Zipzop
Well-Known Member
Hi all,
I have an internal dilemma going on at the moment.
My horse is a Sec D ive owned for 10 years or so. He's 13 years old and needs your usual fatty management. He lives in his stable at night and out through the day, (all year round, yard policy). During the day, he is currently in restricted grazing paddock alone but has spent the winter (days only) on an open field of two - three acres with a friend. All seems well although he is a little less happy (not stressy but a bit less jolly) with being grazed alone, but his friend is only over the fence they still get to groom.
My issue is over the last few years, after having an awful allergic reaction to a treated straw chop bedding, he has seemed to develop very slight respiratory issues which flare up from time to time.
The last episode was a few months ago when he had to go on a course of ventipulmin. During this period, the YO let him be loose on the enclosed yard at night with his stable door open, which helped a lot and was also good for my piece of mind so he was not in a 'dusty' stable. (Bedded on Aubiose) However after a fence post got broken and a couple of other mishaps this has been stopped and he is back in his stable again. Aside from this, i dont agree with stables anyway despite any medical problems horses may have as i believe horses should be able to move around as freely as possible and not be locked up in tiny little 'prison cells'.
My dilemma is this.
My gut is telling me I need to look for alternative arrangements which allow him to be out of his stable as much as possible but will allow for restricted grazing as and when needed. I know its unlikely I will get this flexibility on any 'livery' yard and I will likely have to find a place for sole use but we all know this is like looking for a needle in a haystack and id be very lucky to find something like this in my area.
The problem is for anyone looking for livery, my yard is absolutely the best you can find. It is a private yard with just the YO's horse on site and mine. I have flexible field management meaning I can restrict as I need to, they treat him like their own horse and bring him in and out and I just go down whatever time of day suits, the other horse isn't ridden so I have sole use of the menage, good hacking literally on the doorstep. And the YO and I have become friends and we cover for each others holidays or days out, I can text on a whim if ive had an awful day and they will finish him off for me for no extra charge. It really is a DREAM.
But I cant shake this gut feeling that he should be out and about more, not on the grass but perhaps out on a yard situation for part of the day and grazing the other part during summer and out full time in winter. I feel that I am ignoring my gut feeling at my peril and that something will happen again, perhaps more serious, regarding his breathing and when it does, I will kick myself for ignoring my gut feeling and over looking this simply because I chose not to move from the comfort zone of the yard im at now.
Does anyone get what I mean, I know this is quite deep but ive been feeling this way for a little while and i really am having an internal struggle with what to do.
Opinions please and cream cakes to those who got to the end - phew!
I have an internal dilemma going on at the moment.
My horse is a Sec D ive owned for 10 years or so. He's 13 years old and needs your usual fatty management. He lives in his stable at night and out through the day, (all year round, yard policy). During the day, he is currently in restricted grazing paddock alone but has spent the winter (days only) on an open field of two - three acres with a friend. All seems well although he is a little less happy (not stressy but a bit less jolly) with being grazed alone, but his friend is only over the fence they still get to groom.
My issue is over the last few years, after having an awful allergic reaction to a treated straw chop bedding, he has seemed to develop very slight respiratory issues which flare up from time to time.
The last episode was a few months ago when he had to go on a course of ventipulmin. During this period, the YO let him be loose on the enclosed yard at night with his stable door open, which helped a lot and was also good for my piece of mind so he was not in a 'dusty' stable. (Bedded on Aubiose) However after a fence post got broken and a couple of other mishaps this has been stopped and he is back in his stable again. Aside from this, i dont agree with stables anyway despite any medical problems horses may have as i believe horses should be able to move around as freely as possible and not be locked up in tiny little 'prison cells'.
My dilemma is this.
My gut is telling me I need to look for alternative arrangements which allow him to be out of his stable as much as possible but will allow for restricted grazing as and when needed. I know its unlikely I will get this flexibility on any 'livery' yard and I will likely have to find a place for sole use but we all know this is like looking for a needle in a haystack and id be very lucky to find something like this in my area.
The problem is for anyone looking for livery, my yard is absolutely the best you can find. It is a private yard with just the YO's horse on site and mine. I have flexible field management meaning I can restrict as I need to, they treat him like their own horse and bring him in and out and I just go down whatever time of day suits, the other horse isn't ridden so I have sole use of the menage, good hacking literally on the doorstep. And the YO and I have become friends and we cover for each others holidays or days out, I can text on a whim if ive had an awful day and they will finish him off for me for no extra charge. It really is a DREAM.
But I cant shake this gut feeling that he should be out and about more, not on the grass but perhaps out on a yard situation for part of the day and grazing the other part during summer and out full time in winter. I feel that I am ignoring my gut feeling at my peril and that something will happen again, perhaps more serious, regarding his breathing and when it does, I will kick myself for ignoring my gut feeling and over looking this simply because I chose not to move from the comfort zone of the yard im at now.
Does anyone get what I mean, I know this is quite deep but ive been feeling this way for a little while and i really am having an internal struggle with what to do.
Opinions please and cream cakes to those who got to the end - phew!
