Leaving your horses to go on holiday

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DaisyMoo

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Does anyone else go away and leave their horses in the care of someone else? I am going away for a fortnight tomorrow and it's left me quite distressed at the thought of not seeing the madam for 2 weeks. After the 2 months box rest and now restricted grazing she has got into such a routine that she gets very temperamental if I'm late to yard of an afternoon and as soon as she hears my car she flies up to field gate or starts spinning in her stable. I know my friend will do a fine job of looking after her but worry how distressed my little pony will get. Will she think I've abandoned her and start suffering stress or as long as she is fed is she likely not to care whether it's me that feeds her or soneone else?
 
I'm going away on Saturday and leaving my friend to look after my gang, I try to make her life simple by having them all out with all their waters topped up and containers left near their tubs I know they will be ok but I do still worry!
 
Mine are at home so we have someone come and live in for the dog too. YBF I worry more about the dog, he was a stray who is not confident with strangers. He liked her very much though, as he was nervous he slept on the sofa with him!

If the basic routine stays the same your horse will probably be fine. There is always skype/ video calling!
 
I'm going away next week with my OH for the first time in about 10 yrs.
My friend is staying at my house to look after horses, cats and dog.
I trust her implicitly. We've had "the chat" about the 2 old horses, and I know that if needed she'll make the right decision. We have a rule that if one is away the other is not told until they are on the way home.

I'll miss them all badly but on the other hand I'll enjoy the br4ak.
 
I am with Red on this if the routine stays the same I do not think the horses really care but I do worry about the dog as he gets depressed even though his routine does not change as I have a house sitter. They are always ok so enjoy yourself we all need breaks.
 
I don't go on holiday. I can't cope with the stress of leaving all our animals if I'm honest.

We did go to Disneyland Paris a few back for 3 days, but I had one horse in Leahurst after an op so he stayed there, one at the yard that my friend looked after, we sent the dog to a friends and the same friend came in to do the cats and guinea pigs twice a day. I needed a holiday after sorting all that stuff out!
We've now got one more horse than we had then, 2 more cats and another dog aswell, I don't feel that I could inflict that on anyone!
 
Red-1 said:
If the basic routine stays the same your horse will probably be fine.
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^^ this :)

I hate going away and in fact the longest I've left them is 3 days :o but they are always fine when I get back :) It's also one of the nice things about having 2, I might not turn up for a few days but they have each other!
 
I hate it but horse is always fine - she is very attached to me but she also likes my yard owner so that helps!
In the past when I was DIY I had a few trusted friends who would do it too. I always fretted far more than the horse. I do think it is sillywhen owners convince themselves that their horse can't possibly be looked after by anyone else - it does not bode well if something awful happens to the owner or horse is hospitalised. Mostly I think it is in our heads - yes horses find a change of routine a bit stressful, but they won't literally curl up and die if we aren't there and they soon forget once you are back and things carry on as before.

I do prefer to be away for only a week - but we did 2 this year and survived! My youngest cat finds it much harder than the horse tbh. I have 3 cats but the baby is my shadow and he does pine when we are away even overnight. But needs must!
 
DaisyMoo said:
Does anyone else go away and leave their horses in the care of someone else? I am going away for a fortnight tomorrow and it's left me quite distressed at the thought of not seeing the madam for 2 weeks. After the 2 months box rest and now restricted grazing she has got into such a routine that she gets very temperamental if I'm late to yard of an afternoon and as soon as she hears my car she flies up to field gate or starts spinning in her stable. I know my friend will do a fine job of looking after her but worry how distressed my little pony will get. Will she think I've abandoned her and start suffering stress or as long as she is fed is she likely not to care whether it's me that feeds her or soneone else?
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I have not long returned from vacation, and I leave mine in the trust of a good friend. They know my routine and wishes and my vets know my departure dates and arrival dates and know what to do in an emergency.

I give my friend tel for my:

vet
farrier
My Hotel number

I order enough food and bedding


I also organise the mare in work to keep to her training routine so she is worked 5 days a week while I am away.


Also I gave my friend my spare ipad with cctv on as she is hard of hearing and she was living in my caravan on the yard so she could keep an eye on my horses - specialy the pony who is under close watch for colic due to her condition. I too kept an eye on things on my other ipad.
So this year I had a much more relaxing holiday.


This is just my set up and maybe ott but this situation is not a normal one and I don't care to elaborate.
 
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Aah, the joys of full livery! I love my horse, he's my pride and joy; but I also love going on holiday and spending quality with my OH. We just got back on Saturday from a week away and we had an amazing time. Even when on DIY I would pay a friend or the yard to look after the horse so we could go away for a week.

OH's mum & uncle share looking after the cats. I worry more about them tbh as one is very sensitive and will be sick if in any way stressed, or given the wrong flavour of food etc... they are very clingy when we get back, they definitely 'miss' us when we're away (rather, the cuddles/strokes and body heat, I don't think they really mind who gives them!).

Horse doesn't notice I've gone, he gets fed, turned out, & exercised (by a friend or yard grooms). His needs are met so he's happy :) First time back at the yard after being away he came to the stable door, watched me get out of the car & approach him with his ears forward then accepted a pat on the nose before going back to his hay... far from an emotional, romantic Black Beauty-esque reunion :D

Of course I worry about him but then I trust my YO & friends keep an eye on him. Should the worst happen, I trust them to make the right decisions. Having had a very accident prone horse in the past, I can understand the reluctance some people have for going away!
 
I do go away, but for a max of about 5-6 days.

I make up feeds with the various supplements in little baggies, leave written instructions, and for ease I try to leave them out, with their water topped up full.

The friend who looks after them generally sends a text with a photo once a day.

Generally it doesn't phase them, but I really suffer from the lack of routine!

In return I do the same for my friend - but we're both as bad as each other when it comes to leaving our ponies! So even long weekends away are very rare occurrences.
 
I am usually the one looking after so I can assure you they are fine most people will stick to their routine and they barely notice you are gone. Dogs are a little different they go nuts when you get back but are content while you are gone
 
My grown up children and a close friend do my animals for us. It's not so much the holiday but the lie in I enjoy!! I have lost a horse from colic whilst on holiday, and it was horrendous, but my children learnt how to cope without me and my friend was amazing, both with the situation at the time and also comforting my children afterwards. I still worry about leaving the animals, but my husband has a very stressful job and needs R & R. X
 
I go away for a few weeks a year (usually two or three seperate 7-10 day trips) plus long weekends every couple of months. I just leave a list of instructions & contact numbers for horse & I. Usually it's been my (horsey by default) Mum, Dad for moral support with some extra assisted from YM. I've changed from assisted livery to DIY & when I went away a few weeks ago it was Mum, Dad & friend's at the yard. My instructor always knows I'm away & is on stand by just in case they have any questions as she not only knows him really well but I'd trust her 100% with any horse.

Yes, I miss him and we are pleased to be re-united but it's nice to have a break too.

I've only canceled a holiday once, when horse was ill the day before I was due to go and needed vet's investigations and box rest and I decided it was too much to ask of my Mum & I'd worry about him too much to enjoy being away.
 
Last time ours loved it when we went on holiday! No work for a whole week, whoopee. Though this was before I had Diva or Alfie; I haven't been away for aaaaages (unless a weekend in hospital earlier this year counts!) so not sure what Diva's reaction would be. Alfie probably wouldn't care. He cares about very little.
In fairness when Diva's in season I have considered temporarily emigrating to the Shetland Isles...
 
Im usually looking forward to the break but im stressing out about this latest one in Nov very badly. My dog is terminal and i was told getting to xmas will be about all i can expect...so going in Nov is very scary. I can't make any decisions yet, but i might have to think about getting her PTS before the holiday, but i don't want to if shes well in herself...but then she might get very sick when im away with the stress of us not being here (aunty is staying here, but dog still stresses without us) and its a lot of pressure to be putting onto her...

horses...well theyre sorted, lol
 
I am lucky that there is a freelance groom living very close and she has always done mine. A couple of times I went abroad for longer and then my horse went into a livery yard and the then companion went back to his owner for the time I was away. That meant I didn't have to worry at all!

I am going away and leaving the freelance to turn out, muck out and fetch back in, so quite a lot really, so I hope it is going to be all right but I am not going very far away. I trust her completely, but it is going to be longer than usual. I always make up the feeds and leave them in bags so she only has to tip them into the feed bowl and mix. And leave step by step instructions and all telephone numbers that she might need.
 
When we go away for longer than 4 days mine go to a local instructor. She does either grass keep or she will works them. I trust her and the boys are love it there, and cheaper than someone coming in twice a day
 
We went to Italy for ten days recently which is the first holiday since moving the horses home and although I worried I didnt become too much of a drama queen. My horses are in a routine of NOT having a routine, I need them to be ok with being picked up and put down as and when its suitable for me which helps a lot.

They are out 24/7 anyway and were on a very small token feed so I paid a friend to come and poo pick and pick feet out daily, didnt even bother with the feeds. All was fine, they didnt even lift their heads when I got back!!!
 
equi said:
Im usually looking forward to the break but im stressing out about this latest one in Nov very badly. My dog is terminal and i was told getting to xmas will be about all i can expect...so going in Nov is very scary. I can't make any decisions yet, but i might have to think about getting her PTS before the holiday, but i don't want to if shes well in herself...but then she might get very sick when im away with the stress of us not being here (aunty is staying here, but dog still stresses without us) and its a lot of pressure to be putting onto her...

horses...well theyre sorted, lol
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Really sorry to hear about your dog :(
 
Haven't been away in ten years, thanks mostly to having had elderly dogs. However, one of the benefits of being on DIY and sharing chores with my horse's fieldmate's owner is that I don't think the horses distinguish between us so if one of us isn't there, it's business as normal. My friend does go away a couple of times a year and I just carry on the normal routine. Usually I do mornings in the week and she does evenings when we're not both riding. I may ride or loose school her horse if it's a time of year when he piles on weight but everything else remains the same apart from the fact that I do evenings as well.

I'd be slightly concerned about mine if I went away for a longer period as he has a tendency to revert to being a bit "feral" if not worked regularly but that's more from a manners point of view than welfare - he wouldn't care at all! :)
 
Nugz loves it when I go on holiday (generally - I think last time he wasn't so pleased as got bullied by another horse for the first time ever) and he gets spoilt rotten. If its only a couple of days its normally a friend on the yard or a livery that does holiday cover. If it is longer then he goes off up to my instructor for boot camps.

I used to worry incessantly, but I've done it for about 4 years now and I've made him easy to keep and look after so less room for issues normally.
 
I went away for six weeks over summer (backpacking round Nicaragua, Honduras and El Salvador - it was fab!). YO looked after the horses, which she often does when I'm at work, so no change to their routine. I did hate leaving them for so long though, not sure I would do it again.
 
I'm on holiday at the moment but I'm lucky that my daughter is looking after the horse as he shares a field with hers.

However, I also look after a friend's horse quite often as she works away and I often think it's just a case of cupboard love - I.e. As long as someone feeds me I'm a happy horse.
 
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