Annoyed with other liveries!

I understand people have the right to make a decision for their horses, but as a small yard of 4 horses none of which can be turned out alone without world war 3 starting i just feel a little put out that none of them are willing to compramise at all and let them have a little run about while we are mucking out or something. The stables back onto the field so they dont have to walk anywhere and the field is snow covered, not icey as in an ice sheet which even i wouldnt turn out on.

I think part of it is lazyness, less work and less worrying i suppose. Then again horses can have accidents at any time and I just feel an accident is more likley to happen after a long period of no turnout than if they had regular (albeit short) periods to stretch out etc. I have said I understand they arnt my animals and I have no say and was looking for alternative soloutions, all of which have helped so thanks!
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I am working on getting him more independant, he is better in summer but in winter due to lack of riding etc he seems to become more attatched to his field mates. He has come so far since I got him though, at the beginning he wouldnt even stable without attempting to climb over the door! I dont know how to make him more independant though, im a relative novice with horses with 'issues'!!

Anyway I have just been on the phone to other livery who has agreed mine and hers are ok to go out tomorrow for the day providing I put out and get in, fair enough im happy with that!!
 
forgot to say. You can provide hay or allow the horse to dig for grass. Rug ripping? If sunny, turn out without or dont leave them out long enough to become bored. There is no real excuse not to allow a horse some freedom unless its you who has hang ups.
 
that's good news, well done on your powers of persuasion! hope they're good and have lots of fun out in it!

bj_cardiff, my horses are out in the snow, on the arena, they were out in the blizzard we had on Friday too, and they were perfectly happy... playing in it, pawing at it, rolling continuously, doing karate kicks, throwing themselves in the air, whizzing around a bit. it was lovely to watch, and SOOOO much better than risking them getting colic from standing in all the time! i only leave them out for about 3 or 4 hours, with hay, but they have a whale of a time in it, and i'd never begrudge them that!

btw, horses are DESIGNED to cope with cold weather. feet that cannot possibly get frostbite, for example. they're happier in snow than in the hot summer sun! i cannot believe people who say that it's "too cold" for them... jeez, that is anthropomorphism carried out to the most ridiculous level, we are talking about half a ton of woolly-coated heffalump (rugged up if clipped out, obv), not a flipping newborn baby! gggggrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
sorry, rant over. as you were....!
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all the horses at my yard were in today but i chucked mine out, he had a big rug and a pile of hay, he was happy on his own but i went and found a youngster to go out with him. he rolled about 8 times got up and back down over and over, and then they galloped around playing like loons for a bit before tucking into their hay with the sun on their backs
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i dont understand some people
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I wouldn't put any of my horses out in the snow, there's nothing for them to eat and in my experience the horses either play, look misrable or start picking on each other or rug ripping..

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What
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Nothing for them to eat?...give them some hay
They'll play?... how DARE they
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They'll look miserable, start picking on each other or rug rip...again, give them some hay
 
We have limited turnout in the winter but can turn out when the fields are more solid. Ours have been out the past few days. one couldn't even wait to get to the field and rolled in the school on the way over.
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Ours are loving it, having a hooley and a roll and a root around.
Guess what, they are really clever, they nose the snow out of the way, then breathe on it to get some grass. I imagine this is what horses have done for thousands of years. We do stick hay out but my tb and welshy ignored it in favour of stretching their legs and foraging around.

My horse is the biggest woose i have ever met but she loves a roll in the snow.

Hopefully the native owner will see sense and let hers go out but if not, I would take him out on a lunge line and let him wander around, then take him off it and just stay nearby and see what happens. He doesn't need to be out for hours, ours were only out for a few hours and were happy to come in, that doesn't mean they would rather not have gone out in the first place.
 
I cant wait to get him out and watch him behave like an idiot which I have no doubt he will (and will take the camera). He should settle I hope but its not like he needs the grass he is still hanging onto that summer weight! Whos betting the snows melted tomorrow and this post has been for nothing lol?!

This whole livery yard thing sometimes stresses me out, since horses seem to be wrapped up in cotton wool. My horse came from a mountain on the edge of scotland previous to him ending up in an auction, this time last year he was out unrugged in the snow, bearing in mind he is an arab not a wooly mammoth. This year he cant go outside for fear of slipping or getting a chill despite a massive HW rug. To be honest i find the whole thing rather silly. I dont know i suppose thats my little rant over but this is my first experience of 'yard politics' as its my first year on yard!

Im just hoping this isnt the start of a winter long battle for turnout since its not what i expected moving to this yard!

Yes they do stand at the gate when they are sick, proberbly because they are hungry as its winter and grazing is limited. Others take this as they dont want to be out but my guess is that with hay they would be fine, im not allowed to hay the field so i guess i will never find out if im right or not lol!
 
greywelshie, i really feel for you, thank goodness i have mine at home now so no 'livery yard politics' and accompanying criticism of anything i might do!
mine are out with hay, and tend to be perfectly happy until around the time they're usually brought in, when they often stand by the gate (all-weather turnout, so no mud, in case i get criticised now for leaving the poor vulnerable delicate loves with muddy ankles for a minute!) looking expectant, in spite of plenty more hay available etc. but i'd rather they were out looking a bit bored, than in stables all the time...
 
Its not about turning them out for grass though is it - its too let them blow off some steam and have a run round - no harm will come to them.

I would just talk to one and see if you can persuade which ever is the most aminable - even if its just for an hour whilst you muck out etc
 
Mine live out with access to stable with rubber mats and are well rugged. They prefer being out to coming in to the stables in pretty much all weathers apart frm hot sun, when they always come in but the snow doesn't bother them one bit.

I am not into any of the 'methods' of horsemanship but I absolutely believe they are herd animals who need to move about. I'd do what you can to get your ponio out.

I do put out shedloads of hay though to keep them warm and give them something to do.

I htink the photography idea is a v good one mind.. Betcha another owner would be up for that and the could see how happy their pony was.
 
I'm in a similar position at my livery yard except luckily for me the other owner who shares my field tends to turn out more often than not.

In your position, I'd pick whichever owner you think will be the easiest to get round - most amenable/least set in her ways or whatever, you get the idea - get her on her own and try to talk her round into turning out, even for just an hour or so at first. If you can get round one the others should follow hopefully
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if he really wont go out alone and the others arent out and the menage isnt useable, why not walk him in hand in the field and an in hands graze?
sounds like its your only option tbh.
either that or move or buy a companion horse!
you cant make other people turn out their horses, no matter how silly their thinking seems to you.
 
Ooops. I turned the Dizzy one out today, and have left her out all night
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. She's young, the school is frozen, but she needs to exercise, so out she's gone
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. Looked perfectly happy. Mahoosive piles of hay (three wheelbarrows worth) for her and Little Lady to munch their way through overnight
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My lot playing in the snow.
[image]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ngfmpr3NnE[/image]

We get lots and lots of snow here. They would be in all winter if I waited for it to be gone.

I can tell you one thing its a lot better than mud...
 
Ours have all been out, when i arrived to bring them in yesterday they all happily grazing, playing and wandering around, not standing by the gate looking miserable. I got some lovely pics of the foals playing in the snow, they were fascinated by it!

Good for you being persistant i'm sure your horse will thank you for it and remember to have your camera at the ready!
 
I think it's a tad dangerous for us lot to make broad assumptions about whether other people's horses - that we know nothing about - should go out in fields - the condition of which we've never seen - in weather like this.

I have some fields that I wouldn't turn out certain horses when weather like this, would just end up with injuries.

Although alot of ours went out, and alot still living out, I wouldn't like to say whether owners of unknown horses on an unknown but inevitably hard field, should turn theirs out.
 
i would love to turn my horses out this week but unerneath the snow our field is VERY rutted and rock solid. my 4 year old would probably be fine but my TB is an IDIOT and would hooley round and break his bloody legs...what has annoyed me about this post isn't really the rights and wrongs of turning out in the snow- i think there are great arguments for and against, but the assumption that the owners aren't turning out just because its too cold....my horses normally go out everyday rain or shine with heavyweight rugs but in these conditions i'm not prepeared to risk it- if we were in a less rutted field then that would be different. this is why livery yards get bitchy because people fall out over how to manage their horses- if its DIY you should feel free to choose without someone falling out with you over it....sorry rant over. OP- i suggest turning him out and staying with him....
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I think it's a tad dangerous for us lot to make broad assumptions about whether other people's horses - that we know nothing about - should go out in fields - the condition of which we've never seen - in weather like this.

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Indeed, and there are certain people on this thread who would do well to remember that many of us have to keep our horses at livery yards where we may have no choice about things like what weather we can turn out in, and putting hay out in the field may be forbidden.....
 
I'd love to turn my two out. The field is solid ice, no snow, slippery and rutted. Also the little pony is laminitic prone so I don't want her eating frozen grass. I have put hay out in the past for her but she ignores it. They get upset when separated so I am keeping them both in. The yard is sheet ice as well so would be difficult to get them accross it.

As someone else has already said, we all have different circumstances and can only do what we think is right.
Jane
 

I have a nf pony who has reently been diagnosed with EMS & IR, so I can't turn her out because of the problems with frosty ground and also the slippery and rutty ground is her nemesis due to previous damage froma a rotated pedal bone. I do still walk her out twice a day where the ground permits or ride, - she's pretty happy as long as she's eating! Saying that however, if she is in too long then she is reknowed for throwing spectacular hoolies when she does go out (her imaginary friend tells her too) so I am also stuck between a rock and a hard place most of the time......
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Oh the joys of livery yards - not! Glad I am on my own place with my 2TB ex racehorses, who live out all the time with a shelter. They are extremely content, very sensible, even though one is only 4 and the other is 7. The ground was frozen solid till it snowed and now its better. I am convinced its because they came from a trainer who let them be horses living out as much as possible, between coming in for training.

Cant understand people who mollycoddle horses and bring problems on themselves and the poor horses. Its a modern thing and I wish we could go back to the days when only very hard working horses were kept in all the time between working. As for the owners, most of them do not know what proper work means...... Even the feed manufacturers say light work is up to 2hours hacking EVERY day! I have been on yards where if you went a 2hour hack, you were considered cruel, and most of the liveries there kept theirs in at the slightest hint of a bit of bad weather! Poor horses.

Hope you managed to turn out OK and the others start to see sense.
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Oh the joys of livery yards - not! Glad I am on my own place with my 2TB ex racehorses, who live out all the time with a shelter. They are extremely content, very sensible, even though one is only 4 and the other is 7. The ground was frozen solid till it snowed and now its better. I am convinced its because they came from a trainer who let them be horses living out as much as possible, between coming in for training.

Cant understand people who mollycoddle horses and bring problems on themselves and the poor horses. Its a modern thing and I wish we could go back to the days when only very hard working horses were kept in all the time between working. As for the owners, most of them do not know what proper work means...... Even the feed manufacturers say light work is up to 2hours hacking EVERY day! I have been on yards where if you went a 2hour hack, you were considered cruel, and most of the liveries there kept theirs in at the slightest hint of a bit of bad weather! Poor horses.

Hope you managed to turn out OK and the others start to see sense.
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Thank the gods, someone with a good dose of old fashioned common bloody sense! How refreshing
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. Once upon a time, horses were horse and that was the end of the story
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I take my hat off to you EXRACERFAN
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Thanks Wilma Bumfitt. I get quite upset by people who think I am the cruel one for letting my horses be horses. I am looking at this post again now as I was wondering how the originater is going on seeing as how the snow and ice is still with us. Dread to think how many have been kept in too much up to now.

Had a ride out with mine today with my partner and they were both extremely carefull and sensible when we had to negotiate icy bits. I was particularly pleased with the youngster as when I went to catch him, he was leaping, bucking and galloping around like a loon because the snow was soft and fresh - despite being on a very steep hillside at the time!

Would not like to have to keep them in and then let them out in it!
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