Im staying at my grandparents for a week and I want to bring my horse with me (they have stables, a menage and there is a bridle path through the woods!!!) But Im thinking:
My grandparents land was fertilised a 3 months ago and my land hasn't.
Sorry if this is dumb to ask but Im not sure:
Would the grass be ok or would it be too rich?
What was it fertilized with? If it was with compost your horse will be fine but if it is all chemical I would probably hold off.
The fertilizer is not the issue. If the grass is lush it may be overly rich in fructans which are sugars, your horse can colic or develop laminitis. To suddenly go from grass that is low in fructans to high fructan grass is never a good plan. You can reduce the risks by turning him out at night when fructans are lowest and keeping him in during the day when they are highest. Fructan levels typically begin to rise in late morning and then lower again after dark.
Another option is to train your horse to wear a grazing muzzle (I prefer the Best Friends muzzle) which will limit the amount of grass your horse is able to take in during grazing. You would need to start training the horse to wear it before you go to your grandparent's so it can be worn immediately.
As gallop said, the main thing to worry about would be colic or laminitis. I think a grazing muzzle would be a great idea. A couple of fat ponies at our yard wear them when theres a lot of grass and they cope fine wearing them. I would still keep an eye out for laminitis or colic symptoms though.
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As for the fertiliser, i have had my horses at a couple of yards who fertilised their fields and its perfectly safe for the horses to graze. I don't know what fertiliser was used but there are 'horse friendly' fertilisers available.
It should be fine for the horse. Keep an eye on him just because it is a new place and he may get into something that he doesn't need to be in! I assume that you normally have him in a stable, you may find that he is much happier there than where he was. In a pasture grazing is where he was ment to be.
Yes. I have my own horse, so I would know. Just not too long. That could make your horse fat. If you want to know more, try www.howrse.com. It is a very good site. It's a virtual horse site, but it will teach you the basics of owning a horse!:)
Any grass that has been fertilized or grown with fertilizer should not be eaten by horses. The chemicals in fertilizer can cause illnesses and other problems. I would stay away from fertilized grass.
Good Luck:)
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caitlin
it should be fine. its a new place so check on him at least 1 time a day. hope i helped some=)
rich grass is bad for horses they can eat a lil like let them graze on it for like a hour or two but not to long
