[equestriandynam]

Okay so i am considering proposing a pasture board at the place i am at now so i can save more money for college. I plan to propose my horse be kept in a large feild about 8-10 acres i think. This time of year the grass is extremely pleantiful, and this feild isnt grazed so its rather healthy and to say 'excellent' pasture would be pretty accurate. It has bluegrass, some clover, bentgrass, and i believe ryegrass.
My question is, if i keep her in a paddock by herself (which she has no problem with btw) is it possible for her to founder or colic since it is alot of rich spring grass at the moment?
I am pretty sure she will pack on the pounds anyway even if i dont give her hay or grain, but is it possible for all this grass to be too much?

[Dawn]

What kind of grazing does she currently have?

[equestriandynam]

right now she is in a 3 acre paddock with another horse, the pastures are 'okay' the grass is fairly short though. I'd say fair. Same grasses are present though.
But at night they bring the horses in for hay and grain to supplement. It kills me that they arent using this big pasture!

[Nevada_Silk]

So, are you saying that your horse will be the only one on 8-10 acres of lush grass?

If so....I'd say that yes there is a potential for her to founder on that. I say potential as not all horses are prone. I have one that you could turn out in the richest grass available and he would just get obese. Your horse could be like he is. But then I have another that as soon as spring hits...she goes into dry lot mode. 2 hours on 'new' grass cause her problems. Personally, I wouldn't take the risk. I've dealt with a few found cases (mine and not mine) and it's not pretty.

[equestriandynam]

hm.. i see... thats what i was afraid of... now let me pitch this. because she wont be on it all day, if she is out in the regular pasture during the day, and goes in the big pasture at night, would that be alright as long as i kept an eye on her?
This is the plan anyway. Because the big pasture is where some of the horses work, so during the day she would need to be out of the way in the smaller pasture. But at night when the horses go in the barn she can go out to the big pasture.
Would this still be a risky arrangement?

[sugarsgal]

When we start pasture in the Spring, we do it slowly. We start with 20 min's per day for 4 days and increase it by 10 min's for 3 days, adding in one more turn out (so 2 outs of 30 mins/day after 1 week). When we get to 1 hour and all is good, we give the horses full day turn outs. Usually we keep it safe by taking 2 weeks before they can go out for the day.

[JBandRio]

2 words - grazing muzzle.

[Nevada_Silk]

Originally Posted by equestriandynam

hm.. i see... thats what i was afraid of... now let me pitch this. because she wont be on it all day, if she is out in the regular pasture during the day, and goes in the big pasture at night, would that be alright as long as i kept an eye on her?
This is the plan anyway. Because the big pasture is where some of the horses work, so during the day she would need to be out of the way in the smaller pasture. But at night when the horses go in the barn she can go out to the big pasture.
Would this still be a risky arrangement?

That's a bit less risky than 24/7 on lush grass. You'd still have to make sure it was done slowly.

JB has a great idea. I can't believe it slipped my mind. A grazing muzzle would be a great thing to invest in.