fields with very steep hills!

[throwawayaccount]

as title, I went to view a yard last night which seemed OK and I liked how you could have your own space to yourself, my biggest concerns (apart from the bridlepath which is a public right of way onto the yard- I don't like the idea of just anyone walking on?!), were the fields are very hilly and steep.

does anyone have horses turned out on steep hills, do you ever worry??

I'm guessing that, most likely, hills so steep are not the best idea for a horse with a recovering ligament injury/other ongoing issues being resolved?

my field at current yard is a great size, however it has a lot of holes, that have not been corrected yet and it worries me so I am thinking about somewhere else (for a lot of reasons, as much as I love it and am settled there)

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

One of our fields is steep, it helps to keep the horses fit. However when we bought this place we looked at others with steep fields which were unsuitable. One, the house was built into the hillside and we felt we could find the Clydesdale unintentionally on the roof, another the fields were above the road and we weren't sure that we could provide strong enough fencing to stop the horses landing on the road - goats would have been fine! In fact we often drive past there and there has never been any stock on the land.
I think you need to make a judgement about the exact situation of the land, our fields are all surrounded by other fields, and there is little danger of any-one falling out of the steep field, because it flattens out before the boundary. When we had a horse with arthritis we didn't put her in the steep field.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

I have horses (including when they are injured/recovering) on the side of a Welsh hill.

How steep are you talking about?

 

[throwawayaccount]

thanks both for replying

in terms of steepness the hill literally goes vertical up.. so slanted (if that makes sense) and then at the top from what i've seen in photos its quite up and down :/

 

[Meowy Catkin]

No, that doesn't make sense, sorry... I can't imaging 'literally vertical' (so a cliff?) that is sloping (so not vertical?).

Can you visit the yard and spend a few minutes watching the horses that are turned out to see how they cope?

If it helps, when I first bought my gelding he had only ever been turned out on small, flat paddocks. I turned him out on the steep paddock with the stream at the bottom to start with and he took a few days to adjust. He looked so ungainly to start with, but now he is very foot sure over lots of difficult terrain.

If you'd like, I could take a photo to show the paddock?

 

[Shilasdair]

Fields with hills can be really good for older/stiffer/slightly lame horses.
Older horses will often lie down more on slopes as they find it easier to get back up. Same for horses recovering from lameness.
They can also help with keeping fitness to some extent.
And they drain well.

 

[MuddyMonster]

I really miss when I turned out on a side of a hill. It was awesome for fitness and weight management.

 

[throwawayaccount]

No, that doesn't make sense, sorry... I can't imaging 'literally vertical' (so a cliff?) that is sloping (so not vertical?).

Can you visit the yard and spend a few minutes watching the horses that are turned out to see how they cope?

If it helps, when I first bought my gelding he had only ever been turned out on small, flat paddocks. I turned him out on the steep paddock with the stream at the bottom to start with and he took a few days to adjust. He looked so ungainly to start with, but now he is very foot sure over lots of difficult terrain.

If you'd like, I could take a photo to show the paddock?

hahahaha sorry!! I am terrible at explaining things.. "Umm..its green?!"

yes please that would be very helpful! can I also pm you photos to show what I mean?

thanks all

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Yes happy to be PM'd.

I'll sort some photos.

 

[Michen]

Nope not for me. My vet specifically told me never to turn my horse out with a previous ligament injury in a field like that. The risk of galloping down it then doing a long sliding stop is too great.

 

[paddi22]

yep I think Michens point is a great one. I've ligament/tendon horses rehabbing and I'd never put them in a very sloped field, vet and physio both advised against it as risk of sliding was too great, plus the constant tilting of the leg would be damaging. I have kept older horses/normally injured horses on very very steep hills with no issue, in fact they were fitter and had stronger hind ends that the ones in the flatter fields.

It depends on the horses injury if the slopes will be damaging. If it's tendon/ligament based, not a chance.

 

[milliepops]

i have one sloping field that the babies like charging around, and one that is a lot flatter which is more suitable for my creaky ones.

they have a steep bank at the bottom which they really only use when they really want the grass on it, i notice they don't look so great if they spend a lot of time there (one arthritic, one with multiple historic soft tissue things). if it was all that steep they would be miserable.

I had a hospital paddock on the flat bit for a tendon injury and that was fine, the horse was on livery on sloping fields and I brought her home specifically for the flatter ground while she healed.

 

[PurBee]

More than a 45 degree gradient , i personally wouldnt. Some slopes and flat bits, i would.

When conditions are dry hilly fields are good as mentioned for fitness. So it depends on your climate.

In my area, after a rainy spell the slippiness has the potential to cause injury. I used a field with a 50 degree slope in the middle, flat at the top and bottom. Horses would run around the perimeter, were familiar with the field. But one time they were playing with each other on the slope, top flat bit, mare reared at gelding, then her back legs slid from under her down the slope and she landed on her bum - luckily tail rested to the side...could have been worse . The gelding pulled a rear tendon cantering round, but he does dick about stupidly sometimes...but the slope/slippiness didnt help.

So if your horse is fit, doesnt tear about like a kid out in the field and area of yard mainly dry, the sloped pasture could really improve fitness.
I’d be enquiring if the yard has any flatter fields when conditions turn soggy and slippy, if they ever do.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

My TB did her tendon while on my flattest paddock. She also had the added complication of being unable to be stabled. Thankfully it was spring/summer when she did it so I was able to keep her in a smaller space with electric fence and it didn't get muddy. She healed up fine thankfully and was able to be turned out on the winter field (sloping, flatish at the bottom but gets steeper as you get to the top which is around 1 in 3) as normal when the time came. The tendon stayed good for the rest of her life.

My grey had her massive yearling V fence accident on a flat field which was the worst injuries I've had to deal with.

I guess since moving here you see that everyone has their horses on sloping ground because it's a set of valleys so by definition most of the land is sloping. It's just normal now and I don't look twice at land I would have thought was too steep previously.

People should do what they are comfortable with (as long as the horse's needs are fulfilled). If they will worry about their horse being on a sloped field then that is no good. That praying that they are Ok every time that you go to the yard is not an enjoyable way to keep a horse. We all have risks that we are willing to accept or not accept. If choosing a yard with flatter grazing is what works for an individual and their horse, that's all good by me.

 

[Melody Grey]

I think it depends what the soil type is like and whether it gets incredibly soft on the hills? I kept mine on a pretty steep hill for a winter- it did keep the horses fit, but my main horse now has PSD and back issues. He’s relatively low mileage and part native, so vets were baffled with the amount of hind suspensory damage. I don’t know for certain, but I think the boggy slope must have had something to do with it. It was reclaimed land with a good clay layer below the surface, so did hold water. If there are flatter bits for bad weather and you can keep hilly bits for the drier weather, I’d certainly consider it.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Ok. The first pic is looking through a gap in the overgrown hedge up to the hill field which is mainly used as winter turnout.

2nd pic is the lower paddock standing about 1/2 way down. The 3rd pic is the same paddock but down by the stream.

4th pic is the top of the hill field from pic one with the horses on it. Hopefully it gives an idea of the slope.

I attached another pic from down by the stream. The trees really do slope like that! Also try to find the cat.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

I apologise for the smudge on the lens which you can see in some of the pics.

 

[ycbm]

I see a lot of guidance these days about strengthening the shoulder cradle to raise the back. As someone with a steep slope to most of my field, that isn't something I ever feel the need to worry about.

I do have some skid marks from time to time but I have rehabbed a KS horse, a stifle strain, a check ligament strain, a sacroiliac strain, multiple foot ligament/tendon strains and a suspensory ligament strain using the field. I figure if they can't cope with turnout on a slope then they aren't going to cope with being ridden on the hills where we live either.

Like PaS, I do get the shivers when I see horses around here on steep fields which drop directly into a road or onto a building. I would be double fencing at the very least if that was the case.
.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Found a good pic from before I had the gelding.

 

[ihatework]

I suppose it’s like anything with horses - potential for good and potential for bad!

In general I’d be pro hilly turnout, helps with fitness, sure footed ness and just general overall strength and dexterity that should serve horses well in life. I think the tendency for horses to live on tiny flat paddocks virtually all their life only adds to the growing trend of cotton wool wrapped lame horses we see.

That said, compromised horses hooning around like idiots are probably going to stand far more chance of injury.

Chicken or egg?

 

[hollyandivy123]

Ok. The first pic is looking through a gap in the overgrown hedge up to the hill field which is mainly used as winter turnout.

2nd pic is the lower paddock standing about 1/2 way down. The 3rd pic is the same paddock but down by the stream.

4th pic is the top of the hill field from pic one with the horses on it. Hopefully it gives an idea of the slope.

I attached another pic from down by the stream. The trees really do slope like that! Also try to find the cat.

off topic but i would like to dangle my feet in the stream

i have kept on flat and hill...................found a mixture of both is best, i am in ycbm camp for this,

 

[Britestar]

My fields are all sloping /hilly. You certainly puff if you have to go to the bottom and come back up!
Stifle injury horse has been in small sections of a sloped paddock for last 6 weeks. Really notice a difference in his soundness from having to push up hill to come in. It has, really helped.
Keeps them and me fit!

 

[teddypops]

My fields are all sloping/ hilly to some degree. My ponies are fine in them. The only problem I have is poo picking and having to push a full wheelbarrow uphill!

 

[Muddywellies]

I quite like hilly fields. They keep the horse fit, keep you fit, and the breeze at the top is lovely in summer and is great for horses with sweet itch. However, I prefer if there is a level area where the horse can safely lie down and have a roll without rolling all the way down to the bottom.

 

[milliepops]

My fields are all sloping/ hilly to some degree. My ponies are fine in them. The only problem I have is poo picking and having to push a full wheelbarrow uphill!

I can't wait to move the babies to the big field, then the muck heap will be at the bottom instead of the top

 

[bouncing_ball]

It depends on the horse. I’ve seen lots of injuries on steep fields when wet. Some niggly horses just not right, some serious soft tissue injuries.

My old horse used to charge down for fun and reinjure his sacroiliac.

IMO wet steep fields where horses charge down the hill to come in are too great a risk of injury.
Moderate hills fine. Steep in winter not so much.

 

[Nudibranch]

Our summer field has one slope which I have to climb on all fours. The horses charge down quite happily when they feel like it. It's quite something to see. I've been using it for the last 10 years with no issues, and that's WBs, TBs and natives alike. That said, I probably wouldn't turn out anything with compromised soundness in there.