Pasture rotation for older herds

Yard managers planning seasonal turnout.

• ◆Map paddocks against herd dynamics
• ◆Plan rest periods that protect the senior horse
• ◆Match forage quality to dental capability
• ◆Reduce laminitis risk in spring and autumn flush

1. 01.

   Reading the herd

   Identifying who gets pushed off the haypile.

   • ·Spotting low-status seniors at the gate, water trough and haypile
   • ·Body language audit: a 15-minute observation protocol
   • ·When to split a herd vs. when to add a buffer companion
   • ·Documenting herd dynamics for vet and owner conversations
2. 02.

   Rotation patterns

   Three-, four- and six-paddock systems for small yards.

   • ·Three-paddock rotation worked example for a 6-acre yard
   • ·Four- and six-paddock systems and where they pay back
   • ·Sacrifice paddocks: when and how to use them through winter
   • ·Track systems for laminitics — design principles and pitfalls
3. 03.

   Seasonal calendar

   When to rest, when to top, when to bring in.

   • ·Spring flush — turnout windows and grazing muzzle protocols
   • ·Summer dry-spell management and supplementary forage
   • ·Autumn frost: the second sugar spike most yards miss
   • ·Winter standing — shelter, hardstanding and mud management

Sketch a rough plan of your yard's paddocks with current herd groupings — we'll use it in a live design exercise.

Submit a 12-month rotation calendar for your own yard within 14 days; reviewed by the tutor with written feedback.

• §DEFRA Code of Practice for the Welfare of Horses, Ponies, Donkeys and their Hybrids
• §Equine Grass Sickness Fund — pasture management guidance
• §Longland & Byrd, 'Pasture nonstructural carbohydrates and equine laminitis' (J Nutr, 2006)