Fields with no shade- what would you do? long sorry!

[Vizslak]

Hiya I have a very hot little horse who is dark bay (obviously not a good colour for this weather!) He is coming in from the field really hot and sweaty and actually looked a bit poorly today, the last 3 days I have brought him in early and hosed him down to cool him and he has looked much brighter and happier for the rest of the day. I'm positive there isn't anything wrong with him- its just the sun and heat at the moment. Anyway the problem is the livery yard has no shade in the fields natural or otherwise and he is therefore standing and cooking all day which is really not good! They also have a policy of no night time turnout at anytime of year so in by day and out at night isn't an option either. He has a cool coat which is effective at slightly cooler temps but no good in this heat. And I also couldnt leave him in 24/7 without tranqualising him!

To be honest the no shade thing concerns me with the others too but for this little man its clearly a real issue. So what do I do? Would you move yards or is that ott?
Ice cream all round for getting this far!

 

[Cliqmo]

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/6502210/Trail/searchtext>GAZEBO.htm

Yes I'm absolutely serious

 

[nuffield]

could he go out early morning for just a few hours? it wont do any harm to look around at other yards too. would the yard owner let you organise some shade? a stack of straw bales or a couple of wooden fence panels or similar?

 

[Chico Mio]

I second ali_m. Down in the hot, hot south of Spain we rigged up what was basically a gazebo for FB and his then companion. Brilliant idea, just make sure it's well pegged down and far enough away from any access so no one nicks it.

 

[Ziggy_]

Would clipping him out be an option?

 

[Vizslak]

hehe i actually had this idea earlier but I'm afraid this also a young man who is still a bit colty and whilst this would take his mind off the heat for a while i fear i would be spending £12 a day and every evening picking pieces of canvas up from the field!

 

[emma69]

Could you not build a 3 sided field shelter?

 

[Vizslak]

I wouldnt clip off his beautiful summer coat no! I plan to ask the YO tommorrow if some shade can be arranged but as none of the paddocks have shade I have a feeling the answer will be no as she would have to do every paddock to make it fair on the other liveries.

 

[zeuscleoharmony]

I have the worry too that my paddock has no natural shade. The first year I had him I didn't move to the yard until August and the weather didn't seem to be too hot to handle. The second year, last year, I was so worried and luckily was able to move him to a temporary paddock with lots of trees. Thankfully, again this year I have once again been offered the paddock for the summer. If I was in your position as you describe I would move. Imagine, standing in the beating sun and not being able to get out of it, it would drive me insane. Is it possible for you and your other field mates to club together to get some form of shelter erected. I don't necessarily mean a wooden stable like structure but perhaps a structure such as three or four telegraph poles with a canvas canopy?

 

[Cliqmo]

[ QUOTE ]
hehe i actually had this idea earlier but I'm afraid this also a young man who is still a bit colty and whilst this would take his mind off the heat for a while i fear i would be spending £12 a day and every evening picking pieces of canvas up from the field!

[/ QUOTE ]

You could perhaps build something more robust with wooden posts and tarpaulin?

 

[zeuscleoharmony]

Great minds think alike and feeling desperate I went so far as to purchase one but the wind got under it and buckled it. Luckily, I had erected it in my own garden to see how it fared so horsey never even got to see it.

 

[ForeverBroke_]

I'm interested to hear your suggestions, i have a grey though. His field also has no shade and he would have heart failure if put anything canvasy etc in his field

 

[Vizslak]

The problem is the horses are in paddocks with no more than 3 per paddock- my lad is turned out with one other livery and the YO's are very funny about things being fair to all, if they let me erect a shelter everyone will want to have one which will either cost them a bomb to do properly or she will end up with a shanty town of home made shelters in her prestine paddocks! If they were my fields I would have invested in shelters for each paddock from the outset but I can see that for one livery having an issue out of 20 this is probably not an option for them now. Me and my OH are good friends with them, we have been there a fair time and i will try to approach it tactfully but I really cant see it happening

 

[Vizslak]

[ QUOTE ]
could he go out early morning for just a few hours?

[/ QUOTE ]
He could yes, but its not ideal, he isnt a good doer and will stress off weight to boot (and trash the stable) if something else isn't dragged in with him- this is fine atm but my other 2 will be moving home this month and I cant then guarantee another liveries horse will be around to keep him company.

 

[nelliefinellie]

A loose fitting UV reflecting fly sheet and fly mask would probably help quite a lot.

It does seem a shame that you can't reverse his routine. Alternatively could you not turn him out as early as possible in the morning and have him brought in at lunchtime?

 

[Fiona]

I'm also thinking of a fly sheet (white or silver). My grey manages to stay much cooler in the field than my bay (even though the bay has a much finer coat).

Good luck.

Fiona

 

[Vizslak]

He has one- still too hot

 

[Vizslak]

Are the rambo sweet itch hoodies any good for keeping cool do you think? he has a long list of different clothes to try and keep him cool but none are successful when its this hot.

 

[ForeverBroke_]

The BEST rug in my opinon is the weatherbeta Kool Coat. Its not a fly sheet as such but a cooler that has a mesh layer etc. It works just as effectivley as a fly rug IMO and keeps even the dark bay shires with thick coats cool and sweat free

 

[kendra2705]

I think you have answered your own question I think you want to move and I would asap , not fair to leave him out in the heat and not fair you cant turn out at night sounds like not a good yard to me plenty around x

 

[LCobby]

http://www.galebreaker.com/siteenglish/products_uk/stockshade_uk.html
Much safer than a gazebo.

Our horses use their wooden open fronted field shelters more in summer than in winter.

 

[Vizslak]

now thats a cool product! excuse the pun! that may be worth submitting as a suggestion to YO- dependant on price obviously I don't want to spend a fortune on something that in my mind should be a free commodity!
Darcy- he has a kool coat, it is effective until we get over 20 degrees ish- then he cooks regardless!

 

[Janette]

Weather's going to cool down in the next few days. I know it's not really a soloution, but it gives you time to explore other possibilities.

 

[Arabelle]

I think you need to have a friendly chat with your YO. There needs to be compromise situation reached. Either provide a basic level of shade for all paddocks (which I think is essential in both summer and winter, personally). However, if they are not prepared to do this, they should permit you to change your TO regime, to TO at night when it is cool.

Yards are meant to provide a service for horses and their owners, so I would be (very nicely) asking how they plan to meet their obligation to ensure the horses in their care have adaquete facilities all year round. They have a duty of care.
A

 

[Tnavas]

This is what we had at one place I grazed at - the most useful shelters I've seen - they can be protected from different winds. It was high enough to provide shade from the sun too.

 

[Tnavas]

Expecting your YO to erect shelters is a bit over the top. It is something that would be considered when looking at a yard.

If there are no field shelters then cover the horse with a white canvas sheet - the majority of New Zealand horses wear white canvas in the summer as our sun is strong and bleaches their coats. There are also few paddocks with hedges or trees to provide shade. Farmers and their grow more if you remove the hedges!

 

[BBH]

My horses spend a lot of time in the shade especially the old one and its really needed when the heat is extreme. I would have a word with your YO and if they are not happy to allow nighttime turn out or sort some shade I would move yards tbh. We get heat now that can be unbearable and its important your horse doesn't become ill.

 

[Vizslak]

Thanks everyone, I will speak to YO today and hope that a solution can be reached without the need to move, the yard is great in every other way.
Tnavas- I'm certainly not expecting the YO to erect shelter especially as I said if they did for me they would have to do for all. Those shelters look fab and I'm guessing could be erected with 3 simple fencing panels?

 

[hussar]

The three-sided shelters are a great idea - we had them at one yard I was on. One thing we learned very quickly is that you have to make them very robust indeed as the horses treated them as bottom-scratchers rather than shelters! Ours were (eventually) made from strainer posts and sleepers ...

 

[at work]

What part of the world are you in? It certainly isn't all that hot here (middle UK) yet. I've got bay horses happily out basking in it, enjoying a bit of sun on their backs. With the breeze in the past few days they've certainly not even come in sweaty.

Unless it is really seriously hot where you are I'd reconsider his health and maybe talk to your vet?