Anyone Own A TB That Doesn't 'Do' Winter??

Ginger Bear

Ginger Bear

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Each winter, round about the end of December, my tb decides that he will no longer go out in the field for about a period of 2 weeks. We have lovely grazing, huge fields, lots of friend out, but every year about the same time he literally refuses to go out into the field.

If I manage to get him anywhere near the field he will trot round me & literally drag me back to the yard.. If he does decide to go out when he is in this mind set, he will last about 20 mins before galloping up and down the fence line, when I then bring him in he will drag me back to the yard, bunny rearing and being a general pain in the backside, at times he is even dangerous.

Monday this week, he has now decided he will go back to normal & go back out all week. He is never a handful to handle in any way at any other time in the year. This year he has been the worst ever, he's decided to stay in for around 6 weeks, only now returning to normal. Funny thing is, it's nothing to do with how cold it is or muddy, end of last year has been super mild and beginning of this week was icy/freezing and he stayed out all day.

Anyone else got a 'special' horse! lol..
 
LJR said:
Makes you wonder what they are actually thinking, doesn't it :D

All I can say that it is not exclusive to TB's :D
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Sure does, he literally decides when he wants to go out in the field!! Annoying thing is, there's no pattern to the behaviour, not based on cold, wet or windy days, just when he feels like it! I then have to mind read when he is ready to go back out!
 
Are there foxes around your fields? One of my ponies freaks out at this time of year and I put it down to crazy fox activity, breeding season can make other animals fraught and foxes marking their territory leave stinky scent everywhere
 
Not exclusive to tbs ;) There were days that my arab would refuse point blank to go in the field, I could get him to the gate but that was it. There were days that unless he was tacked up that he would refuse to leave his stable at all.
 
My boy has come out of his stable that is in the barn & spun to go into the empty stable next door rather than let me take him outside! They are funny!!
 
I have a Welsh Mountain pony like this. Hers is definitely when she thinks the weather is bad, if I do convince her to go out she stands at the gate & YELLS to come in. God forbid she she's someone in the garden 😂😂
 
Oh thank god it's not just me then! I confess I thought it was something I was doing to make my horse like this! All the other horses on my yard are more than content to be out and will be happily grazing on what grass they have (many with less than he has). I put hay out for him every day, sometimes I put his treatball out too; anything to keep him occupied. I leave him quietly grazing, but if he's out 5 mins longer than he thinks is acceptable, voila, he's ploughed his field, torn off a shoe and made himself lame. Oh and God forbid if he's out and it starts to rain...
 
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Mrs G said:
Oh thank god it's not just me then! I confess I thought it was something I was doing to make my horse like this! All the other horses on my yard are more than content to be out and will be happily grazing on what grass they have (many with less than he has). I put hay out for him every day, sometimes I put his treatball out too; anything to keep him occupied. I leave him quietly grazing, but if he's out 5 mins longer than he thinks is acceptable, voila, he's ploughed his field, torn off a shoe and made himself lame. Oh and God forbid if he's out and it starts to rain...
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Totally get this!!! My boy is just the same, 5 mins too long & im going to pay for it bringing him in! He's the only one who does this on a large yard of about 65 horses.
 
Mine will not go out if its raining. You will never get him out his stable. And god if hes out and its starts raining, hes straight over the fence and stood outside his stable door!
 
My friends horse was the same (TBx), she didn't much like going out at all in winter and she really hated being out in the rain or cold even well rugged up, she would just stand at the gate and yell! We did find out the lady she came from aged 6 (who was her breeder) kept all hers in 24/7 in winter.
 
My sister's ISH hates going out on cold, wet days. He's 17.2hh and built like the end of a house, but his winter coat is about the same thickness as my horse's summer coat. When the weather's really bad we normally just keep them in, otherwise he either stands at the gate and sulks, or bullies poor Jazz all day!
 
My friend's little pony is the same. On Saturday he got turned out by one of the other girls at about 7am before he'd had his bute (Saturday's her day to turn out on the yard rota but she had just got back from holiday and didn't know he was on it). I got him in at about 9 to give it to him and we then had a Mexican standoff about going back out. I thought he was going to go up at one point. Given he's normally out until 5, he can't have thought it was coming in time. I think his motivation is more the fact that there's plentiful hay in his stable though. He's the most food orientated little pony I've ever come across. Even a handful of hay is enough to get him onto the trailer if he's playing up!
 
2 hours mine lasted today;he even had the cheek to trash the field right in front of me, while I was divoting yesterdays damage!
 
glamourpuss said:
I have a Welsh Mountain pony like this. Hers is definitely when she thinks the weather is bad, if I do convince her to go out she stands at the gate & YELLS to come in. God forbid she she's someone in the garden ����
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I also have a Welsh mountain pony like this

this morning he needed a feed bucket clanged against his backside to get him out of his stable and a scoop of nuts held under his nose to get him to the field. he will stay out till about 6pm and will be livid when I get him in, sometimes he doesn't let me touch him and I have to leave him in his turnout rug for the night! My husband calls him the Princess Pony

The Welsh pony who is actually finer loves the outdoors and wouldn't be stabled if he could choose
 
I have a cob that doesn't do winter. Last year he injured his hock running aroud and bucking because it was raining and he wanted to come in.
 
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