Firehorse
Well-Known Member
hi all, just wondering if anyone else has experienced this..... my pony lives out 24/7 in a small, mixed herd of 8 and is strip grazed. he loves the 3 mares and sort of looks after them in the field, keeping them close. in the summer their paddock is fairly small. he is generally fwd going to ride, but controllable. a doddle to handle, catch etc. in summer he kinda looses a bit of sparkle, but as soon as the horses move into their winter paddock, which is still strip grazed, he goes a bit loopy. now i thought it might be down to the autumn grass flush, but the spring grass doesnt affect him at all.
someone suggested to me a few days ago, that perhaps he gets stressed during autumn/winter because they have much bigger space and his mares are harder to watch over. he is a bit of a stress head by nature, will get silly about anything new or exciting. anyway, although he is still a doddle to handle, he becomes a very bouncy ride within 2 weeks of moving into the winter paddock, right through till the end of spring when they move back again!! hitting top speed each and every canter, jogging at the sight of other horses, goggling at things he would usually ignore. i have to admit, i do love him like this and complained he was boring at the end summer!
just wondered if any other horses do the same thing. this is his 3rd winter with me and like clockwork i can predict a change in his character. the weather or clipping doesnt seem to be a factor, just the moving paddocks.
someone suggested to me a few days ago, that perhaps he gets stressed during autumn/winter because they have much bigger space and his mares are harder to watch over. he is a bit of a stress head by nature, will get silly about anything new or exciting. anyway, although he is still a doddle to handle, he becomes a very bouncy ride within 2 weeks of moving into the winter paddock, right through till the end of spring when they move back again!! hitting top speed each and every canter, jogging at the sight of other horses, goggling at things he would usually ignore. i have to admit, i do love him like this and complained he was boring at the end summer!
just wondered if any other horses do the same thing. this is his 3rd winter with me and like clockwork i can predict a change in his character. the weather or clipping doesnt seem to be a factor, just the moving paddocks.
