It's that time of year when the grass and other greenery is beginning to grow, and it fascinates me to watch Dude and Bestie grazing. I spend a lot of time doing that since it's still mud season and turnout comes and goes depending on pasture conditions. After the previous confinement, we had a run of really nice days, but now we're back to a rainy stretch and they've been inside for two days. I try to get them out for at least 20-30 minutes of hand grazing.
Bestie seems less selective than Dude at this time of year. She pretty much wolfs down whatever she can munch on and often seems to be inhaling it rather than chewing it up. I tend to graze them along the path that runs between the pastures since the grass there is pretty lush. Bestie is like a buzz saw making her way methodically down the path.
Dude wanders more as he grazes; in fact, he's all over the place. At this time of year he tends to grab clumps of young crab grass, dandelions and big leaf plantain along the path. He doesn't like anything fine (that goes for hay, too). Pretty soon he'll start avoiding the dandelions and plantain. I've read that those plants tend to get bitter as they age. His choices are interesting, given that you often hear that horses choose to eat certain plants for a reason. I've read that dandelion is rich in certain minerals and that plantain has a calming effect on digestion.
I recently read an article about growing an herb garden for your horse, which I thought was such a fun idea. The article is on holistichorse.com. Of course they suggest working with a knowledgeable practitioner of herbal medicine before treating your horse.
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