This is an archived Horseadvice.com Discussion. The parent article and menus are available on the navigation menu below:
HorseAdvice.com » Horse Care » Equine Nutrition, Horse Feeds, Feeding » Forages for Horses, an Overview »
  Discussion on Changing Feed Prior to Moving
Author Message
Member:
Melis

Posted on Friday, Aug 26, 2005 - 1:39 pm:

Hi, we're finally moving from FL to Upstate NY (Plattsburgh). We'll be leaving in 30 days. We're going to break the trip into three 8-9 hour trailering days with layovers at horse motels.

I've read all the nutrition and trailering articles but I'm not completely sure I've got it.
Currently, my two geldings are on good pasture which consists of bahia/bemuda grass (24/7) with just a handful of pellets to mix their supplements into. Their body condition score is around a 7-8. They can stand to lose a little weight.

Do I need to start reducing their pasture time and start adding in hay? We use coastal burmuda so I'm assuming it's very similar to what they're already eating. Unfortunately, I don't have any nongrass areas, so I'd have to stall them, if I need to reduce their pasture time.

Then once we get up to NY, do I follow the two hour/day rule since the grass will be different or not? I'm so confused!
Member:
Hwood

Posted on Friday, Aug 26, 2005 - 11:10 pm:

The grass will be different, Melissa, but it will be all hardened off . . . You can start your horses on some hay a couple of weeks before you leave, and bring some of your hay with you and mix it with the timothy or whatever they will have for local hay there in New York (many folks from the north/northeast get it from Canada)and you can put your horses on pasture for part of the day to start. Depending on the quality of the pasture there, you may want to continue feeding hay for part or most of the ration from September on.

Are you going to your own place with uncut pastures or will you be boarding your horses at a facility? Most facilities will have pastures that are pretty well eaten down by the time you get there. If it's your own place, it wouldn't hurt to have your pastures mowed or break them down into little paddock/grazing areas with electric fence before you put your horses out on the grass, just to start.

The farmers in VT used to start feeding hay exclusively by November 1st. Usually, by then, we'd had our first killing frost, so the pastures were all dormant after that. I usually started feeding hay before that.

Enjoy your new location. It is quite a change from Florida. Very rarely any fallout from hurricanes, but there are some really nice snow storms ;). You'll want some good Weather Beeta waterproof winter blankets for your horses to get through the sleety days and the below zero days and nights when the wind is howling.
Member:
Melis

Posted on Monday, Aug 29, 2005 - 1:28 pm:

Holly Wood,
Thanks for the reply. We're going to board for the first month in order to give us time to put up the fences and make the place horse ready.

I'm originally from Upstate NY...I can't wait to get away from the FL heat, hurricanes and the plethora of biting insects!!!!

Melissa
Home Page | Top of Page | Join Us!
Horseadvice.com is a BBB Accredited Business. Click for the BBB Business Review of this Horse Training in Stokesdale NC