Cutting grazing land for hay?

[CountryCob]

Hello, I have a lot of grass ATM and wondering if it would be wise to have hay cut - if I can manage to get someone to. The fields in question are ones I want to use in winter - does it get cropped very short and how would it recover usually? Alternative is to let them browse it and have it topped...

I would if you can get someone to do it, if you take one cut as early as they dare you should get good regrowth even if it takes til September to really get going again. We always used to cut the winter fields once just to save the grass going to waste tbh. Now I just cut my hay from the field that has footpath through it as haven't got round to sorting fencing and hay is much less hassle with the public 😂

Thanks @Heyha I am going to try, seems a waste and getting long, thanks for the reply I am new to all of this!

We've just cut ours and hope to get another cut end August or so. And all the farmers around have just done a first cut too. Strange weather this year!

@Stanleysaysyes they are busy here too, very odd weather. Hope your hay turns out well. Do you know what makes for a soft hay? I have an elderly pony who much prefers that so may buy it in - is it as simple as soft grass?

Not sure about softness of hay, others on here may know more than me, but we try to grow good quality, ie a mix of meadow grasses better than seed hay. And that combined with keeping an old pony's teeth in order, so having vet (in preference to an equine dentist) check teeth twice a year.

Thanks @Stanleysaysyes, I certainly have meadow grass rather than seeded so it’s nice to know that is well thought of. Pony’s teeth are checked every 6 months and one was removed last time, she is 25 and they aren’t in perfect condition but making sure they don’t have narrow gaps in etc. Important that they aren’t just filed down as she is tiny and doesn’t have many - when I got her she had been regularly flooted but it caused issues as overdone and she didn’t have enough grip to eat, she mostly ate hay replacer but with a new and very qualified equine dentist she is eating much better. Since loosing the tooth she collects food on the other side of her mouth which needs to be cleared every couple of days which she is very cooperative about. I think it’s a matter of working with what we have got and she will mostly likely have separate hay bought in....

I'm no expert (I cut and feed whatever I get, luckily 😂) but I think soft hay is when it is cut when leafy rather than gone to seed and stalky. But at the same time you need to cut it after it's gone to seed so you can't avoid the stalks. Ours is old PP and some years is so light and fluffy it's irritating to work with! I think it might depend on the drying/weather to some extent too but as those of us on small acreages have to take the contractor when we can get them I don't have as much control over timing as the big boys do. You could always sell/swap what you cut to someone else to fund buying something that suits you better, people will always buy hay if it's not actively awful.