So Mr. C decided tonight he was going to brush hog our main pasture, which is actually a retired hay field that the horses graze on. Most of what he took down were wild flowers and he has the blades set on high, so most of the grass is not being cut, just the tall weeds.
However, the horses are still out there grazing in their usual spots. I’m not home but i will be soon. I’m panicking because i dont need anyone getting sick. But since he cuts high and doesn’t double cut the clippings, I’m thinking everyone should be ok.
I really don’t want to bring them in because they are on night turn out and we cant rake the field. They have been on this pasture for weeks so they have eaten down everything they can except the awful weeds.
Please ease my mind. Im sure it will be ok right? He isnt out there with the lawn tractor like last time and they were fine then. He says they aren’t eating the clippings, just eating where they normally do.
Uggg I love my husband i love my husband I love my husband!!!
I don’t want to make light of the grass clipping issue, but sometimes I swear that it all started when somebody took a black plastic trash bag, filled it with lawn clippings, let it sit in the sun for a week, and then fed it to horses. If I understand it correctly, in order for it to be dangerous, fermentation must have occurred. I don’t see fermentation happening with loose grass clippings in the field. Check it out yourself when you get home. If there are clumps or piles, I might worry. If it is lightly spread across the field, and you’re not having days on end of rain (which I doubt since he cut today!) I would not worry. My old gelding owed his life to grass clippings, when he was recovering from a debilitating illness. The barn owner made sure they never sat, and never got warm or started to ferment. I think common sense can be used in assessing the dangers.
I hope you get other responses in case I am being too blasé about this.
See that’s my thoughts too. It hasn’t rained and it isnt like when he mows the lawn and there are huge piles of actual grass. Theres just lines here and there of weeds. And since he cuts high i think they will be ok. And since they are used to this field I’m sure they will be fine but I wanted to ask anyway to ease my mind while I’m waiting on my DD to get out of the movies. I will check when i get home and probably several times overnight just to be sure lol
Thanks 
Well I know the pony has a cast iron stomach, but the old guy definitely is a hot house flower and DH mows their little paddocks about once a month and leaves the weeds and whatnot lay there, neither one of them, knock on wood, has gotten sick from it.
Not to worry, I bush hog the fields with the horses still in it. Clipping weeds “levels” the field between weeds and forage. Any grass that is clipped becomes hay as it dries.
Remember, the horses clip the glass, DH clipped the weeds!
A If they did not find the weeds appealing when they were growing, it is unlikely they will find them appealing when they are cut.
B As long as they have enough growing grass or hay that they are not too hungry, they will not eat the “unappealing” stuff.
C My husband does it all the time and I have never had a problem. even with Music who LIKES to eat things that give her a tummy ache.
Don’t beat the spouse!
What hosspuller & Janet said :yes:
I mow my pasture with horses still in it and they follow the mower to get the fresh clippings.
I do not keep them out after mowing and in 10yrs noone has gotten sick from this practice.
We always mow the pastures with the horses in it. Every farm I ever boarded at did the same. Never, ever seen a problem from it. I think you should thank DH for mowing!
I mow with the horses in the pasture. Even in spring when I do end up with furrows of fairly damp grass/weeds (PNW here). Never had a problem.
Yup. We mow occupied fields too.
[QUOTE=onthebit;7721447]
We always mow the pastures with the horses in it. Every farm I ever boarded at did the same. Never, ever seen a problem from it. I think you should thank DH for mowing![/QUOTE]
THIS!! He did the right thing. Weeds suck water and nutrients from the good grass. No harm done!!
Thanks everyone! All is good here and I’m feeling a bit silly because in all my years of horses and veterinary medicine I have not seen one horse colic because of cut grass. Sheesh sometimes I wonder where my common sense goes lol
Thanks for letting me publicly panic !!
Now to go thank Mr. C properly 
The farm where I board always bush hogs with horses in field, no problem!
We too mow and occupied field.
We all forget the obvious from time to time when it comes to worrying about our own personal critters.
It’s the process of raking and piling or bagging wet/damp clippings that causes the fermentation and fermentation can happen quite rapidly when this is done. Loose field clippings aren’t an issue because they haven’t been piled up to trap moisture and create heat. All is well. No worries about this at all.
So did you thank your DH??
Around here, I am THRILLED if I can get husband or teenaged son to mow for me!
Oh I did lol He’s a good guy, married into horses so there’s a lot he still needs to learn but even after 30+ years with horses, I’m always learning something new myself I remember the first time he went out into the field without me to repair the fence.
When we first got together, my ATV racing motorcycle daredevil who could do any trick on a bike or skateboard was apprehensive to go in the field with me. Well one day he was at my mom’s house where the horses and I were staying while I was taking care of her and he noticed that the fence along the run in needed repair. I was at work and he decided to go ahead with fixing it.
So he went in the muddy muck (it had rained for several days at that point) and started repairing the fence. Well, my goofball paint, Logan, is everybody’s helper and Mr. Chachie really didn’t know how much Logi liked to help. So while the soon-to-be Mr. Chachie was on a ladder at this point fixing a part of the run in roof, Logi comes over and swipes his hammer. (he can be very mouthy) Mr. C gets down off of the ladder and of course chases Logi throughout the boot suckin mud and of course, Logi likes to chase and be chased so him and Mr. C went muddin on foot in their paddock. From then on there, Mr. Chachie adores Logi. And also knows to watch his tools around Logi Mr. C now calls Logi his retarded overgrown Labrador because honestly, that’s how Logi acts. He’s a friggin goofball that loves to be near people and he’s not the kinf of horse that’s just “in your pocket”; no, he wants to be in your skin and breathing for you too. :lol: I don’t know if Mr. C would have made it this far without Logi’s antics but one thing I can tell you is that Logi sure has helped me to teach him how to live with horses
I lucked out when I married him. There are times when it gets overwhelming for him (read: frustrating for me) but he is a good guy. He won’t allow me to mow, even before I got pregnant but that’s ok. I write it off as a man thing. I do get to weed wack (oh joy!) and for the most part, the barn is my responsibility.
There are days were I wish he grew up farming instead of being a suburban redneck but I wouldn’t trade him for the world.
And SMF11, you are so right about having brain farts when it comes to our own animals. I’ve had vets yell at me during mild crisises (what the heck is the plural form of crisis?!) "you know this! Don’t start acting like a client now!!!) When it comes to my own, I tend to forget all that I know :rolleyes:
We had a herd of at least five with foals in our pasture every year for probably 15 years. Our grass gets super high, Dad always mowed it with the horses in, nobody ever got sick.
Don’t worry
Like the many others who have posted… I have my fields mowed while the horses are turned out. Never a problem. Except that occasionally the ponies like to play chicken with my mower guy.
I specifically asked my very reputable and good vet, “How long do I have to wait to turn out after I bush-hog my fields”? He chuckled and said, “Umm…about a minute?” He said it’s fine. What he said NOT to do is take your LAWN grass clippings, extra rich grass, cut it, put it in a pile in the rain and let them gorge on it LOL. We too cut our fields with the horses in them. We cut high and focus on the weeds and tall stuff. No issues!
