loulabelle
Well-Known Member
Im just after some advice really.
All of my horses are currently field kept but I am in the fortunate position of being able to start building my stables this spring and I would like to start bringing them all in at night from next winter, mainly to save my grass especially if we have another wet year.
4 of them I know will adapt fine, they have all been stable kept before its only been the last 2 years that they have been out 24/7.
My 3 year old is a whole different matter. She had a bad experience in a stable when she was a baby and hasnt been back in one since. What happened was she was imported from Germany with her mum at 9 months old, the same day she arrived they were taken off the lorry the filly was put in a stable and the mum taken away .she proceeded to jump through a weave grill and over the yards post and rail fence (thankfully coming away with no more than a couple of scratches). This was all witnessed by a friend of mine who knows her breeder. Since that day she was pretty much left in a field untouched until I brought her as a 2 year old.
She has overcoming a lot of her issues (due to the lack of handling previously) but I know that the stable issue is going to be a big one to tackle. My plan is to gradually get her used to being in one over the summer by slowly introducing it to her for longer periods at a time and by doing things like feeding and grooming her in there. We are also going to put a grill in the partition wall so she can still see her field buddy in the stable next to her but just wondered if anyone had any further suggestions to make the transition smoother. Shes a big lump at 16hh and still growing and really dont want her to hurt herself by attempting to jump out or for her to be fretting all night. I want her to be happy in her environment with the added bonus of being able to sleep at night and not lay there wide awake panicking about her when I eventually do bring her in of a night time.
All suggestions welcome 
All of my horses are currently field kept but I am in the fortunate position of being able to start building my stables this spring and I would like to start bringing them all in at night from next winter, mainly to save my grass especially if we have another wet year.
4 of them I know will adapt fine, they have all been stable kept before its only been the last 2 years that they have been out 24/7.
My 3 year old is a whole different matter. She had a bad experience in a stable when she was a baby and hasnt been back in one since. What happened was she was imported from Germany with her mum at 9 months old, the same day she arrived they were taken off the lorry the filly was put in a stable and the mum taken away .she proceeded to jump through a weave grill and over the yards post and rail fence (thankfully coming away with no more than a couple of scratches). This was all witnessed by a friend of mine who knows her breeder. Since that day she was pretty much left in a field untouched until I brought her as a 2 year old.
She has overcoming a lot of her issues (due to the lack of handling previously) but I know that the stable issue is going to be a big one to tackle. My plan is to gradually get her used to being in one over the summer by slowly introducing it to her for longer periods at a time and by doing things like feeding and grooming her in there. We are also going to put a grill in the partition wall so she can still see her field buddy in the stable next to her but just wondered if anyone had any further suggestions to make the transition smoother. Shes a big lump at 16hh and still growing and really dont want her to hurt herself by attempting to jump out or for her to be fretting all night. I want her to be happy in her environment with the added bonus of being able to sleep at night and not lay there wide awake panicking about her when I eventually do bring her in of a night time.
All suggestions welcome 