Anyone Others Still Living Out?

[Snowfilly]

Our 5 are all out still. The clydesdale who was foaled in Inverness and lived in Aberdeen until he was 10 was delighted to find out snow exists in Cornwall, the highland and Shetland x welsh are mobile snow balls with well frosted coats. Not a rug in sight and although they've got the field shelters open, the only thing in them is a mouse family who moved in yesterday.

Baby Welsh was a bit freaked but he's never seen snow or ice before, and we've had three days of dragon impressions and leaping about, and Mums old broodmare is very relaxed and happy, she's got a yak coat going on despite being Anglo Arab.

But they've all got thick hedges on all sides, ad lib haylage and us smashing the water for them. The little ponies know how to break the ice but it's gotten too thick.

We're struggling to get up and down to them and have done a lot of walking - the last freeze like this, there were still farms in the village with helpful farmers but now our field is the only one not with holiday lets on so no kind farmers to help.

 

[PoppyAnderson]

Shetland is out unrugged, clipped cob has heavyweight rug on. Both are toasty warm. They have access to a huge sheltered field shelter but don't really use it and neither do they jump on the full topped-up-daily hay nets. They're mooching about in the fields picking at the grass mainly, happy as pigs in the proverbial!

 

[coss]

mine are also happily out - well rugged and plenty of hay. Top up with hot water twice per day.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

MoC, you must been feeling relieved at seeing for yourself that your neds are fine, even though others are also keeping an eye on them. Good move to use the binoculars .

The thaw won't be long now...

you are more optimistic than I! if I hadn't been here alone I might have been tempted to hike over but I am, and have other animals to think of and it would have been daft to risk it.

 

[LaurenBay]

To balance the thread, my two who normally live out with access to field shelters are currently coming in at night and are very happy to do so! They relish the break from the bitter wind and rock hard ground.

I am not a sheep, btw, I just assess the horses in front of me and assess their needs.

unfortunately mine can't be stabled due to arthritis, but I do miss tucking her up into a cosy stable at bedtime!

 

[hihosilver]

My Irish boy and pony companion live out 24/7 with rugs and adlib hay. I went down yesterday and they were huddled sheltering in a corner. The field is not particularly sheltered with trees or hedges. I noticed they had hardly eaten any hay. We bought them both in and have out happy boys back! I do think it depends on horses and the field. I m sure they would have been fine staying out but I slept much better last night!!!

 

[Fiona]

My son's two ponies are still living out 24/7. The blanket clipped one has hw combo rug on and trace clipped oldie has mw with a fleece underneath. Both eating hay and looking happy 😁

Fiona

 

[Nudibranch]

We brought in to the covered yard for 24 hours as it was extreme even for here. But I opened the gate again this morning and they've stayed out voluntarily since. There's hay under cover and hay tucked under a dry stone wall and it's the outside they'll eat by choice.

 

[irishdraft]

To balance the thread, my two who normally live out with access to field shelters are currently coming in at night and are very happy to do so! They relish the break from the bitter wind and rock hard ground.

I am not a sheep, btw, I just assess the horses in front of me and assess their needs.

Mine also normally out 24/7 left them out the first couple of snowy nights now coming in at night as water troughs completely frozen and soaked hay is freezing in field which is very windy and they dont have alot of shelter. They are pretty happy about it getting a break from the wind, snow and rock hard ground.

 

[Cecile]

Certainly depends on where you live, some people with animals are having a terrible time in various parts of the country, here we just have loads of what looks and feels like cold icing sugar and frozen troughs

I'm not looking forward to all this melting as then our forecast says rain........ yuck

 

[Mule]

Mine are out with access to stables. Had to insist the mare came into the stable last night as she refuses to wear a rug. Have to keep her chaser clipped as she gets itchy with a full coat.

She spends the day basking in the snow. She's also taken to eating it. The geldings look so cute playing in the snow.

 

[TGM]

Thank you all! I know really that they are fine but can't help worrying, especially when so many are not letting there's out at all!

I think there is a difference between those who are normally out 24/7 and are being left out, and those who are part stabled and are not being turned out currently due to the weather. It is often the bringing in and turning out in icy conditions that is the problem, plus horses fresh out of the stable going out onto deep, frozen rutted fields tend to cavort about without realising the conditions underfoot and therefore do themselves an injury. My pony is used to being out 24/7 and she has stayed out - there is plenty of natural shelter in the field and she has plenty of hay and water and seems quite happy. The part stabled ones did go out in the field one day when the ground was still soft underneath the snow, but now it has frozen into hard ruts in the gateway we are turning out in the school instead, because I can't trust them to be sensible! Conditions vary a lot even within a few miles, we had 8" of snow early in the week that hasn't thawed and had more snow even today, yet people just 30 mins drive away have only had a scattering of snowflakes. You have to balance the pros and cons in each individual case.

 

[laura_nash]

Mine are out, unclipped and unrugged, no extra forage as they have plenty of grass and the snow isn't deep (plus they have weight to lose). There is plenty of natural shelter and they are perfectly happy, went up to check them this afternoon and they were playing like yearlings.

I did take them some sloppy fast fibre yesterday evening. I also coated my rescue pony's hooves in hoof grease and gave him some bute as he had developed "ice stilts" and looked really uncomfortable - presumably the affect on old joints from walking around on high heels. Judging by his antics this afternoon it did the trick.

Water is the main issue, lugged up some warm water with apple juice in it and left it in a trug this afternoon as I'm worried about the state of the water in the trough and whether they have been drinking, its an automatic trough and the pipe has been frozen for a while now.

I couldn't bring them in if I wanted too, as "in" for me is an open-fronted barn on a yard / tiny paddock and the wind is blowing the wrong way, straight into the barn.

 

[Boysy]

My 3 fully clipped, and rugged accordingly, natives are out 24/7, Wednesday night was our worst for cold, -7 with a wind chill of -12, I felt bad so went up and brought them in, overnight they barely touched their nets and the stables were a mess so clearly they were not impressed about being in, left them out overnight since and they are happy again, they come in day times for a break and I do believe that's enough for them as they simply want to get back out again despite it being arctic conditions at the moment.

 

[ozpoz]

Mine is normally out 24/7 but the field water troughs are frozen and none of them looked happy to be out so they came in at the start of the bad weather and stayed in yesterday. Out all day today but are back in for the night, looking very pleased about it.

 

[TheresaW]

My 3 live out all year round. They have some natural shelter, but are quite happy in the middle of the field. All are unclipped, but the 2 oldies (25 and 21) do have rugs on. They are getting plenty of haylage in big wooden boxes to stop it all blowing away, and still have grass. All seem quite happy including the naked one! Only thing I’m struggling with is water. Unable to get my car up to the field, so lugging a container fill up the lane is hard work, and it probably freezes 10 minutes after I leave anyway.

 

[tiga71]

Mine are both out 24/7, but come in for a few hours each day. One 20 yr old cob, clipped, other 9 yr old ISH, clipped. Both are happy to be out, happy to come in for a feed but happy to go back out. Have plenty of hay, buckets of sugar beet water in field to encourage them to drink. Having extra feeds with sloppy sugar beet which they think is wonderful, good doers so usually get a handful of chaff once a day.

My helper brought them in for me the other morning, it was blizzard like. Usually they have the feed waiting for them in the stable but she hadn't put it in yet. Old boy comes into the stable, looks for his breakfast and can't see it. Promptly turns round and leaves the stable before helper could shut the door. Trots out of the barn and stands by the gate to the field. No breakfast, no point in being in according to him!

 

[JJS]

My four are still out too. The old boy did seem to be feeling the cold more today, so I considered bringing him in overnight, but figured he was better out with an extra rug on top to avoid him seizing up in his stable.

 

[Shooting Star]

Yes we’ve got 30+ out at our yard and they’re all coping fine. Extra hay, more rugs for those that need them and lots of ice breaking. I’m sure they will have dropped a bit of weight but that’s not a bad thing with spring grass just around the corner.

I was greeted by the geldings herd having a mad 5 mins this evening with lots of play fights (had to look away for the picking each other up by their rugs bit!)

Whilst it’s not been the best of weeks with lots of snow, very low temperatures and bitter winds they’ve all come through it fine, the wind has dropped and temperatures are just starting to rise above zero so it will soon be over.

 

[Clannad48]

Our WB is out 24/7 currently with a rug - she has access to as much hay as she wants and access to a field shelter which she never uses.

 

[Mule]

The mare who refuses to be blanketed let me put a blanket on her this morning! She seems to have decided they're a necessary evil in this weather:devilish:

 

[JJS]

Two of mine have now come in. The blizzard-like conditions and howling wind haven't been an issue for them, but with the snow thinning, the frozen ruts underfoot are absolutely horrible to walk across, so baby horse was taking herself off to the areas that were most deeply under snow to avoid stepping on them. Seeing as those spots were away from the other horses and the haylage, I figured she really wasn't happy, so brought her and the old boy into one of my stables. She now has a lovely, thick straw bed underfoot and seems much more contented

 

[Landcruiser]

Mine have free choice with open stables, one unclipped/unrugged, the other clipped and wearing a mediumweight. The unclipped one is 100% out, he hates to be in. The other will often put himself in if it's raining, but otherwise out.