People that get their horses in in the dark...

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Guinness

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How do you cope? Took me nearly half an hour to find mine today. He normally comes to the gate when I call so isnt too bad, but the weather was awful so he either didnt hear me shout or wanted to stay sheltered behind his wall. I find taking a torch with me freaks him out a bit, is it something they get used to? I suppose being in a ten acre field doesnt help much either
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I wear a head lamp and whistle. Mine have always come up the field to a loud whistle though, so they associate my "call" with going in. The head lamp lets me see their eyes and when they start moving up the field, I turn it off so as not to freak them out. Don't have a problem catching them that way and it means they get to stay out for a decent length of time on dark nights.
 
Luckily I don't need to catch Jerry as I can open the gate to his field and he can walk into his stable. Some times I do find I have to wait quite a while for him to come in though! Then I get worried and have to wander into the field with a torch. A turnout rug with some reflective strips on does help a bit I find.
 
Ah see this is why i have all the ones who are in work, in the front fields in the Winter - i then turn on the arena lights and VOILA i can see all (well pretty much) of both the front fields.

Ummmm eat more carrots
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? No help really um shake a bucket at the gate?
 
Try persuading our three ladies NOT to wait by the gate! Shouting and insisting that we are taking much much too long getting beds and tea ready. The only problem we had today was that the sheep who has to share Bella's box didn't want to walk through the muc and had to be coaxed!
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i get mine in everynight in the dark.
mine are scared of torches too. if they see me walk down the track towards them they do a runner.
so i dont use i torch i just call them and luckily they all come over to the gate.
i always seem to have a very helpful moon though! it seems to illuminate te gate somehow!
 
To be honest the weather was so bad tonight no amount of shouting/shaking would of helped, I could barely walk it was that windy and was soaked to the skin within minutes
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Mine live out mostly and come over when they see my torch bobbing across the field.

But they all come to a loud whistle anyway.

Only times they don't come is when it's windy as this freaks out 2 of them, but when I shine the torch round the field it picks their eyes up.....or sometimes I get 10 sets of eyes for just 3 ponies and know that some of those eyes are the deer!!

Once I approached what I thought was my grey shetland standing in the field, when I didn't have my torch on. Was bemused when it ran away. Turned torch on to discover I was trying to catch a white deer. Eeek!!
 
I get mine in the dark - I have a very powerful torch and if he doesn't come to the gate I slowly shine it across the field at about horse head height - most times I catch a glimpse of his eyes shining so I know where he is - 90% of times this makes him come cantering over to the gate as well!
 
mine were complete assh*les tonight!! it was wet and windy = excuse to play up
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so i took the mare in and left the youngster on her lonesome - she soon followed on when she realised i wasn't going to play chase!!
 
If your horse wears a rug then get some reflective tape and attatch it to the rug. Take the torch and you will spot your horse quickly.

None of the horses on our yard seem to mind the torch so I think they get used to it.

Our field is about 30 acres and hedges divide it into 5 fields so if your horse isnt by the gate you have a rather long search! Normally they all come to the gate at dusk though.
 
My three live out...but I feed them and hay them morning and evening. I use a head torch to feed them, take their rugs off, groom them etc...they are all completely unbothered by torches, lights, etc...although they do close their eyes if I accidentally shine my head torch at their heads...
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Same as Shilasdair. I use a head torch so I can change rugs, groom, catch etc.

My new youngster was scared of the torch all of 3 times, but presumably when she realised I was attached to the other end and wasn't going to hurt her, and neither were my other horses scared, she isn't now either.
 
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If your horse wears a rug then get some reflective tape and attatch it to the rug. Take the torch and you will spot your horse quickly.

[/ QUOTE ]

Now that is a good idea, I will def be doing that. Thanks everyone, hoping that the weather will cheer up soon. I actually killed the battery in my car the other night trying to find them, had to jump start it!!
 
My lad usually comes over anyway but I always wear a head torch as I have no lighting at all...so I do everything by head torch. They do get used to them quite quickly. My boy comepletely freaked for about 3 nights when I first started using it but I just ignored him and left him to gallop madly around the field and kept it on and he soon got the hang of things!
 
Head torch, reflective rugs (I have Rambo duo on mine) does the trick and i sometimes leave gate open, he and others will come in by them selves, At the moment i can't cos we have new horse that's living out (she wants to come in too!!!) It's tricky at moment cos they all are at the eleccy fence wanting to hurry in and mine take no notice! I have to find him first in 15 acre! then proceed to the gate to catch other 2!
 
I feed mine in the dark every evening and tbh I find it's harder with a torch because your eyes don't adjust. After a while you get very good at spotting dark shapes in the distance although big white facial markings do help! Mine are usually at the gate and if not the dogs run down the field so the horses know dinner has arrived
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Our field is in darkness. I wear a head torch but the neds are always waiting at the gate anyway, if not for some reason they always gallop down.
 
i play marco polo with mine i shout she whinnies and runs to the gate i shout again and she whinnies again until i find the gate
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works ok for me
 
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