feild shelter or will she cope?

ThePinkPony

ThePinkPony

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my soon to be horse is brought in at night at the moment, and when she comes to me i intend on having her live out 24/7. at least until late october.

do you think it would be worth building a small feild shelter for her? we have the means to do it.

I'll be rugging her at night, more because i feel the cold and i think just chucking her out would be a bit unfair. by all accounts she is a good doer, shes a little on the chubby side at the moment and is only on hay. i think it'll be a fleece and a lighweight to start, because i thing a middleweight will probs make her a bit too sweaty, but i'll be checking her anyway.

her paddock she'll be going into has grass, but not very much, is it worth making something of a bedded area with some kind of shelter or am i completely spoiling her???
 
Hi,

I think it would be best to have a field shelter unless you have any natural shelter already ? eg. Trees that provide some sort of shade.

If not I would build a shelter for your Horse, you might need to put some bedding down depending on your field state, if the feild is fine I wouldn't bother with bedding, if my field was very boggy I would put a little straw down.

Also a good idea for when summer is here, to provide a bit off shade if your Horse gets too hot and needs a place to cool down and stand out of the sun.
 
LaurenBay said:
Hi,

I think it would be best to have a field shelter unless you have any natural shelter already ? eg. Trees that provide some sort of shade.

If not I would build a shelter for your Horse, you might need to put some bedding down depending on your field state, if the feild is fine I wouldn't bother with bedding, if my field was very boggy I would put a little straw down.

Also a good idea for when summer is here, to provide a bit off shade if your Horse gets too hot and needs a place to cool down and stand out of the sun.
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completely agree with this!

If their is natural shelter, from wind, sun and rain, for when its setting/rising/direction it goes in (i.e not on just one side of the field, along at least 2) then she should be perfectly fine [=

bexcy-bee x
 
thanks for replying.

the feild is dry at the moment and is surrounded by trees, sparsley at the front with thicker coverage at the back and has plenty of shade.

The only thing is the state of the ground, it is not covered with grass, you can still see the earth through the green. but there is a feild the other side of us which is very lush and i will be asking if i can pop her in there for a bit every day. (not long though as she isnt on grass at the moment)

the feild does get boggy in the winter, but i can move her then, my main worry is that its quite hard, and could i put down a bed of straw for her? or would it just be a waste of time/
 
Agree with the others.

If she is a good doer and you have decent grazing she should not need to wear a rug at night untill the weather changes, IMO it is good for them to feel the elements and find it does their coats the world of good, is she your first horse? :)
 
yes, and i havent got her just yet. I want to get everything completely sorted before she comes.

her paddock hasnt got good grazing, there is a light covering of grass but thats it. and she'll need to be on hay, where she is at the moment is complete mud, no grass at all, and im worried that plonking her out in a feild full of lush spring grass will just cause no end of problems. she is in fab condition at the moment with no work, so my initial idea was to speak to the farmer next door and see if he'd let her strip graze on his feild in the morning or evening if she needed it. the only thing is he has just put cattle out there.
 
Think a field shelter would be best.

In winter against rain, wind and god forbid - snow!!

In summer against the heat and sun.
 
Ahh, you must be sooooo excited!! :D

Allthough it may not look like there is much grass it should be full of goodness at this time of year, if i were you i would put her on your paddock of sparse grass and see how she gets on, especially if she is not used to any grass as you are right it could cause more problems. If you find she drops a lot of weight then supplement her with hay. It is always worth having a word with the farmer "just in case".

Will she have a companion?

As for putting bedding in the shelter, that is entirely down to your preference, horses are quite comfortable lying on hard ground but as owners we like the idea of them having a nice mattress!!! :)

Tell us a bit more about her please :)
 
lol, i cant allow myself to get too excited, id burst. which is why im throwing myself into getting everything ready before she is here. im even doing things like timing how long my general chores take in the day and my sons sleep times so im exact in the amount of time i can be with her. and with evenings becoming lighter and my fiance finishing work earlier i'll have the whole evenings to spend with her.

she doesnt have a companion but will be next to my neighbors ponies (and dont tell anyone but im sorely tempted to 'rescue' a shetland i know is looking for a new home, fiance is stretching himself already at the thought of one horse) She is in with a gelding and a mare at the moment and they bully her something rotten, and she definitely prefers people company.

She is appaloosa, she is very sweet, little bit cheeky and really just wants to be loved. the day i met her she wouldnt stop following me around and when i stroked the others she had this look like ''um...i thought you were MY friend'' and kept nudging me, and then when i told her off for being a bit too rough she dropped her head and had complete puppy eyes and then seemed to really try to be patient. Shes rising 4 and needs alot of work (luckily i have a lot of time). i seem to have made such a bond with her and literally cant stop thinking about her. And it just so happens we are in the position now eher we can actually afford to do this properly. ive wanted a horse for my whole life but never had the opportunity and now its finally here i cant quite believe it.
 
I'm not a fan of fleeces under turnout rugs, they often pull back and rub. :(

It can be very tempting to over-rug horses, particually if you feel the cold yourself. remember that they are much bigger animals than us (so have a different mass to surface area ratio) and they have fur. :)

Is the horse clipped and what type is it (native, TB, cob etc...)?
I agree with the question RE a companion, will there be one?

ETA. Just read your reply above.

An Appy should be fine naked (if it's unclipped) at this time of year.
 
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shes unclipped. I dont think she'll get too cold, its just because shes brought in at night at the moment it might be a bit of a shock! (being soppy and forgetting that appaloosas evolved in the heat of the day and the freezingness of the nights :@)

the fleece idea was a suggestion from a friend with racehorses, so thanks for that insight.

she wont have a companion in with her to start with. she doesnt seem to enjoy the company she has at the moment and if you watch her, she stands the furthest away from them and will only go and take hay when they arent there. and if i or her owner came to the gate she would shoot over and stand by us instead.
 
fleeces are fine if you get one with reinforced shoulders like the WB ones - i use one over winter and its bever rubbed or pulled back :)

if she's got natural shelter she'll be fine out without a man made shelter - she'll prob be fine 365 tbh ;)

mine lives out 24/7 365 with natural shelter only (in scotland) - and hunter clipped over winter - here is a pic of her from a few weeks back:

trot3-1.jpg


just to prove that she does well living out ;)
ideally i'd have all horses out 24/7 365 lol but i understand some never cope with it
 
she will be perfectly fine without a rug!! Horses are very good at warming themselves up if needed, they are dreadful at cooling themselves down though which can make it pretty cruel to cook it in a rug that isn't needed!
I would reconsider a companion. Sounds like you mare was low ranking, this isn't the same as disliking company. If she can see your friends ponys over the fence and they can nibble necks etc then I would have thought that would be fine, failing that a small pony in with her, or even a sheep is better than nothing.
If she is a good doer, then I would stick with your sparse paddock, esp with a new horse and coming into spring, much better to be over cautious and in time needing to put a little hay out rather than dealing with a lami case - a horse doesn't have to be overweight to get lami so is best to be super careful esp around this time of year.
Enjoy your new horse, and don't forget piccies!!
 
I can imagine how excited you must be, she sounds like a sweetheart and i hope you have loads of fun with her. I agree with ThePony regarding a companion (and piccies:D), anything is better than nothing (though this does spark massive debates on here i feel it is kinder for them to have another horse for company) and if you get something small enough then your little one can have something to mess around with when old enough (or your OH)!

When are you planning on bringing her home?
 
Allover said:
I can imagine how excited you must be, she sounds like a sweetheart and i hope you have loads of fun with her. I agree with ThePony regarding a companion (and piccies:D), anything is better than nothing (though this does spark massive debates on here i feel it is kinder for them to have another horse for company) and if you get something small enough then your little one can have something to mess around with when old enough (or your OH)!

When are you planning on bringing her home?
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lol, well my oh is allergic to horses and not the biggest fan of them, but he is also very keen on our son becoming a hunt master so i think sneaking a shetland in will be not problem once shes here.

Ive literally just emailed her owner saying all systems go and its really just a case of them getting their bums in gear now.
 
Allover said:
I can imagine how excited you must be, she sounds like a sweetheart and i hope you have loads of fun with her. I agree with ThePony regarding a companion (and piccies:D), anything is better than nothing (though this does spark massive debates on here i feel it is kinder for them to have another horse for company) and if you get something small enough then your little one can have something to mess around with when old enough (or your OH)!

When are you planning on bringing her home?
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Yes I agree with this. A companion would be more important for her than a field shelter - honestly. Just because she was bullied does not mean she would prefer human company. You can not be with her all night when she will be alone in her field. The horses next door will often be grazing away from her making her feel an outcast. It is all so exciting for you, and you are definitely a thoughtful and caring owner, but please don't dismiss one of the most important needs of horses, that of companionship of another equine. :)
 
thanks, im sure it would take less than two phonecalls to secure a friend for her. i would rather it be a smaller pony, like a shetland, because she is very easily pushed about.

(which makes me even more excited, my fiance is going to hate you guys lol)
 
Haha! I put my 15.3 hh mare in with a 12.2hh and he terrified her! She was boss of all the other horses too. But then he became boss of the whole lot. It really was funny to watch.
 
my fiance says he knows of a local gypsy who would probably be happy with me plonking one of his shetties in with her.

god its getting so real! im terrified!
 
Fleeces are actually INCREDIBLY warm especially with a waterproof thrown on top. I really would not rug her. My general rule of thumb is to rug if it gets consistantly under 10 degrees C but to be honest, my boy has been naked and living out for the last two weeks, absolutely fine with no real shelter either! They have thick winter coats with natural oils in them to help with insulation and water repelling. If you have plenty of natural shelter, and it sounds like you do, I wouldn't worry too much about a shelter, although it could be handy in the winter...

Re companions, Could you sugest to your neighbour that you share your grazing so that eachothers ponies have company even if she takes one of hers out for example... could be a very good way of managing both of your grazing.
 
CBFan said:
Re companions, Could you sugest to your neighbour that you share your grazing so that eachothers ponies have company even if she takes one of hers out for example... could be a very good way of managing both of your grazing.
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Now that could be a very good way forward!

So when are the pics coming!!! :D
 
If the natural shelter is not good enough - then yes, you may need to consider a field shelter.

I would certainly look at putting on a light weight waterproof rug on at night, for the first two weeks, until she adjusts to be out 24/7 - chubby or not.

She will need company.
 
Hi, When I moved my horse 5 years ago she had lived in all her life and also had a field shelter (never actually saw her in it though). the new field was just that no shelter all electric fencing so no natural shelter but the owner wouldnt let me put a new shelter up, so i bought neck rugs etc and fed well. she has been there 5 years and is perfectly fine even though i really worried each morning I got there she was happily grazing. Even this last winter she was always warm under her rug, and i didnt put her neck rug on just her classic ones as she hadnt been clipped this year. When it is windy or raining she puts her back to the wind/rain and head down and she seems fine.She has a fine coat hardly puts up any winter hair, and is 17 years old, I just keep an eye on the weather forecast and rug up accordingly, from Oct to April.
hope that helps.
 
okay, so i spoke to the owner today regarding where shes staying, and she wants her to be rugged, so just to make her feel better i'll get a lightweight. Any reccommendations? she is actually pink, so no clashing!!! :D

The paddock itself has a perfect little corner that a good shelter can be easily erected and im nipping down to see the man about the companion this week. wouldnt be able to share grazing as the paddocks arent big enough to hold 4 horses.

we are just talking logistics at the moment and no doubt the next three weeks will consist of me running about like a blue assed fly trimming hedges ect ect all systems go
 
Its difficult to say what make of rug unless you know the horse, i use Mark Todd ones on mine and they mostly stay nice and dry underneath, we had some really nice Rambo ones but they were the wrong shape in front and let the water in! IMO it is better to not to go for a "cheaper" make as you often compromise on the quality. "You get what you pay for" goes for rugs aswell!

Happy buzzing!!!! :D
 
You won't go far wrong with an Amigo LE TO rug. Not expensive, but hardwearing. Make sure you buy a 1200 denier one though.
 
ThePinkPony said:
my fiance says he knows of a local gypsy who would probably be happy with me plonking one of his shetties in with her.

god its getting so real! im terrified!
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I bet he would be happy, he'll probably plonk a few more in there overnight too. Hopefully they won't have strangles.

Why don't you get a couple of goats instead?
 
My pony has been put in a small boggy field due to isolation (strangles) the field shelter is open on three sides and has a concrete base, it is about the size of two big stables, he eats his hay on one side and has a bed on the other I laid a rubber mat on the ground and sprinkled some shavings on top, he does not poop in his shelter, seems quite happy, and stands there a lot of the time watching the world go by.
I would be wary of gypsy ponies, unknown background / behaviours.
Concrete feeding areas are essential unless the field is big enough.
He has an amigo rain sheet (excellent fit) on as the night temperatures are over freezing. If it is cold I put on a 400 gm rug, it has freedom bits at the leg/shoulder and comes well forward of the withers.
 
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