*HELP* do i turn away my 5yo

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samibeckett92

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Sorry its a long one but in need of some advice!! Basically...... I brought a horse from somebody I used to work for as a 4yo, after some suspicion and adding up dates as well as check from my vet she was a young three year old who had been broken in early and done a lot of jumping and schoolingfor her age. I took things back to basics with groundwork but being at a yard with limited turnout it was hard to not do as much with her.As far as I'm aware she was stabled from young and never turned away as a youngster. She's 5 now and She's always been abit 'spirited' but tends to love working especially hacking. After moving to my current yard the school wasn't great as been put in by the owner who was a builder and literally filled it with building sand and stones (bless him for trying)but we had a grass arena which was perfect, yard owner doesnt want it ridden in anymore and I'm not getting home from work til around 6.30 so starting to get dark. I've started to leave her out 24/7 as she was getting very stressed in the stable (weaving, box walking, not settleing) although she's always been a little bit stressed nothing this bad. And I think she just needs the break she never got to have. With me not being able to ride her and time being limited I'm thinking of turning her away over winter as she loves to be out. Just wondering if people have had similar experiences and what was the outcome. Also any advice, does/donts on turning away would be much appreciated! Thanks in advance 😊😊😊
 
As it sounds as if you will struggle to do any useful work with her over the winter then if you can turn her away properly so she gets a real break from being stabled it may be just what she needs to relax, settle down and grow up, horses get turned away for many reasons there is no real right or wrong, although sometimes you only find out by doing something, it is unlikely to do her any harm and may do a lot of good.
I feel that if you do turn away it is best if you can be as hands off as possible, let them get muddy, grow a long coat and only rug if essential, that way you both have a break and come back with a fresh start, rather than trying to keep them looking clean and tidy and getting stressed about which rug to put on, as long as the grazing is suitable they don't require much else at this time of year although once the weather turns she may require extra feeding to stop her dropping off too much.
 
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