We all know the old saying of 'hay is as good as a rug', well that's certainly true for horses and ponies. Constant chewing of fibre in the form of hay keeps them warm from the inside out. 🥰
Keep your horses warm this winter by always having hay available.
Our hay nets and Hay Play Balls are awesome in helping to keep your horses and ponies occupied and offer great enrichment tools 🥰
When is your pasture safest?
Higher levels of easily digestible carbohydrates in your pasture can pose a potential danger to all horses during the transition from a low-grass/hay-based diet in the summer to the abundance of feed in autumn. However, horses that are insulin resistant (IR), have Cushing's disease, or are overweight are even more susceptible to laminitis.
Therefore, it is crucial to determine whether or not your pasture is safe for them. The safety of your pasture can be assessed based on the temperature and sunlight affecting the plants. Here are some general guidelines:
1. When night temperatures drop below 5°C, the grass becomes high in sugar and starch due to the stress on the plants.
2. If the night temperatures remain above 5°C, the lowest levels of sugar and starch in the pasture plants are typically between 3am and 10am.
3. Any factors that stress the plants, such as drought, frost, or overgrazing, can increase the sugar levels.
4. On sunny days, the sugar and starch levels are highest in the afternoon and evening.
Overcast or cloudy days result in less sugar and starch production in the grass, making the pasture slightly safer. Unfortunately, some horses and ponies may not have the opportunity to graze in the pasture for more than an hour a day, or not at all during certain times of the year.
Spring and Autumn are usually the highest-risk periods. When dealing with cases of chronic and acute laminitis, it is crucial to seek help from a veterinarian, trimmer, farrier, or equine nutritionist.
Making informed decisions and receiving the correct advice can make a significant difference in the life or death of your horse or pony, as well as their overall well-being. For horses and ponies with these conditions, it is important to note that sunny afternoons are never safe for grazing.
To read this Blog in it's entirety, please click on the following:
https://gutzbusta.co.nz/blogs/news/autumn-pasture-cautions
A rainy day here today, so happy to have a fresh round bale for the ponies 🥰
Here at GutzBusta, we have a large range of slow feeding options that help keep your horses happy, healthy and offer enrichment 🤩
Ponies enjoying some great nets for brunch 😍
Our Parallax Hay Play Balls are simply awesome 👌 A great snack and enrichment tool 🥰
just love this time of year... cool nights for better sleeping, warm sunny days for great photos ❤️😉🤣
Happy Ponies 🐴🐎
🌱 When is your pasture safest? 🌱
Higher levels of easily digestible carbohydrates in your pasture can pose a potential danger to all horses during the transition from a low-grass/hay-based diet in the summer to the abundance of feed in autumn. However, horses that are insulin resistant (IR), have Cushing's disease, or are overweight are even more susceptible to laminitis.
💕 Therefore, it is crucial to determine whether or not your pasture is safe for them. The safety of your pasture can be assessed based on the temperature and sunlight affecting the plants.
Here are some general guidelines:
* When night temperatures drop below 5°C, the grass becomes high in sugar and starch due to the stress on the plants.
* If the night temperatures remain above 5°C, the lowest levels of sugar and starch in the pasture plants are typically between 3am and 10am.
* Any factors that stress the plants, such as drought, frost, or overgrazing, can increase the sugar levels.
* On sunny days, the sugar and starch levels are highest in the afternoon and evening.
*Overcast or cloudy days result in less sugar and starch production in the grass, making the pasture slightly safer.
Unfortunately, some horses and ponies may not have the opportunity to graze in the pasture for more than an hour a day, or not at all during certain times of the year.
Spring and fall are usually the highest-risk periods. When dealing with cases of chronic and acute laminitis, it is crucial to seek help from a veterinarian, trimmer, farrier, or equine nutritionist.
Making informed decisions and receiving the correct advice can make a significant difference in the life or death of your horse or pony, as well as their overall well-being. For horses and ponies with these conditions, it is important to note that sunny afternoons are never safe for grazing. 💕
Our side loading larges are simply awesome and easy to fill. Available in a large range of hay net hole sizes to suit your individual needs.
Excellent for reducing feed times and making sure your horses, ponies or livestock have continual access to feed.
Thanks for your help Zoe 😅🤣😂
At GutzBusta, we have an enormous range of hay nets. 😀 we also have a huge range of hay net hole sizes starting at 2cm, 3cm, 4cm and 6cm. 🤩
Visit our store to see our range. Www.gutzbusta.co.nz
How to extend the length of your drawstring? Super easy!
If your horses 🐎 are getting a bit fussy and leaving some of the hay in their hay net, then a great way to help this is to add a biscuit of something really palatable like Lucerne (alfalfa).
Here I just open up this medium 3cm knotted hay net, make a hole in the middle of the remaining hay, insert the more palatable biscuit, fluff up all hay inside and then re-hang the hay net back up.
If there is nothing wrong with the hay in the hay net, it's just not as yummy anymore as they have eaten the best bits, this can be an excellent way to get them to eat ALL of the hay.
Love our hay nets, even if I do say so myself... LOL 😂
With a good few days of rain coming, I was able to fill everything up and now I only have to feed hard feeds each day and not worry about putting hay out in the rain.
So thankful for my shelter ❤️
Cherry 🍒 eating from a 4cm large knotless GutzBusta Hay Net ❤️
Thank goodness for the 2cm hole sized hay nets. 😅 We made some some really palatable hay this year, and for the first time ever, I needed to use the 2cm nets with our ponies. 🐎🐎