How Important Is Routine?

E

Elf On A Shelf

...
Joined
28 February 2011
Messages
16,446
Visit site
How important are routines and timings to you?

I have no set routine or timings. My horses get breakfast anywhere between 6am amd 8.30am, lunch 1-2.30pm and dinner can be anywhere between 6pm and 10.30pm. The only 2 things that must happen is Gray gets turned out first otherwise the noise is horrendous! And I will never give dinner before 6pm.

In all the years and all the horses and ponies I have had I have had 2 gasey colics and thats it until yesterday. My beautiful fell pony twisted his gut and got pts and his routine - free range of 170acrs which he had been on for months not being ridden, no hay, no food. So no real reason for him to colic. I am assuming he stuffed himself with too much wet grass.

I don't believe in set routines as what happens when you go away competing? Your routine is screwballed then and you just expect the horse to get on with it and deal with it.
 
my dad has always said that I shouldn't have a routine as it causes too much stress if im late for one reason or another!

so during the week I go up at 6.15 at the weekend its more like 8am! the horses are fine about it!
 
Timing is not important to me in the slightest but routine is. It doesn't matter what time I go out of my house to feed in the morning, but once I'm outside the horses all know the drill and that feed is coming so they position themselves at their feed buckets and wait patiently. I only have routine however for feeding times.
 
I disagree. Horses thrive with routine, I think they are like folk with Autism.
At our yard we had a horse who box walked for England. 4 days on routine and carful management and he stopped.
 
So so sorry about your pony, so sad, and sometimes these things just happen and it has nothing to do with what you have or haven't done. My friend lost a pony to colic this week too, no warning and no change in routine.

I like to have a routine but it is not so strict that timings cannot be altered - so if it is a lovely evening then will stay in the field a couple of hours extra.
 
I also believe horses thrive on routine - not to set times but, my mare knows that when I turn up at the yard, she will get breakfast, be rugged then turned out while I muck out. Then she comes back onto the yard to be worked. She's a stressy girl but has settled with this routine.
 
I have a rough routine, I do not stick to exact times, and they are perfectly happy this way. It means of something happens and I am running quite late, they do not start fretting. Visited twice daily morning an evening but morning times especially can vary.
 
proudwilliam said:
I disagree. Horses thrive with routine, I think they are like folk with Autism.
At our yard we had a horse who box walked for England. 4 days on routine and carful management and he stopped.
Click to expand...

But what would happen if you needed an early start for a competition, or car broke down so you were late to the yard etc?

I agree with others that as long as they know food will arrive at some point,and they have adlib forage whilst waiting, then NOT having strict timings is better. Equally, mine are happy to be ridden any time of the day, again, so random morning or evening competitions doesn't faze them.

Ps, sorry about your horse EKW. I don't see how you could have prevented it- free range grass, no concentrates sounds totally blameless:(
 
Last edited:
I don't have a routine. I think it makes them more stressy and makes them anticipate actions which can lead to bad behaviour.
 
I'm sorry to hear about your fell, EKW :(

I'm not a massive fan of routine. Too many variables in life - if I'm competing, have a lesson, working etc, things change. They're fine with it!
 
so sorry to hear about your pony EKW. Often colic is a matter of (bad) luck, I do wonder how often they colic and we don't know about it.

I'm not much for routine tbh, especially as mine mostly live out. I live with two autistic step kids, none of my horses react to a change in routine like they do, they are much more relaxed about life.
 
Aww really sorry for your loss OP

Routines well I would like to not have too many set times but unfortunately when you work full time it is a bit unavoidable, I have to be in work for a certain time and stay there all day... Boo!!

On a weekend though I go up at different times.

There are other routines going on though without timings being involved, for instance mine always get brushed before ridden, feet picked out when they come in, fed after riding etc - routine doesn't have to be about getting to the yard at a certain time and I think a lot of people follow the same process of doing things when they get to the yard. Maybe it's not horses that like routine, maybe it's humans :)
 
I don't have mine in a routine. I think having Horses in a routine is asking for trouble.

She will get breakfast and turned out anytime between 6-9am, sometimes she will be ridden in the morning, sometimes she will be ridden in the evening. I can do anything with her and she never stresses as she doesn't know what's going on next.

I would hate to have a Horse that I had to do at certain times because that's what they are used to, what do you do if your late?
 
Depends on the horse IMO those prone to being stressy seemed to thrive on routine. My mare has settled really well since moving from out 24x7 no routine to pretty reliable actions on livery at set times. i do change times (later weekends) but not actions too much, keeps her happy and stress free.
 
I don't think a routine or no routine would prevent something like that. Sorry to hear about your mare. It's an awful thing to get over. Mine have no routine. Adlib hay in winter and no hard feed. They are happy.
 
So sorry to hear about your mare :(

Having done both strict routines and laid back ones... I honestly think they are all adaptable and even those that protest will, in a few days get used to a new way of things being done to them.

Some humans on the other hand have the hardest time adapting to change... some people just like doing things a certain way. Nothing wrong with that. I'm quite jealous :D

I'm all over the place and my horse doesn't really know her arse from her stifle when it comes to routine (neither do I!). As long as she has access to something edible, I honestly think she couldn't care less. This despite being quite a highly strung spanish MARE!!! :D:D:D:D
 
My fell pony was a gelding and I had had him for 12years. There was nothing that could have prevented what happened. I have worked with horses that have had colic ops before and I have always said I would never, ever subject one of my own to it. I have known a few that flipped the gut to carry on as normal after an op but ones that have twisted and been op'd on I have never known them to last longer than 2 years.

Some horses do need some sort of routine I agree but I do think it is more for the humans than the horses themselves.
 
Oh sorry. I think I subliminally read "mare" somewhere. Colic is awful. Lost two on our yard to colic in the same year! Weird.
 
I am so sorry about your pony

My two have no routine and seem happy enough, I recently had to rehome a pony, he was one that thrived on routine but my remaining two are happy with no real routine

regrading illness or injury - I think there are so many outside variables that could come in to play even with a good routine, hikers with picnics, people putting grass clippings over fences, lost nails and screws in the field left by previous occupants, falling branches etc
 
So sorry to hear of your pony. Some years ago I lost my youngster to a twisted gut. He was living out 24/7 and the vet said it was just pure bad luck.

In answer to your question, I don't have a strict routine with my horses. They are kept at home and have to fit in with my work. At the moment they are fed as soon as someone gets to the yard which can be anytime between 7 and 8.30. Generally they all then get turned out but I may chose to ride one of them (he/she will have only been given a handful of breakfast) but they are all used to seeing their mates go out and don't stress. Depending on the weather and whether I have time to ride in the afternoon they might come in around 2.30 or it could be at 5. They are all competition horses so have to be used to being fed, turned out and ridden at different times.

I do late night checks and hay at around 10.00 pm and they will call when I come out of the house with the dogs but won't call if I come out earlier without the dogs.
 
Twisted gut is pure bad luck. There's nothing that can be done to prevent it and without surgery there's no other way to treat it. It's quite unlike most colics which often can be prevented and the vast majority are easily treated.
 
EKW - sorry to hear about your pony- sounds like he had a lovely life with you.

Mine have a routine of sorts but not set time - depends on my working hours. Neither of them are in work though.
They know when I come out in the morning, they are fed - sometimes turned out straight after, sometimes have a bit more hay and stay in awhile.
They are turned out, everyday - but will have the odd duvet day, weather dependent.
They come in every afternoon - time depends on what I'm doing.
They have tea any time after 6pm until 9pm.
 
equi said:
I don't have a routine. I think it makes them more stressy and makes them anticipate actions which can lead to bad behaviour.
Click to expand...

This. My boy is only 18 months old but I've found that (for now at least) being kept out of a routine is better for him. When we did slip into a routine a few weeks ago, he became quite bargey and 'demanding'. I go up every morning usually between 8-9 depending on when I'm working but I do things in a slightly different order. He seems better if he doesn't quite know what we're doing next. All this may change as he grows up of course!
 
Sorry about your Fell :frown3:

Personally I think that consistency in handling can be more important than a set routine - so you might not feed at the exact same time, but you behave, and expect them to behave, in the same manner each time.

(I'll caveat that by adding that this is only by my limited observations)
 
Am very sorry for your loss. Up to this year after over 27 years of caring for my own, I'd never had a colic. Flicka had a suspected gassy colic earlier this year.

Mine are out 24/7 and are seen to twice a day. There is no set time but the old girls do expect their grub. I do purposely go up if I'm on afternoon duty and mess around first so they realise that the sight of someone does not always mean that they get fed straight away.
 
I feel that horses are much calmer without a routine. When I've had horses in strict full livery routines they've been much more highly strung than a somewhat relaxed DIY one. They've held their weight and condition better too.
 
We don't have a strict routine. When I'm away with work and hubby does them they go out earlier and come in later, when I'm home they go out later and come in earlier. When they're ridden varies too. They have some routine in that they're in at night and get hard feed when they come in. They seem quite happy about things generally. They are in the field behind the stables and always hear feed being mixed so go to the gate when they hear it!
 
So sorry EKW.

I endurance rode for years, so routine was not my friend. They had to learn to eat and ride at any time of the day or night. Even now my routine is different on weekdays to weekends. They seem to manage just fine, but I do notice when we switch to daylight saving I have an impatient crowd at the gate for the first week!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top