Absolutely shocked... Weather related!

Queenbee

Queenbee

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Well I never thought I'd see the day when my mare was happy to be in a stable!

She is 16/17 now and box walks and rears up (if she has the space) in a tantrum to be turned out, she is fine and very well behaved when you are in the stable with her, but if the yard is busy or another horse is being turned out, then she turns into the she devil! She churns every last inch of her stable up and plasters the walls in sloopy poo, then stands in the middle of the stable slowly and gracefully rearing up (full up!) She has been like this since I brought her in 2001, before that she was only stabled once or twice with her previous owner for very short periods of time. She will calm up if the yard is quiet and no ones around but has always hated being stabled to the point that she has in the past jumped out over the top of her stable :eek::eek:

When I woke up on saturday and saw the snow, you can imagine my horror and dread at the prospect of stabling her :eek: now I know that some of us wouldn't have bothered an last year I didn't but last year I had the use of a HUGE barn that they could go and snuggle in. So saturday morning I made their beds up chucked haylage out in the field and then brought them in at 4 that evening.

Saturday:
I could have kissed her when she saw me come to let her in and ran to the gate and whinneyed at me as if saying 'get me out of this cold and in that stable!'

Sunday:
Turned out at 9 brought in at 3, was calm and sedate to be turned out (I can't tell you what a shock this was) and once again ran to the gate to come in.

Monday:
Weather very nasty so I turned up, fed, hay and watered them at 8.00 then slid to work to pick up some work to take home. (folks, again she was OK WITH THIS!!!!!) turned her out about 11 and brought her in at three.

Inane post? Yes, so I am sorry to all of you who have read this and thought 'who cares?!' but I am soooo chuffed, you really have no idea how chuffed I am :D:D:D:D mind you, with the lovely sunshine this morning she wasn't slow in gallopping across the field and kicking the snow in my face as she did, whilst little foal ben tried to pick me up and hang me from a tree by my coat - so not everything has changed ;)

:D:D:D:D

How are yours behaving and coping with the weather?
 
They never cease to amaze! I used to have a mare who was an absolute pig if she was left in the stable too long (a throwback from an owner who would abandon her with no hay or water from 5pm the previous day until well after midday the following day).
She got a nasty abscess one winter and had to be stabled until it cleared. God love her, one afternoon I popped up from work to find her snuggled down in her bed and fast asleep with her nose in her shavings while the weather raged outside.
Once the foot healed, she became a beast again...
 
Is she's anything like mine it's just a case of belly ruling head. As soon as the grass is back she'll be desperate to get out again. (Sorry to be the bearer of bad news)

Mine has to be stabled overnight (yard rules) but if he's not first out he makes his dipleasure very obvious. Even now he's itching to get out in the morning but is hanging around the gate to come in by 4pm, which is unheard of. I normally leave him out until 7 just to avoid the tantrums! We have an arrangement now that if anybody gets there before me they put my horse out - he keeps theirs company and it avoids a Victor Meldrew horse.
 
You are all quite right of course, I know that as soon as it is time to go out she will let me know in her brick- like subtle way ;) The year before last she was stabled and was the calmest I had known her to be, I think she would even lie down in her stable at night! :eek: but the last month or so before 24hr turnout commenced she was a demon possessed!

annagain: ebony is exactly the same, she takes great ecxception to being anything but the first out in the morning! As I said she has come out over the stable door in the past, we had to put a bar across the top half to stop her doing this. It is quieter where i am now with just her and be, therefore it is just me that they see. I think this also helps. I am just thankful that they are both helping to make my life easier and not harder!

I have a nice net of sweedes to say thank you to them for that they like to chase them around their stables :D:D:D:D:D:D
 
Well it was our first incidence of snow today, I have been dreading this day as I really didnt know what to do with my filly do you leave them in or turn them out?? I worry that her little bones banging around on this hard, rutty, slippy ground cant be good especially with her physitis but thought if I leave her in she will not be happy and probably go twice as mental next time I turn her out so out she went!

First time she has seen snow and she was quite excited, went through the electric fencing and careered around the field :( nnnoooooo!

Managed to catch her whilst other half mended the fence and she went back in fine and settled, ive been and checked her at lunch and she was happy eating and i saw her trot and she doesnt look lame so hopefully we have survived first snow excitement without too many problems - touch wood! Lets just hope she's more settled tommorrow.

Does everyone else turn their babies out in the frozen weather? I checked with the vet, she said it may cause a small flare up but better small than confined and then let loose in a few days plus some bone concussion will help harden them off - I hope so!

xx
 
aimeetb said:
Well it was our first incidence of snow today, I have been dreading this day as I really didnt know what to do with my filly do you leave them in or turn them out?? I worry that her little bones banging around on this hard, rutty, slippy ground cant be good especially with her physitis but thought if I leave her in she will not be happy and probably go twice as mental next time I turn her out so out she went!

First time she has seen snow and she was quite excited, went through the electric fencing and careered around the field :( nnnoooooo!

Managed to catch her whilst other half mended the fence and she went back in fine and settled, ive been and checked her at lunch and she was happy eating and i saw her trot and she doesnt look lame so hopefully we have survived first snow excitement without too many problems - touch wood! Lets just hope she's more settled tommorrow.

Does everyone else turn their babies out in the frozen weather? I checked with the vet, she said it may cause a small flare up but better small than confined and then let loose in a few days plus some bone concussion will help harden them off - I hope so!

xx
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Yes, benny was out all last winter with the field shelter, lots of ad lib haylage and yummy dinner. This year he is being stabled purely because I have the facilities to do so. The second it thaws out he will be out 24/7 again. TBH the snow here is very deep, and even with the colder weather last night, the snow is still quite fluffy, so not to hard an impact on his legs, but I prefer them to have a good stretch around, he will have a good few canters, snort, then stick his head down for the rest of the day. Plus it makes them appreciate the warmth of a lovely stable ;)
 
aimeetb said:
ive been and checked her at lunch and she was happy eating and i saw her trot and she doesnt look lame so hopefully we have survived first snow excitement without too many problems - touch wood! Lets just hope she's more settled tommorrow.
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Apparently I didnt touch wood enough and we didnt survive without incidence! :(

Just as I arrived I heard an electric fence breaking swoosh - yep it was Martha, through the tapes into the next field, I couldn't see what she did but went and brought her in, she was jumpy but pleased to come in. Within 2 mins of being in she was holding her back leg up off the floor occasionally trying to throw herself on the floor to roll :(

Another visit from the vet, bandaged filly, lots of pain killers, swelling and box rest afterall! He is coming back to check her on Friday so please send her healing vibes!!

Sorry to hijack your post OP - really glad you mare has settled for you, hope Martha does too! xx
 
aimeetb said:
Apparently I didnt touch wood enough and we didnt survive without incidence! :(

Just as I arrived I heard an electric fence breaking swoosh - yep it was Martha, through the tapes into the next field, I couldn't see what she did but went and brought her in, she was jumpy but pleased to come in. Within 2 mins of being in she was holding her back leg up off the floor occasionally trying to throw herself on the floor to roll :(

Another visit from the vet, bandaged filly, lots of pain killers, swelling and box rest afterall! He is coming back to check her on Friday so please send her healing vibes!!

Sorry to hijack your post OP - really glad you mare has settled for you, hope Martha does too! xx
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Oh hun :( poor you, I hope she is ok, how is she in her stable? Hope she is settled in there. I have had a right polava with ben this morning trying to get him into the field, he just doesn't want to leave the yard. TBH I just open the gates and let them mooch out to the field, the yard is secure and its only a few yards to the gate but he just stays in the yard! I will be using a headcollar from now on! I can't believe how incident free and chilled it is for me this year, but there is always time for that to change.

Really sorry to hear about Martha, silly filly! Still, it must be quite wierd seeing all that snow, she probably doesn't know what to make of it. Does she have any company in her field thats older and wiser? ;)
 
Very tempted to put toffee in but I dunno how she would react. However I have 1 12x12 shelter and one 10x8 one in the field and they arent going into it!!!!!!!!!!!!! They just stand outside llooking cold and miserable.

Was going to ride out in it today but its just a blizzard here :(
 
queenbee said:
Oh hun :( poor you, I hope she is ok, how is she in her stable? Hope she is settled in there. I have had a right polava with ben this morning trying to get him into the field, he just doesn't want to leave the yard. TBH I just open the gates and let them mooch out to the field, the yard is secure and its only a few yards to the gate but he just stays in the yard! I will be using a headcollar from now on! I can't believe how incident free and chilled it is for me this year, but there is always time for that to change.

Really sorry to hear about Martha, silly filly! Still, it must be quite wierd seeing all that snow, she probably doesn't know what to make of it. Does she have any company in her field thats older and wiser? ;)
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aaaaaaahhhhhh bless ben all cuddly in the stable! Fingers crossed it stays that way for you - I wont touch wood it doesnt bloody work!

She is in a paddock inside a field with an older horse in and the field next door has an old pony in too but I think it is probably that she has had a bit of a hoon around and maybe couldnt stop in time - she has to be restricted because of her physitis but I think if I am going to have these problems I might aswell let her have a bit more room and maybe be with the older pony until things settle down - I just never know what to do for the best!

You shouldpost some pics of Ben hiding in the yard! LOL X
 
aimeetb said:
aaaaaaahhhhhh bless ben all cuddly in the stable! Fingers crossed it stays that way for you - I wont touch wood it doesnt bloody work!

She is in a paddock inside a field with an older horse in and the field next door has an old pony in too but I think it is probably that she has had a bit of a hoon around and maybe couldnt stop in time - she has to be restricted because of her physitis but I think if I am going to have these problems I might aswell let her have a bit more room and maybe be with the older pony until things settle down - I just never know what to do for the best!

You shouldpost some pics of Ben hiding in the yard! LOL X
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I will try and get some ones of the two of them in the snow before the weather warms and post them on here when I can. Just a suggestion but could you try Martha on a 'calming supplement' to take that edge off her. I used to use either lincoln valerian or magic 5 star plus with Ebony, she was a right heller when she had to put up with change so I used to pop either of those in her feed just to chillax her a bit. I think that having ben around has finally made her act like the responsible grown up! Although whilst she was at my friends yard (before he was gelded) she went back to her old self, jumping paddock fences for a passtime :D then she came back to ben and is all 'responsible and stuff!' Ben is a fairly level headed youngster, but I do think it helps him loads to have an older wiser (ha ha) horse to take after.
 
Ponies behave as usual in bad weather. Stand in entrance to stable (open into field) and grunt a lot when I turn up to give food.

It was the cats that amused me. I knew the weather was *****ty when Rosco didn't bother sitting at the door to be let out. Normally he's a very vocal cat when he needs to pee, but he hung right back, as if to say 'Don't you effin dare!'.
 
queenbee said:
I will try and get some ones of the two of them in the snow before the weather warms and post them on here when I can. Just a suggestion but could you try Martha on a 'calming supplement' to take that edge off her. I used to use either lincoln valerian or magic 5 star plus with Ebony, she was a right heller when she had to put up with change so I used to pop either of those in her feed just to chillax her a bit. I think that having ben around has finally made her act like the responsible grown up! Although whilst she was at my friends yard (before he was gelded) she went back to her old self, jumping paddock fences for a passtime :D then she came back to ben and is all 'responsible and stuff!' Ben is a fairly level headed youngster, but I do think it helps him loads to have an older wiser (ha ha) horse to take after.
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I think a calmer is a definately a good idea, at least for a few days when she first goes back out, she is on Sedalin at the mo in the stable just incase, I dont want her getting stressy and hurting her leg anymore so maybe I could just carry that on for a few days at half the does until she gets used to the weather! I think I will also put her in a paddock with the old pony for the first few days then if her leg is ok and her physitis is ok I may try turning her into the bigger field with them both, at least if she is with them she wont have any fences to try and get through!!

Thanks for the advice! :)
 
aimeetb said:
I think a calmer is a definately a good idea, at least for a few days when she first goes back out, she is on Sedalin at the mo in the stable just incase, I dont want her getting stressy and hurting her leg anymore so maybe I could just carry that on for a few days at half the does until she gets used to the weather! I think I will also put her in a paddock with the old pony for the first few days then if her leg is ok and her physitis is ok I may try turning her into the bigger field with them both, at least if she is with them she wont have any fences to try and get through!!

Thanks for the advice! :)
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No problem, hope it helps :)

When I used calmers with ebony I would do exactly that, only use them while she aclimatised. If your girl is good to lead, perhaps lead her around the field to begin with so she can have a good sniff at the snow and you can reassure her till you feel confident that she has relaxed enough to let her off. Hope she is feeling a bit better today :)
 
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