# Nitrogen Fertiliser - can horses graze on it



## Lorian (15 April 2009)

Hi

Ive always thought that when your field is sprayed with nitrogen fertiliser that the horses cant graze on it until the rain has soaked it in etc.

My field is being sprayed by a farmer but I have been told that it is just Nitrogen fertiliser and it is pellets and therefore it shouldnt harm the horses and they can stay on the fields.  Does this sound right to anyone?

Im tempted to keep my horse in his stable for 24 hours just incase but he will go mad if hes the only one in and the others leave their horses out.

Any info greatly appreciated.


----------



## Britestar (15 April 2009)

I usually wait until it rains or 5 days if it doesn't (Not that that happens very often!)


----------



## TirionWirion (15 April 2009)

if sheep eat it they get burns in their mouths so I would assume the same with horses


----------



## Patches (15 April 2009)

We bagmuck (using what is known as a bagmuck spinner) nitrogen (little white balls?) onto our fields when the cows are in them sometimes!  Never done them any harm.

I would think it depends how long the grass is to whether I'd be concerned. The little balls do fall very close to the soil. Horses will obviously chew grass closer to the roots than cows though, so I can't verify either way with any certainty whether it is safe or not to graze horses straight afterwards.


----------



## cellie (15 April 2009)

Just had ours done.10 days without rain  but if you have half inch of rain can go on earlier.I played safe nine days  and rain.


----------



## kellyeaton (16 April 2009)

with horses you have to wait 10 days before putting back on the reason it does not harm cows is because they have 4 stomachs and digest there food differently!


----------



## Patches (16 April 2009)

[ QUOTE ]
with horses you have to wait 10 days before putting back on the reason it does not harm cows is because they have 4 stomachs and digest there food differently! 

[/ QUOTE ]

Ok, put in my place I think. I am obviously familiar with the anatomy of a cow, given I'm a dairy farmer's wife. 
	
	
		
		
	


	





I did say I wasn't sure on how it affected horses, so never said it was ok to put them straight back on to it. 

Four stomachs or not, I still believe they are not as affected as they don't chew grass as low to the roots and soil (where the fertliser is lying), unlike sheep and horses. Seems it's burns to the mouth which are the main issue, which would still happen....four stomachs or not.


----------



## scotsmare (16 April 2009)

We always wait 10 days / good dose of rain.


----------



## spaniel (16 April 2009)

Big risk of laminitis.   Personally I would wait as long as you can and ensure a really good spell of rain before putting horses on a nitrogen fertilised field.  Given the choice I wouldnt use it at all.


----------



## miller (16 April 2009)

I checked with the fertiliser manufacturer and vet when our old YO did our field with the prills (little white balls) whilst the horses were grazing (just drove in and out of them and wound them all up  
	
	
		
		
	


	




 ) - both said 10 days or 1/2" rain - hope that helps


----------



## Doublethyme (16 April 2009)

At my old yard, the fields were done in the evening with the horses in (well as long as you had read the late instructions left and managed to get them in....!) and then they went straight back out next morning. 

When I questioned my YO, she said that because of the new type of fertilizers used it was safe to do so - how true that was, I'll never know, but out of a yard of 30 horses, none have ever had problems grazing straight away and the little balls have always gone by the morning when the horses go back out, even if it hasn't rained.

Only problem I had ever was once at an old yard when it had rained really badly after fertilising and a couple of weeks later, after my mare decided to parade up and down in the really muddy corner where the water ran off, she came up in an allergic reaction (lumps), but it went down no problem in a few days of being in and never came back (well not for that reason anyway)

Ours are due to be done in a few weeks time and we have no where else to put the horses anyway, so they will be going back out virtually straight away.

Before anyone has a go, I'm not saying that is right, just saying we've never had a problem doing that and I've been on three different yards who have done this - one of which had over 100 horses!


----------



## Patches (16 April 2009)

[ QUOTE ]
Big risk of laminitis.   Personally I would wait as long as you can and ensure a really good spell of rain before putting horses on a nitrogen fertilised field.  Given the choice I wouldnt use it at all. 

[/ QUOTE ]

Must admit, I never have my horse paddocks fertilised. Always have enough grass over summer anyway. I only ever spray to control docks, thistles and a few patches of nettles that would grow up under the electric fence line. Even then I spray via a napsack, instead of the tractor. I don't want to kill all of the weeds the horses actually enjoy eating and which are no doubt valuable to their diet....like pineapple weed for example. 

Mine do, however, graze the dairy pasture for four months (maximum) over winter. I wait until the grass has stopped growing before putting them on it and they are taken off by the end of February, well before it gets going again and some 6 months after it was last sprayed.


----------

