turning out in October

[elsielouise]

Thank you for eveyone who PM'd me about safe cobs for sale. Have moved house now and ready to look so AM looking for a companion safe friend for her and my partner - anyone who still has one for sale please PM ( 16hh and VERY safe pref in Kent and able to live out).

Buuuuuuuut have found a new yard where the rest of the liveries have been turned out all summer and not planned to come in til weather turns v bad.

My mare has been stabled at night for last 19 months so wondering if am mad to think about turning her out 24/7 in October (will rug her at night tho' she's not rugged at all at min). In the past I kept her at home and she lived out 24/7 and doeas well on it so am I just being paranoid?

shw is getting hot though when ridden and if I was stabling her as usual I'd be clipping this weekend. I want to move yards next weekend and so not sure when/if to clip?

Feel as best bet would be to turn away for a week or so, not clip and not ride other than v lightly, then, light work and then light clip and rug light, then increase clip and work.

am i being over careful?

 

[KatB]

My boy is fully clipped, and still living out unless really horrible. Has full lwt rug (neck cover and all) in the day, and Wug on over night with hayledge and he's as happy as larry!! TBH its still very mild, so really shouldnt be a prob? I try to leave mine out at least until clocks change, spend far too much time in over winter really!!

 

[elsielouise]

Thank you

I really believe they should be out as much as poss but her current yard brings in at 5pm all year round and turns out at 09am. I've just moved from central London to a village where she can be 8 mins drive away but I still can't get there in morning as am on way to work.

I'm thinking about the best way to aclimatise her (sp?) to24/7 from 10/24 when I'm at work 16/24 and paying someone else to check/feed her.

 

[BethH]

well I think you have exactly the right attitude, I am sure horses given the choice would rather be out than stuck in a stable, your yard is pretty rare as most places in kent are thoroughly overgrazed. At my place we leave out until temperature drops to zero unless is really horrid weather and all the horses that come to me do really well, pretty much all of them turn in to really good doers.

It won't take your horse long to get used to it but the main thing is to make sure she is warm and dry, invest in good quality rugs and you should be fine. The weather is still really mild, I am just putting on a lightweight overnight if it is going to be really wet and the temperature is dropping. At the moment all of my liveries are still without rugs and that includes an x-policehorse that has spent 16 years stuck in a stable with no turnout ever and he is blossoming, you might want to give a small hard feed with some multivitamins like benevit in to make sure she is getting all of her nutrients, the grass is still good at the moment but will start to deteriorate over the next few weeks.

Hope that helps good luck..

 

[elsielouise]

Thanks for your input

I think it's the right move for her. I used to have my own grazing and she lived out for the first three years of her life with stable access when she wanted it - she only wanted it if it was completely miserable.

A friend at my current yard is selling a couple of rugs and I'll buy them as spares so I'll have... um.. about five turnouts (OK maybe a bit excessive but at least she'll always have a dry one) and four stable rugs.

People in kent spotting a blimp sized UFO - it's just my nag keeping warm!