she was fine (I weaned her onto it). So is that particular field safe for her then? She was out last year on it and did good.. got a little fat, but not horridly so. So this year I was going to put her on the same field again. Is that field safe for her if she did fine on it last summer?
2007-02-18 17:45:37 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
The highest risk for a horse to founder is in the spring. When all of the fresh green grass is first comming up and your pastures are beautiful and tall and green... and deadly to some horses. We have two problem horses, on is HYPP and the other is prone to founder and has cushings. For these horses we use grazing muzzles. You don't want to keep the horse up to keep them from eating to much, then you disrupt their natural cycle and they may be more prone to tie up or colic if they are in a stall stressing because everyone else is out. We've found that the grazing muzzle allows them to be social in the pasture and get exercise, without the fear of them over eating on the sweet new grass and having problems. They still get their full feed and hay twice a day, this just restricts the amount of lush sweet grass they can have.
2007-02-19 00:56:11 · answer #1 · answered by auequine 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You'll just have to watch her and see how she goes.
If the pasture is fairly rough and dry, and your horse doesn't put on weight really easily, she should be okay, but never, ever put a horse that has previously foundered into a pasture full of lush green grass. I have seen horses and ponies founder so bad that not even surgery could help them and in the end, they had to be destroyed, and that is the last thing you'd want.
I suggest you wean her onto it slowly again, monitor her weight, monitor her soundness, and check daily that she isn't getting a lot of heat in her feet (hold the hoof off the ground with both hands cradled around the coronet and hold for about 30sec), you might need to compare different horses so you can determine when a horse has heat in their feet.
If she keeps her weight on well without additional feeding, good, don't give her extra food. A horse that founders is better to be a bit lean than overweight.
All the best with your mare, you sound like you care a lot about her and I am sure she will be fine if you keep a close eye on her.
2007-02-18 20:29:17 · answer #2 · answered by ThePONYKID 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
should b, but check with a vet incase.
2007-02-18 17:57:51 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'd surely think so
2007-02-18 17:51:56 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋