Turning away 4 yo over winter

[MNMyShiningStars]

We turned our 3 year old gangly, immature warmblood gelding out for the winter, and again after being produced as a 4 year old. I feel this was definitely the right thing for him, as he is 5 now and only just starting to grow into himself physically and mentally.

 

[cobbycobgirl]

Just re read the OP and realised it’s a mare. I don’t know if the OP has had a young mare before, but… 5yo mares are often hormonal, stroppy creatures that make no sense half the time and are full of opinions. I’m happy to say it wears off and you get your lovely sweet horse back in the autumn, but the only solution I have found is lots and lots of hacking to run off the energy in a safe way. I have had many young horses and have many ‘fond’ memories of 5yo mare adventures. Most involve being run off with (obviously not for long, but for half a field or so at least!), some involved impressive bucking when told they couldn’t, in fact, leave at 1000mph, and one liked to spook at imaginary gremlins. My best, sweetest and most obedient mare lost her mind in the spring of her 5yo year. She was brimming with energy and sass and the only solution was a lot of straight lines until she was just a little tired and a little more calm.

If you have any manners/schooling yet to install, you’ve got until January at worst, March at best, to install them. If you want to build a relationship under saddle, I would do it now. I mean, you could get lucky and have a calm and sensible 5yo, but that’s less likely than the other way around. Geldings are so much easier in that respect - no hormones, less teenage moments!

This is an amazing point to think about actually thank you! She’s a sweet little princess now and I can’t imagine her not being one but hormones really are a bigger. We’ve been doing loads of groundwork working on manners as she’s very babybrained and doesn’t know it’s actually rather rude to shoulder barge people you make a good point. I think we’ll definitely continue on our bond and respect before all hell breaks loose

 

[cobbycobgirl]

Stupid question, but what exactly IS turning away? Is it just not working them? I've always imagined it to be literally letting them go in a big field and going to retrieve them again come Spring, or a version of that - but of course most people don't have the facility to do that.

when I was younger I genuinely used to think turning away was letting them out into the vast fields of England and finding them again in the spring lol.
Now I know (I think) it means taking them out of work for a wee field holiday

 

[Cates123]

Picking up on this thread, this is something I debate often in respect of my large (and still growing) 4yr old TB. I'm keeping him ticking over this winter with a mixture of groundwork and hacking (and the odd short schooling session when weather means it's safer to be enclosed) and it feels like the right thing for both of us right now. However, I asked my farrier what would be the best thing to do to improve his feet and he said to take the shoes off and turn him out for 6 months. After a previous short stint of rehab where he had about 6 weeks of no work and then a month of walk, the farrier said his feet were looking much better, so it makes sense.
It's stuck with me and I do keep considering it. He's most likely going to be a forever horse so I'm tempted to do that to get his feet in shape now and set him up for the long haul, afterall, 'no feet, no horse'. Has anyone else found this helps with their Tb's feet, specifically ex-racers? How did they cope when the ground got harder in the frost? Did they get bored? He's currently out all day with 2 others and then stabled at night which would continue as he loves his stable. I'm also not sure that I love the idea of bringing him back into work in spring..... I will add that his feet aren't terrible, just the average TB ex-racer feet which every farrier hates!
Input always appreciated.