What are you doing with your horses at the moment?

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happihorse

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I haven't ridden my horse for a week now because of the snow. We have an outdoor school but it is frozen and under eight inches of snow! I have dug a track out so I can lead him in hand but it is so boring!

Is it okay to turnout this weather? Someone told me that you shouldn't ride or turnout on snow because the snow packs in their feet and can make them lame. Is that true?
 
My boy has been turned out for the past few days and luckily has not had impacted snow at all, although one of the other horses did have them today
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Maybe having rubbish TB feet is an advantage
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So he is going out with plenty of hay, but for a shorter period of time than usual because he is a delicate flower and feels the cold
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(he stands and shivers
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)
 
mine are out every day with plenty of hay, paddocks are sandy soil so not frozen in ruts and there is loads of grass under the snow.

arena is under few inchs of snow but surface(sand/rubber) is soft so have still been riding as normal.

horse is barefoot so i dont have issues with snow packing in his feet.

i know im lucky, i can only imagine how frustrating it must be for those with no turnout and not able to ride.
 
I havent been able to ride either. We have an indoor arena but its only about 17x17 so just big enough to lunge but it does get boring so I`m taking this time to say that this is a holiday for my 2. They have both just had their backs/muscles done this week so its also helping that settle. They are being turned out about 9 in the morning til 4 and they are just ambling around the fields. They have haylage and water so are happy. Everyone else on the yard is doing the same. I cant wait to ride again. I liked seeing the snow fall but I`ve had enough now, time to go snow.
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We've got 13inches of snow now so thats over a foot (i only know seems i was that boared i actually measured it!)
so not exactly alot can be done with the pone atm
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I can't ride at all, but they are turned out every day with plenty of hay.
Our arena has been frozen and rutted for over 3 weeks now, I am getting so fed up!!!
 
Havent been able to ride.....but they have been turned out every day but with some haylage to keep them occupied!!
 
Ours are in all the time and just going on a horse walker but they ae being very calm about it. Can't wait for the snow to go so we can crack on with them.
 
Chloe hasn't been ridden since Monday and Alisha hasn't been ridden for about 4 weeks...mine are being turned out for 4hrs ish everyday but not riding in the snow - our arena is frozen underneath!
 
We have had snow since before Christmas and now have over a foot in the fields and arena, the roads are ice sheets under the snow. Horse hasn't been ridden since mid december but is out 24/7 and is loving the snow. She has a large round bale of hay and thick rugs on. However think she will be high as a kite when I ride her eventually!! All horses at our yard are out during day with round hay and most ate living out. None have an issue with snowballing!
 
Axel hasn't been ridden since before christmas, we can't turn out so everyone has been putting their horses in the school just while we muck out. Luckily mine has been very calm about things but there are some on the yard that are wild!
 
been turning out as usual (tho field is not rutty, so that's OK for them, I reckon)..... even been making my hairy 3yo stay nekkid!

Also still been riding in the (very snowy) school and out hacking! (tho I live on a tiny lane that then goes into a farm I can ride around so no worries about cars)...... tho the two ridden lads are barefoot which I really reckon helps with the snow.

I'll keep riding all the while it's snowy - it's when it then starts turning to ice that I'll have to put a stop to that!
 
I have ridden twice since we got the first lot of snow (around 18th Dec iirc) so Finns having a bit of a holiday!!
Hes being turned out everyday but only for a few hours as he quickly gets bored of the snow
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not alot, they spend their days standing in a rather snowy field, and then munch their way through a huge haynet all night!!!!!! The arena is frozen with 8" of snow on top, I have hacked out, but cant go far, as the roads are icy, so it is literally 3/4mile, which doesn't really seem worth it, so my horses are all having a very long holiday!!!!!!!!
 
i can't ride....havent ridden for nearly 2 weeks
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so they are all turnout out as much as possible with loads of rugs and loads of hay...our field is rock hard and frozen BUT it isnt slippy...and my three are all sensible and just plod about so its fine.

they come in for feeds everyday and have been going on the walker for 40minutes or so every day after the YO has gritted the walker floor....so they are getting SOME exercise...but not much... i cant lunge them or even walk them in the menage as it is frozen hard and actually quite slippy as the snow has compacted for some reason... so their only option is the walker.


i want the snow to go away now
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xxx
 
Feeding him, mucking out, grooming, fetching water, carting haybales around, feeding him again, mucking out again etc etc etc ..................! Turning out, slight balling in his feet but snow is deep and soft for him to walk on so doesn't seem to be causing a problem. I'm dreading poo picking the field when it all thaws out, it's all like frozen concrete at the mo!
 
Turning out, but only for a couple of hours a day as neither of mine are desperate to be out anyway. Luckily got an indoor school so riding in there, but i'm thoroughly bored of seeing those four walls! Too scared to drive my lorry in this, so we're stuck for the minute!
 
Absolutely nothing bar mucking out, grooming, feeding etc. Roads are awful and arena is under a few inches of frozen snow and is frozen too atm. So horses are looking pretty miserable tbh
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. I haven't ridden for 3 weeks so they are just having a break for a bit! I have started planning my season though
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!
 
Doing nothing. They live out 24/7. Not able to ride. Desperate to bring him back into work after his winter break (2 1/2 months off), Ive had one walk about bareback in the snow on him and thats it.
 
Nothing! My horse has been ridden 3 times in the past three weeks and no chance of riding again until next weekend. Im not to worried though my one horse is only 4 (well tech 5!) so he's just having an unscheduled holiday and my other horse is retired anyway.
 
Nothing. We have about a foot of snow, the arena is sand and is frozen solid and rutted, our turnout is via a huge hill and is rutted. YO feeds horses left out with haylage and checked daily. Am fed up with grooming and not riding. My cob who is 17 is quite happy to stay in munching haylage, but he loves his turnout usually. My daughters warmblood/tb eventer has a wild look in her eye and will need mega lunging before she can be ridden again. Roll on the thaw - it looks pretty, but its driving us mad.
 
Nothing!!! Mine hasnt been out the stable for almost a week as it's so icy on yard i'm worried she'll fall over!! The school is covered in snow and lane to field is treacherous, im sooo bored just want to ride!! I have a very grumpy horse at the mo but on the plus she'll be great fun to ride when i do eventually get back on!!!
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Not been able to get ours out for 3 weeks now. So turned out with lots of rugs on. Cut feed slightly and ad lib hay. They dont seem to mind.
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We're turning our lot out at the moment but only for half a day instead of all day, with hay. Didn't manage to ride all week but dug a path out around the arena yesterday and managed to school yesterday and today. Sick of it now!
 
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