OK all you clever grass type people, please help me.

Our fields were cleared and reseeded last autumn and we have since split them in to smaller paddocks for the horses to graze.

The problem I appear to have is that, in 2 of the paddocks in particular, there are vast areas of the grass which the horses just refuse to eat.

In one paddock I would say they only eat about 25 percent of it, then stand looking forlornly at me demanding hay when there seems to be loads of juicy grass everywhere!

When the field was reseeded, I specifically asked for 'horse' grasses, although I spose theres no proof the guy did as I asked him.

Does anyone know what is going on or how I can sort this out?

I harrow the fields once I have moved the horses out and give them a good few weeks rest before putting the horses back in again. But, I have never topped them, would this help?

Please help as I am pulling my hair out at the waste of grass!! And I'm desperately hoping I don't need to start all over again!

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Mummy's little monkey

Yes topping your fields should help, my girls leave long patches of grass and I always top the fileds after they have been in them and usually a couple of times a year when they get long - but the horses must not be put back on until all the grass has died off and if you have got any raggort you must make sure that had completely gone bofre putting them back in there. Topping grass helps it to grow stronger and produces better coverage.

Harrowing more often will help, and topping! Depending on how many horses are in there harrow as often as you can to stop the patches developing.

You could try making the paddocks a little smaller so that you can rest an area for longer and it makes them eat right up to the droppings, as they get low on grass. Maybe you have moved them too soon, if they are hungry enough they will eat it.

We have also had up until now a lack of rain to wash it through. If your horses are wormed often (and I know they are! ), then wait for them to clear some of these patches is really not an issue.

I do not find the grass over here very good for horses and I will be buying UK seed ths winter and just topping my up. It all seem very patchy soft grass, so that the it grows soft and long to enable to cows to gets their tonges around it to pull it. Although topping has made mine better, I need to fertilise at get some rye grass in it to make it more hardy under foot.

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Horseybird; unpaid Horseball groom in Normandie.