Strip grazing is a method of restricting grazing for horses and ponies that are prone to weight gain and also maintaining pasture across the growing season. It involves fencing off a section or ‘strip’ of a paddock with electric tape and then moving the fencing regularly to allow access to fresh grass.
There are two options. You can move just one length of the fence progressively forward (lead fence), or you can move the fence forward and also behind (follow fence), so that the section that has been grazed can also recover.
The main benefits of strip grazing:
1. Weight Management: Strip grazing reduces a horse’s access to grass, which in turn, helps with weight management. Consuming too much grass can lead to obesity. Obesity can lead to health issues such as laminitis, joint issues, and respiratory problems. It also helps with weight loss at the end of the growing season as the ungrazed strips will still contain nutrient dense pasture.
2. Pasture Protection: Strip grazing helps the grass to grow at a healthy, productive rate because only a small area of the pasture is grazed at a time, while the ungrazed areas are rested and allowed to recover. Overgrazing without resting will result in reduced grass growth and quality as more nutrient dense grasses will be selectively grazed leaving the less nutritious pasture as the season progresses.
A recent study shows that strip grazing results in a more consistent weight over the season, and helps maintain nutrients in the pasture over the whole season.
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