Pony Club C Test – Needs of the Grass Kept Pony

Keeping your pony at grass all year round has various advantages and disadvantages.
Fill in the table below to say what these are.

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
 Pony Club C Test – Needs of the Grass Kept Pony

All ponies need to be able to spend some time each day exercising and relaxing
outside. There are certain things we need to do to ensure that their needs are met
and that they are safe and secure.

Item Requirements

FENCING

GATES

WATER SUPPLY

GRAZING

SHELTER
 Pony Club C Test – Needs of the Grass Kept Pony

Summer Winter
Water

Food

Shelter

Rugs
 Pony Club C Test – Needs of the Grass Kept Pony

Keeping ponies successfully and healthily at grass requires a good routine. Place the
jobs into the correct columns in the table below.

DAILY WEEKLY LESS OFTEN (how often?)

Jobs / Checks

Checking gates Picking out feet catching pony checking fencing

looking for litter looking for rabbit holes checking water
grooming looking for poisonous plants poo-picking checking shelters
worming FWEC checking pony's health exercising fly repellent
 Pony Club C Test – Needs of the Grass Kept Pony

Feeding the Grass Kept Pony

Look in the Manual of Horsemanship and / or 'Keeping a Pony at Grass' to find the
information you need to complete the sentences

• The main functions of food are: To keep the pony a................................. ,

To keep the pony w................., To keep the pony in good

c................................ and to give the pony enough e…........................

to do the w...................... required of it.

• From A.......................... to O................................... , g...................

is usually sufficient to supply the pony with all the n..................................

and f.................... (roughage) it needs.

• From October to April the grass is less n...................................., so

additional food in the form of h................ and, if your pony is working hard,

h.............. f....................... (concentrates) will be needed.

• Hay may also be required in s................................ if the weather has been

extremely hot and dry.

• Ponies who get f.................. easily or are prone to l..............................

will need to be moved to a b.................... paddock and fed hay, – preferably

s.............................. throughout the main growing season.

• When feeding hay in a field with more than one pony, there should always be at

least …...................... more pile of hay (or haynets) than there are ponies.

• Ideally, if feeding c.................................. to a pony who lives with others,

the pony should be fed o.............................. the paddock or all of the

ponies should be fed at the same t..............................

 Pony Club C Test – Needs of the Grass Kept Pony

A little bit of extra research to do. Answer the following questions

1. Which other animals will help to keep the pasture free from worms?

2. Name 3 'good' and 3 'poor' grasses that can be found growing in the paddock.

3. List 4 different ways you can provide water to your pony in the field.

4. Draw a diagram of your 'Perfect Paddock' (it's not an art contest – a simple line drawing is
fine!). Show how many sections your paddock would have and label what type of fencing,
gates, shelter and water supply you have used.
 Pony Club C Test – Needs of the Grass Kept Pony

Poisonous Plants
Name these poisonous plants

1 2 3

6
5
4

8 10
7 9
1 6
2 7
3 8
4 9
5 10