First winter living out - top tips please!

[Mrs C]

Hello!
As the title, it will be my first winter with horses living out.
Looking for any helpful tips or things I need to buy! Thank you

 

[JBM]

A mud barrier cream incase of any mud rash!
If at all possible some dry hard standing
A spare rug (if you rug) and spare rug parts
I’ve had a horse rip off a leg strap in the snow on a Sunday ?? I always have spare leg straps now ??

 

[ponynutz]

Mud boots!!!! (My ride and die).
Spare rug in whatever thickness you think they need (or a nice medium/heavyweight one and then buy a cheap stable rug and a cheap non-fill one and layer if you're on a budget. You'll be using the nice one most of the time).
Concrete standing or rubber mats around anywhere they'd gather (water, feed, hay etc)
Antiseptic spray and a barrier cream for cuts and scrapes - you really don't want mud getting in there.

Also unlike living out in summer you need to visit more often because there's more things to check like rugs chafing, mud rash, picking out hooves etc with all the mud and constantly wearing rugs. Also if you are feeding hay and feed and can't get access to hard standing feed in different spots every day to avoid mud piling up where they're standing. (You can do this with water by using water buckets as well but you might not be able to do this one).

 

[w1bbler]

Head torch.
Change of clothes living in the car for drive home
Getting used to the look on people's faces when you turn up to a dressage competition with soggy matted feathers ( I've got a hairy cob)
Otherwise sit back & enjoy the lack of mucking out ?

 

[TheMule]

A firm, mud free area to feed the horses on is the most important thing to simplify your life!

 

[Snow Falcon]

Rubber mallet for smashing a hole in the trough and a colander for removing the smashed ice.

 

[TealH0rse]

Mud boots or a mud spray as above. Head torch is essential. Good wellies with tread. Towels at the yard for you and the horses and spare clothes.

A lot of people at my old yard put stable mats down at the gate and substrate on top of them (sand or something not slippy when wet) to stop it getting too boggy - just make sure to keep them level with the rest of the mud so they're not a tripping hazard. You can get cheap ones on Facebook marketplace so don't buy new as they're going to get wrecked regardless.

The fields are bound to get torn up, so rotating might be a good idea if its available (or electric fencing to separate your field and rotate between them).

Best of luck!

 

[Antw23uk]

Start using mud barrier products before you think you might need them. Better a week too soon than a day too late!

 

[soloequestrian]

My rug tip would be that healthy dry horses very very rarely get cold so in our climate the rug just needs to keep them dry rather than warm. Mine tend to wear lightweight rugs with neck covers - it has to be horizontal sleet before they get anything heavier on, and sometimes that will just be one lightweight over the top of another to keep the bottom one dry and give a layer of still air for a little extra protection.

 

[Mrs C]

Thank you all! Helpful insight! X

 

[poiuytrewq]

Those suggesting mud boots, are they suitable to be on 24/7? Will the mud not get under and rub? I’ve used them but only in a horse who came in at night so dried off and had clean ones in the morning.
One of mine will live out this year and I’m it at all panicked about the situation.
I plan to double up on lots of spare rugs in all weights to layer or remove as and when.

 

[Abacus]

Hay boxes for the field. It’s a massive saving on hay lost in the mud or blown away.

Large extra strong marigolds to wear over think winter gloves to keep them totally dry. Especially when messing around with frozen troughs, removing ice etc. to break the ice I use a ragwort fort - they are sturdy and you don’t risk dipping a hand in (if you’ve forgotten your marigolds).

The best heavyweight rugs you can afford.

grass mats for the field entrances (put them down now), or road planings.

Twice the number of feed bowls. This is my personal thing but I like to make new feeds in new bowls and take them out, collecting the old bowls at the same time. Repeat. It saves one trudge through the mud to bring them back.

 

[Abacus]

Also, you don’t say what the situation is like, but a really good head torch.

 

[Spotherisk]

Enjoy your lie ins because you don’t need to be there at sparrows fart to turn out!

if it up is your field to do as you like with electric fence off an area to include the field gate so it’s not poached right to the gate. This gives you an area to feed, change rugs, tack up etc which isn’t the whole field.

you can layer turnout rugs, there is no need to haul one off the horse, just chuck another on top. I tend to start with 100g full neck rugs, mine are retired and therefore not clipped.

 

[Leam_Carrie]

Some suggestions…
- A dry area is essential, could be hardcore / road plannings or mud control mats (even stable mats help)
- I used to feed round bales of hay Ad lib - farmer suggested getting a shed for it to keep it dry, meant it lasted for my two to eat it all.
- I’m lazy so used to make up all my dry feeds at the weekend in day light, then just add wet to feed.
- A head torch is very helpful
- Somewhere to dry rugs if possible
- Treat legs with pig oil and sulphur of prone to mud fever (patch test first), avoid washing legs
- I was a fan of a waterproof boiler suit… but a coat / waterproof trousers would do

Hope it goes well

 

[maya2008]

Clip as little as possible. Make sure your outer rug layer is waterproof and rip free. I always have a lightweight as outer layer because if they rip that, it’s cheaper to replace.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Either have your own or have ready access to emergency stabling with lighting for a sick or injured horse. Horses will always pick the time when your phone is dead/car is broken down/helpful friend is away to be injured.

 

[Barton Bounty]

Rubber mallet for smashing a hole in the trough and a colander for removing the smashed ice.

I love this forum , the tips I have learned ?

 

[SEL]

I buy lots of gloves and keep them in a box so that if some get wet I still have dry pairs. Good wellies - more than one pair. Decent woolly hat. Decent waterproof trousers. Spare socks.

I'm clipping the 2 feathered ones this year.

Some form of water carrier you can fill up at home if yard pipes freeze

Mud mats for gateways are worth the cost.

Mine were out apart from 4 nights when a storm caused loads of damage in Feb - happier and healthier for it