What should I do? (Stabling at night)

[The Trooper]

Morning people and happy Friday!

I'm really at a loss as to what I should do with regards to Bonnie (Shire mare). She is not a good doer and I started bringing her in at night around Christmas and giving her hay, haylage and a hard feed. As alot of you will have noticed it is extremely mild at the moment (day time 15', night time 5-8') and I am unsure whether to keep her in or leave her out at night with a heavier rug on.

I'm thinking the following...

Continue with 2x hard feeds per day, have her in an appropriate rug at night (likely a 200g WB with neck) and a thinner rug during the day.

Or leave her in at night? And if I do leave her in when do I actually put her out? This is my first winter with a stabled horse so I'm not too sure!

If the weather changes drastically I will start bringing her in but I'm thinking with it being so mild currently that I would benefit from the extra sleep etc as bad as that sounds...

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Ours must be dizzy just now. They are not clipped and were getting too warm overnight in the stables, last week, so as soon as the ground was dry, we left them out, for a few nights, then it turned windy and wet, so they came in again for a couple of nights. The temps are rising again, so they stayed out last night and it looks as if they will be out at least over the weekend. It's just a case of playing it by ear tbh.

 

[sport horse]

If it is any help I breed warmbloods and they normally come in from January to April as much as anything to protect the fields and actually get some summer grass! I noticed that a 3 year old was looking pretty poor last November, he is big and still growing, so I brought him in and rugged him, wormed him with a 5 day wormer then fed him as much as I could get him to eat. Hard feed - sugar beet, mix, flaked barley and alfa a. Then as much haylage as he wanted. He has since 5 day wormer, had a tapeworm wormer. He now looks OK - not fat but OK and he is a growing young horse so I do not want him fat on undeveloped joints etc. I have taken all his rugs off as he was sweating. If it gets cold again then I will re rug. He will go out as soon as the spring grass is established, hopefully fill out a bit more, then come in and do some work for a spell before another break lateri n the summer/autumn.

 

[sport horse]

Oh and I forgot to say we have included a broad spectrum feed balancer in his diet.

 

[Blurr]

If your decision to bring her in was due to weight and the need to provide more forage, your decision to keep her out should take that into account. Is there enough grass growth or can you put hay/haylage in the field?

 

[Hormonal Filly]

Have you tried adding micronised linseed to her diet? I swear by it, mine have a lovely shiny coat and hold weight so much better on it. The vet also recommended it as it has good levels of omega 3.

My coloured cob isn't a great doer for a cob, same as my welsh D. They get alfa A, micronised linseed and equilibria balancer with ad-lib haylage at night (on grass during the day with haylage in field) and do great on it. First year i've not had to add calm and condition.

I'd personally keep her in at night, then again, mine enjoy being in over night but it depends on the horse. You can manage what she eats and feed her ad-lib haylage, unless you can do that in the field? What does she prefer?

 

[Antw23uk]

My option would always be with more turn out. A shire not holding weight would concern me!

 

[The Trooper]

If your decision to bring her in was due to weight and the need to provide more forage, your decision to keep her out should take that into account. Is there enough grass growth or can you put hay/haylage in the field?

I meant to say there is adlib hay out at the moment. She already gets micronised linseed, almost a round scoop twice a day. She is looking alot better than she was 2 months ago, but i must remember as well that she is still growing.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

My option would always be with more turn out. A shire not holding weight would concern me!

Actually the big draft horses don't always hold weight well, they were not really bred to live out. However my Shire was a very poor doer and we lost her prematurely, to what I now believe to be Cushings. I would probably ask for a Cushings test for a very poor doer, regardless of age. It can be tricky getting their feed right though, it has to be trial and error.

 

[The Trooper]

Actually the big draft horses don't always hold weight well, they were not really bred to live out. However my Shire was a very poor doer and we lost her prematurely, to what I now believe to be Cushings. I would probably ask for a Cushings test for a very poor doer, regardless of age. It can be tricky getting their feed right though, it has to be trial and error.

The vet is coming out a week on Tuesday to give her, my other mare and my dads gelding their second flu shot so i may ask for a cushions test then, do you have any idea about the approximate cost of this?

I believe last summer she had a near miss with laminitis which i know is a symptom of cushions.

 

[SEL]

Actually the big draft horses don't always hold weight well, they were not really bred to live out. However my Shire was a very poor doer and we lost her prematurely, to what I now believe to be Cushings. I would probably ask for a Cushings test for a very poor doer, regardless of age. It can be tricky getting their feed right though, it has to be trial and error.

I was caught out first two winters with the Ardennes. In fact winter #1 he looked like a rescue case and I thought there was something seriously wrong. He just needs a lot more food.

OP - I turned my two out overnight last weekend and if it stays dry they can stay out. The Appy needs to drop, but the Ardennes is getting bigger bucket feeds and his private stash of haylage when she's in doing her exercises.

 

[The Trooper]

I was caught out first two winters with the Ardennes. In fact winter #1 he looked like a rescue case and I thought there was something seriously wrong. He just needs a lot more food.

OP - I turned my two out overnight last weekend and if it stays dry they can stay out. The Appy needs to drop, but the Ardennes is getting bigger bucket feeds and his private stash of haylage when she's in doing her exercises.

Bonnie gets alot of food each day. In total she gets as follows per day...

1 round scoop of dry calm and condition, soaked and split over morning and PM feed
2x Round scoops of Alpha A + Oil chaff, 1 scoop morning and 1 night.
1.5 x round scoop of micronised linseed split over morning and night.
Min/vit supplement
Turmeric.

 

[tda]

I would always say live out if conditions are ok. Especially if she's still growing.
Wouldn't rug either in this weather, all our dales are out in winter woolies and sweating
I seem to remember a local shire breeder fed a lot of straw too, just to keep the fibre intake up

 

[The Trooper]

I would always say live out if conditions are ok. Especially if she's still growing.
Wouldn't rug either in this weather, all our dales are out in winter woolies and sweating
I seem to remember a local shire breeder fed a lot of straw too, just to keep the fibre intake up

I can't not rug her, she wouldn't manage unrugged. I'm not even convinced how she will fair not coming in so will just need to see how she seems. I don't want her getting depressed and all down again like she did at the end of last year.

 

[poiuytrewq]

The vet is coming out a week on Tuesday to give her, my other mare and my dads gelding their second flu shot so i may ask for a cushions test then, do you have any idea about the approximate cost of this?

I believe last summer she had a near miss with laminitis which i know is a symptom of cushions.

Believe you can still download a voucher code for free testing, google it. I’m not quite sure where from but I did it last summer, it was easy to find/do.
It’s free lab fee’s so you just pay the vet to take the bloods

 

[The Trooper]

Believe you can still download a voucher code for free testing, google it. I’m not quite sure where from but I did it last summer, it was easy to find/do.
It’s free lab fee’s so you just pay the vet to take the bloods

Ah yes, I wanted to get both my mares done and ordered vouchers at the start of the month but nothing came through and it slipped my mind, i'll need to drop them an email. I have the vet coming out anyway a week on Tuesday so i won't incur a callout or anything for the bloods to be collected I wouldn't think.

 

[poiuytrewq]

I think I just got a code immediately as I remember which I gave to my vet and she just noted it onto the vial before sending the blood off.