Turning away for the winter

[fishy]

Long story so here goes, my mare was diagnosed with PSD earlier this year and has spent all summer stabled and undergoing a controlled exercise programme. 2 weeks ago I was given the ok to jump on and begin ridden work in walk, great I thought! Unfortunately my poor mare has so much energy that we aren't doing a lot of walk, mostly bucking, plunging and a gorgeous passage so I am going to turn her away for the winter. I have discussed this with the vet and he agrees with me that I am no use to anyone in a cast. We have worked out a programme to introduce her back into a field but I am going to have to send her away as we have no winter grazing anywhere near me. I have spoken at length with a retirement livery who are happy to work with the vets guidelines and me and I am going to visit them at the weekend. I know this is the right thing to do for her as she is becoming incredibly grumpy in her stable and unpredictable to hack out but I am a little nervous as I've never done it before so any advice would be gratefully received. What do I need to look for at the yard, what does she need in regard to rugs etc, do I have her shoes removed before we go or while we are there. She is an 11 year old ISH, very good doer, usually an angel but slowly turning into a she devil. I have left her unrugged and unclipped whilst stabled. Any useful snippets gratefully received xxx

 

[Merrymoles]

I'd wait until you have seen the place before you make a decision about shoes. Obviously it depends on your mare but if they have road scalpings or similar in the yard or gateways, she might be more comfortable either shod or just with fronts on. They may also have a policy on shoes if they are running a mixed herd.

I would also want to know that they had a stable for her in emergencies and that there was somewhere I could bring her in at the weekend, even if just for a brush off.

Check that they are happy for you to arrive any time (within reason) to see her so that you know they have nothing to hide. They may have a visiting hours policy which is fine but you should not have to give notice if you want to go during those hours.

I'm not sure how often you will see her or how far away it is but I would try to ensure you see her at least once a month without rugs so you can check condition.

If she will be out 24/7, make sure you supply enough rugs that they can be changed if they spring a leak - nothing worse than a wet rug on a wet horse.

If it stays as mild as it is, she might get a while out before she needs rugging which will help to rough her off a bit and mean that she doesn't need such heavy rugs. Ask the new yard's opinion once they have seen her. In an ideal world, it would be better not to rug at all if they are not being removed daily but who knows what this winter will bring!

You say she is a good doer so I'm sure she'll sail through a winter out as long as she has sufficient forage. My horse did the winter before last out 24/7 from November to January (long story) and was absolutely fine on it. He did have plenty of forage and a daily feed of low cal balancer but that was about it.

 

[Spring Feather]

I have a number of retired horses on my farm, with owners in a similar situation to you. The horses are retired, doesn't make much difference why, they just are. I don't allow back shoes on horses sharing fields here (it's very rare in my area for anyone to shoe period, so not a big deal). We don't have any horses shod on fronts here at the moment, and almost never do, however we have had one or two horses who have to be shod on the fronts and that's fine. All of these horses are on a set-price, so their owners pay the same every month. All feed, farrier, wormer etc is covered in that monthly livery charge. My owners rarely come and see their horses as they live so far away and I send updates and photos to them every so often. I have all of these horses rugs, generally a couple per horse. I don't take their headcollars or grooming kits etc as we are fully equipped here and it just makes for more 'stuff' having to be stored here (and we have quite enough of our own here!) I make all decisions as to the daily care of all horses here; when to rug, if to rug, which fields they live in, which herdmates they have, what and how much feed they are fed etc. I do not contact my owners ever by phone unless there is an emergency situation. Almost all contact is via email. This is how it works on my farm and clients like it doing this way; other farms have their own ideas on how best to deal with the horse's life. You just have to find a yard/farm which fits in with your way of doing things and make sure that you're comfortable leaving your horse in their charge. Hope it works out well for you and your mare.

 

[Tiffany]

Where are you based Springfeather?

 

[Spring Feather]

Where are you based Springfeather?

I'm in Canada

 

[Red-1]

I agree with other posters, in particular looking under the rug at every visit. Other than that I think you are doing the right thing. You will have the best chance that she will strengthen up in the best way, and come spring you will both be fit to go together.