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Post by minx on Aug 8, 2009 10:21:11 GMT -1
Good afternoon...its not raining  Just interested... What acreage are you ponies on at the moment? How many ponies are in there? Are they overweight/underweight/normal? Are the out 24/7? Thanks in advance  Oh and its still not raining... |
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Post by NFK Dumpling on Aug 8, 2009 10:29:58 GMT -1
I have two ponies on roughly two acres - split into four half acre paddocks and a small area around the field shelter.
They get fed a couple of kgs of hay (this year) and a forage balancer too.
Vet says they are correct weight.
They are out 24/7 but in the past I have had to restrict grazing and feed oat straw because of overweight problem.
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Post by felix on Aug 8, 2009 11:55:49 GMT -1
i have my 2 adult natives and 2 native yearlings(11.3hh size) on 2.5 acres.its split into 1 bigger field(1.5 acre) and 2 half acre fields.
the two big ones are strip grazed on the bigger field and come in at night with 1 slice hay each. and get 1 token feed at night of a handful pony nuts.
the 2 yearlings are on the other 2 half acre paddocks usually with inter joining gate left open and are in a pen about 4 stables in size at night with 3 slices of hay between them.they get one feed a day of good doer chaff and suregrow for vits.
all are good weights.
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Post by greydales on Aug 8, 2009 20:41:26 GMT -1
My overall acreage is roughly 13 acres (plus another acre and a quarter we are currently buying). The main pasture is two 6.5 acres (winter/summer) and the summer pasture is divided into 3 - the pigs have roughly an acre and a half, and the other two paddocks are approx 2.5 acres each. This year I've had all 6 of mine on one of the 2.5 acre paddocks and for once none of them have got grossly fat. They've been on this since March when the weather was dry enough to move them and have stayed on it. It's been more than enough for them and if they had any more, they would be bigger than I'd like. The 14 sheep have the other paddock and struggle to keep it down! I've already had to top it. So, sorry to ramble on lol - the simple answers to your questions are: I have 6 horses/ponies on 2 and a half acres (approx) They are normal weight (for once!!) They are out 24/7  |
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Post by lucydales on Aug 9, 2009 21:19:29 GMT -1
We have 20 acres restricted to 3 then down to 1 for 5 pones and a TB (who gets fed lots!), pones are starving (not) and get supplementary old season hay or barley straw if their ribs are showing or if they raid a shut off area due to hunger pangs or general bad manners or ingenuity!! All have the option to be in or out 24/7.
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Post by corabella on Oct 2, 2010 7:43:08 GMT -1
From reading this thread it seems that Dales/Native breeds would get fat if allowed unrestricted grazing. Does this mean that the ponies are kept pretty hungry most of the time during summer - especially if the grazing is good/rich. I will have about five acres of very poor sedge/heather/gorse etc and plan to have 2 ponies with a field shelter allowing unrestricted access - should this be OK?
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Post by harveydales on Oct 2, 2010 11:08:49 GMT -1
I think you will be absolutely fine with your grazing. Dales Ponies were bred to survive on that sort of land you have which is why they get overweight on normal pastures. I don't like to see ponies hungry and it's not healthy for them so I end up having to supplement my restricted summer grazing with hay. I use more hay throught he summer than in the winter.  |
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Post by felix on Oct 2, 2010 13:57:48 GMT -1
my 2 dales(1 growing yearling) and 1 dartie hill pony are now on a new field.i have approx 4 acres.iv split it so at moment they are on 1/3rd rougly.its ungrazed old meadow pasture thats been untouched for 3 years.they've eaten it down to shprt over most of the bit they are in now but still havent dropped any weight,im keeping them in there with no extra feeding until they drop off a bit as want to turn then onto remaining 2/3rds for most of winter.its knee high in places so should last them most/all of winter with no additional hay.
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Post by greydales on Oct 13, 2010 14:26:15 GMT -1
From reading this thread it seems that Dales/Native breeds would get fat if allowed unrestricted grazing. Does this mean that the ponies are kept pretty hungry most of the time during summer - especially if the grazing is good/rich. I will have about five acres of very poor sedge/heather/gorse etc and plan to have 2 ponies with a field shelter allowing unrestricted access - should this be OK? I would think yours would be fine on that kind of grazing. Mine are on ex-dairy pasture which is EXTREMELY lush and not what they were designed to eat - therefore I have to be very careful. This year they ate down the grass in one 2.5 acre paddock, so I moved them across to the other paddock where the grass still looked reasonably short, but after being on this for a while they all got fat again! What looked like not much grass was in fact still too much . All of them are now bigger than they should be, despite being on a paddock which they have eaten right down. They are telling me they are STARVING but I'm not listening lol. I've just got 60 sheep put into their winter field to eat it down before they go in there - otherwise I am going to have a huge problem come spring! |
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Post by SuzieP on Oct 13, 2010 16:07:47 GMT -1
From reading this thread it seems that Dales/Native breeds would get fat if allowed unrestricted grazing. Does this mean that the ponies are kept pretty hungry most of the time during summer - especially if the grazing is good/rich. I will have about five acres of very poor sedge/heather/gorse etc and plan to have 2 ponies with a field shelter allowing unrestricted access - should this be OK? That sounds like good land for natives. At least if the grazing is poor you can add feed if necessary - but if, like Gill, you've got lush grass your only option is to restrict, with all the problems and extra work that can cause. |
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Post by harleydales on Oct 14, 2010 7:25:34 GMT -1
I have some old grass and smoe new grass - and given the choice the natives head for the old stuff - they know what they need!
I have 4 and they share 2 fields of 2 and 1.7ha in the spring, summer and autumn. Both fields are split into 2, and the horses are in groups of 2, so each horse in essence has around half an acre.
In the winter they are more free range to protect the grass and prevent poaching, and also to allow them as much forage as they want to keep the feed bill down.
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Post by SuzieP on Oct 14, 2010 13:28:58 GMT -1
I'm so stupid!! I was thinking - blimey, Jane's horses prevent poaching...they must be scarey! Then I realised what you meant....
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Post by harleydales on Oct 14, 2010 13:29:51 GMT -1
LOL Sue, the poachers stay out of the fields  |
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Post by sammy on Oct 14, 2010 16:23:58 GMT -1
Ha ha!! Poachers! Any poachers in their right minds would stay out of our fields  |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 30, 2010 10:09:35 GMT -1
all six of mine go out at night on a 15 acre pasture.it doesn't have to much grass, mostly raspberry bushes, but they like it anyway. in the morning i put in some good grazing fields for an hour and a half or so, and for the rest of the day i pair them of and put em in dry lots with some hay. they also get some grain. no they aren't overweight, actually have trouble keeping weight on, as they do get worked pretty hard.they range in age between 4 and 9 years.
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