Equine Restricted Grazing

Equine obesity is a growing issue that can lead to health conditions in the future. Obesity is caused by the horse/pony consuming more calories than they burn through exercise. Too much weight gain through excess grass intake can increase the risk of Laminitis. A useful tool to prevent this is restricted grazing.

Here are some ways in which you can restrict your equine's grazing:

• Strip grazing: Strip grazing involves fencing off a small strip of the field so that your horse has a restricted area to eat grass. Regularly moving the fencing back, allows them access to small, fresh patches of grass. This allows us to have control over the amount of grass they eat.
• Track system: This involves placing an inner fence in the paddock making a narrow track. This encourages movement as they have to walk around the track for grazing. This imitates natural behaviour and grazing habits.

If you need further advice or have any questions, please email community@oaktreeanimals.org.uk