Those with 2 or more horses

DD

DD

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how do you manage riding in winter? I keep my 2 at home, they live out mostly but I am now bringing n at night due to very wet paddocks and too much mud. They now go out 8am til5pm. If I want to ride I have to have both in, so that's ride one at 8am leaving other in desperate for turnout or turn both out, bring in after 2 or 3 hours, ride one turn both out for a couple of hours then bring both in or ride both . Either way its only a few hours in the field per day which doesn't seem fair when they are used to nearly 24/7. I've given up and stopped riding til spring. What do you do to cope?
 
We are lucky to have a floodlit manege so I can ride in the evenings after they have been out all day.
I don't ride mornings as it would mean leaving one in while I rode the other and in the morning they just want turnout (they aren't happy unless out together), so they got out 8-4 in the winter and then come in and get ridden later.
 
Similar situation in that i keep them at home. I turn out at about 6.45 as i work mornings then bring them in at about 1.30/2pm to ride and lead or whatever. I do have a retired horse and ponies at home also so maybe that helps. eg i can bring one in and ride it leaving the other with the retired horse. I generally leave them loose on the yard rather than in the field so its less stable time but equally not trashing my tiny paddocks.
Its hard and i wish i only had one to do! The other is my daughters but since moving house she's not home very often in daylight hours to help out! I also annoyingly waste a lot of daylight doing her school run which is a good hour round trip (this is seriously irritating, can schools not stay open til dark!)
 
ive done things a bit different this year, as it been a bit drier ive turned out at night, and in during the day. Its meant they are all in, and chilled out and dry for when I pop on in the afternoon. Plus its increased their turn out time, so we haven't had the usual excitable behaviour from being cold / lack of turnout etc
 
Mine are at home, all unclipped natives on 24 hour turn out. I've virtually given up riding this winter, partly due to the fact that both my daughters have health issues at the moment but also because of the problem of wet muddy ponies! I'm lucky that a couple of mine can be tacked up and hacked out with no daftness even if they've not worked for a bit, so I do that if I get the chance but its picking a time when they haven't managed to plaster themselves in wet mud!
I feel a bit guilty about them not working but they have a large area of turnout and are together as a little herd. Probably they are having a lovely time without me making them do anything!
 
My two are out 24/7 obviously very lucky because fields are very dry ATM but also I can leave one on their own in the field so no worries when one goes out thank goodness !
 
I ride them before or after I turn them out they get three hours turnout as a minimum .
Of course they sometimes miss turnout for instance on hunting days or if they are going to a clinic and the timing means you can't fit turnout in.
But I keep horses to use them and that means at this time of year when thendays are short turnout is short as well.
I either turn the first lot out and keep the ones to be worked first in or turn them all out ( I have five four in work ATM) and nab them as I want them .
I expect my horse to stay were it suits me so if it suits me they stay in until I want them .
 
Goldenstar said:
I ride them before or after I turn them out they get three hours turnout as a minimum .
Of course they sometimes miss turnout for instance on hunting days or if they are going to a clinic and the timing means you can't fit turnout in.
But I keep horses to use them and that means at this time of year when thendays are short turnout is short as well.
I either turn the first lot out and keep the ones to be worked first in or turn them all out ( I have five four in work ATM) and nab them as I want them .
I expect my horse to stay were it suits me so if it suits me they stay in until I want them .
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Agreed, i have a clinic in a couple of weeks time on the small hairy one, so they will both come in early and the large lunatic will stay in while we are away. They are used to each other coming and going, I just find in the mornings I like to get them both out first for a few hours.
 
We just leave the one that's not being ridden in their stable with a nice amount of hay to munch on, then they both get turned out once the riding's been done.
 
Mine would rather be in!

However, that being said, they all learn to stay in the stable/field by themselves. Makes life so much easier.

I ride at different times each day, we have three, two are turned out in the field together, and one in the arena at the moment. So they each come in seperately to exercise.
 
We have our 2 at home and they're out 24/7 in adjoining paddocks. One paddock has got a bit wet though so one of them is in our turnout pen until it drys out a bit. I get home about 4.15 and bring them both in then. I have 1 light in the school which isn't ideal but is enough to school or lunge with. I will generally ride 1 lunge 1 during the week. They usually get done 4/5 times a week during winter - but weather dependant! Sometimes only 3 but enough to keep them ticking over.
 
Asha said:
ive done things a bit different this year, as it been a bit drier ive turned out at night, and in during the day. Its meant they are all in, and chilled out and dry for when I pop on in the afternoon. Plus its increased their turn out time, so we haven't had the usual excitable behaviour from being cold / lack of turnout etc
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I've done this quite a few times this year too and its worked quite well, I have two ponies just come back in to work but I don't ride so I lunge or long rein under the car headlights in the field to keep them ticking over

I let them have December off as it was just too tight for time and they needed a rest

When they aren't out overnight I turn them out from 6:30am - 5:30pm, bring in, let them have some hay and a small feed then exercise them around 6:30pm - I find they concentrate much better if they have something to eat first
 
My two are out 24/7 at home and I am point blank refusing to stable them as still rebelling from being on livery yards for so long! I dont ride in the week during winter but at weekends I ride one after the other or one in the morning and one in the afternoon or a friend rides one and we hack. Neither are bothered about being left alone as they have others in paddocks around them! I said right from the start when I had one at home, let alone two that I would put NO pressure on myself over winter to ride and occasionally I will feel guilty they arent in work but then I give myself a pep talk and remind myself I'm under no pressure to ride and they really couldnt care less either way!
 
Both of mine will have a meltdown if they are in the paddock when the other goes out - even if there are other horses there.

So they both come in first thing. The old boy gets an enormous pile of hay while the other one gets ridden and then if I'm going to ride him she gets shoved back in her stable with hay and he goes out for a plod. I'm lucky that they are on 24 hour turnout so I don't have to muck out very often.

I then don't generally do anything with them in the evening during winter.

They both like attention and are crying out for a good groom and a bit of pampering, but right now it's food, exercise & out while I head off to earn some pennies.
 
I just ride one or the other, or both, either before they go out, or when they come in, or they stay in, whatever. Can't be doing with horses which kick up a fuss; they do as they are asked.
 
Have three to ride and generally will only ride one per day during the week. Mine go out in the morning and then get brought in at night and I ride in the evenings but we do have a floodlit school!

Weekend I still turnout before riding, as one in particular is a bit nutty without turnout so it's a nicer ride if she's been out a few hours first! We have five grazing here so generally no-one is left alone, much easier.
 
my set up is similar to you op I have 2 at home both have to come in when ridden, mine go out about 5.30am they would be climbing the walls if left any later then I sometimes ride in the morning at about 10am so both back in and they are happy to do so as had a good few hours out, or I bring them in a bit early in the afternoon so I can ride them both before dark, I don't always ride 2 everyday in winter if weather and ground is rubbish I do one a day until it improves, I see no point in forcing myself to ride if it makes me miserable, they tend to stay out until about 5pm at the moment but it will get later as it gets lighter.

could you not put your horses out earlier if you keep them at home? that way at least they get a good few hours and I often go back to bed in winter once I have fed and turned out and they get hay in the field so I don't have to wait for them to eat it.
 
Pinkvboots said:
my set up is similar to you op I have 2 at home both have to come in when ridden, mine go out about 5.30am they would be climbing the walls if left any later then I sometimes ride in the morning at about 10am so both back in and they are happy to do so as had a good few hours out, or I bring them in a bit early in the afternoon so I can ride them both before dark, I don't always ride 2 everyday in winter if weather and ground is rubbish I do one a day until it improves, I see no point in forcing myself to ride if it makes me miserable, they tend to stay out until about 5pm at the moment but it will get later as it gets lighter.

could you not put your horses out earlier if you keep them at home? that way at least they get a good few hours and I often go back to bed in winter once I have fed and turned out and they get hay in the field so I don't have to wait for them to eat it.
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yes it is an option. Just preferring to have a holiday at the moment, no pressure. I couldn't bear to leave them in so I could work them, I keep my horses around their needs not mine, couldn't live with myself If they were in a lot just for my benefit.
 
Downton Dame said:
how do you manage riding in winter? I keep my 2 at home, they live out mostly but I am now bringing n at night due to very wet paddocks and too much mud. They now go out 8am til5pm. If I want to ride I have to have both in, so that's ride one at 8am leaving other in desperate for turnout or turn both out, bring in after 2 or 3 hours, ride one turn both out for a couple of hours then bring both in or ride both . Either way its only a few hours in the field per day which doesn't seem fair when they are used to nearly 24/7. I've given up and stopped riding til spring. What do you do to cope?
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I have indoor and outdoor schools, my trainer rides her 3x during week days and I hack her weekends
My other horse is off work and the pony is driven once a week.
 
I have a floodlit (of sorts) school but two oldies with various problems. They can't go in the school too often as it aggravates their problems. It's too dark to ride out after work and our lanes get used as a rat run in the mornings so that's out too. I ride in the school when I can (normally each of them one evening a week) I have a sharer for mine who usually hacks out on a Wednesday and share horse's owner usually hacks him out on a Friday. They both normally get ridden both weekend days. Other than that I don't worry too much about how fit they are, I just up their work as the days lengthen and by May they're usually fine for what we do, which isn't much these days.

ETA - They're both out for about 12 hours a day every day so I don't have to worry if they're not exercised which is why I'd never go anywhere where turnout is limited.
 
I let anyone I'm not going to ride out. If I'm going to ride both, one stays in until I'm ready to ride. I figure if they are getting ridden then shorter turnout time isn't an issue. I only ride in the morning in winter. If the morning isn't good enough then they don't get ridden. Now I'm not competing or hunting, I only ride when I feel like it.
 
Mine are at home but because we don't have an arena and the roads are a nightmare around here, we don't ride in the winter. Two neighbours have kindly given us permission to use their fields but if the ground is wet I don't want to destroy their land. I have a small herd of unclipped, unrugged natives who go out for 12 hour a day - they are not bothered if they are not being ridden.
 
Teach them, preferably in summer (when dry) that one can be in and one out at the same time. I’ve two kept next door to each other, with other stables long way away (far side of property and out of ear shot).

Mine are stabled at night. In the morning, they both are keen to go out.

My big horse will stay sensibly in whilst I ride little horse. So I can ride little horse, turn him out, ride big horse, turn him out. My little horse would stay in, alone AFTER being ridden, but I don’t do it unless I have mucked out, as not worth the mess.

Alternately, mine will come in one at a time to work. It helps there are field neighbours. And they are close enough to shout in field / stable / school. But it is building comfort zone and getting them used to it.

I don’t feel bad bringing in to ride it is exercise. I do feel bad if they don’t get lots of varied work and lots of turnout.
 
I'm lucky enough to have a menage at home now but this is relatively new and I definitely feel your pain on this one!!!

Before the menage I used to have to travel to venues which were floodlit at least once a week or once its light enough ride early in the morning sometimes this would be riding and leading to exercise both at once. Then religiously ride at the weekends to make up for it....

However, last year I really struggled and I actually ended up putting one of my horses on full livery for the winter with a friend of mine who owns a yard with a floodlit menage which was a HUGE saving.
 
Filly either gets left in her stable with some hay or turned out with her hay and I ride the older one. I only buy youngsters so they are not so set in their ways, and I'm a cold hard cow so I just abandon them to either have a tiz or eat as they choose (I'll always have someone keep a watchful eye the first few times)
 
I get up at 5.30am in the week to ride, turn out at 7am and off to work by 7.45am.

On weekends I either hack in the morning and one stays at home (or I ride and lead) and then turnout.
Or turnout first thing and get in earlier if I want to jump in daylight.
 
With difficulty most of the time, especially with a small baby. But we are extremely lucky in having a very large winter field so they are out 24/7 and only one is in work atm. On a riding day I bring both in to the hardstanding and barn in the morning, groom and set out the tack. Come indoors, feed baby, leavw him with OH and then ride. Horse goes back on the hard standing while I go in and check if baby needs a feed, then I either turn out or sometimes leave them in a couple of hours. Even on decent grazing a bit of time on concrete does their feet good imo.
However..next winter I will be back at work so will have even less time to ride. At least I'll only be doing three days, so if I can ride twice a week and do some in hand stuff with the pony I'll be happy!
 
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