# Do you feed Hay in the summer with Pasture?



## deineria (Aug 22, 2009)

Does anyone feed only pasture plus feed without added hay? I am sure those with hundreds of acres do, but what about those with a few acres per horse?
I also feed a custom mix similar to Triple Crown Complete in addition to hay
2x daily. 
We have a total of about 10 acres for 3 horses and one pony that can just small grass and get fat. The stallion will be the only one on 3 of those acres. It isn't lush on the second, larger area, but the last owner said his 3 horses were fine on it, and he kept some nice horses up there.

I haven't had the pasture option before, so that is why I have no clue, really.


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## Joshie (Dec 8, 2008)

We have two geldings. We have 27 acres. Ten of those acres are a hay field. We have a large outdoor arena. To give you an idea of the size, the last owner roped steer in the arena. We have maybe seven acres that are not easily accessible so are unavailable to the horses. So... I suppose we have less than 5 acres in pasture. We feed our boys grass only, no grain. We fed hay only, no grain, in the winter. Our neighbor fed little hay this winter because his horses were able to get enough good grass under the dead stuff. If next winter is like this one, and there is that available grass, we'll try the same thing next year, although I'm doubtful we'll end up doing that. 

There are a number of horse owners, like our family, who do not give their horses any kind of grain.

Our horses were with a trainer for quite a while before coming home. He fed alfalfa hay and grain but had six horses (counting ours) on 15 acres. His pasture is less than five acres. 

We do move our boys every few weeks to prevent overgrazing.


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## Gregg Alexander (Feb 18, 2007)

Not on mature horses, just weanlings and yearlings , get them on pasture in late spring and watch them grow. Preg mares dont need extra feed until foaling


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## DamnearaFarm (Sep 27, 2007)

Hay and pasture only here, unless someone isn't maintaining and needs a little extra. Then I prefer to offer that in the form of beet pulp, rice bran or senior feed instead of a grain.


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## RLStewart (Sep 10, 2006)

I think you'll just have to see. We don't have enough pasture to not feed hay in the summer plus the bugs are horrible here so we pasture at night and then bring them in during the day and give them some hay. Some of my horses get no grain, only a vitamin supplement and some get up to 4 qts a feeding depending on how hard they work, age, etc. The weather will make a difference too as to how well your pasture grows. You just don't want to let them eat it down to dirt before you supplement them if its not keeping up!


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## kscowboy (Apr 27, 2008)

Depends on your grass and rain and how little you want to hay. The best stockman is the best grass grower. 
We have 22 horses on 90+ acres of really clean and productive pasture. We are usually grass only from April 1 till thanksgiving.

Key is not to overgraze it. Fertilize every few years , reseed bad areas as necessary , have the ability to let hard hit areas recover. In a good rain year I have few worries , in a dry summer I have to protect certain areas as they will eat their favorite spots to the ground. Over the past ten years we have had to hay in august just one year. I advise our boarders to grain a little bit in the dog days of summer late july / august as the grass goes a little dormant from the heat and protein content drops. I like to see 5 acres per horse


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## southerngurl (May 11, 2003)

As long as you have enough good pasture, it's redundant to feed hay. The fresh stuff is best anyway.


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## Jay27 (Jan 11, 2010)

Even with plenty of pasture, my horses are in the drylot during the day where 24/7 hay is available. They eat a PM feeding and are let out into the pasture for the night. Come morning, they come in for an AM feeding and are locked back in the drylot for the day. 

Grass has a higher sugar content during the day when the plant is actively photosynthesizing. At night, the sugars go down into the roots. Not a big deal for most, but my drafties can get mighty fat. The feed they get is just a 'balancer' pellet - i.e. vitamins, mineras, protein, few calories.

As an added benefit, there are very few bugs at night. A few mosquitos around dusk, but after that there is nothing.


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## bergere (May 11, 2002)

My Grass is way to rich in the spring and first part of the summer for the breeds of horses I have and I also hay the main pasture. So everyone stays in the big night pasture and gets hay during that time. 
Then in later summer, when the grass isn't as rich and they haying has been done, they are back out on the main pasture.

I can't free feed my horses grass hay, they would get super over weight in a heart beat. 
Most Nordic horse breeds and Donkeys are that way.

So it just depends on your horses, where you live, what kind of grass you have.

If your horses have not been on green grass for awhile, start out with 15 minutes for a few days, watch the manure and make sure they are not getting the runs, and very slowly keep increasing their time every day.


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## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

Mine won't even eat hay when the grass is up. They are on pasture all day then I bring them into the corral at night...hay is available but they hardly touch it. They get a cup of black oil sunflower seeds at night when they come in. Mineral block, water and that's it.


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## deineria (Aug 22, 2009)

To clarify, I feed a custom mix that is mostly alfalfa pellets, beet pulp, and rice bran - 75%. . . there is about 25% oats, soy meal, hulls, etc. Not a sweet feed either, no molasses.

Two of the Arabs are hard keepers, so we will just see how they do.


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## mayfair (May 7, 2006)

My pasture is too rich now, too (like Bergere's)-- I have minis and feed hay in a dry lot and use the pasture sparingly during the day (they are muzzled). In summer when it's dry they are on pasture with muzzles all day and fed hay in the dry lot at night.

So I feed hay year round to avoid founder.


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## Joshie (Dec 8, 2008)

Our boys get irritated if we put them in the dry lot and give them hay instead of their grass. They are five year old APHAs, around 15 hands each.


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## southerngurl (May 11, 2003)

Jay27 said:


> Grass has a higher sugar content during the day when the plant is actively photosynthesizing. At night, the sugars go down into the roots.


Wanted to expand on this a little. It's not exactly correct. The plant does produce sugar in the daytime, from sunlight. At night, _if it's warm enough_, it uses this energy to grow. So the sugar slowly decreases over night, but is actually at it's usual peak right at sundown. Cold nights with sunny days, however, can lead to the grass building up sugar without using it at night and this is when founders often occur.

Morning is generally the lowest sugar time of the day, the grass has used the sugar all night (if it wasn't too cold) and hasn't had a chance to photosynthesize a lot more sugar yet.


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## deineria (Aug 22, 2009)

> Originally Posted by Jay27
> Grass has a higher sugar content during the day when the plant is actively photosynthesizing. At night, the sugars go down into the roots.
> 
> 
> ...


Good Info 

I am just mostly curious if it sounds as if there is enough grass to support them without them eating the pastures down to dirt. . .
Do those with similar amounts of land find it is enough without hay?


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## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

Safest time to graze: early morning; after a night when the minimum temperature was above 40Â°F (5Â°C); on grass that is in a vegetative stage of growth (leaves, not heads) and the grass is under no stress from lack of water or nutrients. Under overcast or shaded conditions, sugar buildup should be slower. A long stretch of cloudy weather will further decrease NSC levels. 

Most dangerous time to graze: late afternoon or early evening on a sunny day; grass that is heading or flowering; anytime throughout the day if the night before had temperatures below 40Â°F (5Â°C); grass that is stressed for lack of water or nutrients; stubble left from mowing or overgrazing, especially in late fall (or winter in areas where grass stays green). 



Here is a jingle I wrote to help remember : 

The Fructan Jingle
by Katy Watts 

When you wake at crack of dawn
Graze your pony on your lawn
But sugars rise in afternoon,
For foundered ponies, this spells doom 

When frosts cause fructans to increase
Your ponies grazing now must cease.
Hold off a day, or maybe more,
Or else your pony may get sore.


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## offthegrid (Aug 11, 2009)

I have 3 horses on about 4 acres of pasture, divided into three sections and carefully rotated, picked, mowed, etc. The horses are out overnight in the summer, and on dry lot during the day. I do feed hay during the day although the amount is far below what they would eat during the daytime when not on pasture. My TB mare, in particular, barely touches her hay and will hold out for the overnight grazing.

I am confident that if I allowed 24/7 grazing it would be overgrazed before fall. And my horses are fat enough on pasture only 12 hours/day. They don't mind being on the dry lot too much in summer since they can stand in their stalls out of the sun and away from bugs, but as soon as the sun starts to set they want out!


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## deineria (Aug 22, 2009)

> the fructan jingle
> by katy watts
> 
> when you wake at crack of dawn
> ...


love this!


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