What do you do with your horses when there is snow/ice

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coen

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We have had a fair amount of snow here over the past few days which is pretty unusual. It has been years since this type of weather and back then I was in livery with an indoor barn/arena so no drama.

I decided against turning out in the paddocks as they are really slippery and one of my horses really hoons around, so instead they were walked around the arena in hand (that is also covered in snow).

Today it has melted a little so I decided to try turning out in the arena, one horse was fine had a roll and strolled but the problem is my other was really galloping about in there and winding herself up so I grabbed her back in after 10mins. (She is exactly the same on the lunge or I would do that).

I am now wondering what to do for the best over the next few days, so how does everyone else cope with the more highly strung types? Just keep to the in hand walking until this passes or continue to turn out in the area and hope for the best (Wondering if a couple of notches of sedaline would be helpful.)?

I am leaning towards just walking her in hand but then there is obviously the risk that when she does go back out (fields will be very wet) and she may be ever more silly due to be cooped up.
 
I suppose it depends on just how bad your fields are but generally snow isn’t a major issue. It’s the thaw/freeze that’s worse.

We only had about half a foot - Horse went out for half day and came in early before starting to get bored and pratting about. Sunday/Monday managed to get across yard to walker. The big freeze Monday night meant stable bound yesterday. But on walker this morning and straight into the field after - still a bit of snow, but the ice across yard was virtually thawed.

I would be more relaxed than many though, I don’t like leaving them in unless there really is no option
 
I wonder about this. On my yard people tend to keep in as they worry about injury but I think that just creates a vicious cycle: they are so keen to get out that they go loopy - and increase the risk of injury! So I am of the view that they are better out regardless.
 
I think it depends on how dangerous it is to get to the paddock rather than how dangerous the actual paddock is in terms of surface. We have a concrete yard and tracks that lead off that to the paddocks/fields. These can become very slippery when its icy.Obviously the needs of the staff have to be taken into account and their safety in turning out before the psychological welfare of our horses. It would be awful if someone were to have a bad accident whilst trying to turn out a horse when in a couple of days time the snow and ice will all be gone anyway. It would be better to wait in that situation.We have a walker and most have been on there for 20 mins x twice a day or else the indoor lunging pen/school.
 
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I have always turned them out anyway - unless blowing a blizzard. They are going to find it exciting and gallop about and roll, but I would prefer them to do that on the first day and get used to it, rather than confine them for 3 days and THEN have them go totally bananas. And if it last for longer, just when do you turn them out? If you have facilities for indoor exercise then that is another story, but for me they have to go out and get used to it and calm down.
 
Yes I usually put out daily regardless of the weather but as I was slipping around myself I was just too worried to do it with this snow/ice.

So for those of you turning out, are your horses pretty sensible? Or are they hooning?

This horse hoons every day under normal conditions even if living out in summer after being brought in for a couple of hours, it will have a gallop about for 5mins.

And if the latter what do you do? Just thinking if it is a case of walking away/closing my eyes and hoping that they realise the ground is bad and be a bit more cautious (self preservation!)
 
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coen said:
And if the latter what do you do? Just thinking if it is a case of walking away/closing my eyes and hoping that they realise the ground is bad and be a bit more cautious (self preservation!)
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If there is anything I have learnt over the years its no matter how you wrap them up in cotton wool there ability to self harm is awesome.
 
If it's safe to walk out to the field then turn out as normal, if not (mine has a tendency to do Bambi impressions if there's any ice in sight) then stuff full of hay and leave in PJ's for the day unfortunately.
 
I've been turning them out regardless but separately - less hooning about if they are separate! But I can't exercise one of them as he has shoes and I find the snow, even just a little bit, packs in his hooves along with the school surface.
 
Mine went out the first two days when it was just snow. Now its ice and its not safe so he was in yesterday and today. I'm hoping its thawed enough to get him out tomorrow
 
My two large sports horses live out with 24/7 access to a yard and stables. They had some fun in the snow on Monday but were bored of it pretty quickly. All that rolling in the snow and they look so clean and so do their rugs .. luxury.
Monday night i put an extra layer under there lightweights because it was going to -9 ... it didnt, I think it went to -6! Tuesday morning i took the under rugs off about 0700, felt guilty for five seconds, got over it and they will stay in there lightweights until further notice.

They have been in there stables but only because they had eaten the haynets on the yard and i had put hay in the stables. I am pretty sure had there not been food in there they would have stayed out in the worst of the weather regardless.

Boot them and turn them out. Winter is hard enough on stabled horses without being held inside for longer than they need to be. Turnout is essential for health and happiness.
 
I have a section of my field that has been fence off, i popped them in there for a couple of hours as it isn't big enough to pick up a lot of speed and it has longer grass so they scrape at the snow and have something to eat. Yesterday they didn't go out at all, the part of the yard we have to walk down to get to the field was a sheet of ice and too dangerous to walk over. i find the longer they are in the more silly they are when they do eventually get out, so prefer to get them out daily if I can. x
 
My pony's been out every day and we had a lot of snow. He would be far more difficult to deal with if left in! Admittedly getting to the field the past two days has been more difficult due to the ice on the concrete. I used a lunge line and his control halter but once he realised it was slippy, he was very sensible and walked considerably more slowly and carefully than normal! Hopefully it will have thawed by the time we get home tonight :)
 
If it's really icy we keep them in but ride and/or lunge in the arena, which never freezes (rubber!). In the last really cold spell (2010/11) a friend of mine lost two horses which fell on the yard and fatally injured themselves (one smashed pelvis, one split diaphragm). If you can lead them in hand then surely you could ride them too?
 
My YO turns everything out (unless an owner has specified not to) regardless of the weather. She says if they go out everyday, its just part of the routine, if you start leaving in then turnout becomes exciting for them and they're more likely to hoon. She does bring in earlier though if the weather is rubbish.
 
Our small pony has been out every day in his little paddock as normal.

The other two (sensible connie and an ID) went into the all weather turnout area Friday-Tuesday) with a full hayrack of hay. Today they went out in their field again (as our snow thawed last night) and according to hubby were well behaved after an initial roll and bounce.

My TB mare though (now on retirement grass livery) was totally bananas when in work, and would have gone crackers in the field after a couple of days confined, so for her own safety she was given a unit of sedalin on the first day of turnout after a break.

She has twice previously cut the artery on the inside of her hock hooning about, so it was better for all concerned to make sure she didn't get too excited.

We were lucky that hubby was able to safely grit and clear the yard over the last few days, on occasion in the past this hasn't been possible and they have all had to stay in :(

Fiona
 
I turn them out no matter what it’s like every morning as usual if the yard is ice we put bedding down and deal with the mess after wards .
IME mine don’t muck about because they are never ever in all day.
I leave them about three hours and bring them in before they are bored .
I stop all their oats and the get nothing except well dampened bran a bit of linseed and salt .
I do of course feed the outside horse as normal .
I do keep feeding the outside
 
ours go out all day every day regardless of weather, with hay provided as appropriate so never go really loopy.

i will NEVER understand people who say they cant reach the field or arena-grit, salt or old bedding to make a clear track?

arena is rubber so never freezes so they get ridden as normal which helps with the not going loopy but if i couldnt ride i would move heaven and earth even more so,to get them out in the field!
 
It's icy pathways and gateways that sometimes restrict mine going out. I don't have enough bedding/salt to treat all the pathways! Neds are usually out 24/7 but brought in 2 x daily for a feed. Since our first snow on Friday, they've been in overnight and turned out for various periods during the day of between 3 to 8 hours. We worked very hard just keeping the yard area safe.

They're in again tonight as a rapid thaw has flooded everything and it will drop to freezing overnight, which will potentially make conditions the most lethal of the last few days.

My sand/rubber arena was under 5" of snow so no use to anyone.
 
Ours just get chucked out with a prayer though there's one who can get very strong being led so she tends to have a couple people leading her just to prevent any danger. If it's really bad though, we've turned them out in the arena before.
 
I've left them out, more than normal. The yard was an ice skating rink so they were either in for 3/4 days or out for 3/4 days and I chose out - leading in and out was the dangerous bit. Just me slipping and sliding with a wheelbarrow to take them tonnes of hay.
Out all the time they don't hoony about because they aren't having any chances.
 
I turn out regardless of the weather but I'm fortunate to have a paddock very close to the stables. As long as there's plenty of haylage they are fine but Mr B will stand at the gate and shout when he wants to come in and when he does that, I just get him in. The only problem I had was Mr B hadn't seen snow before and was initially terrified but he soon got over it.
 
Mine were already out when the snow hit and they stayed out in the ice - I didn't dare bring them into the yard which had patches of black ice all over it. Arena was lethal too. The advantage of being out already is they don't go loopy in the snow.

Missing my old yard with its little indoor arena though. Not missing much else, but definitely missing that.
 
We turn them out regardless, we are lucky the fields are close to the yard so just careful walking but it was me who slipped around not the horses, and had them schooled as normal - we have an indoor school, we don't put hay in the fields but there is plenty of grass under the snow for them to rummage through.
 
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Mine have been going out anyway. Maybe not for as long but each day they have had a good several hours. Today before work the yard was lethal though so they had their first day in.
 
Hallo2012 said:
ours go out all day every day regardless of weather, with hay provided as appropriate so never go really loopy.

i will NEVER understand people who say they cant reach the field or arena-grit, salt or old bedding to make a clear track?

arena is rubber so never freezes so they get ridden as normal which helps with the not going loopy but if i couldnt ride i would move heaven and earth even more so,to get them out in the field!
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I’ve been on yards where the YO will not let you salt or lay bedding so you can’t get across the ice.
 
This was us on Sunday, day 3 of the snow.

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The sloping crushed hardcore walkway from the stables to the field was icy and very tricky. There's another route to the other paddock, but that was worse. The main part of the field was fine but the gateway, field shelter entrance and water butts area were dodgy.

I'm all for keeping them out as much as possible but I prefer not to kill them (or me) in the process :).

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It's sleeting again tonight, dammit, but at least they're tucked up in their stables.
 
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