Do we make having horses more difficult than it needs to be..???

SatansLittleHelper

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Just pondering after reading a few threads on here about giving up horses and so on. The main reasons seem to be time and money.
But do people make it too hard for themselves?? I mean so many people spend money on bedding, livery etc and so much time on mucking out, feeding, trekking across fields to turn out.
Because I have a disabled child and I suffer from depression, which gets quite severe at times, I have had to simplify my horse management.
Instead of stabling my horse lives out 24/7 with a field shelter and a pal. This only costs £60 a month and no mucking out/turning out to do which obviously saves on time. Large water troughs that automatically refill, saves times and back breaking lol.
Because I opted for grass keep I managed to get land to rent minutes from my own doorstep so less time/fuel for travelling. If I'm feeling energetic its close enough to walk to. Nearest livery yards are a few miles away and not cheap.
Basic feed...balancer/chop/kwikbeet...saves time/money.
No shoes...saves money.
I appreciate that this lifestyle wouldn't suit all owners and horses but I do wonder if it could be an option for some that are struggling.
I find that it's less pressure as I only have to go up once a day if Im having a bad time of it...or go up 5 times a day/stay there all day..whatever, if Im in a better frame of mind.
Please dont get me wrong it can be naff not having a stable/school etc but on a personal level the benefits far outweigh the negatives.
Nor am I trying to make out Im perfect lol...but I just sometimes think it could be less stressful and less pressure for people struggling :eek:
 

MrsElle

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I keep my horses much as you do. I would really struggle at the moment if they were stabled as I am working long hours, but can get away for an hour or so to see them at some point.

Sometimes I just run up, give them a pat and a check over and that is it. Other times, when it is warmer and I am less busy, I will take a book and a chair, and after grooming/poo picking I sit and read. Bliss :)

Keeping them the way I do definitely takes the pressure off.
 

Pearlsasinger

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I think that you are right!
Many people seem to like complications, then believe that their horses can't live without clipping/rugs/complicated feeding regime etc, etc. And as for 'my horse is bored/wasted' being a field ornament/happy hacker.
I'm sure that the VAST majority of horses would be fine living out 24/7 without any interference from people, except for the provision of adequate forage and shelter, if they were allowed to get used to it. Horses do not have ambition.
 

madmav

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Love your positive post. Glad you have found a great way to maintain horse, family and yourself. Sometimes life needs a bit of sitting down with and having a chat with to see the best way of dealing with it for the best. Never easy, but we must plough on.
 

Goldenstar

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I ilke the way I keep my horses clipped groomed trimmed stabled turned out every day washed once week tack room full of clean tack , It is a lot of work even with help but it makes me happy.
 

SatansLittleHelper

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GS my post wasn't really aimed at people like yourself...you seem to have it all sorted :D And I will confess to being somewhat envious that some people are so on the ball and organized etc. ...I'm useless unfortunately :eek:
 

Goldenstar

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Oh I know what you where getting at .
The thing with horses is that it's supposed to be fun if it's not change what you do.
 

Shantara

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GS - I wish I could have horses like you! I was so excited at the prospect of getting to keep Ned like a "normal" horse, with a stable and bedding etc. There's something pleasing about it.

Sadly, Ned made his feelings quite clear and now I keep them more like you SatansLittleHelper! He's in a field, with a little bit of hard feed, no shoes and a little pal. The only thing I REALLY have to do each day is water and check there are still 8 legs in total. The only thing I'd like to change is the cost of the field. £40 a week is on the high end, but Ned is happy, which means I am happy!
 

Auslander

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Totally agree OP. Mine live out with a shelter. All are all well rugged, fed, and hayed. They are all happy and healthy - better than they were when stabled overnight as they're all getting on a bit now. I have stables, but only use them when the horses who are in work come in before exercise, an when the farrier is due.

Mine are clipped (well - 1 is), trimmed and groomed too GS - and my tack room is full of clean tack. Having field-kept horses doesn't automatically mean that one has dirty, scruffy horses and filthy equipment ;-)
 

Goldenstar

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Totally agree OP. Mine live out with a shelter. All are all well rugged, fed, and hayed. They are all happy and healthy - better than they were when stabled overnight as they're all getting on a bit now. I have stables, but only use them when the horses who are in work come in before exercise, an when the farrier is due.

Mine are clipped (well - 1 is), trimmed and groomed too GS - and my tack room is full of clean tack. Having field-kept horses doesn't automatically mean that one has dirty, scruffy horses and filthy equipment ;-)

I did not say that I just said I like my horsey life I don't think Turning everything out would not make me happier.
 

Aarrghimpossiblepony

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I keep my pony at grass much like the OP.

One of the things that I can't put a price on is not being anywhere near a yard. Inevitably we compare ourselves with others and if you are feeling down, we do it more. Everybody else seems to be doing "better", seems to know more, has a better relationship with the horse, rides better, knows more.
It's hard to believe in yourself under that pressure.
 

Spring Feather

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Yes. Yes. Excellent post SLH. When I lived in England I kept my horses in stunning stables at night time, I clipped them, bathed them, groomed them daily, picked their feet out more than once daily, cleaned my tack after every single ride ... oh the regime I choose to live under. I liked it at the time however, but once I moved here there were certainly moments of panic about how to do it in a way that was soooo totally alien from what I'd done for the whole of my past lifetime. Over here I have 10 times as many horses and no they aren't kept in the same manner as I did back in England. They are very well cared for but they are not pandered to in the same ridiculous fashion that they were in the UK. They live far more natural lives here, I realise now after doing it both ways that the way they lived in the UK was for me, not for them. I have the choice here to keep my horses either way (I have a lovely custom built stable block which has nothing in it!) and there really is no comparison for me now; my horses are all very happy to live out 24/7 and I'd never bring horses into stables every night ever again. I'm more in tune with them now I think than I ever was. Before it was for me, now it is for my horses.
 

SatansLittleHelper

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Im a wimp...the idea of shutting a horse in a box for any length of time brings me out in a cold sweat :eek:
But Im somewhat claustrophobic so I guess it could be me projecting my own feelings..??

Also as my daughter is frequently in hospital it would be very difficult for me to be tied to having to turn out a horse etc.
 

jeeve

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Just pondering after reading a few threads on here about giving up horses and so on. The main reasons seem to be time and money.
But do people make it too hard for themselves?? I mean so many people spend money on bedding, livery etc and so much time on mucking out, feeding, trekking across fields to turn out.
Because I have a disabled child and I suffer from depression, which gets quite severe at times, I have had to simplify my horse management.
Instead of stabling my horse lives out 24/7 with a field shelter and a pal. This only costs £60 a month and no mucking out/turning out to do which obviously saves on time. Large water troughs that automatically refill, saves times and back breaking lol.
Because I opted for grass keep I managed to get land to rent minutes from my own doorstep so less time/fuel for travelling. If I'm feeling energetic its close enough to walk to. Nearest livery yards are a few miles away and not cheap.
Basic feed...balancer/chop/kwikbeet...saves time/money.
No shoes...saves money.
o



I do the same as well - 24/7 turnout, no shelter but rug in winter for 2-3 months. No shoes. Hay fed once a day. Use a harrow on the paddock or a slasher from time to time. Much cheaper, horses happy I have more time.

My horses are sometimes filthy - depends on the weather and the amount of rain/ mud etc, but they are happy, and they scrub up alright. I could sort this with more rugging - but rugging is a big time waster, and they dont really need it, so I dont do it. But it is warmer over here than in UK.

My tack shed is neat and organised.
 

Exploding Chestnuts

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Not everyone has the choice: where I live there is nowhere to rent a field, the standard practice is to allow turnout in winter but not if weather is extreme, all horses must have a stable. They also need extra fodder in winter, so hay or haylage has to be arranged.
There is a high proportion of kids with ponies, so toilets are needed, and as they gather during weekends and school holidays they like to have a settee for lunch breaks. Not saying this is essential, but we are talking about a significant part of their social life.
Safe hacking is often not available, and the type of riding people do nowadays tends to be manege based.
I notice those few who do have a field tend to be pet owners rather than riders. Occasionally I see horses standing in a dirty boggy field for months on end, with little or no shelter, I bet they wish they were tucked up in bed every night.
 
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siennamum

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My regime has varied with the same horses, and the whether or not they are competing seriously.
This year they are all out 24/7 with large round bales in the field. I absolutely love it at the moment. When it gets properly muddy or horrible weather I may feel differently.
I've evented my mare in March off the field, kept this way, currently one of the horses is out aff SJ every weekend, my sons horse will event next yr, they aren't just pets.
It is nice to have clean horses it must be said, but that is a bit of a luxury at the moment and I don't have the time.
I don't think it is massively cheaper, we are getting through x4 round bales a week, for 11 horses, whatever that costs compared to them being stabled.
 

linperrie

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I have only experienced horses being stabled so wouldn't know about them living out try 24/7. By even on yards there are those that seem to spend ££££ and time on theirs, Mucking out beds down to the last tiny piece of poo every day and wondering why they have been there 2 hours already and that's before the horse has been bought in. The other side are those that do a 30 sec trick that passes for cleaning the bed, throw horses in stable and go home again with same time tomorrow attitude. These are the ones that don't see farriers, vets, dentists etc but somehow survive! I hope I am in the middle. On the days I have time I do a full muck out, groom lots pamper, ride etc. On others days I leave her with a clean bed (not gleaming!) Make sure she is healthy, fed and watered then I go home again. Bare minimum takes me 30 mins. I don't put myself under pressure to keep a high standard as I'd go crazy rushing all the time! However getting my girlie to live out 24/7 is not an option. She never has done, is now 19 and looks forlorn and ready to come in after 3 hours out in the winter! She is a stable horsey at heart! :)
 

Costypop

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Good post op! One that I must remember next winter, as currently trying for a baby so my horse will have to live out next winter to make life easier and cheaper. At the moment he is fully clipped and wrapped up, next winter he will be on holiday so no clip, hoping to find a large field with a few others so he can chill out and play. My partner is looking forward to the cheaper costs , costs me about £500 per month at the min, fingers crossed it will be just a few hundred next, that will help with my lack of income
 

AdorableAlice

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Interesting thread and comments. I like my riding horse to be clipped, clean and tidy and the others to be in over night during the winter. So in the middle of the night when I hear it blowing a gale and hammering rain down I know they are dry and snug. Lots of work and cost but thats how I do it and I treasure the land they are on and have the up most respect for the owner of the land and facilities I am fortunate enough to have so try very hard not to trash the ground.

February 2013, reality check. Snow on the ground 6 stabled including a pair of 2 year old and an in foal mare, I am told am ill (very), surgery within days and a gruelling summer of treatment. I vividly remember telling the surgeon I could not have surgery until May when the horses would all go out 24/7, he glared at me over the top of his specs !

We turned them out and put bales in the fields, the only one to lose weight was - me worrying about them !

Of course we must never forget horses are all individuals but yes, it is very easy to make things too hard for ourselves. Long may this dry spell continue all mine are out bar an injured one, the good weather will make the winter shorter.
 

Pigeon

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I wish mine could live out 24/7, unfortunately not an option on our yard (they have to be in at night through the winter) but all of the yards here are the same. So winter does seem gruelling compared to summer, with all the stables to do etc. So yes, having your horse out 24/7 makes better sense for you and the horse! I couldn't have em somewhere without facilities (arena, lights, tap, tack room) though, would drive me mental!
 

GeorgeyGal

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I know what you mean, I have a toddler and a horse on DIY stabled at night, hubby works long hours but it works as I love it and go down v early and little ones nan watches him for an hour in the arvo. Money works out reasonable (I put away for vet emergencies), and I'm also looking to get another horse so it can't be that bad!

On a similar note I'm always miffed when I hear people give up because they feel they are not good enough. I haven't had a lesson in over 20 years and wouldn't be able to show you half pass or shoulder in v well but who cares, I enjoy hacking out and have gained my experience mainly that way, what about the enjoyment anymore, people shouldn't be so hard on themselves.
 
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buddylove

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Mine will only come in if the weather gets awful. At the moment they are happy out with a feeder full of hay, shelter and rugs. They have stables waiting for them if needed. This suits all round, they are happy being out and I am not getting up at 5am to turn out and muck out before 3 kids surface and ruin the peace and quiet!!!
 

Turks

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I am firmly of the belief that most horses benefit far more from 24/7 turnout. We clip them pretty fully too - do leave the legs. We are lucky to have family farm with variety of grazing and high hedges. I don't think washing the legs too frequently does them much good. Sometimes the mud fever does get them and then we have large yard and barn. I think lots of the probs horses have probably hark back to too long in confined spaces and then working on unnatural surfaces.

Our TBs etc that are clipped hold their condition without masses of other grub.

I think it gives them an extra few years of working life.

The only time they ever want to come in is from flies in summer!
 

windand rain

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Mine are kept out 24/7 on rented grass are ridden daily are clipped rugged and groomed everyday but I dont think it is much cheaper to have them out they Have to be fed hayed and mucked out just the same I am anal about poo picking so it takes far longer to muck out the field that it does to muck out a stable as you have to walk so much further. Every little apple has to be removed from the field and fences checked and repaired as necessary. Having said that I have ponies that hate stables so they would be miserable if you could get them to stay in one, like everything they would get used to it but they dont need to when they are here. Where I do thin people run out of time and money is by "keeping up with the joneses" so to speak I bought branded new rugs for half price because no one wanted last years colours (they all end up mud coloured anyway) Put horse in front and everything doubles in price for the same thing
Mine are kept as well and as cheaply as possible so no room for manoeuvre they are fed high fibre high protein diets with as little sugar and carbs as I can get away with
The only compromise I can make next to make it cheaper would be to use the rubbish mollassed chaff that is sold as horse feed but so far I have avoided doing so. Trouble is I have no spare money, no slush fund and no chance of treating a serious illness if needed I do have a PTS fund. So far things have gone well and my regime seems to suit the ponies and I have a credit card for vets bills up to a small limit but even if morally I could justify big surgeries on my animals I couldnt fund them.
Being made redundant at over 60 is the pits no one wants you, no one wants to give you benefits as the fact you have worked for 45 years means a small work pension makes your claim invalid so we struggle on now on a wing and a prayer. Yes I could sell them but no one wants the only sellable one in the current market and the other two one is old and the other too dangerous to pass on
Health problems also rear their ugly head as you get older too
Surprisingly I am a cup half full person my friend calls me micawber as I always feel something better is round the corner. Not that that stops me living in the present I wake up each day and count my blessings of which there are many
 

TheMule

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My horses are blissfully happy, healthy, fit and able to compete for living out. It's the only option for me with my job and It took me a while to find somewhere with adequate land to ensure it doesn't get poached and they can have grass year round. I the jackpot luckily through asking local farmers.
 

MotherOfChickens

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I know exactly what you mean. I rented a beautiful yard, lovely outdoor floodlit school-thought it would be heaven as only had to share with one other and her three horses (I had three as well). she kept her horses beautifully-groomed daily, shod every 6 weeks on the dot, in at night all year round,many many rugs, spent an hour every day-no matter what the weather-poo picking, then spent all summer pulling up buttercup. she worked full time and had a 90min commute daily. she rode maybe 6 times last summer.seriously, why have three horses kept like that and never ride? guess she must be happy but still. There were times when I felt under pressure to do like she did (ours had different routines) before husband pointed out that I was obsessing over poo picking and not riding (it was still being done 2/3 times a week in the summer).

mine are out atm but looking forward to having stables put in in the New Year. I miss chiselling the mud off occasionally and spending a bit of time with them with me not head to toe in waterproofs and clinging onto a fence for dear life. do what you gotta do but enjoy it.
 

JoannaC

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Yes I think we do make it more difficult. My friend and I helped each other out when we were on the same yard but we still both went up twice a day even though we could easily have had one of us do the morning and the other do the evening but it almost becomes an obsession. I did revolve my whole life round my horse but she is currently back at her breeders on grass livery recovering from an accident and when she comes back I am going to change things so she fits into my life rather than me revolving my life round her. There isn't anywhere she could live out near me but there are other ways of making your life easier. Ha ha famous last words we'll see what happens when she comes back! My gelding lives out and is no trouble at all I can go away at weekends etc and not worry about him although on the downside I did like the discipline of having to go up to a horse that lives in.
 

Foxy O

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My horse is 20 and for the first 18 years of his life went out for around 4 hours a day and the rest of the time he was stabled. He now lives out 24/7 most of the time and only comes in on weekends or if I am working from home. He loves it, and as he has arthritis I find he isn't so stiff to ride. He and his companion still get a hard feed morning and night and currently a haynet on the field gate in the mornings. This is mainly so I can check them over before and after work. When I went away for a couple of weeks in the summer they were just given a couple of treats and a pat every day, they seemed to love it. My horses are far happier now and it also saves me so much time on a work day it is fantastic :) The first time he stayed out all night I got up continuously through the night to check he was alright and he was absolutely fine
 

Cortez

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Well, I don't know if it's all that "difficult" to keep horses properly, no matter what the regime; it's just a matter of organisation. Mine mostly come into the stable at night year round for a variety of reasons, mostly to do with the fact that they are working horses in the summer, and the land needs managing in the winter. Sometimes they stay out, but mucking out is quick and grooming is essential whether they are in or out. It's not difficult, it's horses - or any other domestic animal for that matter, they all need care and management.
 

Dry Rot

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Yes, a good post! I think a lot of people do what the psychologists would call "elaborating their behaviour patterns"! By making things hard work, they convince themselves that they are indispensable!

I'm in my 70's and have 11 Highland ponies. OK, I realise natives are not high performance sports horses and don't need the same level of care but I think i have eliminated as much work as possible! I don't ride and only breed 2 or 3 foals a year because it is the initial training I enjoy. I am lucky enough to have my own land but everything is geared to be easy care as I am allergic to work.

All the ponies are out 24/7. except two weaned foals who get daily handling.
(I believe this early handling is essential as they generally stay easy to handle if well started).
The ponies all grow their own rugs.
I planted trees when I first moved here so there is plenty of natural shelter. The ponies definitely prefer to be outside, even in the Scottish Highlands.
If I have to move ponies, I open a gate. They are all trained to come to call, know they are called for a good reason, and will dutifully follow where I lead.
Later this winter, they will be in two herds, one male, one female.
I'll feed haylage in 4x4s in self feeders. Yes, I do have a tractor with a fore loader to shift bales so that is no trouble.
I poo pick some paddocks with a Predator vacuum but mostly rotate fields, harrow and rest. (! have my own chain harrows).
If I need to feed hard feed (very rare and then as a treat), I feed whole oats (also fed to the hens) and soaked sugar beet which seems to work well, both are bought loose by the tonne and stored in bins.
All the ponies are bare footed and trimmed as necessary, not according to the calendar.
All the fields, stables, and field shelter have self fill water bowls.
Some water troughs have permanent over flows. A trickle of water is piped to a ditch so the troughs never freeze. (-10 degrees C is not unusual here). I used to spend hours thawing pipes with a blow lamp and Calor cylinder strapped to the back of the quad!

Have I missed anything? Good training saves a lot of time. Ponies are taught to load as small foals, for example. I use rope halters all the time so everything is easy to lead and well behaved.

In times of recession, time is money. I admit my ponies are a hobby but I don't think that's an excuse for it to be hard work or expensive. I've had ponies off the hill where they've just been treated like cattle (minimal care) and would never do again. Skimp on the early essentials and you just make problems for later.
 
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