Do you always keep your horses in a set routine for everything?

J

JadeWisc

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And how do they behave if routine is broken?

I also am wondering how many of you are fly by the seat of your pants horse owners who do everything on whim and as you please. And in doing so you think you have a better horse for it?
 
My boys are in a fairly structured routine and can be gauranteed to be waiting at the gate if I am running late but they do cope fine if we decide to do somethings on a whim.
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variety is the spice of life! the only real routine my horse knows is she always gets fed 30min after being ridden, that is the only consistent part of her week. One of my other horses wont hack out alone easily as i stupidly got into a routine of always hacking in company, so it can work against you in my experience.
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i always keep mine to a routine although there maybe times that they aren't but they dont seem to bothered by it, but they go out at same time everyday and in same time...fed at same time everyday etc....it's good for me too.
 
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variety is the spice of life! the only real routine my horse knows is she always gets fed 30min after being ridden, that is the only consistent part of her week. One of my other horses wont hack out alone easily as i stupidly got into a routine of always hacking in company, so it can work against you in my experience.
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See this is how I feel in many respects. I think you can have a predictable and great horse most of the time by keeping constant routine but it can back fire when you decide ( or have to) break that predictable pattern of events
 
Mine are in a routine in the sense that I usually do things in a particular order but I am not set on times, due to my job I have to be flexible so so do my horses.

Feed times can vary by a couple of hours at a time, as can bring in/turnout times. The horses seem fine with this and as long as they are fed at some point they don't really care!
 
When he lived out,feed times were never at a set time every day,it was a great help as he can be very routine minded and get stressed if t time isnt at t time
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However when i moved him he was out with a horse that was as stressy as him and they worked off each other when it was time to bring in,but they got on like a house on fire!However now he is out with some chilled out buddies that are happy out if they got their mates with them and it seems to have influenced him to chill out,he has his moments,lol!Winter is a funny thing,they know when they wanna be in,you could not bring them in till 6 but they are all stood waiting to come in at 4
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,funny beggars,lol!
 
I try to keep a routine, but my girl couldnt give two hoots to be honest as long as she if fed, she is so chilled out on the whole about life, bless her
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I have to say I would struggle with a neurotic horse that could not deal with change, I have been spoilt with my girl not caring perhaps
 
Mine aren't usually in a routine, but since Iv had the 2 welshies and Im feeding them twice a day, Bear's stood at the gate waiting (he gets a little handful). And naughty ponies are in small electrified bit so their getting fed too. I get neighs from all angles when I get their at 9.15am every morning lol!
And then between 4+5pm every eve. And also go up there once or twice throughout the day too!
 
I guess my horses do have a fairly consistent routine but they are still out at the moment and the times I arrive at the yard can vary. However as soon as they see or hear me in the yard they appear at the gate and call for their food.

When they are stabled at night I try to keep the routine more structured. During the week they go out at 6.30am whatever the weather but at the weekend I do not like to leave them later than 8am as I think it's unfair on them. My grey boy is always keener to come in at night than my mare and he's the one who really likes a solid routine.
 
It depends on the horse - some are so much more settled on a strict yard with strict routine......my little mare is in one night and out the other and it doesn't bother her at all but I've had other horses that it would stress them out.

Much prefer the 'seat of your pants' way of horse ownership!
 
I have a sort of routine, but the times vary quite a lot (ie. I always ride after I've finished morning yards, but sometimes I finish a lot later than other days). Scooby doesn't seem to mind either way, but some of the other horses aren't so laid back. We have one old boy who is very strict about when he wants to come in - the moment he starts getting chilly or wants his tea, he makes sure we know about it!
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No set routine at all.

I feed when I feel like it (within an hour or two of 7.30am) the horses come when called, they aren't milling about at the gate telling fibs about their throats being slit. I bring in one, two or everything when I feel like it, or not, walk the fields when I feel like it, etc, etc.

As a result I have seriously laid back horses that don't get phased at me doing anything with them, at any time of day.
 
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No set routine at all.

I feed when I feel like it (within an hour or two of 7.30am) the horses come when called, they aren't milling about at the gate telling fibs about their throats being slit. I bring in one, two or everything when I feel like it, or not, walk the fields when I feel like it, etc, etc.

As a result I have seriously laid back horses that don't get phased at me doing anything with them, at any time of day.

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Sounds perfect!
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but could we change the feeding pattern to within three hours or two?
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When my horse is in I have a routine, but its more to fit around work than for the benefit of my horse. It is flexible as I can't always guarantee finishing work at the same time, and at weekends I go later, I will ride and feed at whatever time suits etc. He's always very chilled about things.
My friends yard has a very strict routine where everything has to be done at certain times and the horses there seem more stressed.
 
Mine are in a structured routine - but mainly as most of the horses on the yard are fed and turned out by 7am and i do my own. Mine are not fed by the yard - the yo has such a lot to do and as mine are in a seperate block and he knows i go up every morn he leaves them. I tend to go up about an hour later on a sat and sun (i get to yard for 6.30 then) i will either ride one or two of them - or just do jobs. I then get back to the yard about 5 and either do jobs or ride. They all get fed at the same time at night
 
I am allergic to routine so my horses get done as and when and are happier for it I think. They don't hovver round gateways or get stressed if I'm not there at a particular time cos they don't know when I'll get there.
I guess that would be harder to do if they were stabled but that is one reason why they are not.
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Mine have a routine however I dont do it strictly by time by any means. They know they get feed and hay in the morning and at night, but the time when this happens varies depending on what I'm doing (although not drastically, they always have breakfast by 10am for example). A few nights ago I came home from work when they'd normally be fed and dragged one of them out to evening BSJA so they didnt get fed until we got back at 11pm! None of mine seem to care. I think they only get stressed when a rigid time table is stuck to and then thats messed with.
 
Mine always get hay and feed at some point (for example some days they will get fed at 1pm but other times it wont be until about 9pm. However they are out 24/7 and always have access to hay in field shelter. They might get ridden in the morning or usually during the summer in the evening.

I think for horses living out routine is less important but for those on a yard I think feed times is more important to them becuase they have less to occupy their minds e.g. if they see others getting fed and they usually all get fed together then that routine should be kept to becuase I think it does cause unecessary stress.

I do believe flexible routines means flexible horses
 
Due to being a student and having my lectures at different times everyday and sometimes not wanting to get up after a heavy night no he isnt in a routine and i think he is happier for, he doesnt get stressed im earlier or later than usual and just accepts things as they are.
 
When mine's out he doesn't have a very strict routine... just rugs checked at some point in the evening and everything else when i can fit it in. When he's in the routines more set. He doesnt seem bothered either way
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I think it depends on the individual horse sometimes but my boy has a consistent routine in terms of feeding, turnout times, etc. It just seems to have worked well for us. He's fine if things do change though and quite adaptable to changes though just seems a little confused for a short while.

I think I'm of the old school that was brought up on thinking of a horse as a prey animal where routine, ie, things staying as they are and nothing too unusual or new in the environment, means they feel safer and therefore easier to handle as to them it means they're less likely to be eaten by a predator!
 
Ours are only in a vague routine, as their work days can vary tremendously. They are perfectly happy with being fed anytime between 5am and noon.
 
We deliberately don't have ours in a set routine as I think it causes them a lot of stress if for anything reason you have to alter it slightly. Accident, illness, lost dog, car broken down or whatever.
 
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