Been told to keep him in as the field is too wet...

Spit That Out

Spit That Out

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I've been told by the YO to keep my horse in as the field is trashed/on it's way to being trashed.
I'm a bit annoyed as it wasn't my horse that has ruined the field. He has two field friends and one of them is left out later than all the others and where he runs up and down the fence he's caused a 2m wide mud bath around 3 sides of the field.
Both myself and the other sharer have told her not to leave him out and to use the livery service provided by the YM at a charge of £1.50 to save the field but she hasn't taken any notice and now all three of us have to stay in.
The YO has told us that he hasn't got any spare fields and we have to stay in until two days after the last rain fall e.g. if it rains on a Monday we can't turnout until Thursday.

Now I'm quite lucky that my horse quite likes his stable however he's 2 and it's not going to be long before he's going to be a handful.
It's ok for the other 2 as they can exercise their horses however i can't do anything with mine.
I've been chucking him the indoor school for 10 mins in the morning to give his legs a quick stretch and walk him around the yard for half an hour at night but he's getting strong and I'm not sure how much longer I'm going to manage to do this without getting dragged?

Has anyone got any stable toy ideas to stop him from getting too bored?

I was going to be sneaky and turn him out for an hour while i muck out in the morning as I'm there so early, there is nobody else around, do you think this is a good idea?

My worry is that we are only in February and the weather won't be getting better for weeks yet. This rule of keeping in for 2 days after the last rain isn't practical. The weather forecast for next week is raining every other day...It's just teasing me!!!

I can't afford to move yards as i will owe a months rent at the yard I'm on, I'd have to pay a months rent to where ever we move to and i owe £110 for this months hay and straw bill. Apart from this turnout thing i also really like the yard I'm on.

Sorry it's so long and I'm not sure if you can help, i just wanted to have a quick rant :o
 
My yard is similar as when we have heavy rain/long periods of rain the horses have to stay in to save the fields. But the horses can go out after a day of good weather.

My 2yo is currently on box rest (on week 9) - so some ideas to occupy:

Whole swedes that roll around or hang on rope/bailing twine so it takes ages to eat.
Small holed haynets to may hay last longer.
Paddock lick (as this has everything in it - mine only gets a handful of chaff to eat)
Snack-a-ball or other stable toys.

Could you play some games in the school with him?
Lay poles out, small crosspole jumps for him to walk/trot over?
Could do a light version of free schooling - start getting him used to voice commands.
Walk up to/over tarpauline.
 
At our yard they are often in if the fields are wet, but we can turn out in play pen, exercises and if they're in in double net hay to make it last longer and sometimes give treat balls, swedes on string etc, hanging milk bottles top the wall is often a fun game for youngsters/those that like to throw things around!

Tbh, it works perfectly well for us BUT I don't think I'd like it with a 2yo.
 
Your YO should make it a yard rule that no one horse is to be left out on their own. And that the livery either pays him to bring the horse in or has an arrangement with other liveries that they bring the horse in in exchange for her doing something for their horses - turnout at weekends or something.

Many yards do not have enough grazing to cope with extremes of weather, I know that. But that doesn't make it right. I'd have a look round for other more suitable yards even if you aren't able to move immediately. A youngster needs to be out and about seeing the world and playing, not cooped up 24/7 so I can really appreciate your frustration OP.
 
I can understand your frustrations with it, but personally I wouldn't turn him out sneakily just in case you get caught! Could lead to further problems, worst being booted off the yard for not listening!

If he's 2 you could start to introduce long reining etc in the school to give him something to think about, relieve boredom a bit and generally get him out and about a bit longer than a 10 min leg stretch!

Is he fed a hard feed at all? A snack ball to put it in would take him longer to eat, give him something to do etc.

Can you take him anywhere to graze in hand for a bit rather than just wandering round the yard? He's looking at the same 4 walls all day, so an aimless wander round the same place might be very boring!

Could start bombproofing tasks, tarpaulin, cones, poles, bright coloured fabric, umbrellas, all stupid things that could be scary!

And lastly is there any reasoning with YO? Could you possibly explain that it wasn't your horse? Possibly offer to other livery that if they don't want to pay £1.50 for yard help that you will bring horse in for a trade eg feed yours at night, water and hay etc and politely mention that her horse has caused all the problem and your struggling as yours is only a baby!
 
I'd go and have a quiet word with the YO/YM and ask if you could quietly turn him out for a bit while you are there early - say that you are worried because he is a youngster and you can't ride him. Say that if he churns the field up you would bring him in again and go back to the ban.

TBH I think that most winter turnout fields get trashed at this time of year, and thats something (to an extent) that has to be factored into running a livery yard. A bit of rolling, harrowing and resting come spring usually sorts it out.

As someone else said, its the leaving horses out on their own that has caused the problems, and that is what needs addressing.
 
Move your lad to a field of youngsteres, e.g at a stud. At 2 he should be out 24/7 anyway, not coming in for any more than training purposes.
 
You need to speak to your YO and say it is not acceptable to keep a 2yo in it's stable 24/7. Ask for restricted turn out times as a compromise.

Otherwise you can loose school a 2yo or turn out into the menage while you muck out slowly.......
 
We are lucky where we are in that YO isnt bothered if the field gets trashed as there is a lot of land, however my friend is in the same position as you at the moment although her horses arent youngsters so she is just riding every day.

What I cant understand is why the field trasher was left out alone, I know if my horse was left out alone at tea time he would create too. Ive never been on a yard that leaves the last horse out. If I went to get my horse in then I would be expected to bring the last horse in too. Its a good rule as it works both ways, although in the past we have had people just not come back to there horse as they know he/she wont be left out, so have the stable ready and horse is put in by somebody else. This used to bug me a bit.

Cant you all come to an arrangement, then field trasher wont be alone, wont trash the field and you wont be made to keep them in. :)
 
This can be a difficult one and I see both sides points of view, its the same at our yard if the paddock needs a rest they stay in, but it can then cause problems for owners who’s horses are not happy in or get no exercise due to age. It seems more and more yards are going this way as fields are being developed and there is a lot less grazing than their used to be. If you cant come to an arrangement with the YO do you have the option of moving?

The old yard I was at, had the rule that no horse was left alone, when you brought your horse in if it left just one alone in the field then you went back and brought that one in also, so stables had to be ready in the morning just encase yours was to be brought in before you arrived.
 
Honey08 said:
I'd go and have a quiet word with the YO/YM and ask if you could quietly turn him out for a bit while you are there early - say that you are worried because he is a youngster and you can't ride him. Say that if he churns the field up you would bring him in again and go back to the ban.

TBH I think that most winter turnout fields get trashed at this time of year, and thats something (to an extent) that has to be factored into running a livery yard. A bit of rolling, harrowing and resting come spring usually sorts it out.

As someone else said, its the leaving horses out on their own that has caused the problems, and that is what needs addressing.
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This is frustrating isnt it. We are opposite a large field full of polo ponies who are out unrugged all winter, come rain or shine. They are fed hay as there is insufficient grass to last. Come the season they are off the field and it soon fully recovers looking green and lush and NOT churned up at all. Surely keeping the horses in for days when it is wet just causes them to churn the field up when they do go out as they have been cooped up?
 
Its very difficult for youngsters especially to keep mentally and physically healthy when there is no TO, I do sympathise with landowners not wanting to sacrifice a paddock for winter, but some yards do. I left my previous yard with fab facilities because restricted TO in winter was making my youngsters stiff. Kindly, my lovely (former) YO gave me a paddock nearby at a relatives, where I could turn them out, but this was temporary as other liveries didn't get the same priviledge. I had to bite the bullet,leave, pay my livery bill and fork out for advance livery on somewhere with 24hr turnout if desired. The move cost me a crippling £1000, but at least now its stressfree.
I really hope you can work an acceptable solution which suits your horse and the yard owner, soon.
 
I'm sorry what do people expect? Its winter, its wet, it gets muddy. Let them trash the field - it really won't take long to recover with good management.

If she fenced the fields off into smaller bits she could save areas that don't get trashed - either that or when you set up a livery yard make sure you have enough grazing for each horse - it really is simple maths. My horse goes out every day, whatever the weather. Yes, we are lucky enough to have our own land, but this hardly matters! They trash an area every year around the stables - some years its a huge area of mud, not great for us - but brilliant for bog hippo monsters to roll in :rolleyes:

But then come spring, that area is fenced off - the whole field is harrowed and rolled, and within a few months it is back to normal. :)
 
SusieT said:
Move your lad to a field of youngsteres, e.g at a stud. At 2 he should be out 24/7 anyway, not coming in for any more than training purposes.
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I 2nd that opinion, you could be building up behaivoural problems in him for later years that are not evident as yet.

If I had a 2 yr old in, I'd be very, very worried and a walk around the block will not stop it from happening.

Sorry for being so negative, it probbly doesn't help you for now:(
 
A good cheap toy which we just used for a week with my friend's 2 year old who was on box rest as she was lame:

Tie a 4 or 6 pint milk carton up in the stable with some chopped carrot in it. As she is only young we tied it up with a single string to make sure she couldn't get looped up in it. 2 - 3 carrots offered a whole afternoons entertainment!
 
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