TB ready to explode, Help!

Antw23uk

Antw23uk

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Any help and constructive advice welcome and sorry for the long post ladies :o

The yard has been on lockdown for the last few days and its really starting to show with my new Thoroughbred mare (my first horse in twenty years)

I've got by with the extra expense of having her turned out and brought in from the school for a few hours a day which has been taking the edge off her but now the school is just not suitable as turnout and Y/O are becoming more difficult about us using it as T/O!

I turned her out in the school last night for an hour whilst i mucked out and pottered about, she spent much of that time by the gate about two inches taller with big balls of sand and snow balled up in her shoes :rolleyes: so i thought i would walk her round the yard and car park a few times to stretch her legs but she practically had me slipping and sliding after her as she pranced and jogged about with her head in the air. She is so full of beans and is like a coiled spring ready to explode :eek:

This morning the yard is even more of a skating rink so even if i put a bridle on her and do laps of the yard/ car park she is at an even higher risk of going belly up with her behaviour :(

No one else at the yard seems to be that worried but im absolutley wracked with guilt over her not being out or exercising enough and now I'm worried she is going to go silly and hurt herself or us both :o

What are you guys doing? Anyone else in the same situation?

Anthony x
 
I'm in the same situation. I would suggest finding a different yard that does allow turnout. I am waiting to move mine as soon as the snow goes!

Until then, can you not free school in the school? Don't let her stand by the gate. Let her get all her energy out in there.
 
in an ideal world the yard should have been cleared and gritted by the yo/ym, its sounds like that has not been done. i would be clearing it and gritting it myself to make the surface safe.
i hate horses staying in but if the yard is sheet ice then it needs clearing or horses stand in. i work really hard to keep being able to have mine living out all year, i would move yards (and have in the past) due to turn out restrictions. hope your mare settles and you manage to get others to help you clear the yard
 
The weather is warming up (well, comparatively!), so it should hopefully be only a day or two more.

Probably a daft question, but have you reduced her feed? Swapped haylage to hay?

Will the YO put down any grit or shavings or something, to make a track or a lunge circle?

When you handle the horse, hat and gloves and decent footwear as basic precautions.

If you're able to get her out, put vaseline in her hooves, stops the snow balling (it works - I've had some good schooling sessions using it :D).

Failing the above, check with your vet, but try Valerian. It's a natural calmer. I've not used it but know people who have and they've all reported calmer horses.
 
I have felt a little 'frustrated' shall we say about the lack of organisation from the yard owners. The initial dump of snow was piled up in the middle of the yard over the drain but subsequently nothing else has been done with the rest of the snow which is now sheet ice!

The school is a mess now where they have been turning out but not poo picking quickly enough. The snow is covering the poo so they are waiting for that to go so they can poo pick and level the surface. They are loath to turn out in the school as the horses are going nuts and stiring it all up together ... including my mare and her little mate at the weekend. They were having such a great time letting off steam and i didnt have my camera :mad:

I will speak with them again tonight but as you say its starting to go but just not quick enough for my liking :rolleyes:.

Will give the Vaseline a go, thanks :)
 
Dont know if this is any help at all, a few years ago i had a TB on loan, and we were on lock down due to snow, and couldnt even turn out in the school. when i took him to walk in hand in his headcollar he turned into a fire breathing dragon... and was mental! next time i took him in his bridle, and he was a lamb... so if you arent already, pop a bridle on.
 
Reduce the feed, give hay instead of haylage and consider moving to somewhere with more turnout. Our young TB is living out (this is safer than trying to cross the icy yard twice a day) - he is perfectly warm, and equally happy pratting about in the field or standing and eating hay as he wishes. It will be *exciting* when we can ride again so it will only be done in the school (once it has thawed and the subsequent flood drained) before we get going again.
 
What about a treat ball with some cut up carrot in, something for her to play with in the school, there are always some groundwork exercises you can do with her as well, be great for your bonding!

Reduce hard feed, give hay instead of haylage, hang some treats in her stable, give her a good groom/massage, stretching exercises, plenty to keep her occupied!

Ride the weather out, it won't last forever, not worth the risk of walking her out if she's being silly & slipping! You would never forgive yourself if she got injured!

Good luck, I am in the same position, although we can get to the indoor school, so not quite so bad.
 
I feel your frustration
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Our yard hasn't been touched, today I turned my horse out for an hour while I mucked out and it's like an ice rink. There has been no grit put down, it's lethal. We do have a smallish indoor school and I am lunging or long lining every night but my mare is full of it. I can't cut her feed down as she only has limited weighed hay.
 
Bridle and lunge line. That allows you to give the horse more slack and avoid being pushed or pulled over.

We have seven inches of snow. I have seven horses to deal with and haven't seen any of my liveries for ten days! They are getting turned out in three shifts of three hours each in small groups every day, but some of them are bucking in their stables when waiting to come out and my TB gelding is bucking and rearing in hand, he is so excited.

I poo pick at each change over of the horses so the droppings never get trodden in. I clear snow as soon as it has settled, before it gets compacted and put grit down. The yard is clear and I have a clear path to the sand turnout and arena, and also one all the way to the muck heap. I am exhausted!
 
Thanks, yes bridle will be a must if i attempt it again, will see how the yard is tonight and if they have done anything to help us!

Feed reduced and hay is on the menu, trust me she has a few layers to get through before a smaller portion of feed shows on her :)

Treat balls are ignored but hanging stuff is achievable so will give it a go, thanks. Indoor school .. what luxury :o

The thing is its not worth thinking about moving because its a good yard and i wouldnt be able to move her in this ice anyway and once the ice has gone i have no need to move her, lol :)

Lots of lessons learnt over the few weeks ive had her so certain mistakes I wont be making again. I think i need to be more vocal and start being a little more demanding as a livery :D
 
Wagtail said:
Bridle and lunge line. That allows you to give the horse more slack and avoid being pushed or pulled over.

We have seven inches of snow. I have seven horses to deal with and haven't seen any of my liveries for ten days! They are getting turned out in three shifts of three hours each in small groups every day, but some of them are bucking in their stables when waiting to come out and my TB gelding is bucking and rearing in hand, he is so excited.

I poo pick at each change over of the horses so the droppings never get trodden in. I clear snow as soon as it has settled, before it gets compacted and put grit down. The yard is clear and I have a clear path to the sand turnout and arena, and also one all the way to the muck heap. I am exhausted!
Click to expand...

:eek: When can we move in, lol :D

To be honest if she hadnt been slightly lame before this snow hit and i didnt have to keep her on a weeks boxrest i would still be turning her out in this daily.

I just daren't put her in a large field covered in snow now because she will go hell for leather and do god knows what damage to herself in the excitment!
 
We are in the same boat. No winter turnout as the yo, who is not horsey in the slightest, decided we were ruining his grass fields back at the end of September; no turnout in the sand corrals (which are pathetically small anyway) as he doesn't want the poo to mix with the snow and get trodden in and have to hire a mini digger to resurface; no hacking out as he dug up the fields by the gate and the exit is under water and now ice. If we want to go out, we need to go down the a major A road for half a mile. He had the audacity to tell me his wife used to do it - yes, in 1985 when the traffic was far less.

As others have said, cut feed to enough for supplements only, plenty of hay and no haylage, put a bridle on with a lunge line. Choose a time when everyone else isn't using the only walk-able path and get walking. She will be a prat, but keep going if you can until she gets bored. I can't actually ride out as my boy is on a rehab programme for KS. He has lost all the topline we have worked so hard to build up as we can't lunge due to closed school. But I have found that if I keep walking, he eventually stops the circus tricks. It's hairy, but the lunge line allows for a quick get out of the way.
 
Hereshoping said:
We are in the same boat. No winter turnout as the yo, who is not horsey in the slightest, decided we were ruining his grass fields back at the end of September; no turnout in the sand corrals (which are pathetically small anyway) as he doesn't want the poo to mix with the snow and get trodden in and have to hire a mini digger to resurface; no hacking out as he dug up the fields by the gate and the exit is under water and now ice. If we want to go out, we need to go down the a major A road for half a mile. He had the audacity to tell me his wife used to do it - yes, in 1985 when the traffic was far less.

As others have said, cut feed to enough for supplements only, plenty of hay and no haylage, put a bridle on with a lunge line. Choose a time when everyone else isn't using the only walk-able path and get walking. She will be a prat, but keep going if you can until she gets bored. I can't actually ride out as my boy is on a rehab programme for KS. He has lost all the topline we have worked so hard to build up as we can't lunge due to closed school. But I have found that if I keep walking, he eventually stops the circus tricks. It's hairy, but the lunge line allows for a quick get out of the way.
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Wow your Y/O sounds like an arss :mad:
Good luck with the rehab :)
 
No advice but I wouldnt feel guilty ... keep her in until it thaws, better to be in and safe than out and a broken limb :D

I recently bought a 4 year old TB - literally just come out of racing to keep my pregnant arab company following the loss of my other TB ... my arab cut her leg open literally the week after her arrival and needed 24/7 box rest so poor TB is also in with her … they've been in now for 2 months!!!!!! They can potter about the barn when Im mucking out but the arab isn’t allowed out – on the odd occasion Ive let them both out .. they’ve both stood at the barn door demanding to come back in … :eek:

Arabs leg has now healed so they could have gone out this week but now we're 6-8 inches deep in SNOW ... :rolleyes:
 
Wagtail said:
Bridle and lunge line. That allows you to give the horse more slack and avoid being pushed or pulled over.

We have seven inches of snow. I have seven horses to deal with and haven't seen any of my liveries for ten days! They are getting turned out in three shifts of three hours each in small groups every day, but some of them are bucking in their stables when waiting to come out and my TB gelding is bucking and rearing in hand, he is so excited.

I poo pick at each change over of the horses so the droppings never get trodden in. I clear snow as soon as it has settled, before it gets compacted and put grit down. The yard is clear and I have a clear path to the sand turnout and arena, and also one all the way to the muck heap. I am exhausted!
Click to expand...

You sound like my perfect YO/YM Wagtail :)
 
puss said:
Oh wagtail i really want to come to your yard you must be the best yard owner iv heard of
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Thank you. :o

I have to say, I learned it all the hard way. What happens when I DON'T immediately clear the snow, or poo pick after each set of horses turnout...
 
My top tip this evening .... Dont try and entertain a 16.2 TB mare by playing 'chase' in the school when she is already coiled like a spring ready to explode :eek:

Bloody hell that was an eye opener and im not sure who was more shocked .. her realising that im actually fun and can laugh and smile or me shocked that a horse can do that with there body and fart at the same time, lol :D
 
Wagtail said:
Bridle and lunge line. That allows you to give the horse more slack and avoid being pushed or pulled over.

We have seven inches of snow. I have seven horses to deal with and haven't seen any of my liveries for ten days! They are getting turned out in three shifts of three hours each in small groups every day, but some of them are bucking in their stables when waiting to come out and my TB gelding is bucking and rearing in hand, he is so excited.

I poo pick at each change over of the horses so the droppings never get trodden in. I clear snow as soon as it has settled, before it gets compacted and put grit down. The yard is clear and I have a clear path to the sand turnout and arena, and also one all the way to the muck heap. I am exhausted!
Click to expand...

We're all moving in :D
 
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