cant get out of the stable now

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LittleD

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Hi is anyone else struggling with the ice? So far the horses have been in for 10 days - the firelds and roads are covered in ice, I've been able to walk around to the indoor school with my mare to have a run around, but now the whole yard is like glass so no one is risking the walk - any suggestions re stable exercises would be appreciated - apart from keeping her clean and tidy 2 15lb haynets and 3 tubs of water I'm lost as to what more I can do - i just hate her having no exercise. Oh treats on string, lickits etc - she doesnt want to know - never has done. thanks in anticipation
 
Ours is the same - polished glass and lethal! We have been down to the local builders merchants and got a load of salt so we can get them out, otherwise it is longer than I would like them to be stuck in.
I must admit that I would loose the lickits - they are full of sugar which will just make her a bit mentalist, esp when stuck in!
The only exercises I know are stretching ones, tbh I wouldn't do them if your horse is stabled as I would worry about stiffness and pulling something if I did stretches with them.
 
I know the feeling. Mine been in since last Monday now too. We have an indoor yard so I can occasionally let him wonder up and down that but then he irritates the other horses so its not ideal.
I have a treat ball which he rolls around and loves - he doesn't really go for anything else - I tried parsnips the other day and he spat that out in disgust!
My YO is great she puts all sorts of different things in his ball which keeps him interested and keeps him moving around teh stable. Which is great for him but not for my mucking out!
 
apart from cutting out all corn of any description and only feeding hay i cant think what else to advise. maybe putting hay in hayledge nets would make the horse take longer to get it so would be occupied for longer. can you get a crow bar or something and chipa t the ice and make a walk way to the indoor school so at least they can have a run around?
chip away at the ice then put the muck heap down in a pathway to the school. its what i do to get my horses to their paddock. a lot of salt helps too. i've looked at the met office weather long range and they are saying below average cold for weeks to come,so i dont anticipate any thaw soon.
 
I'd love to put rock salt/grit etc around but yard owner won't allow this - something to do with it not being within the law and they could get prosecuted - offered to buy the stuff and do the job myself - you'd have thought I was asking to practice witchcraft in the menage, so it's back to finding something to keep mind and body supple
 
LittleD said:
I'd love to put rock salt/grit etc around but yard owner won't allow this - something to do with it not being within the law and they could get prosecuted - offered to buy the stuff and do the job myself - you'd have thought I was asking to practice witchcraft in the menage, so it's back to finding something to keep mind and body supple
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There was a post about this last year when we had all the snow/ice. I believe this is because if the yard is not salted the YO is not liable if someone slips on ice and hurts themselves as it is obviously icy. However, if the yard was partly salted and someone slipped on a patch of ice which had been missed, the YO would be at fault and negligent for not salting properly.

Seems like health and safety gone mad to me. Our YO has salted parts of the yard so we can get around (the whole area is enourmous).
 
Ours were in for 4 days last week as the route to the school and fields was a complete sheet of ice. The problem is that is is quite a long way up to these areas, accross the car park and then up past the barn where the hay and straw is stored so there is farm traffic constantly up and down as they are the biggest local supplier. We managed between us to clear a narrow path to a thin strip of grass that you could just about lead them along but the leader had to be on the ice and if the horse was unsetted they ended up on the ice as well so some horses were just not safe to go up and down there. The chances of the farmer providing enough salt to clear a path some 5-600 yards long is remote! Last year for us was far worse, at one point they were stuck in for 12 days - we did try to clear a safe route but it was just impossible despite the application of several bags of salt.
 
LittleD said:
I'd love to put rock salt/grit etc around but yard owner won't allow this - something to do with it not being within the law and they could get prosecuted - offered to buy the stuff and do the job myself - you'd have thought I was asking to practice witchcraft in the menage, so it's back to finding something to keep mind and body supple
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That's mad!! Our yo hasn't bothered to salt or do anything about the ice (bit slack I think but there you go), so it is up to us. I have salted the small yard we are on and a track across the big yard too. At least our horses can get out for a leg stretch and I can get to their stables and to the feed room etc without falling over every two seconds! There are heaps of people on the yard too so if everyone does the smallest bit then it is safer for everyone (and that is a whole other rant!).
Surely if you choose to salt it is up to you and nothing to do with extra liability for the YO. Surely by not gritting anywhere, if you slip surely they can still be considered negligent as they didn't bother making it safer at all?
 
jumpthemoon said:
There was a post about this last year when we had all the snow/ice. I believe this is because if the yard is not salted the YO is not liable if someone slips on ice and hurts themselves as it is obviously icy. However, if the yard was partly salted and someone slipped on a patch of ice which had been missed, the YO would be at fault and negligent for not salting properly.

Seems like health and safety gone mad to me. Our YO has salted parts of the yard so we can get around (the whole area is enourmous).
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It's a myth that you can be prosecuted if someone has an accident on an area that you've salted. If your intention is to make the area safe, you can't be prosecuted.
 
jumpthemoon said:
There was a post about this last year when we had all the snow/ice. I believe this is because if the yard is not salted the YO is not liable if someone slips on ice and hurts themselves as it is obviously icy. However, if the yard was partly salted and someone slipped on a patch of ice which had been missed, the YO would be at fault and negligent for not salting properly.

Seems like health and safety gone mad to me. Our YO has salted parts of the yard so we can get around (the whole area is enourmous).
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Oh please tell me this isn't true! :mad: :mad: :(
Horses have to be shut up for days on end because someone might get sued! Typical human attitude! Money more important than horses well being and mental health! :rolleyes:
 
Mine have been snowed and iced in for the last 7 days! fields/school still white with snow, have managed to dig a small track around the yard so can lead them around that a few times just so they think they've done something!

I have salted most of my yard but it is so difficult isn't it with the whole thing about who is to blame if salt is or is not provided by yard owners.

Would you be allowed to buy your own salt for your own use? - you are v lucky though to have an indoor school though, like most people, I would love an indoor school to use at the mo!
 
nativetyponies said:
buy some kitty litter and clear a path..or even cheaper, muck out onto the stable yard...i really cannot get my head round all this "i cant put my horses out because the yard is frozen"..well deal with it, its NOT difficult is it?
:confused: :confused:
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Sadly for some its not that simple!
Grazing is too far away up a sloping track - several hundred yards.
Farmer would not allow a trail of poo running the whole way up there!
We are currently awaiting a lorry load of grit to arrive. Horses stuck in until then.
 
Mine have been in for 3 weeks now as I had my foal to waen and then it snowed.They get plenty of hay and grooming time. I am quite lucky that my mare has a 20ft by 50ft barn with her bed down the far end so at least she can mooch about as she is very creaky these days but my foal has been in a standard 12x12 since weaning and is being very well behaved considering he only goes to the one next door and back to be mucked out. My pony hasnt set foot out side his pony box at all as our yard at home is a skating rink and as we cant get any diesel through for the tractors we need to keep what we have so we can snow plough the local hospital, we are also running short on salt that is more vital for the hospital so cant use it for the farm.

The horses just have to stay in and will just have to put up with it, much better bored and stood in than with a broken leg.
A friend of mine who is a mixed practice vet got called out to a pony with a broken leg on the weekend as the owners decided to take it for a walk as it had been in for a week, the pony exploded and slipped and broke its cannon bone.
 
Our yard was like an ice rink on saturday, I wasn't going to leave mine in when the fields are ok for them to be out in and the road between the yard and field was clear so I got a shovel and broke the ice to make paths, someone saw me and also helped, mum swept the broken up ice out the way resulting in me being worn out, all the horses being able to go out and the ice not melting and refreezing so the path we made was there sunday too.
 
My goodness we are so lucky our YO/YM have cleared a path through the yard with a tractor and shovels and have managed to keep it gritted and snow and ice free. As a result our horses have been turned out every single day :) I will thank my lucky stars.
 
Slightly Foxed said:
It's a myth that you can be prosecuted if someone has an accident on an area that you've salted. If your intention is to make the area safe, you can't be prosecuted.
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That's not true unfortunately. In very very basic terms if you owe a duty of care to those using the area and act in breach of that duty (whether by act or omission) then you can be held liable for any foreseeable damage caused. You will not be "prosecuted" as such, but rather the injured person can bring a civil suit against you (although with the cost of most civil cases this is probably unlikely unless they are going to sue an employer/insurer etc).
 
We got together, cleared the snow before it all packed down, farmer cleared a good load with his tractor & we have kept the yard gritted. Sometimes I think liveries need to be more proactive rather than complaining that YM hasn't cleared the snow & now its gone icey.
 
kizzywiz said:
We got together, cleared the snow before it all packed down, farmer cleared a good load with his tractor & we have kept the yard gritted. Sometimes I think liveries need to be more proactive rather than complaining that YM hasn't cleared the snow & now its gone icey.
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Some liveries are proactive. It was us that cleared paths to lead the horses out and to get wheelbarrows safely to the muckheap. The Y/O won't salt/grit/or allow for muck to be left out.....
 
Large mirrors on a stable wall, the reactions can be very funny, my cob thinks he has friends, and my vainer thoroughbred just checks himself out from all angles haha :p but you have to be carefull its put up secure :)
Fingures crossed it all thores out soon !
 
CBAnglo said:
That's not true unfortunately. In very very basic terms if you owe a duty of care to those using the area and act in breach of that duty (whether by act or omission) then you can be held liable for any foreseeable damage caused. You will not be "prosecuted" as such, but rather the injured person can bring a civil suit against you (although with the cost of most civil cases this is probably unlikely unless they are going to sue an employer/insurer etc).
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Is it not a matter of intent? If a YO cleared/gritted the ice with the intention of helping their liveries, then fine, no case to answer. If they cleared/gritted the ice because they wanted their liveries to fall/hurt themselves, then, yes, they are liable.
 
Our yard was thick ice...like an ice rink on saturday morning!! luckily the horses are perfectly behaved and i walked them to the field (from yard, across a drive, over a little private road,down a ramp...ALL COVERED in ice) thankfully they matched my walk and took tiny steps! fields were alright...i put hay out! but going to stock up on LOTS of grit.....
 
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