for the shorter well picked stuff. I guess they know what they are doing :D I wouldn't worry about it.
 
hi, you will prob find that where the clumps are is where the horses have pood befor in the past. i have same problem and i have to go oer them with the strimmer as they will not each where they have pood in the past:D
 
I agree with Cazie.

If my ponies have enough grazing to enable them to be picky then they will eat the short sweet stuff and leave the longer stuff. My field would be patchy in no time.

I actually strip graze them as they are good doers and they have to eat the whole strip and don't get access to more unto they have done this and an extra day has passed. That way they eat the whole lot, no patchyness and I get to know how much they have eaten at any given time and the wear and tear on the field is constantly being shifted :)
 
This is why sheep are good to run along with horses, so they eat the horse poo grass.
 
well im looking into getting a chain harrow, so i can brake up all the poo as the field is too big to poo pick, its funny as i wouldnt say the field is big enough for all of them to be on it but they are doing fine, ny three cobs are getting muzzled this week once iv bought some, yet the arab doesnt seem to be putting on much weight (could be to do with the trailor incident rather than not enough feed mind)
was thinking of strip grazing, what size is the strip you use and how many do you put on it
 
Horses prefer shorter grass and will tend to poo in the longer grass as a matter of course, a nightmare for poo picking!! It tends to be cattle and sheep etc that prefer longer meadow type grass, I'm told that it is longer grass is more watery and tasteless and so perhaps has less in it to interest a horse, strip grazing does help but I'm rubbish at measurements so can't tell you how big a patch I use and I put all 3 of mine out in the strip
 
The only way to use grass is to manage it well. poo needs to be picked up or broken up on hot dry days, long grass topped and weeds , including clover, dealt with.

Horses graze but because we cannot allow them to roam over miles (perhaps Wally excepted!!) we have to take responsibility for maximising our use of grazing. Sorry I do not think forcing them to eat the less desireable grass by 'strip grazing' is the correct solution.
 
i was told that chain harrowing would help get rid of the moss and weeds as well as helping with breaking up poo, is this true.
iv been topping the big patchs every week or two but it just keeps growing back so quickly.
im hoping if i can keep on top of cutting back the big patchs and then also harrow the poo more, that this will work?

i was always told clover rich grazing was good?
 
Harrowing too much will disturb the root structure, better done in the spring before the first flush to clear our debris adn then rolled to compact roots

We used to use a rotary brush to collect muck but have returned for various reasons to doing it by hand. Harrowing will only help with the droppings in hot dry weather , not a lot around here!!

Weeds will respond to constant topping or weedkilling. A correct fertiliser will also encourage a thick sward and crowd out weeds. I cannot see how harrowing controls weeds?

Clover is usually a sign of too much nitrogen and therefore for most horses too much protein in the grass, great in cattle pasture. It took 10 years for my previously intensively farmed land to grow horse quality grass, the first few years there was so much clover I would not put horses on it.
 
We have hardly any grass at all, it's ridiculously short and there's basically nothing! We have a lot of long grass around the edge though, but they won't touch it because they've pood there before!

If I pick a bit and Kizzy sees me, then I go over and give it to her she won't eat it, but if I pick some when she isn't looking then give it to her she eats it :rolleyes: Silly pony haha!
 
Its because horses have evolved to not eat the grass that has been poo'd on. It their way of managing their worm burden. It only takes 24 hours for pasture to be 'tainted' buy poo's.

As EML says harrowing should only be done in hot, sunny weather. You need it to be hot in order to kill the worm eggs once the poo has been broken up. If its not hot you will just be spreading the eggs further around your field.

(Just to say, most horses have a worm burden, even if they are treated with a worming plan. We can manage the amount of worms but never really eradicate them)
 
thank you evreyone, will definatly leave it till next year then and do it properly, was suppose to do it this year, had the money aside to do it but the lady let us down every four times :rolleyes: wont be asking her again
 
Clover is usually a sign of too much nitrogen and therefore for most horses too much protein in the grass, great in cattle pasture.
Click to expand...

What is best/easiest/cheapest way to reduce the nitrogen level?
 
eml said:
we have to take responsibility for maximising our use of grazing. Sorry I do not think forcing them to eat the less desireable grass by 'strip grazing' is the correct solution.
Click to expand...

Depends on your soil type and how much land you have per horse. :)

My field is 4 acres for my 1.5 good doer ponies. If I maximise my grazing then they'd have to be on a postage stamp sized piece, be muzzled or come in.

If I restrict the amount of space they have access to too much then the moment it then rains my heavy clay soil would get trashed.

It is preferential to me to have the crappiest grazing possible so that they can be on a large a piece of land as they can be to reduce mud but have grazing with as little in it as possible. It also means they can hoon about like lunatics and burn of some energy and keep naturally that bit fitter :)
 
Joyscarer you are maximising your use for your horses, doesn't just mean most grass, just most use.

What I was disputing was the recommendation that strip grazing would get the long grass eaten.

Wonky woody, I am not sure we took off several hay crops and used teh firleds as winter grazing but I suspect there are faster ways.
 
Its probably because that is where they poo n pee!! horses hate eating where they have been 2 the loo, understandable!!!! also it is not as sweet as the short stuff, sheep will get rid of it though x
 
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