Who turns their adult horses away for the winter?

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tangosmum

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Just chatting with some friends at the yard, and some of them saying that next year they will turn their horses away for 3 months over the winter, rather than struggle in the snow. Most are saying for the 3 months of DEC, JAN and FEB.

Just wondering if anyones horses have the winter off? How long? and why?
 
Me. My mare lives out anyway, but she is currently on her winter holidays. She has time off from mid Nov, til mid Feb. I do this for a number of reasons;
1 - cuts some of the cost of the farrier, so I can save for a few more summer competitions.
2- cuts the cost of winter competitions almost totally (see 1)
3- saves the worry of HAVING to keep her fit during the foulest (sp/language??) weather.
4 - limited time due to decrease in daylight, and having a young family with no 'sitter'.
5 - family commitments over christmas and new year, OH isn't horsey and I owe it to him to be with him over this time rather than with horsey 4-5 hours a day!
6 - I have a better excuse to go out for long days in the summer if I haven't gone out in the winter. (see 5)

Thats my main reasons why, this winter Iam also moving house, so another reason, but thats not the norm!
 
Never before this winter! But due to the snow, ice, fog etc we've had, its all been a bit stop, go. If our winters are going to get colder , as is suggested, I would seriously consider it.:)
 
I have just brought my horse back into work, he has been off for nearly 3 months. The main reason for this is my job and as my livery yard has no lights on its school. I do not think that it is worth battle to ride once once on a weekend and beating myself up if I was too tired or the weather was too bad. I took his back shoes off and just didn't ride him. T is in no way disturbed by this and now I have resumed work as I am now working nights so can ride every day in the light he is very happy. It saved me a fortune in extra feed, lessons and shoes.
 
I don't reckon to ride much in December. There was a dressage competition in the first week and I had booked the farrier to come a couple of days later and remove his shoes. In the end the show was cancelled due to the snow, but he would have had the time off anyway. The days are so short and everyone seems to be racing round in the run up to Christmas. In a way it is nice to have a break.

Then I generally wait until after New Year and think about riding again in mid January. One year I started right after Christmas, but ended up with a fit horse and no where to go as the spring weather was so bad everything was cancelled, so I don't get so enthusiastic now.

In times gone by everyone took the shoes off in the winter and turned the horses out to do nothing, unless they were hunting. With indoor schools and indoor competition venues people try to keep riding all year round.
 
My dressage horse has been turned away since sept and probably will be untill mid feb.

My other horse had two weeks off due to bad weather (not out of choice), she would have had the time off, but she is up for sale, so I felt it better to keep her in work.

The big lad is roughly 15, probably thinks he's been retired!
 
Never before as I have always had facilities due to mine being in livery. But since last summer they have been at home with no facilities. So off since the middle of December when the snow came and just bringing back to work (lunged gently in the field yesterday!). They have been out every day though even in the snow. The dilemma I am facing is whether it's worth bringing them back into work now in case we have another dump of snow in a couple of week's time.
 
I have just done a bit here and there on weekends as has my yard-mate. We struggled in the snow and ice and we have just accepted that we can't ride as much as we would like and our horses are unfit anyway now! We don't have a school so nowhere to ride on a night, and the weather has been poo. The horses have had full-day turnout all of the winter so they haven't really suffered.
When I was at a livery yard with my current horse I struggled with him as there was no turnout, and riding a frisky, spooky, het-up horse every night in the dark, alone at the yard and after a busy day at work was no fun anyway!!!!!

Roll on spring, 24 hour turnout and light nights!!!
 
I would never turn mine away - I have him to ride, and would miss it dreadfully. I hacked all through the snowy weather, and have a floodlit school so school at least a couple of evenings after work. I find it relaxes me after a busy day, and don't mind the weather, apart from horizontal rain, falling snow, and hail. And as I finish work at 4pm, I can already squeeze an off-road hack in before it gets pitch black. :)
 
Yep, much easier! Mind you mine live out 24/7.

I rode lightly last winter but this winter he has over 2months off and is just back in work.

Once the decision's made it's such a relief not HAVING to ride your horse and you can enjoy the snow. I loved it:D No mud. If you've decided not to ride all you have to do it hay and water.

I have to say I didn't miss riding: it was nice just spending time with the horses and the horse enjoys time off to unwind, relax and get muddy and fat after a hard summer common riding.
 
Mine wasn't really turned away out of choice, just the school froze, and then the roads were all icy. I didn't struggle, just left her off work for around 6 weeks. She's come back into light work now in a different frame of mind, not stale at all. I think I may give her a break every winter, although I did miss riding her, it's hard having two in (turnout every day though) and handling school as well.
 
Yes, for the first time ever this year i`ve given the neds time off. They wern`t 'turned away' tho as they still come in at night.

Mine live at home and I have no facilities. With all the ice & snow it was unsafe to ride for about 3 weeks and then we had xmas/new year. Only just started back with one this week and the other, who was only broken last summer will come back in early March.
 
Yes, we do too.

We generally keep them going to finish winter dressage off in mid December then give them until roughly mid-end January off, just started last week on walking out.

This year I didn't ride my boy for 6 weeks what with the snow, the dark and being ill. My mum managed to hack out hers twice a week.

People are right, once you have made the decision that its not the end of the world, its a relief to have a little break!!

Ours live out 24/7 and I don't think they minded missing a few parties! My boy was a saint when I got back on and he's only 5!
 
I struggled so much last winter and got so disheartened by the snow/ice that this winter, I decided to give him a holiday once the snow started. He had about 6 weeks off, maybe a bit more and I brought him back into work after the New Year once the snow and ice had gone. He definitely appreciated it and has come back into work a different horse. He'll be getting another 1-2 months off again next winter :)
 
This post has cheered me up as Ive been wrestling with my conscience this winter trying to justify the expense of a horse who hasnt been ridden since the end of Nov. I now realise a lot of us are in the same boat and I dont feel so bad. Che isnt turned away, out all day and in overnight, my choice because oddly enough I thoroughly enjoy fussing over him and dont mind the extra work. The yard has no facilities and the roads are so dangerous near us with black ice, low sun, snow, fog and all the other delights of winter, that riding is impossible except at weekends and even then not always safe to venture out. I decided at Xmas, having not ridden since the end of November, not to even try until the end of Feb and once Id made that decision felt much better and less stressed about things. Ive been trying him without shoes whilst hes off work and so far, so good. He is generally very chilled and seems happy, held condition well (hes a TB) and is looking well. Depending on how easily he comes back to hacking out I would like to do the same next winter.
 
Never before but after this winter and my feelings of total and utter misery at the thought of riding etc...I've decided next year I will admit defeat and give one of them 3 months off. Most likely it will be BC because he will still only be 5 and I won't want to hunt him too much so LC will stay in work and have a well earnt rest in Feb and March. That said if the weather is half what it has been I won't be doing much hunting next year either. :(
 
I tend to turn away every winter for 6-8 weeks.

shoes off, out as much as possible, drop hard feed.

I like to take their shoes off to grow the nail holes out and mine tend to work quite hard in the summer so I like to give them a break.

also i lose motivation for riding 6 days a week when the weather is dire and mine can get a bit silly if exercised less so its all or nothing at all.
 
yes - not by choice = but because weather up here makes it impossible to ride most winters - but i still ride at weekends when i can - just hour or so walking hacks - she tends to go a bit stir crazy if left in the field for too long - she loves her walking hacks if only for a change of scenery :)

ETA - she lives out 24/7 365 anyway - shoes come off because of snow anyway - she gest ad lib hay and only hard feed if she's not maintianing a good weight
 
My boys are out 24/7 365 days a year, i don't give them a scheduled holiday as such, although one of them is virtually retired anyway. If the weather allows it i will ride, if its grotty, frozen, snowy etc., and i cannot ride then so be it.
 
ORANGEHORSE said:
I don't reckon to ride much in December. There was a dressage competition in the first week and I had booked the farrier to come a couple of days later and remove his shoes. In the end the show was cancelled due to the snow, but he would have had the time off anyway. The days are so short and everyone seems to be racing round in the run up to Christmas. In a way it is nice to have a break.

Then I generally wait until after New Year and think about riding again in mid January. One year I started right after Christmas, but ended up with a fit horse and no where to go as the spring weather was so bad everything was cancelled, so I don't get so enthusiastic now.

In times gone by everyone took the shoes off in the winter and turned the horses out to do nothing, unless they were hunting. With indoor schools and indoor competition venues people try to keep riding all year round.
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I don't think 'everyone' did this? Certainly no one I knew years ago? We rode rain or shine summer or winter.
 
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