How often do you check your horses?

HumidClimate

HumidClimate

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Can I ask those who are on private land (i.e. not a livery yard) how often you go and check your horses.

I am moving (as most of you know) to a private place. There are two other owners who will be there every day. And I wanted to know how often I need to go down to check on the horses. Is once a day enough? Do I have to go every day or should I be going twice a day?

I am a little limited on time sometimes and my OH is not terribly understanding ("Horses come after the house, the kids and Me") so thought I would make sure i'm doing this all correctly LOL
 
morning .... its very cold here in east yorkshire today brrrr ..
i have recently moved my horses back in march ,,
but the previous field i had them in . i used to go and check on them twice a day ... only as i had to let them out in the winter ..
however . now i have moved to more greener pastures were there is only myself and one other girl . i go once a day .
as the man who owns the land and stables fills my waters up i only went once a day .
now the weather is turning colder ive been going twice a day .. and when he lets me start bringing in on a night then obviously it will be feed and turnout . then back at tea time to muck out and bring in ..
i think if you feel comfortable to go once a day and check for cuts etc . i think it would be ok ...
depends on how you feel i suppose if you want to leave it .. or if the other person checks for you one day then you the next .. take it in turns if you feel you can trust the other person to defo check on yours
good luck
 
I rent my own land, I have 3 horses and I go down at least twice a day, at weekends I spend most of the days there. Luckily OH understand ands sometimes comes down and gives me a hand.

Liz
 
Twicw a day for me. Wouldn't do less. Ponies actually get checked by other girl sharing yard so unless we go at the same time can be checked up to four times daily.

Jane
 
It depends on the light. I make sure I check mine once a day but I do live in a road with 5 other houses and I know that one set of neighbours in particular would notice if anything wrong as have had texts before!
 
Twice a day. Sorry but anything less is just plain lazy.
Couldnt forgive myself if I checked them at lunch and then one colliced or got stuck in fence etc etc and had to wait 24hours to be rescued!
 
I go every day to check Bella. Often gets checked anything up to 5 times a day though as where I am the YM checks them all every day, daughter checks both of them, livery next door checks them when she walks her dogs, and other liveries watch all the horses while having a cuppa to check for any signs of lameness etc
 
Every day - he's on a livery yard and YO feeds, hays and turns out in the morning and I either bring him in or check him in the field in the evening if Im not riding.

If I wasnt on a livery it would be twice a day :)
 
really twice aday, only for few mins to check them ect. but at least once aday.
few years back we where renting land that had a mask you know for tv ariels. well it was in middle of a field, now was 30 acres to graze, anyhow one morning i got a call that one of my yearlings had got her feet stuck in steel bars. we went down and do you know the steel bars that goes round a tv mask. well you can just about slip your hand in, i haven't a clue how she got her 2 back hooves through them and she was lying on a hill as well.
she was soooo quiet and good but must have happened in middle of night we where there at 7.30 but she looked as she was trying to get out for few hours, i do not know how it happened nor does anyone else as i can barly get my hand through them as they are that tight so children can get in to electrics. we had to get crowbar and slidge hammer and widen bars, took bout hour in total. and she hadnt a sratch on her. she was soooooooo good. but if my neighbour hadnt been walking her dogs at that time god knows what would have happened. i always check twice a day but that morning i wasnt going to check till after postman came as waiting on parcel. well needless to say night and morning i check if only for a min. i would have died if something had of happened to her.
 
Twice daily, in the morning and at teatime and we are often there for a few hours with the horses, especially at weekends. If we are short of time during the week they are still checked twice, even if it is a look over and checking everyone is okay.
 
I go down twice a day at 6.30 and 5.30 before and after work, like said on above posts i would never forgive myself if something happened and i hadn't been down to check on them. It might be worth him going down with you a few times to understand the work and time that goes into looking after them, you never know he might enjoy it
 
Once a day. However, it is adjacent to the land owner's building yard, and he and his workers keep an eye on them for me and would ring if there were any problems.
 
Why don't you speak to the others at the yard you are moving to and explain your situation and that on occaisions you can't always get there. Here most people only come once a day - usually to put away - there is only one other livery that comes twice day - it is a DIY yard. I can check mine when I like as I live here but before I moved to the yard it wan't always possible to do twice a day due to work and other commitments (the yard was also 30 mn drive away).

For those of you making comments such as anything less than twice a day is lazy - don't rush to be so judgmental. People all have other commitments that sometimes need to take priority - we can't all be perfect.:rolleyes:
 
slinky - I made that comment.
I am referring to people only going once a day when there is NOONE else checking them.

But ref being perfect. well, yes. I am.............
 
Always twice a day. Sometimes in the summer once a day. There are 3 other owners on the yard who all go up at differenet times and i can trust them to phone or text me if there is a problem with Charlie. I also do the same for them if one of their horses isnt right. I always do a head count in each field and check that they are all at least hooves pointing the right way. If i cant see one of them, then i go looking, so that i can check that their ok.
 
i go down twice....

im on a livery yard though but would be the same (if not more!) on my own yard!!

i got down every morning - and then in the afternoon/evening too

theres always somone on the yard from 6AM until 8/9 at night.... and tbh i know people pop their heads over her door when im gone to check which is nice :)
 
I have to say I think that this is an odd question.
We keep ours at home, so see them every time we go outside. The longest they are left without being seen is overnight - last check about midnight, first about 7.00 am in winter. When we are at work, the neighbours can see them and would contact us if there was a problem.
OP the answer to your question is 'how long would you be comfortable with them being left unseen, if they had an injury?'. Obviously they can gaet injured at any time and you have to compromise between what might be desirable - 24 hr supervision- and what is possible. I do know people who have gone on holiday for a week and just left their horses without telling anyone that they were going but I think that's disgraceful.
 
mine are at parents house and as mum doesnt work she casts her eye over them each time she goes upstairs (house overlooks field) or takes the dog out etc, so probably each hour.

they last get checked at around 11pm when dad takes the dog out before bed and then im up at 6am to do them before work.
 
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