Coping with young horses in the winter with no facilities.

[JACQSZOO]

I need some ideas please. I'm planning on my bringing my youngster home soon (as soon as I can find a new horse - easier said than done at the moment, there is nothing about).
How do you cope in the winter with a youngster and no facilities? Shes only 2 1/2 and I dont plan on doing anything with her until next autumn when I plan on taking her back to the yard to be backed, then she will come home again to chill for a while before the spring arrives and hopefully some decent weather.
I am now worrying how I will cope the following winter with a 4 yr old and no way of riding in the week. Do you just give your youngsters the winter off or do you muddle through as best you can?
I am really worried now whether I should just bite the bullet and sell her come spring, which I really don't want to, but I just can't see how I will be able to keep her going by not riding her in the week.
Not moving her is not an option, I just can't cope working full time and all the travelling I am having to do, its at least 30 minutes to the yard even in good weather. Even if I left her there I would'nt have time to ride after all the travelling

 

[welshies]

I have a 12 year old, 4 year old and 20 month old (all owned from max of 2 years old) and i have never kept them on yeards with 'facilities' and have always breaked for a couple or 3 months over winter, just bringing them back to lunging as soon as ground / lights / weather permits. Always managed to get 12 yr old reasonably fit and don't get any major problems with bordem. I think as long as they have other equine company and plenty of turnout (mine are out 24/7 all year) and you don't feed them anything other that fibre they are fine.

 

[millitiger]

winter off for my youngsters as i don't think you can make much progress with them by just riding on the weekend.

however, i am moving yards next month to a place with a floodlit school as mine will be 4 and 6 this year and as i want to compete they cannot keep having 5 months off in the winter as their schooling and training is going to drop behind where i want it to be.

 

[kylie88]

I have never had "proper" facilities and had quite a few youngsters. I just ride when I can in the winter and use hacks to school as well, never had any problems. They have always turned out well!

 

[Maesfen]

As she'll only be 3 i/2 next autumn, why not delay backing her until after the New Year so that with the lighter nights coming you can keep on instead of missing work due to ice and snow; she'll still only just be coming 4 then so just the right time for a baby.

BTW, you've moved nearer me now, we're about 3 miles out of W/church!

 

[ecrozier]

We backed ours last summer as a 3 year old, did bit of hacking til the weather closed in then he's been off, will start again in Feb. I think while they are 3/4, even rising 5, it doesn't matter too much if they have a quiet winter! I used to keep mine at my parents house with no failities and used to make do with hacking (in the semi-dark some mornings but luckily no roadwork involved), and travelled to a school once a week, and schooled out on hacks. Its do-able, meant a lot of hacking and a lot of early mornings to catch what light there was tho!

 

[Twirly]

My three yr old is having three months off this winter, but she isn't backed yet (too bum high when we got to that stage) Even if she had been backed she would have had the winter off...she'd done really well up to that point and deserved a nice break.

We still go out for walks in hand (or would if the lane wasn't like a skating rink!) and work on general handling / leading manners.

Did the same with my last youngster and plan to do it again with the yaarling when she's ready

 

[eggs]

Even though we have an indoor school our four year olds are out in the field on holiday for the winter. I don't think it hurts them to have the break and we don't product them to sell on so it is not a problem for us to take our time.