Winter routine field kept horse

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Princess16

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So winter is looming and just as we are in a nice easy routine with our ponies the cold, dark, wet miserable days and nights will soon be here!

I am always looking for new ideas for quick easy routine so wondered what is your daily routine in the winter for those of you with field kept horses out 24/7. Any time saving tips anyone can share?
 
No time saving tips as such but i used to ride first thing, then feed, hay strewn around ( when needed) check water and poo picked...evening check horses and give more hay ( when icy/snowy).
 
depends on your grazing we continue strip grazing until no longer possible means we know where to poo pick. hay in boxes covered by small hole nets its needed as takes them longer to eat, dry, still days we spread it far and wide round the field. Poo picking done very regularly daily tor twice daily as its a nighmare if missed. Feeds are fibre sugar and molasses free and can be made up in advance or at home so you can just dump them in the field when you arrive. If ridden they are usually done in the morning or by lights on the fence posts if the child is coming in from school and its dark. Rugs are good quality and are not changed unless they are off for riding when clean ones are use to replaced any that are really grotty
 
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Luckily we're well set up for wintering out & dont poo pick in winter due to a massive winter field & this saves masses of time. Also no carting water about as got trough in field & a trough,that never freezes over,in a barn. We ad lib with the hay but its in nets which are a little time consuming to fill,I generally do morning & friend does night. I always get them sorted with hay 1st as they start to wander down & hang about, but at least if they come down to the barn it prevents me having to trek up the field! If I'm riding I ride when I've hayed them,then while mines eating I faff about tidying the barn,he's a very slow eater,& if it's cold & they've been down in the barn all night it's quite messy. Most days I combine walking dogs with fence checking & checking the trough in the field. I pig oil legs to prevent mud fever & keep legs cleaner & cut his tail quite short so it's not caked in mud. I don't fully clip so although well rugged he's not got to be rugged to the eyeballs & I use Rambos with liners which make rugging quick & easy. I check weather temp before I get to yard so I can adjust rugging accordingly. Someone else does them at night & feeds mine again for me as he needs 2 feeds a day. Once it's cold I bulk soak speedibeet. It's about as time consuming as having them in at night I think but they're much happier & I'm not quite so tied at having to get there at a certain time in the morning.
 
whizzer said:
Luckily we're well set up for wintering out & dont poo pick in winter due to a massive winter field & this saves masses of time. Also no carting water about as got trough in field & a trough,that never freezes over,in a barn. We ad lib with the hay but its in nets which are a little time consuming to fill,I generally do morning & friend does night. I always get them sorted with hay 1st as they start to wander down & hang about, but at least if they come down to the barn it prevents me having to trek up the field! If I'm riding I ride when I've hayed them,then while mines eating I faff about tidying the barn,he's a very slow eater,& if it's cold & they've been down in the barn all night it's quite messy. Most days I combine walking dogs with fence checking & checking the trough in the field. I pig oil legs to prevent mud fever & keep legs cleaner & cut his tail quite short so it's not caked in mud. I don't fully clip so although well rugged he's not got to be rugged to the eyeballs & I use Rambos with liners which make rugging quick & easy. I check weather temp before I get to yard so I can adjust rugging accordingly. Someone else does them at night & feeds mine again for me as he needs 2 feeds a day. Once it's cold I bulk soak speedibeet. It's about as time consuming as having them in at night I think but they're much happier & I'm not quite so tied at having to get there at a certain time in the morning.
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Sounds like a similar set up to mine. Certainly helps if you have another person to share the load. Only difference is I put hay on field not in nets. Wish there was one rug fits all !!
 
Feed, top up water (heated trough), top up hay, check blankets, go back indoors to the fire.

Sometimes I have to dig a path to the field :)

My routine is that I have no set routine, they get fed when I have had my coffee.

I don't poo pick,
a) because I can't find the stuff, and
b) even if I did it is welded to the ground
c) I harrow, scrape in Spring

My tips.
Prepare yourself, get your gateways sorted out before they become a bog, lag your pipes, insulate your troughs, lay in grit etc before you need it.
Hairdryers are excellent for defreezing pipes and taps.
Do things in bulk when you have time - nets, bag up dry feeds etc.
Never make two trips when one will do.
The chores will still be there the next day, don't be so busy looking after your horse that you forget to actually enjoy them too.
 
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My guys now go into a 30acre field for the worst months where I don't need to feed them or water them as there is enough grass and other roughage available and 3 streams, so my routine is to check them to or from work, farmer checks them twice a day anyway, and when weather and time permits I spend more time with them.

But before they go there, their small field is gradually opened up from the track to the whole field to reduce wear on the ground. I have one haynet that takes nearly a bale that hangs from a tree, easy to fill and lasts a couple of days, and 2 hay feeders I found in the scrap yard that are like wire baskets, anchored upright to 2 posts each, and sited along the fence line so I can fill the wheelbarrow and walk along outside the field to fill them to save trawling through mud. They will take about 1.5 bales between them, so I suspect when the mud gets worse I will just use them each day and not bother with the net. I can check the ponies away from the hay then where the ground is better - I have an area fenced off that remains decent for grooming and feet checking etc.
One has his tail cut when it starts getting muddy as it drags his bum down all winter otherwise, they get pig oiled or udder greased depending on which one I'm doing and the mud level.
I don't poopick once the mud starts as small field is too muddy and rutted and is then rested for a few months anyway (and they have very distinct toilet areas so I sacrifice those areas which keeps the rest clean naturally). Big field doesn't need poopicking as it is rested the rest of the year, too big, and sheep sort it out anyway.
 
I would say big field, stream, sheep and don't poo pick as thats what we do but not much use if its not an option!
Buy a head torch. Get them on a simple no soak feed -I just use one item like Alfa A to mix their minerals in. Feed hay on the ground if you have space. Fence off an area around the gate then hard feed goes over the fence and put hay down while theyre eating. Keep rubber buckets in the field and take their feed in a single bucket to be shared out...only works if they all get the same though!
 
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