*rant*. It's hot... So horses need shelter

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Argh

I apologise now but this is a rant

I make no secret of the fact I don't particularly get along with my folks - especially with there idea of horse care and management. It's been the cause of many heated discussions.

Now my mum has 3 horses a 12 yo Clyde x mare a 17yo clydex gelding and a 35yo gelding ex pacer

Now my mum is on a private yard with the choice of 5 fields 2 with field shelters and natural shelter, so which field does she decide to put the three in yesterday? The one with out ANY shelter - all horses currently live out.

I have just had a phone call from her, the vet and firebrigade are out at the yard as the eldest horse is lying down in the field and cannot get up due to the heat - my car temp is reading 32• eek I told her on Monday to ensure horses had loads of shelter and water as it was going to be a hot one this week.

Now I went to my field today and decided it was far too hot at 9am to do anything with Bo so endured he had plenty of extra water - they have auto water trough. It threw in buckets around the field too just so they didn't have to walk too far for it. And as 80% of bo's field is out of direct sun I know he has plenty of shade plus a continuous breeze blows thru his field due to its location. The field my mums horses are in is a sun trap with no breeze

I Am relatively positive that the old man will be ok as he was only down 20mins before get and firebrigade arrival and had been kept cool with water and vitals are all good and he's eating and is now currently dangling from the firebrigades winch- which would be funny if I was not so angry.

Anyway thanks for letting me rant and please make sure your horses gave plenty of water and shade xx
 
Hope he's better now.

Do agree about the lack of shelter, every summer I see so many horses in individual paddocks in blazing sunshine, unable to escape from the heat and flies looking pretty miserable.
 
That's why mine come in during the day in summer, we are in an American barn and it's lovely and cool in there.
 
Oh dear hope the old chap is feeling better now bless him! Loads of people I know don't have shelter, or they do but it's inaccessible due to paddock rotations, doesn't make sense to me it's not that hard to bodge some sort of shelter even if it is shoddy!
 
Hope he's ok now.

I will hold my hand up here and say that ours have no shelter (not my particular choice admitidly, but we are on the nicest livery yard for miles for the horses and there are just no shelters!), but if I bring them in during the hottest part of the day what do they do? Box walk untill they are let out again! They are both in fly sheets which def helps keep the punch of the sun off them, and having free choice shelter is for sure ideal, but don't assume all horses would choose it of their own free will.
 
my two yr old was passed out in the field yesterday and i couldnt get him up! called the vet but by the time i'd walked off he'd got himself up and was following me! PHEW! they have shelter at the end of the field and he chose not to use it, just to stand in the middle, well both the horses did in fact! i have also put a bucket of water out, as well as the refillable trough so they don't have to walk too far!

i hope your mums boy is ok, and not to scared of the fireman :)
 
Glad the old boy is ok:o

My cob, the one with pinkest nose and who struggles with the heat is always the only one that can be found grazing in the middle of the field in the blasting sunshine:rolleyes: whilst everyone else crams into the shade together.

Our fields have a shelter and the outer edges are surrounded by trees so there's always some shade and luckily the stream is right in the middle so no epic trek required to get water!
 
He's up and about and the vets given her a very stern lecture. Not so much about not having shade but more to do with the fact he's been put in a field that has no air movement thru it. Basically the field is a group of 3 fields with high trees surrounding the parrimeter of the 3 fields the trees act as a wind break soo there is no movement of air and the temp reading is always approx 10• higher in these fields as a result. He was in the middle of the three fields which meant that between 9am and 7pm there is no shade due to position of sun.

The vet wants him in for 72 hrs minimum to monitor his bowel movements and to allow his body to re-regulate his temp

He is allowed put for 1hr before 9am and 1hr after 7pm for an inhabd graze.

I'm glad he's ok but annoyed that something like this has happened. I know it's not always possible to provide shade but we do like to provide water and air - turns out there was also no water in the field as they forgot to turn the trough on yesterday too :(

I think it just pees me off more due to the relationship I have with her especially when it comes to horses.

Thanks for letting me rant and for replies too xxx
 
Just to clarify too she rents a private yard do can pick and chose what fields she wants on any day. And also re me putting extra water out for my horse I'm not OCD he's in a 7.5 acre field with the trough at one end and the best shade at the other so dotted buckets of water around to save him walking x lol
 
OP hope the old boy is ok - poor chap. I am totally with you on this one - my OH gets fed up of me cursing people as we drive past fields with no shelter in sweltering heat ! What some people seem to forget is horses can cope with cold much better than heat - they can eat to keep warm, move around etc but too warm is horrible for them. Mine have a field shelter and natural shade and only use the shelter in pouring rain or midday heat !

Unbelievably a very experienced horsey friend of mine left her clipped comp. horse out in the sun and he got horribly sunburnt and blistered - again - if you clip all year you need to cover them up or sunblock them ! its not rocket science but common sense

Someone else I know said, isnt it funny how x stands with his face in the hedge ! duh ! that will be because you have no shade and he is trying to climb in the hedge to get out of the sun!!!!!!!

and..... breathe !
 
meant to say, if you have a field with no shelter but have a trailer - park it in the field - at least they will have shade for part of the day - I had to do this when I rented a field with no shade and the nags really appreciated it
 
i was wondering today that although my horses have a lovely clean lake in their field why they never seem to take advantage when its as hot as today and flies are a pain to dive in and go for a swim to cool off

even im tempted tho horses dont seem to be!
 
There was a post on facebook yesterday on a local horse rider's group asking what rugs people had thier horses in! Said horse was put to bed in the barn in a fleece rug.

But it's ok, he only came over from Spain. In September.

We moved our horses to a field with more shelter a month or so ago, shelter all round the edge and on a hill so it gets a slight breeze.
 
Our fields dont have shelter but we are on the edge of the Cairngorms and on a big hillside so theres almost always breeze. But even so I have brought them in at lunchtime and from tonight they will be out at night and in during the day.
And thats Aberdeenshire! If I need to do that to keep them cool then those in the south leaving them without shade must be nuts!
 
lula said:
i was wondering today that although my horses have a lovely clean lake in their field why they never seem to take advantage when its as hot as today and flies are a pain to dive in and go for a swim to cool off

even im tempted tho horses dont seem to be!
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You can lead a horse to water (or shelter for that matter)........... :D
 
My clydesdale x hates the heat, and was passed out in the mud at the gate (which is under a bridge so completely shaded, but with through good draught) by 8am this morning. He will alternate this with ambling through the stream, shaded by trees and bushes, eating the banks. I can't imagine how he would cope in a sun trap of a field in summer!

He infrequenlt shelters in winter - I think that shelter is far more important in hot weather, particularly for horses like him who are bred for colder/wetter conditions.

He is a nightmare to ride in hot weather as well - so lazy!!! I get funny looks for the horrible weather that I ride in, but he is much happier then.
 
Just looking at the post again silly iPhone the titles meant to say do horses need shelter? But my iPhone really has a mind of its own. The old git - as I lovingly refer to him seems to be doing well so I'll keep my fingers crossed
 
Hope he's ok.

Mine have choice of a barn but are out in full sun. lol Mind you it's not as hot over here.
 
mandwhy said:
Oh dear hope the old chap is feeling better now bless him! Loads of people I know don't have shelter, or they do but it's inaccessible due to paddock rotations, doesn't make sense to me it's not that hard to bodge some sort of shelter even if it is shoddy!
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I'd love to rig up even shoddy shelter, but am on livery, and it's all very political sadly

So just easier to bring during the day whilst it's hot - but today was hotter than any of us expected me thinks :rolleyes:

OP hope the old man is ok, not read all the replies

DDx
 
Having been on a livery yard with fields with no shelter and forced to stable during the day I am so pleased I now have fields with 24.7 access to field shelters and shade. Would love it if it were compulsory to have shelter in fields used by horses.
 
To be fair OP, if your mother has got the old boy to his mid thirties, her horse management skills can't be that bad!
 
mle22 said:
To be fair OP, if your mother has got the old boy to his mid thirties, her horse management skills can't be that bad!
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Understand and appreciate what you say. The old bum has essentially been unridden for the last 15 years - not that there was anything wrong with him she just doesn't ride.

I by no means, know it all about horses, and I dont want this thread to sound like that, there is a whole lot I can learn and each circumstance is different. He is well fed, and usually watered too. he is in excellent grazing, sees the farrier every 8 weeks on a regular worm count/worming programme. and usually her care of him is outstanding, - it's the "management" side of the other 2 that piddles me off.

They are two young (ok ones 17 but a young 17 - no arthritic symptoms etc and was a good quality show horse) horses, who can offer soo much - they do not require "feeding" as are good doers, but they do require mental stimulation and good feeding management. _ not necessarly riding if she doesn;t want to but some form of stimulation.

They are overweight - at very high risk of lami - both on excellent grazing but being fed hard feed in the proportion of the old one. she will not restrict their grazing at all. - even tho she knows all about lami - my mare nearly died as a result of the winter lami (not overweight - sugars in grass it's got a technical name) but still she won't see. - everyone has spoken to her about this. but she knows best.

There are other things too but as i've raised them with her, it's not fair to post them on a forum but people who know me know what they are.......

Nobody's perfect however it would be nice if she would take onboard some of the suggestions both I and her farrier/vet/(former) RI and other "professionals" have made.

God knows I've got it wrong sooo many times but I always try to learn from my mistakes and listen to expert advice unfortunately not all are like this (this was not the first time the horse has had heatstroke but last time we managed to get him up without the Fire brigade) .......

I popped down earlier - water bucket dry so filled it and another 2 up for him and he seems to be doing ok tho is a bit miffed he's not out grazing. so i'm keeping my fingers crossed xx
 
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