A wwyd need people's advice!

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Jazzie

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I have a young mare who will be turning 3 in August. I have 2 options at the moment for the winter and I really don't know which is going to be the best. I have a 4 week old baby also so bear that in mind.
Option 1: grass livery on a huge 5 acre plot with one other horse, the grazing is plentiful and there are lots of trees that provide shelter but no field shelter or hard standing although I have the use of the livery yard for farrier and vets visits. I can access the field from a public footpath so could visit any hour of the day. No facilities mean I would not do any work with her like long reining until spring next year which I don't see necessarily as a bad thing.
Option 2: Diy livery on a small yard with individual turn out but restricted over winter so potentially she would be stood in stable for days/weeks however there is a menage so I could be lungeing and doing in hand work with her. My worry is that I will be busy with baby and not have the daylight hours to put the work in to do it properly. It will mean alot more work for me and the yard opening times are restricted which would limit my time even more. She would however have a nice stable to live in (I have never had a horse winter out before and am a bit soft on them re rugging and big beds etc.)
Should I just turn her away and man up? Thanks for reading and any advice is welcome!
 
Congrats on the new baby :) Option 1 sounds like by far the best option to me. Much better for your young horse to be out as much as possible, and it makes life easier for you with your baby too. My two horses live out 24/7 with only natural shelter and they are very happy, with adequate rugging and plenty of hay in the winter she'll be fine! :)
 
Turn her out, just a baby.

As long as she can be caught, lead politely and accept feet trimming/vet care and you have a dry area to use if needed she will be fine.
 
Option 1- i would much prefer young horse to be out not stood in. Also i am a great believer in starting them later so next spring would be ideal for me.
It also takes a lot of stress off you with New baby. Congratulations!
 
The real question is how good is the 5 acre field? Does it flood when it rains? No hard standing means horse may be stood in a foot of mud all winter with no break.

Personally I would go for the DIY yard because of the no stable/hard standing at the 5 acre field.

Our winters are incredibly wet now and I wouldn't want to leave my horse stood in mud for nearly 6 months without a break, if it doesn't stop raining.

That would be regardless of how hard it would be for me, the DIY just sounds a lot better for the winter. If the horse is restricted in turnout you could exercise it instead.
 
It's a no-brainer to me, option 1.
And that has nothing to do with your circumstances, it will be far better for the youngster to be out with company.
 
Option 1 from me too.
No brainer, you wont be worrying about feed times, mucking out, bedding etc - nor a fuzzy stuck in & you at home with baby :)

You could always find out if you can mark off part of the field early next spring so you can work in it lightly.

Save to get at least 2 outdoor rugs for her to swap about, if it makes you feel better that she is rugged ;) tho many of all types cope fine unrugged all winter :)
 
Absolutely the first option. She'll be so much happier, and there's no rush to begin working her if she's only three and you have a new baby (congrats by the way :)) to prioritise.
 
Thankyou everyone for your advice and lovely comments, I think I have made up my mind and going for option 1 it was my fav option to start with and you have mostly confirmed that. The grazing is good in winter and is on a hill so drains well. Here's to having a happy wooly horsey this winter, cheers everyone :-)
 
I am another voting for option 1!!! And you will be surprised how much you can do with the filly while baby is asleep in the pram on the footpath!!! Google the Parelli games....you don't need a manege or round pen, just a halter, rope and long arm extension!!! Have fun and relax with both filly and baby!!!!!
 
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