# Horses eating down grass



## MyLittleFarm (Apr 17, 2013)

So I heard somewhere that a horse will eat down the grass to a little stub. Then at the end of each year you have to reseed. Is this true? How can I avoid this?


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## Grey Mare (Jun 28, 2013)

Do you have a pasture that is large enough to section it off and rotate your horses? Our friends down the road who have 10 acres did this, they sectioned off their pasture into 4 lots and then a smaller sacrifice area in front of the barn.


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## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

If the plant's roots are damaged by overgrazing it would definitely have to be reseeded or it would turn into a dry lot.

Too many horses on too little acreage is usually the culprit.


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## MyLittleFarm (Apr 17, 2013)

We have 200 acres of land that we use for cattle. What kind of fence would a horse need? 1 strand or something like a goat fence?


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## dizzy (Jun 25, 2013)

Everybody has their own favorite. Personally, I like the no climb horse fence. It has the 2x4 inch squares. If you use something w/larger squares, a horse can get their hoof caught. It's what I have, w/electric at the top, and about 1/3 of the way up as well.

I'm NOT a fan of high tensile. I have one that likes to test fence lines and years ago knocked down some fencing because a post was rotting and it wasn't apparent. She got tangled up in the fence. That cost me about $1000 in vet bills. Horses have been severely injured w/this type of fencing.

Cattle panels are welded, and can pop apart-which can jab a horse. Barbed wire can tear up a horse if they're pushed into it, or accidentally run into it. And, I know horses that have found they can break boards if you have a board fence.

If you have just a single wire, depending on the horse, they may find they can go over it or under it. And, it doesn't matter if they have enough grass in their field. I used to work on a farm where the owner used the wooden fence. She had one horse that would take the fence apart so he could get the grass on the other side-even though he had more than enough grass in his field. She finally had to bolt the top fence together to keep him in.


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## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

MyLittleFarm said:


> We have 200 acres of land that we use for cattle. What kind of fence would a horse need? 1 strand or something like a goat fence?


How many horses will be/are on it now? A horse won't eat grass down to the nub if there is enough of it to eat. Depending on where you are in the country you can graze a bunch of horses on 200 acres without a problem. 

I have two mares on 12+ acres of good pasture and they have to wear anti-graze muzzles from May to Sept/Oct or they'll get too fat.

It's not so much that a horse will _always_ eat grass down to the nub but it can if there isn't enough grass to keep it from being hungry, that doesn't sound like it's an issue in your situation. If it's a good lush pasture, and you only have a few horses, they could get sick on all the grass. How many horses do you have or plan to have?


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## SFM in KY (May 11, 2002)

Our outside perimeter fence is three strands of smooth twisted wire (like barbed wire without the barbs) with a strand of hotwire along the top but all of our interior divider fences are 3 strands of hot wire/hot tape. We need more strands of hot tape because we have ponies as small as 11 hands and horses as big as 16 hands ... if they were all about the same size ... and all very respectful of hot wire, you could probably get by with one or two strands as a divider fence.


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## Bret4207 (May 31, 2008)

MyLittleFarm said:


> We have 200 acres of land that we use for cattle. What kind of fence would a horse need? 1 strand or something like a goat fence?


If you have 200 acres and you're running cows on it and want to add a few horses, go for it. Horses don't stand in the same spot everyday eating things down to the ground if they have a choice about it. 

I'm a little confused I guess. Cows in a fenced lot will eat the grass down just like a horse.


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## painterswife (Jun 7, 2004)

I have a question. 
We have a small acreage, cross fenced for rotation. We put the horses out for two hours at a time, twice a day. Two reasons. They get fat quickly and they beat down the grass. They are in a large dirt paddock the rest of the time.

Would these grazing muzzles be a good solution for us/ I could let them into one of the pastures for the day this way. They would be happy.

One of the pastures has a lot of trees, trails and brush. Would the muzzles be dangerous?


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## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

No, your situation is perfect for a grazing muzzle. I haven't had a problem with the muzzles (Best Friend brand, deluxe model) at all, if they did get hung up on something the deluxe model has a breakaway snap. One mare did get it hung up on a fence post and it broke like it was supposed to do. The company even includes an extra breakaway snap.

They can drink water but can't access salt even in loose form.


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## jennigrey (Jan 27, 2005)

Healthy horses are genetically programmed to "eat in a line". That is, to eat and walk, rather than stand in one place and crop everything short in a small radius. Spreading out their grazing helps prevent parasite infestation and improves their nutrition. Eating close to the ground increases their chances of acquiring parasites. Eating all the plants in one area makes for a less diverse meal whose roots are all tapping into the same small batch of soil with the same nutrients. By wandering about and eating some grass here and some grass there, they increase their chances of eating grass with more diverse nutrients.

Having said that, if there is a patch of pasture that is particularly tasty - clover, alfalfa, better mineralization in the soil - whatever the reason - they will come back to that patch over and over. Mowing or grazing stimulates growth. They will prefer to eat young, lush grass versus the taller, older, coarser grass. So eating in that patch becomes self-perpetuating.

Horses' digestive tract - unlike ruminants such as cows and goats - is designed to have a continuous trickle of food coming through it. Cows will graze for eight or nine hours till they are full, then lay and ruminate. Horses have loooooong digestive tract and small stomach. If they don't eat, the acid in their stomach builds up and they can develop ulcers. So if they are in a small area that is grazed down low, they will still try to eat constantly. They learn to paw the ground to get at roots if they have to, just to get something in their stomach.

So horses will eat the pasture down to bare dirt if there isn't enough acreage per animal. But it isn't something they will do if given a choice.


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## SueFr (Jul 13, 2013)

You might do some reading on rotational grazing. Your county extension office might have some resources for you. 
By breaking up your available space in small 'paddocks' you move the animals, and the fertilizer around. They also don't pummel the ground so much as to kill the plants. Electric fence will prevent major costs of fencing. 
Manage grass depth by your boot top. If they start munching much below that depth, it's time to move them so they don't kill the forage. Depending on the size of the area and the number of animals-3 to 4 days. The animals will learn the rotational pattern and be happy to move into 'greener pastures', and soon be waiting for you and complaining to get into the next green field they are smelling.
The key is portable water or tanks in each paddock. This works well for all livestock, especially sheep who tend to graze short. 
Animals avoid eating around their manure, so raking occasionally and spreading it out thin will help the pasture. Also planting legumes and natives will reintroduce natural nitrogens.


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## goodhors (Sep 6, 2011)

Horses are selective grazers, prefer tender new growth. This is why you see spots with everything grazed down to just a green on the dirt, while there are LONG, TALL stems of grass and seeds waving in the wind that they never touch. Horses keep going back to the short patches, clipping off any new growth tall enough for their teeth to graze.

So you can easily end up with a "grassy looking" field that has bald spots, if you don't do some mowing to keep things shorter ALL OVER the fields. Mowing keeps the plants growing and having new, tender leaves and stems for the horses to eat. Cutting that tall stuff will help prevent horses getting face rubs, seeds in their eyes, rough grass leaves that horses won't graze in. Mowing is PART of doing rotational grazing, prevents weeds making seed, encourages that new growth for grazing.

With horses constantly grazing those bald spots, they often DO KILL the roots of the plants they like best because they are walking on them and plant can't make food for roots, so the plants die and spot is just dirt. Not as likely with larger pastures, few animals, but it does happen, then weeds get started in those place. So mowing should be part of your pasture keeping to encourage new growth. 

You NEVER mow shorter than about 5 inches in pastures, so the grass plant is not shocked with 90% leaf removal. Takes time for plant to recover if you scalp it, then get growing again. Being cut too short exposes dirt and plant root to the hot sun for baking in the heat, might kill that plant. Leaves too short will let any hard rain erode your dirt, run off the field fast, not soak in where the roots can use it. I try to mow again when the plant gets about 8-10 inches high or starts going to seed. Plants go dormant when they set seed and dry out. Then you get no regrowth until fall rains come. Keeping my plants shorter leaved, they grow EXTENSIVE roots, so they get every drop of moisture, can take dry spells better without dying back. I quit summer mowing about the first or second week of Sept HERE, let the pasture get shaggy for winter protection. Each place has their own weather pattern to work with, so you need to learn your local information to make plans in your pasture management. 

My Grampa said summer Holidays, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, were for putting up hay, mowing pastures, and used them that way. I mow a lot more often, but some locations don't get enough rain to do that, so the Holiday schedule for mowing works. He did the pasture mowing, unlike other farmers around, had better pastures for the cattle and horses to graze. He also was a full-time farmer, so the crops came before tight pasture management like I do now. But we have a small acreage, so it has to be managed closely, to keep the grasses growing for our horses all season. We feed no hay in summer unless we haul them off the farm for some show, picnic activity, where they stand around with hay to keep them busy. Saves money, not feeding purchased hay, and they are well rounded on grass, even with a fairly busy work usage.


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## MyLittleFarm (Apr 17, 2013)

Irish Pixie said:


> How many horses will be/are on it now? A horse won't eat grass down to the nub if there is enough of it to eat. Depending on where you are in the country you can graze a bunch of horses on 200 acres without a problem.
> 
> I have two mares on 12+ acres of good pasture and they have to wear anti-graze muzzles from May to Sept/Oct or they'll get too fat.
> 
> It's not so much that a horse will _always_ eat grass down to the nub but it can if there isn't enough grass to keep it from being hungry, that doesn't sound like it's an issue in your situation. If it's a good lush pasture, and you only have a few horses, they could get sick on all the grass. How many horses do you have or plan to have?


We will have 2 horses, possibly just one (are they social?), and it is lush healthy grass.


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## MyLittleFarm (Apr 17, 2013)

SueFr said:


> You might do some reading on rotational grazing. Your county extension office might have some resources for you.
> By breaking up your available space in small 'paddocks' you move the animals, and the fertilizer around. They also don't pummel the ground so much as to kill the plants. Electric fence will prevent major costs of fencing.
> Manage grass depth by your boot top. If they start munching much below that depth, it's time to move them so they don't kill the forage. Depending on the size of the area and the number of animals-3 to 4 days. The animals will learn the rotational pattern and be happy to move into 'greener pastures', and soon be waiting for you and complaining to get into the next green field they are smelling.
> The key is portable water or tanks in each paddock. This works well for all livestock, especially sheep who tend to graze short.
> Animals avoid eating around their manure, so raking occasionally and spreading it out thin will help the pasture. Also planting legumes and natives will reintroduce natural nitrogens.


We do rotational grazing, each paddock is 10 to 20 acres each.


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## MyLittleFarm (Apr 17, 2013)

Bret4207 said:


> If you have 200 acres and you're running cows on it and want to add a few horses, go for it. Horses don't stand in the same spot everyday eating things down to the ground if they have a choice about it.
> 
> I'm a little confused I guess. Cows in a fenced lot will eat the grass down just like a horse.


Thats what I thought. I was just making sure since I heard horses eat down to the dirt.


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## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

MyLittleFarm said:


> We will have 2 horses, possibly just one (are they social?), and it is lush healthy grass.


Two is ideal but one with cows for company would most likely be OK. For some (most?) horses that much grass is not a good thing. It can cause a disease called laminitis. You'll have to limit the amount of time on grass or use anti graze muzzles- a PITA but much better than laminitis.


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## cedarcreekranch (Nov 24, 2010)

Most horses aren't going to go lame on good pasture. Mostly fat ponies and those with cushings have the most trouble. I've had horses all my life (I'm over 50), sometimes only 1 sometimes over 20, and only had one pony who had trouble and would founder on spring grass. Once it got into June, he was fine to turn out. My fences are pipe and cable and barbed wire - the wire is on the big pastures and most horses aren't going to get into it. Some of them run with my cattle - no problems. If I had only small pastures (1-3 acres) I'd probably not used barb wire or smooth electric wire, but the pipe & cable, pipe, board, or no climb woven wire. I've seen really ugly wounds from smooth electric wire & the small electric 'rope' so don't care to use either at all, no matter the lot size. I'm not saying barbed wire is a great fence but it has worked for me for many years and the number of injuries have been minimal when you figure the number of horses and years I've used it. They learn quickly to respect it and where it's at if you give them a chance. Don't use the small 'pony wire' though as that is something I think should be banned! 

good advice on mowing pastures, too, that is one of the best things you can do for it. Keep the weeds from setting seed and the roughs from getting bigger and bigger.


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## MyLittleFarm (Apr 17, 2013)

Irish Pixie said:


> Two is ideal but one with cows for company would most likely be OK. For some (most?) horses that much grass is not a good thing. It can cause a disease called laminitis. You'll have to limit the amount of time on grass or use anti graze muzzles- a PITA but much better than laminitis.


what is a anti graze muzzle and how would I use it?


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

Bret4207 said:


> If you have 200 acres and you're running cows on it and want to add a few horses, go for it. Horses don't stand in the same spot everyday eating things down to the ground if they have a choice about it.
> 
> I'm a little confused I guess. Cows in a fenced lot will eat the grass down just like a horse.


 
Actually, cows and horses eat much differently so a cow doesn't cause the same damage as a horse unless the land is mismanaged. Cattle actually use their tongue to to graze and horses bite grass and can literally crop it right off at ground level. If grass gets too short, horses also fall back on their natural instinct and will paw, like they would in snow and tear up the roots.


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## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

MyLittleFarm said:


> what is a anti graze muzzle and how would I use it?


I have a Thoroughbred mare (Thoroughbreds are usually hard to keep weight on) that was working on a bout of laminitis a few years ago but I muzzled her before it could completely develop and a Hanoverian TB cross (she's a very easy keeper and it's hard to keep weight off her) so I use a Best Friend brand muzzle on both of them- here's a picture: 









What you can't see is that the bottom is hard rubber but there is a hole that allows the horse to eat some grass. They can drink water but they can't access salt so you have to bring them in and take off the muzzle for that. 

CedarCreekRanch- I imagine that an upstate NY pasture and an Oklahoma pasture are too vastly different things. I'm not sure where mylittlefarm is in MO but she indicates it's good lush pasture.  I have to use muzzles even tho mine is mown at least twice a year and usually three times.


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## Bret4207 (May 31, 2008)

wr said:


> Actually, cows and horses eat much differently so a cow doesn't cause the same damage as a horse unless the land is mismanaged. Cattle actually use their tongue to to graze and horses bite grass and can literally crop it right off at ground level. If grass gets too short, horses also fall back on their natural instinct and will paw, like they would in snow and tear up the roots.


True enough, however I think the OP was told horses graze to the dirt and took it as the norm. It's not. I've seen plenty of pastures grazed tot he ground by cattle, horses, sheep, goats, etc. Management is the key.


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## Joshie (Dec 8, 2008)

MyLittleFarm said:


> what is a anti graze muzzle and how would I use it?


I would not start out with one. I would wait to see if your particular horse(s) need them. They're just another thing to get snagged. If you don't need them you don't need them. We keep our boys out on grass all summer and feed only hay during the winter. We do not grain. 

I would encourage you to take lessons before getting any horses. They have a language all their own. Good luck with your decision.


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## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

Joshie said:


> I would not start out with one. I would wait to see if your particular horse(s) need them. They're just another thing to get snagged. If you don't need them you don't need them. We keep our boys out on grass all summer and feed only hay during the winter. We do not grain.
> 
> I would encourage you to take lessons before getting any horses. They have a language all their own. Good luck with your decision.


Better safe than sorry I always say- once a horse has laminitis it's much much easier for another bout to occur. 

Mylittlefarm said her pasture is "lush healthy grass" and that is laminitis waiting to happen for many horses. I have 2 horses on 12+ acres of lush healthy grass and both would absolutely founder without muzzles.


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## Grey Mare (Jun 28, 2013)

Here is some information on grass founder:

_Grass Founder

Veterinarians and nutritionists have known for some time that plants store energy in their seeds in the form of starch that can cause laminitis if the horse is introduced to grain too quickly or eats too much grain. Only recently have researchers discovered that grasses not only store energy in their seed heads as starch, they also store energy as sugar.

In the spring, as grass is growing rapidly, it stores more sugar than it needs for growth, and horses consume the sugar as they graze. Later in the year, when the daylight and nighttime temperatures are more consistent and grass growth rates decrease, the plant uses up most of the sugar produced during the day each night.

Here are some tips for avoiding grass founder:

Keep horses off lush, fast-growing pastures until the grass has slowed in growth and produces seed heads.

Graze horses on pastures containing a high percentage of legumes. Legumes, such as alfalfa or clover, store energy as starch, not sugar.

Avoid grazing horses on pastures that have been exposed to bright sunny days followed by low temperatures, such as a few days of warm sunny weather followed by a late spring frost.

Avoid grazing horses on pastures that have been grazed very short during the winter and are growing rapidly.

Keep overweight horses in stalls or paddocks until the pasture&#8217;s rate of growth has slowed, then introduce them to pasture slowly.

Turn horses out on pasture for a few hours in the early morning when sugar levels are low, not at night when levels are at their highest.

Allow horses to fill up on hay before turning them out on grass for a few hours.

Dr. Tom Lenz, along with Dr. Kenton Morgan, offers expert advice on a wide range of horse health topics in AQHA&#8217;s &#8220;Your Horse&#8217;s Health&#8221; DVD set. Any responsible horse owner would do well to have these informative DVDs in their library. Don&#8217;t get caught unprepared &#8211; learn how to keep your horse healthy before problems arise.

At Risk

Horses that are over the age of 10, &#8220;easy keepers,&#8221; overweight or those with crested necks seem especially vulnerable to grass founder and should be the focus of your preventive program.

After the horses are turned out on pasture, check them often for early signs of laminitis such as heat in the feet and a pounding pulse at the back of the pastern. Foundered horses also assume a characteristic &#8220;sawhorse&#8221; stance with their hind feet up under their body and their front feet placed farther forward than normal. This is because the horse is trying to shift its weight off its painful front feet to its hind legs.

Grass-foundered horses also move gingerly, as if walking on eggshells, and are often unwilling to turn or move at all. In severe cases, the horse may refuse to stand. If your horse demonstrates these signs after being turned out on grass, immediately pull him off the pasture and call a veterinarian.

If you have horses that are prone to grass founder, visit with your veterinarian or equine nutritionist to develop a strategy for introducing them to spring grass. This is truly a situation where an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure._

I am fortunate as our pasture is more of a dry lot by some than a true grass pasture. While we may have 40 acres, 90% of it is wooded and half of it is not worth fencing and letting the horses graze or move on it. We had people dumping trash so there is places of nothing but glass bottles half buried, we found a part of a plow, pieces of an old iron bed, and car doors and what not. We feed hay year round.


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## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

Do you have a link for the information you copied and pasted, Grey Mare?


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## Grey Mare (Jun 28, 2013)

Would have to go back and find it Irish Pixie....


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## Bret4207 (May 31, 2008)

wr said:


> Actually, cows and horses eat much differently so a cow doesn't cause the same damage as a horse unless the land is mismanaged. Cattle actually use their tongue to to graze and horses bite grass and can literally crop it right off at ground level. If grass gets too short, horses also fall back on their natural instinct and will paw, like they would in snow and tear up the roots.


Cows WILL eat right down tot he dirt just like a horse, sheep or goat if they don't have any other feed. We have neighbors that have this problem constantly because they just can't seem to get up out of the recliner long enough to put up more fence. Yes, this is mismanagement. But a horse doesn't eat down to the dirt given a choice any more than a cow does.


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## mulemom (Feb 17, 2013)

Lots of good info here mlf but as you can tell a lot of the problems you're hearing vary according to the particular horse and the way it's been kept. When you're looking for yours pay attention to how they're kept. If they've been on good pasture you shouldn't have a problem with them overeating on pasture. If they've never been on pasture they may not know what wire fence is and may really pig out on grass. If you're going to run them with cows make sure they've been near a cow. My dad put some loose cows in with my horses years ago and they were terrified. One bailed over a fence (tore herself up good) and the rest spent the four hours it took to get the cows out running from them. I sent one mare out to be bred-they put her out in the lot to get some grass then brought their dairy herd in to be milked. She and her foal blew through two four board fences like they weren't even there. Not a scratch by the way. My vet told me years ago that spring grass is mostly water with little fiber. He said horses need fiber and they'll overeat the grass trying to get it-that will cause them to colic and founder. If you think the grass will make your cows bloat it's probably too much for the horses too, dry hay before turnout reduces the chance. The system I use on new grass: Working around my job we feed about 7 and 7. Evenings we'll give extra hay about 5, then turn them out about 6. Their brain says supper at 7 so they'll generally come in without a problem. Next night same thing but they're out 'til 8. Next night 9 (Wed Thurs Fri), Sat an hour earlier then by Sun they're out for about five hours and they can be left out all day from there. Fence also depends on the horse but something I've noticed over the years is that a lot of horses don't see the fence but they do see the posts or something on the fence. If we have wide spacing we put 10" strips of duct tape every three feet. It's cheap, stays put and gets their attention. As you've read here lots depends on the horse-the breed and how they've been raised. Don't lose heart-they are great fun and and good companions.


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