What are you going to do differently this winter?

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3BayGeldings

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Let's face it, the winter is definitely approaching, time to get prepared :p

I've got an extra horse from this time last year :rolleyes:, so with 3 to think about I need to be as organised as possible to fit everything in :eek:


The things that spring to mind with me are :

- Last winter I wasn't entirely happy with the way my 12 yr old TB came out. He was slightly ribby and just looked a tad dull and lifelass, so this winter he'll be getting morning and evening feeds starting shortly, as opposed to just during the harshest points of the winter like last year. He'll be getting speedi beet, readi grass, baileys No4 and linseed oil to help him out more.

- 12 yo will be getting a chaser clip too, which will help me when it comes to cleaning him and drying him off after riding - he wasn't clipped last winter and it would take too long to wait for him to cool off. I'd prefer to rug him up more this winter.

- Feeding less hay in the field. I'm not going to put full bales in anymore, the amount of waste made me cringe! They can have piles put out on a morning and evening when they're still living out.


Your turn :)
 
I agree with you, I will have three, maybe four at home. Last year they got hay in a hay ring in the field. Total waste. This year they will use both fields and only get hay/ haylage in morning and overnight.
Have put shelter up in other field so they will stay there as long as possible as big field with grass.
They will only move to small winter field and stables when weather gets bad and it's really dark.

Whole purpose of this winter is not to waste as much hay, time and effort!
 
I'm going to winter out 4 of my horses/ponies. They are my unridden hardy ones in an 18 acre field. Give them feed & hay but cut out my mucking out & them going out in my muddy winter field adjacent to the stables. I've never done it before & I know they will be fine, it's just me getting my head round leaving them out.
That will leave me 4 stabled at night & hopefully less mud!
 
I will still have just the one horse this winter, but it will be my second winter with him so I know what to expect a bit more.

Last winter he came out a little too skinny, so I think I will feed him the balancer that he's been on in the summer (only that) in the winter as well as he looks so good on it (living out too), I had planned to swap to his usual cool mix.

I will get my rugs washed straight after he's finished using them as I still haven't done that from last winter...

Last year he had his first ever clip (5 y/o) and he had a trace, he's in more work this year so he might have a blanket instead.

Anything else that springs to mind that will save me time and/or money...

I also have a shiny new car this year so will be changing my shoes before driving home!
 
I'm going to be much much tidier ! Helped mainly by the fact that we won't be up to our hocks in clay as we are having the yard rebuilt from scratch with new stables at the moment , and will have hard standing all the way up to the fields . That and discovering where our long lost soakaway was located , should mean I should have beautifully clean horses all winter .........


Yeah right ! :D :D :D
 
Different ponies to last year but similar situation other than I am going to work flexi time so I can ride in the morning :cool:

Probably have some calves in with them to save wasting hay as they will have a ring feeder.

I wasn't going to rug anything but they are getting really hairy already so the one I ride will be getting a clip (first time I've clipped in about 12 years so may start as a trace clip and end up being completely naked cos I've gone squint :D )
 
I used to turn my mare out regardless of the weather but she was diagnosed with Cushings a couple of months ago so I can't now risk turning her out when the ground is frozen or on frosty grass. So it really depends what sort of winter we get. I expect she'll be spending more time in. However this will probably make her depressed (another lovely side effect of Cushings). Really can't win on this one - not looking forward to it :( :(
Oh before anyone asks, she is on medication for it.
 
He will be having more hard feed so that he keeps his weight better into the hunting season - I've already started to increase this so that he puts on a bit more weight now before hunting starts.

He won't be having his heels clipped out when he is clipped - wasn't my choice last time, but I couldn't be at the yard on the day he was being clipped.
 
This year we may have four at field as we're going to look at a foal next week :-)

So the shire x and the old girl will come in at night and the baby and pony will stop out.

If the foal doesn't come then all three will come in. Last year they lived out 24/7 xx
 
Fill my barn/s with goats, lots and lots of goats.
I actually make a reasonable income raising goats. :D

Nothing different with the horses, they'll live out, as usual.
 
I've had part of my paddock turned into a hard standing area so looking forward to not having the neds trudging around in mud when it gets very wet.

I'm buying lots of haynets now and going to try and have one haynet filling session a week. :)
 
I shall be riding more, as I will only be working part-time - always been full-time before so riding has been very limited, especially as we have no school. The horse will be clipped. too, so that we can do a bit more.
 
Last year went fairly smoothly so just a couple changes.
Waterproof trousers, I have finally bought some! For those days when the rain/snow goes sideways.
Livery, if I want a holiday I will stick him on full livery and not feel guilty.
 
Same as usual. Only difference this year is that as my field has been properly fenced, I don't have to use electric fencing... and without electric fencing I won't be so worried of them escaping or the battery dying!
 
Not much different. Will fully clip daughters now both older & doing more. And empty less wheelbarrows. Daughter v good at doing her jobs, but as our muckheaps on grass when its muddy, she struggled up till now. But at rising 8 she should manage better. Also, will be making it clear at the start that if a certain person tries to rely on using/ breaking my tools again all winter, they will be inserted where the sun don't shine, & that also applies to the barrow.
 
I'm going to start whacking the weight on already, she's thinner than I'd like already. She will start coming in earlier, having more haulage, and bigger more conditioning feeds.

I will also be clipping as she will be in more work, so will need to rug more.
 
So far this year, for the first time I have ;

- washed and aired all my rugs

- got new haynets (Elim In Nets)

- bought two pairs of the fab Boyes waterproof trousers at £5 a pair - great for riding !

- bought some Muck Boot Tyne boots half price ;)

- bought a Toggi chocolate brown 3/4 length duvet coat half price ;)

- stocked up on pig oil

- stocked up on salt

-accidentally bought a mini snow shovel, ideal for the car :rolleyes:

- decided he is staying on balancer ONLY (Top Spec Light), so no watering feeds at all :D

- and his feathers were lightly trimmed yesterday (I trim them to just off the ground, and then just above the heels) to make it easier to apply pig oil.

- his tail is now trimmed to 2" off the ground ready for mud.

Bloomin heck !!!!
 
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I have just moved yards to one with a horse walker, rubber and sand arena, lovely stables, good hacking and good turnout. I am hoping to keep my young mare in more work and progress her. I will try and fill haynets on a sunday afternoon and keep having lessons. fingers crossed all goes well and we get fitter and the terrible 5`s come to an end.
 
Not making any plans - because the weather always ruins them :D

Other than that it will be much the same although legs will be clipped throughout this winter as it's easier to deal with the mud.
 
Going to try Bedmax instead of straw.

She's on Bedmax now as been on box rest most of the summer (splint fracture surgery). I hated shavings when she was in 24/7 but now she is out all day its much better and not missing straw quite as much.

If I do shavings I think I can go to work straight from yard (instead of going home for shower) which gives me an extra 45 mins in bed ;)

Other thing I will be doing differently is not hunting or competing :( pony will only just be back in work in Oct and with working full time I suspect I won't have her very fit at all (weekend hacking only for some time as she won't be allowed in school for ages). So it'll be quiet and dull. Sigh. Because of this I might not clip, or only clip once later on in the year - hardly seems worth it for 10 mins walk work.
 
it was really warm today, but there is just a huge HINT of what may come in a few months, in the air up here. Every plan and effort will be defied, it usually is, but I sleep better thinking I've tried ( and spent money on bargains !) x
 
I am considering wintering 2 of mine out for the first time ever (for me that is, I have always stabled at night come wintertime). They will have direct access to their stables for shelter but will only put down a token gesture of bedding to catch the wee.

The old boy I don't really want living out 24/7 as he is now 37 but will see how he goes.

Will probably have to stable them some of the time if we get a wet winter as both fields do get water logged.
 
He will drop more weight this winter! But hopefully maintain the muscle as opposed to last year when he was out of work :(

And with any luck, hunter clip!
 
I'm going into winter with only one for the first time ever! I'm also on assisted DIY so no early mornings to turn out. Apart from that it's business as usual, however for the first time I don't have a school at the yard so hopefully hacking out will still be OK. I'm also going to feed less hard feed and more haylage to see if that makes a difference to his weight - he came out of last winter a little leaner than I wanted him to.
 
well i willstill have 2 except one will be a new one from spain so its going to be very chilly for him! poor boy! so he is going to be stabled at night out during the day as soon as he arrives! im not changing much for him except he needs to go on a diet! so im hoping it will slowely come off during the winter so in the spring he will actually be a decent weight :o

and with taz nothing will change, we will fight to keep his weight on and fail to a certain extent but he wont be clipped this winter as he doesnt do enough work to warrent it! he will however be rugged up to his eye balls!

oh an i'll make sure i keep up with poo picking!! nothing worse than trying to push a wheel barrow through a foot of mud and clay!!
 
My spotty boy will be having a full clip so his fur can't soak up the wee he loves to lie in. He also has a new medium weight with extra long neck and a snuggy hood face for in the field do he can't get mud chunks everywhere muwhahaha!
I have a new one this winter and she is already on the thin side so I need to find a good feed she likes and appropriate rugs.
 
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