Do you turn out bring in by headcollar or just open doors?

the YO always does this at the yard I'm at and has been doing so for years with her own horses with no issues. I, however always use a headcollar and rope, he is such a spooky sod we'd be in real trouble with anything less.
 
All the horses and larger ponies have headcollars and leadropes, but the gang of little ponies are so cute! YO calls them and they all start marching in. They don't thunder in, just walk sedately. It's the sweetest thing ever!
 
We do it at my yard but it is a small private yard with only 4 horses who are all very well behaved. Also our field opens onto the yard and they all know where they are going and it's done in minutes!
I wouldn't do it on a big open yard though with lots of horses, I can imagine that would be an accident waiting to happen!
 
At my old yard yes! Only 6 horses and three were very old and laidback.
One at a time to go out and then call them in one at a time to come in. Never a rush or a fight to be first in, as long as we did it in herd hierarchy order.

Would never do it in a bigger yard or one where its a long way from field - yard. There I could see it fraught with danger.
 
I have 2 with me at home my gate is near the stables so they come to the gate bucking, farting and snorting or whatever. The rule is all must be calm then single file to stables, I have a hc and rope just in case. They are good as gold. My yard is sectioned off with tape so they can't go elsewhere , I use the same area in winter if the ground is too poached or if its deep snow elsewhere. Any ice etc or different conditions then it's headcollar and ropes again. I do lead out to summer grazing as that is stripped. When my 6 year old was at home he was not subject to this regime it's just for calmer oldies.
 
My five are free range as they have a choice of two barns and a large stable with doors either side in case of disagreement. I just open the gate in the morning and they bring themselves in at night. They have their own place in the pecking order and although occasionally there are spats they all eat together and sleep together and I don't have any problems really.
 
A woman on our yard does this with her 2 year old as it is difficult to catch and hates having a headcollar put on it. It charges into the barn at 100 miles an hour with panic in it's eyes and scares the living daylights out of me -especially if my 3 yr old daughter is up the yard with me. We have to go and stay in our stable until the lil terror has charged thru. She has also done it whilst her newborn baby laying in the car seat on the floor of the barn.

Accident waiting to happen and no way to teach a 2 yr old how to come into a yard safely - especially as that 2 yr old is going to be her child's pony once it is broken. IMHO.
 
EmsHooper said:
A woman on our yard does this with her 2 year old as it is difficult to catch and hates having a headcollar put on it. It charges into the barn at 100 miles an hour with panic in it's eyes and scares the living daylights out of me -especially if my 3 yr old daughter is up the yard with me. We have to go and stay in our stable until the lil terror has charged thru. She has also done it whilst her newborn baby laying in the car seat on the floor of the barn.

Accident waiting to happen and no way to teach a 2 yr old how to come into a yard safely - especially as that 2 yr old is going to be her child's pony once it is broken. IMHO.
Click to expand...

OMG with the baby on the floor that's mega mad.
 
EmsHooper said:
A woman on our yard does this with her 2 year old as it is difficult to catch and hates having a headcollar put on it. It charges into the barn at 100 miles an hour with panic in it's eyes and scares the living daylights out of me -especially if my 3 yr old daughter is up the yard with me. We have to go and stay in our stable until the lil terror has charged thru. She has also done it whilst her newborn baby laying in the car seat on the floor of the barn.

Accident waiting to happen and no way to teach a 2 yr old how to come into a yard safely - especially as that 2 yr old is going to be her child's pony once it is broken. IMHO.
Click to expand...

I do think that is a cop out in terms of avoiding dealing with the handling issue for the 2 year old... and the baby thing ... shivers All mine are good to lead in but if they are a happy little herd I do it that way.
 
We do - but to be fair it's a small private yard, 3 horses and 2 Shetlands. Yard gate opens into the field so we just call them and they all come down. I only let them in one at a time and they are pretty sensible. I remember being on a yard a relative ran when I was a kid and the horses were called and allowed to do a mad charge to their stables, everyone had to keep out of the way! Accident waiting to happen in that case.
 
Yep, my two bring themselves in and out this way. On our own yard and stables in an enclosure. Gravel, not concrete, so even if they are silly on occasion no probs. they are both perfect to catch and lead if necessary, but quicker the other way, and yes, I don't have to get muddy!
 
Shivvy said:
I do think that is a cop out in terms of avoiding dealing with the handling issue for the 2 year old... and the baby thing ... shivers All mine are good to lead in but if they are a happy little herd I do it that way.
Click to expand...

I agree. If the pony was older and did it happily and safely with the safety of the children considered, then I wouldn't mind. But the way it charges through and skids about is ridiculous - wild eyes does not describe it. And I also agree that handling, ground manners at the age of this pony should be paramount - especially given as it's a shetti x sec A so is learning how to get out of doing what it should be doing when being led. If she manages to catch it, they do come in together on the lead rope but when something goes wrong and the ponies need collecting on her behalf, we can't get near the dang thing - not even our very, very experienced YO's. Why people take on youngsters when they are not willing to put the effort into producing nice, safe ponies is beyond me - especially when they are destined to be ridden by her child when the child reaches the age of 2.

Then again, not my pony so not my problem really. Have never said anything to her, and never will as I don't like to interfere in what people do with their horses. So long as I can keep my little pony and daughter safe at the yard then I just get on with it. We just try to be up the yard at different times!
 
My big lad can be a bit of a git when turned out and our current set up is stables round a yard that leads to a turnout area so I open the doors and let them out and to get them in I open the gate and let them back in.

We are moving and the new stables lead onto a yard that goes onto a tractorway with paddocks off on either side. I will be leading in and out to start with but if the big lad is as much of a danger to catch as he has been then it won't be long before I get him to bring himself in.
 
Auslander said:
I put a headcollar on, but usually chuck the rope over his neck and let him put himself to bed. He's very polite though, and stops if I stop.
Click to expand...

This. Kal will follow me in from the field like a puppy like this. I would never dream, however, of not putting a headcollar on him and I never walk too far in front of him, just in case.

P
 
Oh good lord no! And I wouldn't stay at a yard that did this. Accident waiting to happen and teaching awful manners.

Different matter if you have stables in the field. Or if you have horses at home but on a yard - no.
 
Rebel and his friends (8 horses) all get let in and out loose. Set up yard (make sure it's tidy, others gates closed (etc) and they just mooch the 20yards down to the field themselves. Ditto in reverse.

Well, apart from Rebel, who's not very bright and usually wanders into the wrong stable, so he's lead/out first. :rolleyes:
 
depends which paddock they are in, I still expect them to wait until they are told they can leave their stables though :). Horses at home, gate about 15 m away.

We used to bring in about 50 horses that way at the RS.. all went to their own stables and it only got a bit complicated when we had to move them around.
 
Hmm yes and no.

I'm on my own and do bring in my 2 broodies and foals like this (how else?). But its not a free for all. I stand at gate and the dominant mare and her foal come in first - shut gate and shut their stable door (they know which one). Then repeat for the other mare and her foal.

However, I used to do this with the second broody when she was my riding horse and her companion at the time - but she is such a pig that she raced in, onto wet concrete and went down on her hip. Very lucky escape for me, her and the very ornamental garden fence which separates my yard from the stables.

I think unless you do it all the time and manage it, or unless you have very laid back horses then this is an accident waiting to (or in my case has already) happened.
 
Aww Hollieeb beat me to it with that vid. Hate this with a passion.

My first horse came from somewhere that did this, took a week or so to break him of the habit (break being the operative word! Ouch my toes). The next time we moved yards he reverted to this behaviour and had to break the habit all over again.
 
I have done for years, only change when we move paddocks and then for a day or 2 have to lead one or 2 out and the others follow. Coming in is the same, we do occasionally move stables and then its the same in reverse, however they learn very quickly. Never had any barging or bad manners and everyone sorts themselves out, by the time i am in the yard after closing the field gates, they are usually all in bed and I just go round doing rugs and closing doors. I have 8 so it would be a long job leading them all in by hand
 
I'd never let them come in loose, I think its so dangerous. I take mine out in pairs, always with a headcollar and rope. They walk in, getting tied up, feet picked out, rugs changed/taken off and then walked into their boxes. Same system every day....day in...day out!

I have 5/6 ponies to bring in but I'd rather take the extra time and keep them ( and me!) safe...
 
When I used to bring in some big horses off the front paddock I would open the relevant stable door and then let one through the gate at a time, always in the same order and they knew when it was their turn. Much easier than trying to get headcollars on at the gate when they were keen and it was wet and wild. Also meant I could stand out of the way. Most I ever got was a swift trot from the gate to the stable door which was about 10 metres away at most and one metre away to the closest door!
 
We lead ours out on halters, (well oldie is led by her forelock).
But they come in under their own steam. It means that one of us can bring 3, or more, in on our own. But they come in one at a time. The yard is about 5 yds across, they all go into their own stable and the door is shut before the gate is opened for the next one. The yard is fully enclosed and they live at home. They are all used to voice commands and can be directed from the gate.

I know someone who can set about 10 ponies & horses off from her yard down the lane for about 300 yds to the gate of their field. Some one follows them down and shuts the gate. If they start going too fast she yells "W-A-L-K", if they stop to graze, she yells 'Get on'. They all behave beautifully.
 
marydoll said:
This is an accident waiting to happen, i hope whoever does it is well insured
Click to expand...

I've been waiting 21 years for the accident so far Marydoll. Meanwhile I've seen friends and neighbours fall over or be pushed over in the mud and read about other people being kicked in the head. There is nothing more unsafe about my three putting themselves away than there would be about getting them in one by one and shutting the gate behind them each time.
 
The younger of our two mares comes in on a headcollar. The older wears a hc but with the rope over her neck and wanders in ahead quite happily. If other people are on the yard we keep hold of her and she is very offended that we think she might be anything but perfect! But I don't think it is fair on other people to have a loose horse, even if you know it will behave.

If we let the younger one loose she would go all over the place, simply because she is so nosy.
 
I alternate between free ranging turn out/bring in and headcollars. I am at home with my 2 and no concrete so I can do what I want.

My last yard in Belgium did it too with 18 horses. They came in and went out in groups of 4 or so per paddock - all ages, heights, breeds. Never had a problem and still don't as I was there in the summer. They are all very well behaved and orderly.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top