When do they go out

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SIGH. My first time ever on a livery yard, but my oh my its been a long winter. When do the bloody things go to the fields? Been told my livery is up another £5 a week from 1st may too, but im hoping they will be out by then!!?
 
Mine stays out all winter, but is in at night.
Then in summer (usually April/may onwards) is out 24/7.

Always surprises me that other people cope with their horses not going out!? Not sure there's enough time in the day for me to exercise twice a day and muck out twice a day. My muscles ache just thinking about it!
 
Every yard is different, and so is every winter. I use the fields whenever possible, so all summer and during the driest times of the winter. This winter they have been out most days. The rest of the time they go out in the sand or arena. They will start to go out 24/7 as soon as the weather permits. Last year they were out 24/7 until November.
 
we are just having to wait for another dry spell as there is still some standing water on some of the rested fields, a few need rolling, but the end is in sight, last year we turned around (T/O at night) really early because April was just gorgeous and march was dry, think we turned round about 10th April, it won't be that early this year but we should be out by end of April.
 
They have turnout paddocks but they are dry lots, not grass so the money spent on haylage is maddening. I could buy a bale for cheaper than i pay for a few nets - but thats not allowed.
 
We are out now, fields are still wet with standing water in places but YO leaves it up to the field group to make call. It's cool for me with a fatty as the field will remain trashed for a while yet limiting the grass growth. Horse seems happy enough and very very tired, been out just this week and they have a bit of spring daftness thrown in so for her it's exhausting (was on box rest for 10 weeks over winter). I would probably have kept her in another week in a normal year but as she had such an awful time of winter she deserves a bit of free horse time.

We are 3 horses in 3-4 acres, no change between summer and winter paddock.
 
I only rode my horse once before he was brought in, but he hacked very calm like and was lovely. Stable manners were shocking but he was only new to the yard. Now his hacking is a bit spooky and stressy and if ridden out of his routine he is a douche. My instructor can only come at 6pm so thats way past his routine time and he was quite stressed.
 
God only knows!!! It was middle of May last year which infuriated me as we had a super March and a good April. And we had to have the obligatory 3 weeks in (with no turnout whatsoever) whilst the fields were sprayed. Anyone know of any normal yards near Ramsbottom, lancashire????
 
I think it would be a good idea if some of the people moaning about YO not allowing turnout went on a land management course! It isnt as easy to manage grassland as it looks, of course fields have to be sprayed, maybe seeded, fertilised - of course weather, water table etc plays a part- but a lot of owners only seem to think about turnout from their own position.
 
stormox said:
I think it would be a good idea if some of the people moaning about YO not allowing turnout went on a land management course! It isnt as easy to manage grassland as it looks, of course fields have to be sprayed, maybe seeded, fertilised - of course weather, water table etc plays a part- but a lot of owners only seem to think about turnout from their own position.
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I have a fdsc in it, so i DO understand, and i know the grass hasnt really shot up lots yet, but its still frustrating mainly because in my ideal world horses have turnout year round. There is a yard im considering moving to that does, but it doesnt open until may/june so moot point lol
 
stormox said:
I think it would be a good idea if some of the people moaning about YO not allowing turnout went on a land management course! It isnt as easy to manage grassland as it looks, of course fields have to be sprayed, maybe seeded, fertilised - of course weather, water table etc plays a part- but a lot of owners only seem to think about turnout from their own position.
Click to expand...

I do fully understand land management, I think there's alot of YO who could do with studying it too. Perhaps then they wouldn't fill yards with more horses than the land can take.
Or at least they could think about putting in alternative measures to ensure horses get to have some freedom everyday, it's just as much a welfare issue as land management.
 
Mine has been out since March 11th. Came in for 24hrs after it snowed early this week! But back on 24/7. I guess it depends on the land and how quickly it dries and how well it stays dry. I hear you though, my horse is a witch when being brought in, combined with spring grass; she'd be bouncing!
 
Nothing gets sprayed, seeded or fertilised where I am, most want less grass so Yo works to that, we are also not overstocked which helps so owners need to think that one through as well as liveries thinking it from both sides!

Edit, we have had fields sprayed once in my time at the yard but always one at a time and alternative grazing offered, nothing gets kt in for days at a time.
 
does anyone else think an increase of £5 per week is a big jump? especially as it sounds like its not an ideal yard. mine is out all day in the winter and 24/7 in the summer. our yard owner never tells us to keep them in apart from when the fields are fertilised and even then she allows us to use a small field while ours is being done. we look after the grazing by religiously poo picking every day and if the ground is very wet we limit the grazing ourselves to limit the damage...I think I am very lucky....
 
Mine are out in day from November-March and then 24/7 rest of the year.

We changed to 24/7 13 days ago. We had a paddock rested from November until now with tonnes of grass.

My girl got colic, most likely from the massive change in pasture. Beware!
 
Ours are at home, hoping to start turfing them out overnight in May - we're still fencing the summer field at the moment so getting them off the winter grazing depends on that!
 
splashgirl45 said:
does anyone else think an increase of £5 per week is a big jump? especially as it sounds like its not an ideal yard. mine is out all day in the winter and 24/7 in the summer. our yard owner never tells us to keep them in apart from when the fields are fertilised and even then she allows us to use a small field while ours is being done. we look after the grazing by religiously poo picking every day and if the ground is very wet we limit the grazing ourselves to limit the damage...I think I am very lucky....
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It is sort of, but then it was quite cheap to start with considering the prices of other yards similar in the area.
 
my two have had about twelve days over the winter where they had no turnout so I've been luckier than most but I rent my place so can choose where and when to turn out, it will be about another month before I can consider 24/7 turnout

I do have two very very trashed paddocks because I am trying to save the rest, they are entirely mud

...but if I look from a distance and squint it looks like I have two rubber surfaced maneges so its not all bad :p
 
If all yards kept to the ideal number of horses for their acreage to ensure all year turnout with enough paddocks to offer alternatives when fields being reseeded/fertilised etc then your livery prices would be significantly higher and many smaller yards wouldn't exist as they would simply be subsidising the cost of your horses keep for you.
You do of course have the option of not putting your horse at yards that do not have ample grazing that is well drained, perfectly fenced and perfectly suited to your particular needs but I suspect that there are not many 'perfect' alternatives available
within a reasonable distance and budget..
Trying to provide people with daily turnout in winter and good grazing in summer with cost of fencing/fertilising/harrowing/rolling/spraying/reseeding and with no loss of daily turnout is nigh on impossible for smaller yards and for those of us doing our best it is depressing to hear how little our efforts are appreciated. I was once a livery, and I remember being similarly oblivious to the effort it takes to maintain a yard/land, as a YO I now realise why lots of us are so jaded and grumpy! People think that the paltry sum they pay entitles them to expect miracles only likely to be deliverable by the use of a magic wand!
 
stormox said:
I think it would be a good idea if some of the people moaning about YO not allowing turnout went on a land management course! It isnt as easy to manage grassland as it looks, of course fields have to be sprayed, maybe seeded, fertilised - of course weather, water table etc plays a part- but a lot of owners only seem to think about turnout from their own position.
Click to expand...

My YO finds grass management very easy...she doesn't seem to bother much other than harrowing.
The fields would really benefit from some spraying and reseeding...but instead they are left, and we are left waiting and waiting to move to the summer fields.
 
stormox said:
I think it would be a good idea if some of the people moaning about YO not allowing turnout went on a land management course! It isnt as easy to manage grassland as it looks, of course fields have to be sprayed, maybe seeded, fertilised - of course weather, water table etc plays a part- but a lot of owners only seem to think about turnout from their own position.
Click to expand...

I keep on a yard where we can turn out eyery day all day in winter and 24hrs per day in summer, I have a field to myself and manage it myself (I also work with horses and do all the field maintainance), I have grass and no muddy gateway in my field of just over an acre-it is very unusual for me not to have grass and I generally get a muddy area half way up the field where I put my fence line and gateway for most of the year to preserve the main gateway as it sits in a very low patch. my field looks good and it is unlikely to get harrowed and rolled most years, it is only poo picked in the summer when my mare is very restricted due to weight gain risk.
It is just rotating the fence line, moving the gateway and strip grazing that maintains it. It is a wet field and does have a fair bit of moss in it but as long as it is not a sea of mud I am happy.
Edited to add our fields were sprayed last year for the first time-they have been grazing fields for ever and there was a lot of ragwort, they have never been fertilized-I would do my best to never graze on fertilized land, they have also never been seeded they have always been used for grazing livestock since farm records began which is over 140yrs.
When the fields were sprayed last year they did halve a field at a time as there is not 'spare' grazing, for those of us that bothered it did mean we had to pull up the tops of dead ragwort by hand as we slowly opened up the fields but it was a smaller job than pulling live ragwort by hand and has vastly reduced the ragwort plants.
 
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Lulup said:
If all yards kept to the ideal number of horses for their acreage to ensure all year turnout with enough paddocks to offer alternatives when fields being reseeded/fertilised etc then your livery prices would be significantly higher and many smaller yards wouldn't exist as they would simply be subsidising the cost of your horses keep for you.
You do of course have the option of not putting your horse at yards that do not have ample grazing that is well drained, perfectly fenced and perfectly suited to your particular needs but I suspect that there are not many 'perfect' alternatives available
within a reasonable distance and budget..
Trying to provide people with daily turnout in winter and good grazing in summer with cost of fencing/fertilising/harrowing/rolling/spraying/reseeding and with no loss of daily turnout is nigh on impossible for smaller yards and for those of us doing our best it is depressing to hear how little our efforts are appreciated. I was once a livery, and I remember being similarly oblivious to the effort it takes to maintain a yard/land, as a YO I now realise why lots of us are so jaded and grumpy! People think that the paltry sum they pay entitles them to expect miracles only likely to be deliverable by the use of a magic wand!
Click to expand...
Frankly I find your final sentence insulting. Following your 'on yer bike' suggestion that liveries can go elsewhere yes of course they can. I guess that also applies to moaning YOs who don't like what they are doing.
 
Nativelover said:
I do fully understand land management, I think there's alot of YO who could do with studying it too. Perhaps then they wouldn't fill yards with more horses than the land can take.
Or at least they could think about putting in alternative measures to ensure horses get to have some freedom everyday, it's just as much a welfare issue as land management.
Click to expand...

People choosing yard need to get real if there's less than and acre ( and that's the complete minimum ) per horse on the yard you will struggle with grazing .
It's should pretty obvious to any one looking if the yard will struggle to provide grazing .
Many yards need as far as I can see need to half the number of horses and double what they charge .
 
Arzada said:
Frankly I find your final sentence insulting. Following your 'on yer bike' suggestion that liveries can go elsewhere yes of course they can. I guess that also applies to moaning YOs who don't like what they are doing.
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Your response illustrates my point perfectly - many of us, including me, will stop offering a livery service because it is a hard way to earn a very meagre living and despite the effort put into trying to keep everyone happy it is seldom possible to do so. People are quick to moan and slow to show any appreciation or even understanding despite the fact that is their horses who benefit from the best management of the land and facilities.
 
I think some yard owners are far too precious about the state of the fields, most horses in the uk are too fat, so having fields that take a while to recover at this time of year is ideal for many yet YOs insist they should look pristine, no one I know wants perfect green fields, they just want their horses out and if the grass takes a while to come back then all to the good, IMO.

Also can't abide the "horse owners are not grateful" comments, come on you are offering a service, we don't have to be grateful for the privilege of paying for the service, we just want the service we pay for and happy horses! My YO earns a fair amount, no YM and 36 horses, he barely visits the place and we all get on with it, it can be done.
 
PollyP99 said:
I think some yard owners are far too precious about the state of the fields, most horses in the uk are too fat, so having fields that take a while to recover at this time of year is ideal for many yet YOs insist they should look pristine, no one I know wants perfect green fields, they just want their horses out and if the grass takes a while to come back then all to the good, IMO.

Also can't abide the "horse owners are not grateful" comments, come on you are offering a service, we don't have to be grateful for the privilege of paying for the service, we just want the service we pay for and happy horses! My YO earns a fair amount, no YM and 36 horses, he barely visits the place and we all get on with it, it can be done.
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This. I don't want perfect fields, fertilizing and allowing a suitable field to "recover" (into something unsuitable), I want poor grazing and I want it year round. Our yard turns out 24/7 in May and summer is 5mths which makes winter with stabling at night feel very long.
 
Lulup said:
Your response illustrates my point perfectly - many of us, including me, will stop offering a livery service because it is a hard way to earn a very meagre living and despite the effort put into trying to keep everyone happy it is seldom possible to do so. People are quick to moan and slow to show any appreciation or even understanding despite the fact that is their horses who benefit from the best management of the land and facilities.
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I think the point was that not all yard owners provide a good service or practice good land management. Mine does and we have 3 horses on 5 acres and I am very grateful but we are surrounded by years that aren't in such a good state
 
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