Who actually bothers?

[floradora09]

Who actually bothers to check their field's fencing and for posionous plants? I always thought it was one of those things that all the books etc said to do but nobody ever bothered to do it. Then when Ragwort was being found in some of the fields at my yard I am making regular checks. Often for me it seems something has to happen before I do everything "properly" if you like, ie, the one time I didn't pick out my horse's hooves before turning him out was the time they were full of stones and he got a bruised sole.

(note I religiously pick out his feet before and after riding now!)

Do all of you do these little things all the Pony Club manuals and horse care books say, or not?

 

[RachelB]

Not ALL of them (I am not a follower of the BHS way, as such!) but fencing and ragwort (etc) is checked every time I poo pick my field. The yard I am moving (back) into is VERY strict on ragwort being pulled up, and quite rightly - the YO has been there almost 20 years and the damned stuff is still coming back even when pulled out every single year!
Hooves are another thing I do religiously... but then my horse is prone to thrush, so I have to remember or I end up with a lame horse.

 

[Chico Mio]

We pick hooves when our two come out of the stable in the morning and when we turn them out I walk the perimeter checking for plants touching the electric fence and weeds etc.

 

[Ziggy_]

I do, actually. I check fencing every day, I go over every inch of the field for ragwort, I check my horses' legs before and after every time I ride.

I don't go the whole way - I'm not in a habit of taking her pulse or temperature although I probably should!

TBH I'd say fencing and ragwort are two of the most important things you should check! I live in constant paranoia over ragwort - one yard I was on the YO didn't believe horses would eat it, so refused to insist it was pulled up. I used to do it on my own; but I'm sure it grew faster than I could pull it and I'm sure my poor horse must have eaten some (there was no grass either and the hay often ran out two or three days before more was delivered!) I think thats' going to hang over me forever and TBH I'm shocked that anyone 'doesn't really bother' when it comes to ragwort.

 

[ForeverBroke_]

I have to admit that I dont personally check the fencing every day - But I do every time I poo pick.

As there are 5 horses in our field, the different owners take it in turns to poo-pick and manage the fields. This is done every day , or every other day and so its always checked still

 

[gails]

I do check, but I am more intersted in any injuries any of them get. So religiously check for cut and grazes twice a day.

Am going ragwort killinhg tomorrow, anyone want to come

!!!!!

 

[pottamus]

I do not check the fence line as it is a good thick hedge so does not really change but I always look for poisonous plants in the hedge as I know that ivy grows in it and my horse will eat it. I fence off the oak trees in advance each year and always look for ragwort.
He lives out 24/7 so his feet are picked out prior to riding.

 

[brighthair]

I wander round the fields to check fencing, water troughs etc

 

[welshied]

i always check fencing every day, and check for poisonous weeds weekly

 

[yethersgill]

We have to check fencing every day as one of our yearlings is a real escapologist the little bugger

Also check for poisonous plants as doing it.
Have to admit to not picking out the breeding herd hooves every day though

usually do them every 3 or 4 days. Ridden ponies done every day

 

[Moggy in Manolos]

I do check for nasty plants, water buckets and religiously do my girls feet each day too as she is very prone to thrush and her feet are a delicate balance so need more attention than most.
I don't go round the field per say each time but i do keep an eye on it, but YO does this everyday anyway

 

[Pedantic]

His lordship is inisolation for 3 weeks after his his holiday last week, so I have a field to myself, I pick his feet out twice a day, fly cream him twice a day, check the fence and water trough and check electric fence genny etc, when he is in the field with all his mates I check fencing now and again, YO reckons he checks twice a week, I check and clean water trough as required as others are supposed to check as well, ragwort now at long last has been sorted by YO who has allocated an area to each of us to do and txt him when we have done it, anyone not doing their bit will be charged £50.00, good idea methinks, sorts the lazy fokkers out instead of the rest of us doing their share every year

 

[hadfos]

No not everything the book says

,i went to college and did the stages(not all of them

)...now how many of you that run a yard can practically do everything by the book?Things can be done safely without doing it all the BHS way

However fencing is checked daily and paddocks are checked very regularly for poisonous plants

Feet are picked out regularly,but that didnt come from any book

 

[Ravenwood]

My kids pony died an horrific death of poisoning (dropwort water hemlock) so I am paranoid about checking for poisonous plants - however luckily for me we never seem to get ragwort, but as I usually walk the dogs round the field each morning while I am down at the yard, I tend to walk the fence line anyway.

I generally pick out the hooves as they have to walk over scalpings to get to the yard anyway - other than that I give them a scratch, have a quick look at their legs or for anything obvious and thats it really.

I don't poo pick either, never have, they do all their poos in one place in each field

 

[yeeharider]

I agree there are things you dont need a book for like picking feet out checking water/fencing etc its whats known as HORSEMANSHIP

 

[GinaB]

Yes, the entire field is checked. We poo pick once a week but checks for plants are done more often.

 

[Donkeymad]

Either me or OH - whoever does the poo picking - checks hedges and field for unwanted plants/items every day

 

[Damnation]

My field isn't very big so when I catch my mare in I can usually just have a quick look to check fencing is intact. Water is by the gate so easy enough to check, and when I turn her out and bring her in I do a quick sweep of the field for ragwort, just with my eyes. Infact. I found one of the little beggars today, grown out of NOWHERE in the middle of the field, the only one

Suffice to say it was dutifully removed!

 

[Enfys]

Sorry to hear that Ravenwood.

I buzz round the fences on the quad everyday as if my lot escape they have got at least 3000 acres of corn around us then the rest of Ontario after that!

As for poisonous plants, I don't get ragwort although I fight an ongoing battle with nightshade and there is hemlock by the creeks. When I first came here I actually walked around armed with a camera and a plant book because so many plants were totally new to me...did you know that there are several species of maple tree, and some are poisonous? No, neither did I, I of course, have several stands of the poisonous variety!