Fort those that have had a fair amount of snow, are you turning out?

U569uk said:
Even though there's an alternate route to your field down the bottom end...which doesn't have a slope at all...
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I am finding the constant following of me on here a bit strange to be honest! its my horse and I will do as I wish with him. I wasn't complaining about it, I explained why I was keeping him in! I am aware if I wished I could turn him out! I have just made a decision no too and I explained this in person!
 
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fwiw Jess has never complained on here about it, just that she was worried about Pickle :) she said it unnerved her and he's had issues and is a big horse so can understand that! here isn't the right place for having a go...
 
We've got about a foot of snow in the fields at the moment, but it's powdery and the tracks still seem to be safe to walk on. I layer my two up, so they look like Michelin men, give them each a full haynet of haylage, break the ice in the water trough with a pick-axe, and they seem very happy to be out. I leave them out for 4 hours and get them in at 1pm. One's an unclipped TB, and the other's a clipped kwpn. They are both toasty warm, and have been very sensibly behaved throughout this snow so far!

The only time I wouldn't turn out is if the ground got too dangerous. I worry once we get a bit of a thaw and then a re-freeze, the powdery snow which has a bit of grip will turn to sheet ice along the track up to the fields.
 
LizzieJ said:
fwiw Jess has never complained on here about it, just that she was worried about Pickle :) she said it unnerved her and he's had issues and is a big horse so can understand that! here isn't the right place for having a go...
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exactly what Lizzie has said, how bizarre your 1st post is to belittle a horseowner who is trying to prevent injury to her horse, and is being quite sensible.:mad:
 
Mine is out during the day as normal in the snow. After the first day of crazy antics he was fine. He also fell over, didn't move for about 5 seconds, looked confused, then styled it out by having a roll! Really I don't worry too much about him injuring himself in the field, obviously if it was very icy then that would be different.
 
I'm lucky enough to have lots of hilly, well sheltered land. The horses are out 24/7 in a herd, they have lots of grass, which they are digging for and lots of hay. We do have a problem getting enough water to them but they are really loving this weather:

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I'm just fed up with not getting any riding - shall start riding in the snow as soon as I start my Christmas holidays.
 
Mine are both staying in i'm afraid, we had a pesky frost that has frozen peaks of mud solid and now snowed on top so pretty treacherous. I turn them out in the menage regularly though which hasnt frozen, just snow on top of it means I cant ride. Dont know if i'm doing the right thing or not when they start digging at the surface before they roll......

The horror stories are already circulating though, a lady in the next village to us led her horse round the field for an hour to get it used to going our again, let it go and it fell over breaking its hip and had to be put down. Feel really terrible for her so too nervous to let mine out just yet. Bring on the big thaw!!!
 
I turned out in the snow but not since the ice arrived. The walk to the field is horrendous and just a sheet of glass.

He's been going out in the indoor for a leg stretch and a roll. That was until someone though that the surface needed dampening down (seriously, at -15?!) so now it's like an indoor rink <rolls eyes>
 
Our gateways are poached and frozen like that. The horses are not happy walking over such uneven and unforgiving ground and only mill around near the gateways wanting to come back in again.

We have turned them out with haylage and water, but they do seem to be happier in at the moment. This morning, the blizzard was horizontal, so we threw our three in the indoor school and chased them around for a bit. They all had a buck and a kick and a roll and then mooched around for half an hour nipping each other til we took them back to their stables.

I think they need the interaction and socialisation, but they were all just looking miserable outside!
 
No, because the snow is frozen (we are having temperatures of -10 during the day) and so unlevel that it's just too dangerous, the horses can't even find their balance.

However mine are schooled every morning and walked in hand most afternoons so they do get out of their stables.
 
We've had snow since mid November and ours are still out every day with hay.

During the blizzards they were maybe only our for 4 or 5 hours but now my boy is out from about 9 am until 6:30pm - I was worried about the frozen ground but none of them seem to be bothered by it.
 
Last bit of snow i turned out, this time I cant get up the hill to the field so they were getting a couple of hours in the paddock until the girls decided to matters into their own hands, Rox jumped a gate (laziest CB ever) into the winter field and Ayla found her way through a hedge and over a fence into an unused field...they then paniced about being on their own....so to save injury they`re in for now.... turn out only whilst mucking out
 
Ours are out 24/7 in a foot of snow. All happy and ignoring the barns. They only use the barns in the summer to escape from the heat.
They come in everyday for a while to dry soggy feet, have a feed and a check, but they can't wait to get back out again. Even the youngster has learned some commonsense - after realsing that hoolying about meant she knocked her legs, she has become more astute about looking after herself.
 
algeredge said:
Mine are both staying in i'm afraid, we had a pesky frost that has frozen peaks of mud solid and now snowed on top so pretty treacherous. I turn them out in the menage regularly though which hasnt frozen, just snow on top of it means I cant ride. Dont know if i'm doing the right thing or not when they start digging at the surface before they roll......

The horror stories are already circulating though, a lady in the next village to us led her horse round the field for an hour to get it used to going our again, let it go and it fell over breaking its hip and had to be put down. Feel really terrible for her so too nervous to let mine out just yet. Bring on the big thaw!!!
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same ^

i put them out this morning for literally 30 mins then back in and they both saw me and came walking over anyhow!

so they do prefer their cosy beds than some snowy, rutted field!

mine is now staying in until it thaws. i cant risk it.
 
Mine have been in for 3 days cant event get them out of the stables. I read a few horror stories about horses being inand getting colic so am in two mines now whether to turn out but dont want them to hurt themselves, plus dont think they would reach the grass through the snow and yo wont let us put hay in the fields
 
Mine is still going out every day, even if it is just for a few hours. Remember, horses digestion works best when they are moving about, so they need to get out their stable where possible, even if it's just for a few minutes a couple of times a day wandering about!
 
We've had a lot of snow and Ice and mine are in, when the fields are clear and safe again my youngster will go out in the day time as normal and for now they are all happy staying in as they are used to it. They've been walked in hand twice a day for a leg stretch and to get their tummies ticking over! my older horses won't be turned out loose in the field until they are back in full work, for the sake of them having an injury. They will of course probably have a hoon around anyway but damage limitation and all that!, as soon as the arena is clear of snow I'll be back lungeing again for a few days at least before I sit on them and start walking them out!- could be interesting to say the least.

Out of interest, those that have horses snowed in and out of proper work for a few weeks (mine haven't been schooled now for 4 weeks) how long will you be walking out for before they go back in to their normal work? and how gradually do you put your back in to their normal work?
 
Ours go out while we muck out and then they are back in. They are always at the gate waiting before I've finished.

Just heard today my friends ex-racer had to be put down yesterday, he fell over in the ice and broke his shoulder. RIP Scooby. xx
 
One of mine lives out 24/7, he gets haylage three times a day and comes in for a feed and check over in the evenings, he is more than happy out. Our fields are very flat and just rutted around the gates, so they're all fine moving about.
My mare is in at night and out during the day, at the moment she is still going out but not all day as she gets bored and parks up at the gate asking to come in.

I work where I keep them so can keep an eye on them all day.
 
today has been a nightmare! Yard is covered in ice (one livery bought her own salt just so she could tie up outside!) so can't get to fields or even walk them inhand :( So yet again my boy has stayed in. YO has said fields are improving so should be able to turn out soon for longer spells (went out for last 2 days for half an hour each time), and school is still soft so once snow clears we can use that. It's so frustrating and as yard is in a valley it maked things a lot worse!
 
Ours are all out 24/7 with lots of haylage. My boy has loads of energy & for the first time in 2 yrs I couldn't catch him - very on his toes & a bit scary watching him careering around on the hard ground but didn't seem to be bothering him.

I just left him too it as didn't want to wind him up anymore than he was.
 
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