In or out in the snow?

Apercrumbie

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I prefer them out as we've had them trapped in before due to it not being safe to take them to the field and that was not a fun few days - very fed up horses and owners! If they are out, they have ad lib hay.
 

catkin

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We've had a partial thaw which has now refrozen so I've been topping up the yellow sh** road this morning. The yard and path to the field are just going to be so disgusting when this snow goes but it's really helping with making working around the stables safer. Ponies being very clever about where they put their feet and rather enjoying themselves.
 

twiggy2

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If we had snow I would turn out as one yard I was at did nothing to clear the snow and ice, I would then out very early thw day the snow arrived before the cars compacted it down and made it slippery. They would stay out with ad lib hay and water checked at least twice a day.
I had two times when the rest of the yard (over 50 horses) stayed in for over 2 weeks (once for just over 3 weeks) as the yard and tracks remained icy. They could not get to the maneges or out of the blocks.
Mine ranged from Welsh A, clipped and non clipped to sports horses fully clipped.
 

MotherOfChickens

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when I used to work on yards back in the day, if it got icy we would stick muck down so we could get horses about-we did this at livery yards, riding schools and racing yards-even put a muck ring down for controlled exercise. everyone too lazy to do this now?
 

Goldenstar

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I agree although I do understand the reluctance of people caring extremely value horses that are not their own .
I think you just have to get them out everyday no matter what as soon as they have been standing in you risk them going nuts .
Horses need to move and you need to try to manage that even when things are less than ideal outside .
I have two horses wintering out one clipped and in work and the other is the retired Fatty they came in last night they had had enough .
Fatty in particular was looking miserable the other would have stayed out he’s in his prime and he’s a hard horse Fatty is older and it was getting him down .
He’s visibly brighter today much more himself .
 
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pippixox

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Managed the ten minute walk to the field along a very snowy and icy tarmac track with my two this morning. My gelding walked himself out the barn before I even got his head collar on! So clearly wanted to go out after about 40 hours in. Both rolled. My mare doesn’t seem to like snow and was standing by the fence when I left (despite a mountain of hay) but my boy was happily digging up snow to find grass. Hoping they will stay out tonight as -8 predicted so will be far too icy tomorrow (but will have to bring in if grumpy mare decides to pace)
 

MyBoyChe

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I prefer my hardy highland pony to be out all day, he does come in at night in the winter to save the ground. He has been in for 3 days this week as everything in the fields next to him was in and he will sulk, stomp up and down and trash the ground. He has loved it, food under his nose, fresh water 3 times a day, nice clean bed, jamas changed twice a day, a bit of fruit added to his chaff to offset all the dry feed. This morning everything has gone out, about 10am, he had a roll, wandered to the end of his field and back and by 11am he was stood in his gateway looking pathetic. He is being ignored, he can flippin well stay there until 4pm. We have to walk across a tiny section of yard and then 1 field to get to his, the stables are in a barn, so its never impassable, although we do chuck salt down and if its really bad we empty a couple of barrows of old bedding to form a walkway. Personally, I do think they are better out if possible, my friend had hers in because she was worried about her old girl who had a check ligament injury last year, doing more damage on the slippy bits. The sight of her charging round this morning with her fieldmates after 3 days in was absolutely mortifying so you cant really win. That said, if all they are going to do is stomp about in the gateway, looking fed up and waiting to come in, whats the point!!
 

The Fuzzy Furry

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when I used to work on yards back in the day, if it got icy we would stick muck down so we could get horses about-we did this at livery yards, riding schools and racing yards-even put a muck ring down for controlled exercise. everyone too lazy to do this now?
Used to do same, did so yesterday for 1 patch of concrete, will clear up tomorrow.
 

catkin

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when I used to work on yards back in the day, if it got icy we would stick muck down so we could get horses about-we did this at livery yards, riding schools and racing yards-even put a muck ring down for controlled exercise. everyone too lazy to do this now?

I'm not sure if it is just lazyness - I still do it but I can please myself as I keep them at home - no-one to moan about a scruffy yard except to myself :). When I hear about some of the yard rules people have to put up with I'm eternally grateful that I can do whatever is necessary..........
 

Goldenstar

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I'm not sure if it is just lazyness - I still do it but I can please myself as I keep them at home - no-one to moan about a scruffy yard except to myself :). When I hear about some of the yard rules people have to put up with I'm eternally grateful that I can do whatever is necessary..........

Me too I don’t think I could cope not being in charge of everything .
 

MotherOfChickens

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arguably the yearlings we had for pre-training and sales prep were pretty valuable, the riding school still had to make money and the livery yards had competition horses and hunters in. of course not everyone had arenas back then so couldn't just turf them out in those.
 

catkin

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A bit off topic - but as we are talking muck-rings for exercise.......

Does anyone know the print of a painting of racehorses walking on a ring? I was given a card with a print of it way back in the 1980s (appropriately during a snowy winter when I was having to do it for real!) It would be probably be by an artist like Munnings. Would love to find it again if possible.
 

Ambers Echo

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Amazing what they can find to eat even in the snow!

51390237_2140561666023903_2723506635761778688_n.jpg
 

spugs

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Mine are out 24/7, plenty of hay and rugs. Thoroughbred is fully clipped as just out of racing but he’s warm and happy.
 

ILuvCowparsely

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We are at the top of a hill, we have a few foot of snow and its still coming down heavy. The snow was over my geldings knees and nearly over my wellies outside their field. I put mine out for 30 minutes while I mucked out, they had a roll and some fun.. then they were more than happy to come back in to clean warm stables with fresh haylage and a treat ball.

If I left them out i'd of had to give them some haylage, do feel bad on horses turned out 24/7 in deep snow with no forage.
What about yours? :)
Ours are out at 7am and in at 4pm they have the whole day out in the snow, I believe in having them out in the fresh air as long as possible.

Ours are also in at night and we kept a field for them for 9 months so they have plenty now to much on as we don't hay the fields.

We have a yard nearby who don;t allow turnout when really wet or snowy for weeks on end. Sorry but I could be in a yard like that, I think if a Y/M should have a clause saying if you want your horse out in the snow aand wet, you accept the dangers and risk.
 
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windand rain

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I hate snow but I will admit that during the beast from the east they were cleaner than they usually are The white socks positively gleamed
 

Pc2003

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We had about a foot of snow yesterday. They stayed in yesterday whilst it was coming down but went out today. They loved it!
 

tallyho!

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The yard becomes far too slippery in this weather (extensive concrete) and they could end up being in for days so it snow/ice we leave out.
 

Quigleyandme

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The routine with mine was they only came in on winter nights. When we had deep snow for a plolonged period in 2010 my pony got very severe laminitis. A local vet wrote in the regional newspaper that he was seeing a surprising number of laminitis cases. The correlation was quickly drawn by anecdotal evidence from other vets. Going forward I would only turn out for a couple of hours of playing and mooching and get them back in.
 
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