Does anyone have a 'sane' horse atm?!

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L&M

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I have noticed the increase in threads on winter behavioural issues, mainly due to mangement issues and lack of turnout. In smugness, I ignored them all as my two have been fine.........until now!

They seem to have 'hit a wall' - they are both hunting fit and excercised daily plus at least one days hunting a week. They get turned out every day but only want to be out a few hours - we have a bit of grass left but I doubt it is very enticing due to the ground conditions.

I can't feed haylage in the field as they fight over it, and they don't like being separated. Therefore they come in at around 2pm for a net, but then have too much energy as are predominately stabled. I have cut their hard feed down to a handful of hi fi lite and half a scoop of high fibre nuts, but am aware that they need some condition as work reasonably hard, and don't want hat racks by the end of the hunting season.

I left them out until 4pm today because of work - I came home to mad loons that were charging and squealing around the field in anticipation of food. In reality I should have left them in for the day as were ridden first thing, but as one is hunting tomorrow, don't want to get bucked off!!!!

Can somone remind me why we do it........?!
 
I am pleased mine are all currently sane, they are working well, just ticking over in various stages of training and fitness, looking fab feeling great, not getting out every day but really relaxed and settled, long may it last as the fields are looking worse each day so being in more and working harder does not seem to be having a detrimental effect on them.
 
No sane ones here either, one on box rest so she is ready to explode at any given chance, My Arab gelding will only go out in the field for about an hour as his the only one going out, so am riding him everyday but well he was a loony today, two vans came past me and as I made him stand and wait that set him off for the rest of the ride, so I thought I would go in the school and get some energy out of him and he did do some lovely work so not all bad.
 
This lot are perfectly sane! They live out 24/7 and have hay spread round the field so no fighting. Easy as that. Two are exercised the other two aren't mine and aren't exercised but still perfectly sane! Didn't have any problems with behaviour last winter either.
 
No sane ones with me! All hyped up and spooky, mainly because the hunt went past us a few days ago ad it really unsettled them. Nearly got knocked over tonight whilst one had a massive spook and a pheasant, then tried to brush the clay like mud off the other one as she was caked in it...*sighs* when's winter over again?
 
My highland is totally sane. He goes out for a few hours a day but is in at night, so as long as he's got food in front of him, he's happy. Sorry you guys are having such a tough time, but everything on our yard (around 30 or all shapes and sizes) are fine ATM.....
 
Mines sane. As long as he is kept working and gets his turnout he is a happy bunny. My YO has a real bee in her bonnet about getting everything out daily which is brilliant. I do, however, have a theory that when you fitten up horses they reach a point whereby they need to bottom out...so can't understand how yours aren't as they are being hunted.

I have promised myself a trip to the gallops shortly for a change of scene and a blast!!
 
Ha ha! That's what I have been wondering too, maybe they are just too fit but daren't let off in the excercise as they will be ticking time bombs.

They are cobs too........so not hot head tb's, sigh......
 
One is totally sane - he never changes. The other...I'm seriously thinking about getting his eyes checked he's so spooky. He's normally a rock out hacking but he's jumping and spinning at EVERYTHING at the moment. Figured I'd give him a few weeks and a lot more work and if he still hasn't settled getting him checked
 
My 8 year old is hanging on to sanity by a thread. She's rideable but its not far below the surface. The 4 year old is wild. Just tweaking his food though, as I suspect I haven't quite got it right at the minute and that has tipped him over the edge!
 
Kal is more sane now that he's in a big field with loads of grass and has his buddy Roger with him . . . oh, and he hasn't been hunting since Boxing Day ;). However, he is still fresh under saddle and managed to do his "stallion" impression when the boys were moving the stallions/some of the mares from the top yard on Saturday . . . tail in the air, not paying much attention to me, very stressed/inattentive (but I don't blame him).

P
 
All sane… don't know why very limited turnout in fact one hasn't been in the field for so long I have forgotten ! He is fed usual amount and may get turn out in sand school for a roll, he is worked most days but not every day and he is as happy as anything. I have 6 and 5 are in apart from an hour each in school all sane. Yes I am counting my blessings…….
 
both totally sane , in fact laid back , one is a 10yr old ex racer the other is a 17.2 holsteiner , both are exercised for between one and two hors 6 days a week then are turned out for 5 hourson lush grazing , they both have plenty of haylage and corn
 
If this thread had been on here yesterday, I would have been able to answer 'yes' very smugly. They get out every day for at least 6 hrs and usually go out for a leg-stretch before we ride - hacking only - we have no school and the fields are far too wet for schooling atm.
BUT today we rode before the farrier came and didn't put them out because we wanted them to have dry, clean legs. They had some haylage before we set off, so definitely not hungry. We went through the village and passed a working dustbin wagon at one side of the road with the Soay sheep which have been known to leap up at the wall-top as we pass, making us spook. Both horses were super sensible as we passed these hazards so why was it that the rest of the ride was spent arguing about the speed we were going at, with much head-tossing and jogging (which is most unusual for my Draft) sideways up the road, frightening at least one passing motorist? We put it down to the new grass growing and I don't think the laughing riders helped much either!
 
Our two seem pretty chilled out ATM.Both out 24/7,quite a bit of grass so I'm strip grazing.They are only being ridden at weekends as it is still a bit to dark to hack after school and the fields are to wet to ride in.New boy got got quite excited when the hunt went past and charged around a bit then stood gazing wistfully after them,knobberpony who never gets riled up,even when she is hunting,helpfully ate his tea for him as he was too excited to eat it.Gotta love ponies!
 
Doing well until hack today, someone was loading piggies into a lorry one field away from road on farm, the squealing sounded like they were being slaughtered. Dex answer was the biggest bouciest extended trot down the road, never known anything like it could barely ride it, we calmed down after half a mille (a very quickly covered half a mile!) .....
 
2 ex racehorses totally sane and sensible. Even loose flying alpha-a bags hold no fear!

Guess it's nothing compared to Cheltenham
 
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