turn out problem!

BSJAlove

BSJAlove

Well-Known Member
Joined
23 March 2009
Messages
1,996
Visit site
my new mare hasnt been turned out since she was 9 months old because she was bullied and had an Op on her neck, shes now nearly 6. now ive got her i plan to turn her out for a few hours daily however, the yard im at only has big group turn out split in to mares and geldings.

i know its too much too soon and ive asked if i can have a seperate paddock on her own but cant. i dont want to move yards as ive just moved there and everywhere else is full. the only option i can see is keeping her in 24.7 as she has done the past 5 years but im not keen at all!!
 
Ahh what a pain, can they not let you section a bit off? Just for a little while? With electric fencing or something. She must be fed up of staying in bless her x
 
i know. she must be gagging for a gallop!! i have asked the YO and she said she would concider it but only for a week or so. i just dont want her to get bullied as she is very dismissive, and there are a lot of mares!!
 
a week should be ok to let her mee the mares. My mare is quite dismissive too and she is ok, though there isnt so many mares inthe field. Best give it a try and if it turns out well then great! If it doesnt work then at least you tried!
 
Ermmm..... Not sure what else to try then, just keep trying to sweeten up your YO lol. She sounds a bit of a meany!!

Your mare may well panic if they start running up to her, it will def be better to have her in tiny paddock, then a bit bigger and so on, she could get used to the others over the fence too....

Could you not just leave it a bit longer then a week, act dumb and say you didnt realise the week went so fast lol.
 
haha.. i could try!! im deffiatly going to moan some more. i just think it would be nice for her - especially in the summer - to have some grass and a stretch.

ive spoken to some friends who own a competition yard and they think i should just keep her in if its all she's known. they have a walker etc so she would get plenty of time out of the stable but its not that same really..
 
yeh she really needs a chance to be a horse! keeping her in a stable isnt natural yet if its all shes known then i guess it isnt too bad! but if its possible to let her kick her feet up and be a horse then go for it!
 
Yeah it is true that she doesnt really know any different, so she doesnt know what shes missing... But i agree with you, its definetly worth a try! If it diesnt work, if she panic's, acts silly and could hurt herself then maybe call it a day and leave her in, but if it works then fab!!! I think she will be happier out
smile.gif


Good luck x
 
[ QUOTE ]
i know. she must be gagging for a gallop!! i have asked the YO and she said she would concider it but only for a week or so. i just dont want her to get bullied as she is very dismissive, and there are a lot of mares!!

[/ QUOTE ]
the more mares the better....she may well find a friend
smile.gif
...in my experience a couple of mares left on their own will pair up become inseperable and bully another mare that is introduced
frown.gif

if she is given a week (try get her to give you 2)to meet the mares over the fence they will know who she is and be less interested when introduced...as she is quiet hopefully she will be submissive and keep herself to herself
smile.gif

Such a shame she has had to stay in for 5 yrs
frown.gif
think she is due time to find out what being a horse is all about...she may surprise you
smile.gif
 
totally my opinion. shes so mature and immaculate and well mannered, i want her to have a good old buck. i think ill try and fence off some so she can get used to them. im just so worried that she will get hurt as i havent had her long and dont know what she would be like.

her injury was life threatning, a horse took a chunck out of her neck near her wind pipe so her old owners decided they didnt want to go through it again and kept her in. dont get me wrong, their lovely people though!
 
ive spoken to some friends who own a competition yard and they think i should just keep her in if its all she's known. they have a walker etc so she would get plenty of time out of the stable but its not that same really..


No horse should be kept in 24/7 if there is an option for them to go out and unwind.....she will be a happier horse with turnout....maybe all she has known but sadly they not stupid and they crave what is natural to them
smile.gif
 
aww thats totaly understandable that they would want to keep her in! but its been 5 years so you never know! if you can fence of a bit of field then she ill get to meet some of the mares and give you a better idea of how they are going to get on without doing too much damage to themselves!!
 
[ QUOTE ]
totally my opinion. shes so mature and immaculate and well mannered, i want her to have a good old buck. i think ill try and fence off some so she can get used to them. im just so worried that she will get hurt as i havent had her long and dont know what she would be like.

her injury was life threatning, a horse took a chunck out of her neck near her wind pipe so her old owners decided they didnt want to go through it again and kept her in. dont get me wrong, their lovely people though!

[/ QUOTE ]
My lad had the exact same injury....just by millimetres missed his windpipe(he ripped his neck open on a gate
confused.gif
)
He has been fine since
smile.gif
they may be lovely people but that poor horse
frown.gif
 
yeah its a shame.. well i think its best then to fence a bit off and see what happens. cant wait to see her turned out for the first time!! ill get some pics.. then after a week, ill see what i think then il get back to you all again if i cant make up my mind or if i get in a sticky situation - thankyou!!!
 
[ QUOTE ]


My lad had the exact same injury....just by millimetres missed his windpipe(he ripped his neck open on a gate
confused.gif
)
He has been fine since
smile.gif
they may be lovely people but that poor horse
frown.gif


[/ QUOTE ]

good god. i bet that was pretty traumatising!! :O (i cant spell) glad hes ok now xxx
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]


My lad had the exact same injury....just by millimetres missed his windpipe(he ripped his neck open on a gate
confused.gif
)
He has been fine since
smile.gif
they may be lovely people but that poor horse
frown.gif


[/ QUOTE ]

good god. i bet that was pretty traumatising!! :O (i cant spell) glad hes ok now xxx

[/ QUOTE ]
It wasnt a nice experience
frown.gif
...he healed well and went on to injure himself in other ways,lol,as horses do
smile.gif

horses are horses we cant wrap them up...can understand your concerns but if you go about it the right way....small paddock...try increase in size..let her meet others over fence you will be fine...bet she will LOVE it
smile.gif

If the yard turns out not to suit your girls needs look for something that does
smile.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
yeah its a shame.. well i think its best then to fence a bit off and see what happens. cant wait to see her turned out for the first time!! ill get some pics.. then after a week, ill see what i think then il get back to you all again if i cant make up my mind or if i get in a sticky situation - thankyou!!!

[/ QUOTE ]
Exactly what you need to do...if you still dont want to introduce after a wk,the YO has agreed to you sectioning off already another wk wont hurt
smile.gif
...you are paying if they can do it for a wk they can do it for 2...should be your horses interests they have at heart
smile.gif
 
Id turn her out in the school so she cant hurt her self out there, or in a small padock, boot her up and give her a calmer, she'l soon get puffed out if she does get silly, but im sure she'l be ok, horses are ment to be out and they are tougher than you think when being silly.
 
If a horse has been kept in from a young age and not learnt to be out with other horses it is really worth taking some care about introductions. The horse doesn't know the "rules" and can have a really tough time learning them. Please don't take any notice of anyone who says she's a horse, she'll be fine. If she's not socialised with others since she was 9 months old you need to be careful. I would not turn her into a large group of mares until she has had some time next to them, and then preferably with one other from that group to set up a bit of a pair bond. Often it's best if the new horse gets to know the herd "leader" first, then they go back in together.
This isn't about setting aside a section for a week, you need to take as long as it takes, watching how the horses interact together. Normally your horse will start to connect with another over the fence, and to mirror the actions of that horse and the rest of the group over the fence. When that happens she is ready to have another in with her, not just in a set number of days.
I get so p'd off with these livery yards that want to take people's money, but don't want to deal with horses as individuals, and won't make allowances for a horse that has been ill or had other problems. Personally, if I thought I was going to be forced to either keep my horse in 24/7, or turn her out unprepared into a herd of mares, I'd find somewhere else to keep her that would have a bit more consideration.
 
ill try a moan to her to let me have longer then a week. i know its not a perfect situation but as i said, ive just moved there after hunting for a livery yard for about 2 months.. everywheres just full at the moment. if i could find elsewhere i would deffinatly go but its just so convinient..

what do you mean by mirroring and how do i tell shes ready to go out?? thanks for your help!!!
 
Totally agree with Woeisme. A horse that has not been properly socialised will not read "leave me alone" or "be submissive"signals and could have a lot of trouble fitting into a herd. Best to try her on her own, see how she copes with the experience, if she is OK try her with a non-dominant mare from the herd see if they make friends, if all goes well, try her with another mare (each time just the two of them) and only turn her out with the herd when the dominant mare has accepted her. This will, inevitably, take a while, but I do think your YO is being irresponsible.

I think what Woeisme means by mirroring is the mare behaving as if she is the mirror image of another horse, copying what the other horse does. It's a signal to be friendly, i.e. I will do what you do. If I am wrong I am sure Woeisme will say so
smile.gif
 
Also could you hack/school with some of the liveries? And when you initially turn her out in the herd perhaps do it at the weekend where presumably owners will be riding so there's less in the field.
 
Yes, sorry that is what I meant.
grin.gif

They will graze in parallel each side of the fence, move to other areas of the field at the same time, go and drink water at the same time. The one that she picks up on that way is the obvious first friend. Putting new horses together I first split the field with electric tape, then put a bath under the tape for the water, so they are all drinking from the same tub. You will tend to see the new horse(s) take part in the going for water process when they are ready to meet the others.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top