DR HARRY HOUSE CALL - 23/11/07



PROBLEM: A recently acquired pair of Shetland ponies was becoming sick every time they were let free to graze on their 15 acre property.

SOLUTION: The owners had more problems with these two horses than speed Gordon on a rescue mission! When they had been let out to graze they "gutzed" themselves, gorging on all the fresh green feed. Guess what happened each time? They suffered from belly ache, colic & acute diarrhoea.

The owners were advised by their vet to lock them up and feed only hay. The horses pushed the fences over to get at the green pick just outside their yard. With such long winter coats, its hard to measure the condition of the ponies. This pair was quite underweight, with all their ribs easy to feel and a hollow over the rump. Probably 25kh down on what I'd like.

The answer to the problem is "controlled grazing", using an electric fence (once the horses had been trained to it) to control their access to just a measured amount of pasture daily. On top of that, there was the necessity to control the weed Patterson's Curse, as it is toxic to horses, as well as to de-sex the male before he develops amorous intentions towards the filly.