I HATE HAVING HORSES IN WINTER

[AmyMay]

He's only worked 5/6 times a week. However, I think you're right and after xmas I am going to drop him down to 4/5 x a week until Feb. That should keep his fitness levels up and anyway 1. it's not like he's an Olympic eventer and 2. We will no doubt get some pretty bad weather in the next few weeks which will probably make riding as much impossible anyway.

The one thing I learnt very quickly was that killing yourself over winter to keep the horses fit was simply a killer.

So I rode once a week in the school, lunged once a week - and then worked the horse properly at the weekend. That was more than enough to maintain fitness.

Then after Christmas I stopped working them all together for a month, and then picked them back up again.

 

[Loulou2002]

I know exactly what you mean!!! I got up this morning at 6.20. Went out to use our old runaround van (dont want to get my car dirty!) Completely frozen, could not open the door at all! Wasted ten minutes trying then resorted to taking my car anyway. Drove to yard already late. Was extra slow mucking out as i have a cold and feel crap, everything frozen....taps, sugarbeet, padlocks, cat food etc etc! Slipped off the muck trailer ramp with the wheel barrow so had to rake that lot up as well!
Came home.....now half an hour late. Had a row with the other half as he thinks "I should make time" how exactly do you do that?!

Anyway have decided next winter mine are going into full livery for three months......even though we have our own yard!

 

[leflynn]

I start work at 8 too and leave yard no later than 7.07 (lol yes that precise!)

I also leave work at 1630 and get there for about 1720-1730.

Normally leave yard each eve by 19.30-19.40 and am normally home by 8!

I work 9-5.30 with an hour commute each way, to be fair it only takes me 30 mins to muck out and hay 2 if they are prepped the night before and I'm at the yard for 6.30am, normally leave the yard at 7.20 to get home to have time for a super quick shower before heading to work. I leave the yard at 8pm on an eve if not riding later if I do (one on box rest so have double mucking out to do)

Would love to have more time to chat but alas no

 

[Perfect_Pirouette]

Yes, you're right.

Trouble is I compete throughout the whole of the winter- sometimes more so than in the spring/summer so leaving him isn't really feasible. Also, something in past couple of weeks has finally clicked inside his little pea brain and he has stepped things up a gear and I finally feel like we're getting somewhere. Bit scared if I stop then we'll regress back to where we were :sigh:

But to be fair, being ridden 4 x a week should be suffifcant throughout the winter to keep him ticking over. Honestly, I swear some people at my yard don't ride during the week throughout the entire winter at all so 4 or 5 x a week for the next 6 or so weeks doesn't seem so bad!

 

[AmyMay]

[quoteBut to be fair, being ridden 4 x a week should be suffifcant throughout the winter to keep him ticking over[/quote]

More than enough.

 

[Antw23uk]

Im planning to ride at least once in the floodlit school as long as its not too wet and lunge once, maybe twice and then hack out at weekends.

Loulou - You just magic time out of thin air .. Tsk!!! didnt you know that? I thought everyone knew that ... everyone apart from horse owners it seems!

I mentioned over a family meal at the weekend that i was looking forward to a hack out Xmas morning , maybe with a little group .... Well that one was 'discussed' last night BIG TIME!!!

 

[daisydoo]

I feel your pain! I only started doing the earlies last week, was a huge shock to the system getting up at 6am, cycling down the hill, then walking through fields (dont drive yet but only a mile and half away), turning ponio out as like her to get a full day out and she is confident first out last in so works, and then traipsing across fields and the killer cycling up the hill to get home for 7.30am when my toddler is waking up and hubbys nearly ready to leave for work. Then do it all again at 6pm and do the mucking out etc then as im in no rush. always there in the dark though thank lord for my head light they are fab! im actually feeling quite good this week, getting some exercise, great way to start the day! then again im only on week 2! my filly is still young so i want to be doing everything with her i see it all as a learning curve so reluctant to let anyone help at this point. 10 more weeks to go! the fog was no joke last night and this morn though! v eery couldnt see a foot in front of me!

 

[Honey08]

Funnily enough, this past week I have been seriously considering haylage. It'd save me so much time and faff. It's just yet more expense but I am seriously considering it just for the winter and switching him back to hay in spring.

Thats strange, I find haylage WAY cheaper than hay for our two. I feed hay in summer as I can't get through a big bale quick enough, and haylage in winter.

I may ask a lady who's field and stable are both right next door to mine and see if she wants to share turn outs once or twice a week maybe to give each other a break.

I would! Failing that pay for him to be turned out. It would be worth every penny.

The one thing I learnt very quickly was that killing yourself over winter to keep the horses fit was simply a killer.

So I rode once a week in the school, lunged once a week - and then worked the horse properly at the weekend. That was more than enough to maintain fitness.

.

I agree. You only do dressage anyway, don't you Summer? So he should still easily be fit enough for that. He must almost be hunt/event fit from what he is doing at the moment..


I don't envy those of you who go straight onto smart jobs, and can't imagine how you do it with just an overall! I'm lucky that I go away and stay away when I go to work, so my smart life and scruffy lives are seperate. I also have a wonderful hubby who does them when I'm away! Just scrubbing the dirt from my hands and nails is hard enough, how do you go on going straight to work. Mind you, I'm one of those people who has to take their gloves off for everything!

 

[horsesatemymoney]

could you get a sharer OP? Farm mornings are my hell- it's not the getting up early etc, it's the being /feeling unclean for work 24/7 turnout has solved that this year!

 

[Perfect_Pirouette]

Thats strange, I find haylage WAY cheaper than hay for our two. I feed hay in summer as I can't get through a big bale quick enough, and haylage in winter.

Hay is included in my livery, haylage is supplied at an additional cost.

I would! Failing that pay for him to be turned out. It would be worth every penny.

Yes, I will, by time I pay petrol there and back I may as well pay £2.30 for a rug change/ turnout as I'm sure it'd cost me at least £1.20 or something to do 14 miles (7 miles there, 7 back on myself!) so effectively it should only cost me about a £1 or something, if that.

I agree. You only do dressage anyway, don't you Summer? So he should still easily be fit enough for that. He must almost be hunt/event fit from what he is doing at the moment..

Yup, only do dressage which yes he is fit for so I suppose I'm worrying about nothing. He gets good long, fast hacks twice a week too and some occasional pole work/jumping so that keeps his fitness up.

 

[Dollysox]

I used to love doing the early mornings, particularly when it was frosty and sparkling, and used to share with a friend so one week I did three and she did two and the next week we swapped. However, I did find that by Thursday afternoons I was so tired I couldn't think straight.

Then I moved yards to somwhere further away but with much better hacking, and that, coupled with a promotion at work, meant that I just couldn't continue. I was getting up every morning at 5 am, shower and dress smartly ready for work, have quick breakfast (can't exist without it), get to the yard (12 miles away), turn out and muck out both (one of whom is the most disgusting horse ever to live in a stable no matter what bedding you have her on), and get to work (14 miles away) looking halfway decent by 7.45 am.

I generally worked until 5.30 pm but often 6 pm or later, then had to go back up to the yard to finish off for the evening (they were brought in during the winter months). After two weeks of this I was on my knees and my brain was mush by early afternoon. I was in a job where I couldn't afford not to think.

So I gave in, put them on livery Monday to Friday so I only have to go up in the evening to feed/hay/skip out. The cost is horrendous, and I do often wish I could save money and do some of it myself, but I know that most days I don't get to the yard until nearly 6.45 pm now and don't want to be getting home later than I do already. I'm also older now and to be honest I'm finding my stamina is far less than it was even five years ago.

I have had sharers for years, usually two for my older mare and one for my younger girl, and my long-standing sharer of the older horse does contribute financially, but not a massive amount as she only does three days. However, she is the only one at the moment; both horses are getting a bit long in the tooth now and finding new sharers isn't that easy.

Perhaps I should have joined the "Do you regret having horses" thread!!

 

[MillionDollar]

I would definitely have him turned out too, will probably be same cost as petrol anyway. Also does he have to have soaked hay? This is the first winter I haven't had to soak hay and wow it saves so much time! Then you could make a load of haynets up at the weekend, enough for the week.

 

[EquestrianFairy]

Im lazy, i have help all week for turning in/putting out and i get up and muck out during my lunch hour- if i cant, i'll have help for that aswell.

My horse is fairly cheap as shes not a rug trasher or a massive horse who needs lots of feed or messy so needs excess bedding etc. This helps as i save a massive amount in summer when shes out 24/7 to make up for the horrible winters.

I tend to work out if its worth my petrol, if its cheaper for me to pay £1 to have her turned out than it is for my petrol/time to do it myself then i opt for the help generally.
I have just requested a change of hours in work so i finish @ 2.30pm, this means i will only really need help with the turning out in the mornings as i can do all the later stuff after work in daylight.

 

[Perfect_Pirouette]

I would definitely have him turned out too, will probably be same cost as petrol anyway. Also does he have to have soaked hay? This is the first winter I haven't had to soak hay and wow it saves so much time! Then you could make a load of haynets up at the weekend, enough for the week.

He gets a very bad cough if his hay isnt soaked. However, I am thinking it may be worth the little extra a month to just stick him on haylage as I doubt soon I will be able to soak as washdown bay sprayer and all taps will probably be frozen in the mornings like they are now and evenings when I get down soon too!

Will work out cost and see if I can stretch to it!

 

[Antw23uk]

Summerxstarsx have you thought about steaming the hay instead? That is just two kettles worth of boiling water tipped over the hay net in a feed bin with the lid put on for about 20 minutes i think .... perhaps this would solve the soaking issue?

I think i will be going cold turkey and doing it all myself for the first week or so and then deciding if i need help in the morning with the assisted DIY Livery they offer.
£1.50 for a turn out? Wont be asking them too many times thats for sure and I darent ask them to feed her as well .. she might kill them ... hold on .. she might kill me Might swallow the cost and pay them

 

[scarymare]

He gets a very bad cough if his hay isnt soaked. However, I am thinking it may be worth the little extra a month to just stick him on haylage as I doubt soon I will be able to soak as washdown bay sprayer and all taps will probably be frozen in the mornings like they are now and evenings when I get down soon too!

Will work out cost and see if I can stretch to it!

Can you get someone to share a big bale of haylage? Regardless of what the books say, good quality dryish big bale will be OK for 10 days, in fact peeps on here say some go a month. I'm £30 a big bale delivered and don't feed any hard feed at all. Be £1.50 per day for the 2 of you.

 

[Sportshorseindisguis]

Oh I must say, this post has made me feel much better about constantly feel like all time is spent preping for the next day or the nest week or event!

Also Hola! to all, have been a slient viewer for quite a while & now just couldn't hold back on the posting any longer xx Will be nice to be able to tap into the font of knowleadge on here as much advice already reviewed & taken on board!

 

[scarymare]

Oh, meant to say (going dottled in old age) that I really panicked last winter and went for the full livery option so's I could compete. Paid £100 per week even though I have my own yard. What a complete nightmare, horse got really hotted up as in 24/7 not out 24/7. I HAD to ride every day due to this (what a dreadful pressure). Stuck it for a month and then on a hack out said horse who is an absolute angel was so 'wired' that he broncked as soon as I went to canter and I very nearly fell off.

Might ride this weekend and might not, may also do dressage on Sunday. I think you need to relax about the whole thing and really consider 24/7 TO. After all, he is dark bay so won't show mud!

 

[Sally-FF]

Leave turnout rugs on - saves times and cold hands in the morning!

 

[Perfect_Pirouette]

Lol actually SM he's the ginger in my sig!

I would leave rugs on but often its wet so change it. I do occasionally but also everyone else changes theirs into their fluffy pyjamas and so I feel like a mean, neglectful mummy leaving mine in his TO lol!

 

[Honey08]

Oh I must say, this post has made me feel much better about constantly feel like all time is spent preping for the next day or the nest week or event!

Also Hola! to all, have been a slient viewer for quite a while & now just couldn't hold back on the posting any longer xx Will be nice to be able to tap into the font of knowleadge on here as much advice already reviewed & taken on board!

Hello and welcome!

Another thought for you, we pay a teen to do our horses on a weekend morning, so we have one day a week where we can have a lie in together and a lazy morning. Very good for the relationship...

 

[ponypilotmum]

You've recently started a new job, moved house and moved yard. Give yourself time to settle!

I always defer some jobs till the evening. It completely blows out my obsession with stables HAVING to be tidy and ready in the morning, but saves me no end of time. Water is something I often leave as by the time I bring in everything's usually defrosted. If you have to soak hay and leave it, don't tie it up, just hook it somewhere so the knot doesn't freeze!

I've got one of those trapper hats which keeps my hair straight and clean, and if it's really raining I just put my waterproof hood over it.

 

[LaurenBay]

Lol actually SM he's the ginger in my sig!

I would leave rugs on but often its wet so change it. I do occasionally but also everyone else changes theirs into their fluffy pyjamas and so I feel like a mean, neglectful mummy leaving mine in his TO lol!

Mine lives in her TO! even though all the others get changed into stable rugs. It is so much easier not having to change rugs in the morning. It also means that I don't have to take her warm dry rug off to put on a cold one. She has been fine doing this. Ignore the others I actually think it's catching on as 2 of the other liverys has started doing it too.

 

[FairyLights]

oh dear, I love winter and the frozen fields and fluffy horses. I love mucking out and bedding down and feedeing. Shame you canty enjoy your horses year round.

 

[Perfect_Pirouette]

I think everyone would love it if it didn't involve freezing limbs, frozen taps so no water, frozen schools and roads so no riding. My poor little C1 skidding everywhere and giving up the ghost and stopping because it can't cope with the snow etc and I can't afford a 4x4. I think we'd all love it too if we didn't have busy jobs to get to and therefore are restrained to going down certain times of the day/eve and restrained in terms of time.

To be fair that's not just a winter thing, until I am a lady of leisure I will always be restrained by time whatever the season, spring and summer just make it a lot easier all round!

 

[leflynn]

Lol actually SM he's the ginger in my sig!

I would leave rugs on but often its wet so change it. I do occasionally but also everyone else changes theirs into their fluffy pyjamas and so I feel like a mean, neglectful mummy leaving mine in his TO lol!

Leave them on, they'll dry from his bodyheat and he'll stay warmer rather then being out in and out of cold rugs

Plus it'll save you time

Can you get small bales of haylage? Bagged stuff is expensive compared to small proper bales (or is up here)

 

[Antw23uk]

Leave turnout rugs on - saves times and cold hands in the morning!

Lol actually SM he's the ginger in my sig!

I would leave rugs on but often its wet so change it. I do occasionally but also everyone else changes theirs into their fluffy pyjamas and so I feel like a mean, neglectful mummy leaving mine in his TO lol!

A couple of people down the yard do this and i thought it was a bit mean .. but genius so probably just me being silly!

As long as they are dry it would certainly save time? (and evil devil faces and nashing teeth!!)

 

[scarymare]

Lol actually SM he's the ginger in my sig!

I would leave rugs on but often its wet so change it. I do occasionally but also everyone else changes theirs into their fluffy pyjamas and so I feel like a mean, neglectful mummy leaving mine in his TO lol!

Mine of useless information that I am, in WW2, people were advised not to get out of wet waterproofs and that it saved heat if you let them dry out whilst worn rather than change into cold dry ones only to put on cold wet ones the next day (not much heating then). Seriously you will never look back and horsey will thank you also.

 

[Antw23uk]

Mine of useless information that I am, in WW2, people were advised not to get out of wet waterproofs and that it saved heat if you let them dry out whilst worn rather than change into cold dry ones only to put on cold wet ones the next day (not much heating then). Seriously you will never look back and horsey will thank you also.

Im sold

 

[Honey08]

Mine of useless information that I am, in WW2, people were advised not to get out of wet waterproofs and that it saved heat if you let them dry out whilst worn rather than change into cold dry ones only to put on cold wet ones the next day (not much heating then). Seriously you will never look back and horsey will thank you also.

Do we seriously believe them though? I know when I go home soaked to the skin I don't stand around in my wet coat, I go and get changed!

I started doing this, against my better judgement, two years ago when I had my arm in a sling and hubby had to do all the work - decided some of my principles had to slip to save him some work! We still do it, but I would never leave a very wet rug on them, or leave them on a windy night in a wet rug (unless its a night when we are shutting the top doors due to the weather).

Another major issue to watch out for, is, unless you are riding, you don't notice changes in weight or cuts higher up the legs etc as easy. On the plus side, I don't get as many mane/shoulder rubs with turnout rugs alone as I used to when using stable rugs more often.