Late night checks?

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Rollin

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We have our own yard now and always check our horses at 10.00pm.

How many members check late at night or use livery where the owner checks the yard late each evening?
 
I always check before bed. One night I actually went out for a meal and had a few drinks and did last checks at about 8pm - when I came home at half 11, I still did checks. One of the horses was missing and we found him stuck upside down in a ditch - it took us 2 hours to get him in across the field. Long story short he passed away quietly in the night - I'm so thankful we did the extra check or the poor boy would have died alone and cold in the ditch :(

I cannot fathom those that only do one check a day...
 
When I had horses in I used to wander across to the barn anytime after 10pm to shut the doors, switch lights off and lock the tackroom after liveries had been and gone, and chase the raccoons out ;)

Nowadays, with horses living out I shine a torch out of the sitting room window and mostly they are stood eating hay 30' away from me. I don't often go out to check them unless the dogs are going nuts and I need to check where the coyotes are and then I cast an eye around for them.
 
I have since I was 17. It never really occurred to me before that but then I moved to a yard where the owner did a 10pm check and put in more hay if needed, and it seemed such a sensible thing to do I kept on doing it myself when I moved to a yard where they didn't do it. I even remember walking over in the dark a few times when it had snowed and we couldn't get the car out. My checks were a bit earlier though, more like 8.30-9pm. Since then we have tended to have them living out - the current yard our YO will check/ put more hay in at about 8pm if they are staying in (only tends to happen in the winter when weather is horrendous) and when they are out I'll confess we do only go once a day, but the YO can see the field from her house and is up there turning out/ bringing in her horses at various times so would notice if anything wrong. We rented a field for a bit and only went up once a day then as well, but that is because the field owner lived right nextdoor and could see our horses and had said he was happy to keep an eye on them (retired beef farmer, so trusted him to tell if something was wrong).
 
When I was a WP we used to have to skip out, water, hay and check the horses back from hunting/competing/late lessons so I was really surprised to find yards that didn't do this. When mine are in they are checked at 10pm ish. When they are out and home its similar-its a bit earlier when they are down the road though.
 
I currently live in a cottage on DIY yard, and I do late checks of all (not just mine!) horses at about 9pm and feed off at about 6am. I'm about to move into my own place and will keep the same routine. I also intend to put CCTV into the boxes so I can have a look without going outside whenever I wish!
 
YO does a late night check, puts in feeds and hay for those who need it and general check to make sure everyone is ok. If she is out and cannot do it then she will ask one of us to do instead.
 
Mine are at home and live out so are checked morning and evening, plus in daylight I can just look out of the window too. However the winter field is 9 acres so one evening check is enough to be getting on with. On the rare occasion one has to be stabled I do a late check and skip before I go to bed but really wouldn't want to have to do that as a routine thing. Hence one of the reasons they live out, apart from preferring it themselves.
 
When mine are stabled at night (so in the winter) they are checked at midnight. My husband sees them on his way home between 8-9pm as well. They only really get checked as they are right next to the cows that are due to calve and you can't really miss seeing them when you turn the light on, they don't get a top up of food or anything. In the summer when they are out at night they aren't specifically checked, although my in laws can see them from their sitting room as they graze his garden.
 
I have a small livery yard and check them all later (I'm not as late as some above - usually about 8pm) I regularly have to top up water and hay. If we have been out and I check them when I get back i often find some are completely out of hay/water so I would always do it.
 
Carlosmum said:
My boys live at home, I go out about 10 pm and give a last hay net & poo pick their boxes.
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me too! i do mine at 11 though when i let the dogs out, in winter i also top up their tubs with warm water, my friends all mock me and think we are mad but i wouldn't be able to sleep if i hadn't checked them beforehand .
there are horses around me whose owners don't check them for days , i just can't understand this sort of attitude
 
Its nice to know I'm not the only crazy lady battling the elements at 10pm every night! Tonight I will think of all the others out at the same time and feel better trudging through the snow and being buffeted by the wind :)
 
When ours are in overnight we feed the dogs at 11.00 pm and then carry on and check the horses, top up the hay, check that they have enough water etc. We have caught a couple of colics at the last check, so it's definitely worth doing. Far better to be able to ring the vet immediately its noticed than leaving the poor horse all night, when a morning call would be too late.
 
Before I had my old mare PTS in March, we always did late nights. She had the balance of her short feed, Hay Bar filled-up, water checked and skipped out. We let her in to the school to wander about whilst we did all these things. She then had a late night cuddle with my OH whilst I put her short feed it her manger. I still miss her SO much - I guess I always will.
 
I find it bizarre that anyone would need to check their horses because they would be out of water? I leave mine at 5pm ish and that's it until 6am the next morning- he would never ever run out of water.
 
I check mine and all my clients horses every night at 9-10pm I like to make sure they hav all pooed, check bottom bolts (I have to fasten one EVERY night believe it or not!) and just in general that they're all quiet and settled. I wouldn't sleep if I didn't do it! Michen I find it equally bizarre that a horse may not be seen by anyone for 12 hours! But I'm a little OCD about stuff like that!
 
Mine is on a livery yard, the horses aren't checked but I'm there until 8.30 every evening and listen out for any strange noises. If I don't do a late skip out I come down to a humdinger of a messy bed in the morning.
 
My boy is at a friend's yard on a part livery. She is on evening/night shifts and always pops in on her way home to check everyone and sling a haynet in. That can be anywhere between 11 and 2am!
 
My lot are at home and I check them at 10ish every night. They get a top up of hay, water checked and skipped out. I would hate to leave them from 5pm until 6.30am without being checked, who knows what mischief they could be into...!!
 
I started doing a 9pm check, and now I feel I want to do it every night. I just feel reassured that all is ok, even though something could happen during the night, it's just like a piece of mind thing for me.
 
I do. I find it makes mucking out the next day far more easier if I just skip out the worst late at night before it gets broken up and trodden in to the bedding

I was also recommended to do split the days feed in to three and feed the last one very late and the ponies have never looked better (and I don't mean fat!)
 
What I mean by that is that my horse would never run out of water, he always has at least a third left in the morning- they would never be allowed to run out.

chocolategirl said:
I check mine and all my clients horses every night at 9-10pm I like to make sure they hav all pooed, check bottom bolts (I have to fasten one EVERY night believe it or not!) and just in general that they're all quiet and settled. I wouldn't sleep if I didn't do it! Michen I find it equally bizarre that a horse may not be seen by anyone for 12 hours! But I'm a little OCD about stuff like that!
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Michen said:
What I mean by that is that my horse would never run out of water, he always has at least a third left in the morning- they would never be allowed to run out.
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Maybe not drank it all but occasionally they kick them over accidentally. Hay + no water = colic... Better safe than sorry
 
I too check mine at 10pm, skip out, top up any hay or water and give late feed.

Horses all vary and each day varies, some days they might drink more than others or could have knocked one over by mistake etc.

I also check if they have the right rugs on.

In the summer when they are out at night I often go and check them in the field at 10pm and take fly rugs off or add a rain sheet according to weather etc.
 
Apercrumbie said:
Mine are out 24/7 so I don't do a late check no, it's interesting that I seem to be in the minority here!
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I think that thse who have their animals elsewhere from home or a staffed yard are keeping their heads down on this one.

Many yards are not staffed, many yards have owners coming twice a day, sometimes sharing visits with others.

Mine are attended to twice a day, usually 6 or 7am and between 5pm and 7pm at this time of the year.
I will only make the trek back if I am uncomfortable with how one of them presents, or if I happen to be out & passing the yard.
Currently mine are still out 24/7 :)
 
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