Roof fell in on barn. Putting mare in backyard for repairs?

[paintedpennypony]

We’ve had a heck of a week. There was a very mild storm Tuesday evening that pushed down a tree onto our barn roof. We were not home when this happened which made it even more terrifying. We got back after dark and I naively walked down to the barn for night checks, only to be confronted with a destroyed aisle roof. The tree limbs were overhanging their stall entrances but the roof over their stalls was undamaged. The horses were in their stalls munching on hay, not a care in the world. They are okay, not hurt at all, thank god!! The tree was very close to taking the fence out but very luckily the fence was untouched too.

After much scrambling and many, many phone calls and visits from contractors (and the acquisition of four additional emotional support chicks), repairs will start this Saturday hopefully. We will have to take down part of the dry lot fence for machinery to get down to the barn. We do not have any other fenced areas to put the horses aside from our backyard.

Normally I wouldn’t be concerned about this, but the last time the farrier was here he said that my mare had bruising in her white line indicative of laminitis and told me to cut back on her feed. I was not here to see it myself as I had a work event and my SO was holding the horses for this farrier visit. The only thing that I can reasonably attribute to this — if that is truly what he saw and not other, non-laminitis bruising — is that I had put the horses in the backyard to graze it down for 30 min ramping up to 2hr over the course of 1-2 weeks. Mare was never lame, no heat or swelling, vet is not concerned. Keep in mind this mare has never had an issue like this before and is not overweight, etc.

Anxiety levels are already high given the week’s events and I’m concerned about putting them in the backyard during repairs. I bought a grazing muzzle for my mare so it isn’t a free for all. I’m going to mow the backyard today and rake up grass clippings. I’m not an expert on managing sugar content in grass, but my very cursory reading said that cutting in the morning will substantially decrease its sugar content over the course of a few days. Is this correct?

What is the best way to handle this? WWYD? My only other guess is to buy cattle panels and put her underneath our little metal carport. That’s the closest thing to a dry lot alternative that I can come up with.

[endlessclimb]

I’d get the panels. Not worth risking laminitis over a temporary problem. Glad everyone is ok!

[trubandloki]

There are all kinds of things to make a temporary fence with. Like you already mentioned, panels or step in posts with electric.
Will your horses respect an electric fence with the mayhem of construction going on?

It might be worth reaching out to your farrier to get a clarification of what they actually said when doing the trim.

Does anyone you know have a small turn out situation you can use temporarily while you have the repairs done?

[LCDR]

I’d consider getting out my mower, setting it really low to basically scalp the grass, and turn them out in the yard. The grass might take a while to recover, but you’d have created a semi-dry lot for turnout.

[trubandloki]

The problem with that is, stressed grass is full of sugar.

If the horse at risk is wearing a muzzle, they will likely not be able to get much, if any, really short grass. So cutting it very short would probably be OK for that horse.

[Djones]

Two panels, put her in a corner of your yard so that the existing corner fence makes the rest of the square. Muzzle. In no time that small spot will be dirt and poop. Done.

[endlessclimb]

I like this idea. Then, when it’s all done, you can take the panels down, soften the edges of the dirt spot and make the “my barn roof collapsed” commemorative garden.

[trubandloki]

Yes! So simple and so smart. Good idea @Djones.

[LCDR]

Sorry I wasn’t clear. Scalping to me means there are no blades of grass or weeds left standing and keeping it that way as long as horses are turned out there. OP failed to specify the species of grass in the yard. My coastal bermuda yard can come back from its rhizomes within a few weeks following my brand of scalping.

[Djones]

I am pro “KISS” solutions whenever possible

[paintedpennypony]

No idea about the predominant species of grass; it’s a lot of different forbs and unknown spp of grasses

[paintedpennypony]

Amazing, incredible, fabulous. Thank you for the idea!!

[paintedpennypony]

Will definitely do a commemorative garden. Yikes!!