Will my horses be OK?

Question

My horses are getting used to the new pasture and they were on to get 40-45 minutes but got about 4 hours. I forgot. They have been getting about 1 hour a day for about 2 weeks so I thought they would be ok. When i found them they were off the pasture standing in a stall sleeping and were breathing calmly and they weren't bitting there stomach and rolling at all!!

Answer 1

I think they will be okay. If you are concerned, cut the pasture down to 45 minutes and hand walk them for a half hour each.

Answer 2

oh ya they are fine i did that too but they came in just happy and full but if they do start kickin and bittin at there stomach  and start rollin i would suggest you take em into a vet or call one at least their fine =]

Answer 3

maybe just tired...im sure they are fine and if you are that worried call a vet

Answer 4

It is not colic as much as founder that you have to watch.  Keep an eye on their feet for the next couple of weeks.  If you see lameness or rapid growth cut back on the feed and have a farrier or vet check them.

Answer 5

I'd keep an eye on them but sounds like they've adjusted and when full went into their stalls.  Give 'em a hot bran mash if you're really worried.

Answer 6

they'll be fine. i did that once. they were probably just satified so they took a nap. =]

Answer 7

I just slowly moved my horses to grass too.  4 hours will not hurt them, they will be fine!

Answer 8

Depending upon the size of your horse, your horse should be just fine. My horses are out to pasture as soon as it hits spring, but like I said about size - my horses are above 15hh.

If you have a small pony and the grass is very green or the pasture is filled with alfalfa, he may founder, but it's very unlikely any harm was done.

In fact, as a side note - I would reccommend not stalling your horses much. If they only stand in a stall except for 1 hour a day, you're going to do much more harm then if you let your horse out for 4 hours a day. Trust me, horses are meant to eat grass, you just have to watch out for ponies if the grass in the pasture is VERY rich, in which case I'd limit the grazing to about 2 hours a day (Assuming you have some alfalfa). If you just have normal grasses, be cautious in the spring and then go ahead and let them out on it for the rest of the time.

Rich grass is more likely to cause collic then founder, also. And take it from someone who has seen stabled horses go to grass, it's way healthier for their hooves for them to be moving around quite a bit and it's also far healthier for their digestion.

They should be fine!

Answer 9

haha cute yeah they shall be fine

Answer 10

it probably did them some good