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Follysmum

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How many have been put on lock down or given an hour or so turnout with no facilities? How are you managing, any suggestions to make it easier. A friend of mine has an oldie and a youngster, been told she can turnout whilst she mucks out every other day. She is beside herself as hates seeing her horses like this. Most yards she has enquired about seem to be about the same at the moment. Not a problem for a few on her yard as they hunt and get out hacking also.

I have no space else I would help out, I am sure they are lots of people in this position this wet winter.
 
It has been a wet Winter but no excuse as yards should make it quite clear in the written contract they have with their liveries that there is limited turnout when the weather conditions worsens.
Otherwise they should have drainage installed in their field and have sufficient acreage to accommodate the number of horses/stables they have.
 
Exactly, totally agree PeterNatt. She has no contract, its a working farm not a livery yard. Another friend is on a livery yard and has just moved her horse due to the lack of turnout and no facilities. She was lucky and has found a yard with a big crew barn. What a shame more yards do not have these all weather areas if they limit field turnout.
 
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We're on restricted turn out because of the mud, but my lad is getting about three hours per day, 6 days per week. Not ideal but not total lock down either. At least we have decent hacking, a walker, an outdoor school (which gets a bit wet) and a good indoor school we can use, but still very boring. I can't imagine how we'd all cope without some sort of facilities. Can she graze in hand? Is there a stock yard or similar where the horses could have a bit of a leg stretch and some fresh air? Or even a drive way or farm track she could lead them out on?

Not easy with these extremely wet conditions. I think we're all just counting the days til it starts to dry up a bit.
 
Follysmum said:
How many have been put on lock down or given an hour or so turnout with no facilities? How are you managing, any suggestions to make it easier. A friend of mine has an oldie and a youngster, been told she can turnout whilst she mucks out every other day. She is beside herself as hates seeing her horses like this. Most yards she has enquired about seem to be about the same at the moment. Not a problem for a few on her yard as they hunt and get out hacking also.

I have no space else I would help out, I am sure they are lots of people in this position this wet winter.
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We are on 6 hours a day turnout for the first time in over 20 years! It's been a tough winter so far and even though we accept that our paddocks get trashed every winter, and we have to resow etc., I truly for the first time ever have to admit, I really don't think it does horses any good to be standing on super wet and muddy fields for 10 plus hours or more a day (which is our usual routine in winter). I absolutely hate to see horses imprisoned but having said that, our school is still riding perfectly so at least we have somewhere we can ride in the dark. We have enough land but as my clients like to have 24/7 from April to end of October, it's not possible to have other paddocks to rotate to in winter. That's the sacrifice we choose to make.
 
Just wondering who is going to pay to have the drainage/ crew yards etc, the yard owner no doubt? We have just moved to our own place, this weather has been horrendous but has showed us what our land may have to cope with. With the extra facilities horse owners now seem to
think should be supplied by their yard owner but only want to pay £25 a week for stable turnout and a brand new large menage, plus the expenditure expected by the local planning department, it is not economically viable to open our doors to liveries as much as we would like it. I am sure there will be more and more people thinking like us, sorry we will be keeping our land and facilities for ourselves unless liveries will pay more to cover our expenses.
 
I know of several yard that are on clay and horses are all in. For me I cant do this with a young horse and a older one I would have to move! and they wonder why horses get ulcers?! my horses are both out at 7am and come in at 6pm but are on sand and on a hill so fields are dry. I really feel for people that have to have horses in.
 
alwaysbroke said:
Just wondering who is going to pay to have the drainage/ crew yards etc, the yard owner no doubt? We have just moved to our own place, this weather has been horrendous but has showed us what our land may have to cope with. With the extra facilities horse owners now seem to
think should be supplied by their yard owner but only want to pay £25 a week for stable turnout and a brand new large menage, plus the expenditure expected by the local planning department, it is not economically viable to open our doors to liveries as much as we would like it. I am sure there will be more and more people thinking like us, sorry we will be keeping our land and facilities for ourselves unless liveries will pay more to cover our expenses.
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I actually think there are many liveries out there, who would happily pay more than the £25 pw fees, for that track system, turnout pen, arena, etc but how many YO are willing to do it?? Not many I bet, I think that one of the problems that compounds this issue is the increasing number of novice owners who simply do not know nor understand the value in good turnout/turnout time for their horses.
Many would rather have an indoor and a wash room, which is cheaper than putting in a track system !
 
I couldn't and wouldn't subject my horse to this. I also would happily pay over £25 for a yard that could provide year round turnout even if it's only for 6 - 8 hours in the winter.
 
Our fields are very waterlogged at the moment. The YO does his best but we are having fields closed 2 - 3 days a week. I try and make sure my boy gets at least 3 hours out of his stable each day through a combination of grazing in hand, fiddling about with him and riding.

It is very hard with an oldie and a youngster. My youngster got so antsy on restricted turnout that I had to find him a 24/7 turnout for 3 months. That didn't go too well as he got grass sickness and died :(

I won't have another youngster because of that and I am paranoid about changing field management. For the OP's friend I don't see any alternative to trying to find somewhere for the youngster to go where he can be out, although the oldie might cope where he is with a bit of in hand work. It is very difficult.
 
We are on every other day turnout due to the fields being like bogs. Lots of horses have ended up with mud fever but fingers crossed mine is OK up til now!
 
My yard is dreadful for mud fever, and as a result my boy has been in for a week and a half, although he has been hacked/schooled everyday, plus turned out in the arena during the week. However, apart from one very very icy day, all horses have been out from 9-3 everyday, however the fields, whilst still having grass, are all fetlock deep mud. We are the only yard in the area who haven't been restricted, so its either mud or keep them in, up to the livery.
 
There will always be times in a horses life when it is confined to barracks - heavy snow, injury, etc, when there is no alternative it may as well get used to a short period as a youngster
 
We're on every other day at the moment, except for when we have a few dry days consecutively such as earlier this week. It's pouring here again now, so I suspect they might be in tomorrow as well. To be honest, I don't think any of the horses on our yard are particularly bothered, they are all walked out and/or ridden once or twice a day when they're in, and none of them stress as all the horses are in. Yes, it's best for them to be out and about, and moving round but quite frankly it doesn't do them any harm to be restricted for a couple of months in a year. My boy would be quite happy to just be out for a couple of hours every day and in the rest of the time.
 
Follysmum said:
How many have been put on lock down or given an hour or so turnout with no facilities? How are you managing, any suggestions to make it easier. A friend of mine has an oldie and a youngster, been told she can turnout whilst she mucks out every other day. She is beside herself as hates seeing her horses like this. Most yards she has enquired about seem to be about the same at the moment. Not a problem for a few on her yard as they hunt and get out hacking also.

I have no space else I would help out, I am sure they are lots of people in this position this wet winter.
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No lock down her, turnout everyday except xmas day
 
Mine have been standing in all day on the worst days and have been completely fine with it. I walk them out either morning and eve and ride them when I can. I definitely stress about it more than they do! As long as they are not left in for hours without forage and get at least walked out for awhile each day, I don't think it does them any harm.
 
alwaysbroke said:
Just wondering who is going to pay to have the drainage/ crew yards etc, the yard owner no doubt? We have just moved to our own place, this weather has been horrendous but has showed us what our land may have to cope with. With the extra facilities horse owners now seem to
think should be supplied by their yard owner but only want to pay £25 a week for stable turnout and a brand new large menage, plus the expenditure expected by the local planning department, it is not economically viable to open our doors to liveries as much as we would like it. I am sure there will be more and more people thinking like us, sorry we will be keeping our land and facilities for ourselves unless liveries will pay more to cover our expenses.
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TBH I'm starting to think this way lately due to one or two very ungrateful clients amongst other things!. I have been day dreaming a lot this winter in particular about how lovely it would be to have the place to myself!!
 
We still have turnout but some of us are doing a day in - day out routine to preserve what's there (added benefit being that it gives hooves and legs a chance to dry properly between swims!). I think though, once fields have gone beyond a certain point there is no point restricting turnout for preservation. After this winter, they are likely to need tlc coming into spring either way.

On 'in days', we lunge, walk in hand and use the sand school for a brief turnout (my mare is not broken yet) and I just generally spend time with her doing 'things' to help keep her occupied.
 
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All in on the yard share horse is on, including the RS school ponies, with very very limited turnout. There's an indoor or outdoor they can turn out/loose school and/or ride in if they wish.

Bog hoss is in the indoor first thing every day as part of his routine, whether he's being ridden later or not. No idea on the others :smile3:
 
I'm very lucky in that we can turn out until 2pm. Frankie goes out at 6am so has loads of turnout. The fields still have a good covering of grass as well. When I was in the NE almost all yards brought them in in October and turned them back out in April/May. I was surprised to move down south and find almost every yard had daily turnout even if it was restricted.
 
I actually think winter exercise space should be included as standard-if livery prices go up that may not be a bad thing - if horses are recieving proper care. You wouldn't keep a hamster in a shoe box and that's more room per hamster than a horse has in a 12x12 or smaller box. IF more yards thought about set up and at initial livery yard opening either had enough all weather turnout to allow at least half a day, or barns to accomodate horses in the winter much like cattle barns I'd say the number of unmanageable horses would decrease and horse owners would be happier!
 
I am turning out most days for a couple of hours, they then come in, go on walker, take in turns to go in the indoor turn out and are ridden.
Our fields aren't too bad but they would be if I let them out 12 hours a day.
We have youngsters too, but they get out of the box and in the indoor as not ridden yet.
The retired horses , broodmares and yearlings are all out 24\7
 
Restricted to 2 hours a day during the week (unless it really starts tipping it down) and no turnout at the weekends as the majority (unfortunately not including myself as I'm in healthcare) of liveries can easily exercise their horses. I want to moan and whine but a ton of yards in our area are on total lock down so we just have to get on with it.
 
I've read all your comments with great interest. We have a small number of liveries, and when they first come to see us about possibly moving here we always make it quite clear that if it is too wet then they are off the fields. This, incidentally hurts me more than them as I have 7 in, including a 26yo pensioner and two youngsters. We have a playpen (20 x 40) that they can use, and they can leave their horses/ponies in it as long as they wish, with haynets and water. We have a very large (50 x 30) outdoor arena with jumps and lights, and they can also use this as a loose play area at anytime. Only one livery is committed daytime (school), but never rides in the evening in the winter. I hardly ever use the playpen, leaving it free for them, and my lot do a rota on the arena, where they are encouraged to do a bit of loose schooling, and then mooch about for about an hour. They (horses) are all quite happy, no door kicking, grumping or any other signs of distress or ill-health.
 
This year we have fenced off a stubble field, so the horses can have a leg stretch, without ruining the grazing fields. They have plenty to eat in there as well as hay, but when the weather has been miserable, they are waiting to come in after 3 hours max. I think they are just softies who like their home comforts ;)
 
Most of mine are in barns now but I have a young colt that goes out with his playmate in what has become an acre of sloppy mud in which they play fight, run round playing tag and mud slide. Some days they come in and the mud is dripping off them, I can say they never stand waiting to come in, they get a small slice of hay each which they usually pick over as they come in a night and get their main portion then.
If its really wet and muddy I find nothing that's bothered about coming in if they have buddies even the TB that I had that who had spent most of his life in a stable.
My property was dairy farm and has lots of large sheds/barns and I think they are far more adaptable and horse welfare friendly as they can move around and have some social interaction whilst in.
 
Gosh sounds like we're lucky. We're on sand and ours are all out at least 8hrs with most living out. The fields have a little mud but the yard is worse where it's washed down from the fields! However our school has been unusable as flooded or frozen.
 
I've never been on a yard where horses have to be kept in due to wet weather. Thankfully the land has never been overstocked, so holds up well usually. But also recovers well after the winter after the horses are moved on to fresh grazing.
 
We're on very heavy clay and it has been a very wet winter. As a result since just before Christmas we have had to restrict turnout, using it more as a leg stretch than anything else. My yard owner's ponies are ready to come in after an hour, and G has been going out only on her days off. They're all quite happy and it seems to have upset the humans more than the horses!
 
miss_c said:
We're on very heavy clay and it has been a very wet winter. As a result since just before Christmas we have had to restrict turnout, using it more as a leg stretch than anything else. My yard owner's ponies are ready to come in after an hour, and G has been going out only on her days off. They're all quite happy and it seems to have upset the humans more than the horses!
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I agree,I think we worry more than them! Most are quite happy is they have a routine
 
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