Advice wanted for keeping horse on grass livery

[aintgotnohay]

moving my horse thursday from the mud bath postage stamp livery yard field and small stable to a 5 star livery yard on grass livery.he has got copd and cant cope with the mud and is also a vetran.he is up to weight-has ready mash,bran,chaff,adlib hay,vetran mix and no bute.going on 5 acres of grazing with post and rail fencing,24 hour supervision etc.he has 10 rugs of various weight with and without neck covers-doesnt wear them all the time obviously and is not clipped as on holiday at the moment and is only a light hack anyway.this is the first time in my life i have had grass livery-my horse is stiff as a poker at the yard presently and he is a part bred arab.am i doing the right thing in your opinion by opting for the grass livery.i just cant cope with seeing him getting more depressed everyday at present yard which is why moved it forward a week.

 

[FairyLights]

You are absolutely 100% doing the right thing. It sounds like horsey heaven. One very lucky horse to have such a super place to go and live and one very caring owner.

 

[be positive]

It definitely sounds like you are doing the right thing for your horse, he should love being out on some grass. I have 2 pbas still out 24/7 it has been so mild they are fine, one has never been out at night over winter before and was a bit for a while but is now happy and food gets served in the field!

 

[Dexter]

My PBA wintered out naked last year in all that snow and -20 weather. She did just fine

 

[Always Henesy]

Definitely doing the right thing for your horse. Lots of grass and moving freely will no doubt be just the ticket.
My pure bred Arab is still out 24/7 with plenty of grass/ad lib hay and 2 small feeds a day and is looking a tad on the porky side actually (note to self, must put greedy gutsy said Arab on a diet)
Horsey heaven is having the freedom to move around and graze....

 

[aintgotnohay]

thank-you for your kind comments.
i know im doing the right thing as the poor old thing is creaking like an old ship at the moment.
he went out today but had to come in as knee deep in mud.

 

[fjordhorsefan]

My old one is out 24/7 at the moment, and he is so much more mobile and also a bit slimmer than last winter when he was in overnight. Your one will be fine, and it sounds like a lovely yard!

 

[ISHmad]

Living out 24/7 with adequate shelter, food and rugs if they are needed is going to keep your horse far more supple than stood in a box for hours on end. Moulton College had a Welfare Day a few weeks ago and one of the vets there was very vocal about stable kept horses compared to those out 24/7, arthritis etc. (I realise not many yards cater for 24/7 turnout 365 days of the year, just found it interesting what she said).

The new yard sounds fab.

 

[aintgotnohay]

oh definetly will be better for him.he is so stiff today as yard manager has said no turn out at all for anybody today.ive led him out in hand but he can hardly move.you not allowed to turnout in school either-well its flooded anyway so thats a no no aswell.riding him is a no no aswell today.well only 24 hrs to go so sure we can get through it and then off to horsey heaven with some 4 other oldies.cant wait!

 

[MrsMozart]

As others have said, definitely out

It was too cold for my oldie last year and I thought I was going to lose him; his arthritis made life miserable. But we've learnt to manage it this year and he's now on half a Bute and Devils Claw (with Milk Thistle to help protect his liver), and he's not looked this good in a long time . The only feed he gets is Baileys Lo Cal Balancer, with a small handful of Hi Fibre Lite to hold the Bute, etc. The field has so much grass in it and it's all just right for him . I keep a lightweight rain sheet with a neck on him as he does shiver like a jelly on speed when its cold and wet without it. I'll go up a rug if we get into minus figures temperature wise.

The Traditional Cob grows a coat like a Yak and is fine out . He's actually had to have a grazing muzzle on!

 

[aintgotnohay]

mines on the no bute stuff aswell-goes lame on all 4 if not on it-done wonders for him.he has been on the red ready mash for 6 weeks weeks to get weight on him and put 120kg on and is now looking well covered so changed to the blue ready mash to keep the weight on.