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Judith S
Platinum Member
 Wales
15686 Posts |
 Posted - 31 Oct 2008 : 7:47:42 PM
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Our two mares & foals - Charlie & Ruby - came into our new stables in the barn the last two nights (foul weather here - so wet, wild & windy) - but when we went to bring them in this evening - the two mares said No Thanks - & didn't want to be caught - both foalies were happy to be caught & would have come in regardless of what their mums thought! So we left them all out - its a dry, cold night - but the field they are in has an overload of grass & good natural shelter & foalies have rugs.
So looks like mares will decide on in or out (Polly really doesn't like stables - think she's had a BAD experience before us) - we will bring them in if the weather is not good - but also allow them to be out 24/7 if weather allows. Mares were VERY keen to be in when it was wet 
What do you lot think?
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Edited by - Judith S on 31 Oct 2008 7:49:07 PM
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Gemma
Platinum Member
United Kingdom
1802 Posts |
Posted - 31 Oct 2008 : 7:54:58 PM
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| Let them decide. As long as they have sufficient shelter, rugs if needed, and food in their bellies, they'll be fine. |
 
Photo 2: West End Photography |
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Judith S
Platinum Member
Wales
15686 Posts |
Posted - 31 Oct 2008 : 8:02:22 PM
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| Thats what we thought Gemma Polly was first in the queue to come in the past two nights when it was vile, wet weather! She is a real fretter in the stable - on the go - but thankfully Ruby is totally laid back & isn't at all bothered by her sometimes manic mummy Cuckoo is totally laid back in the stable & Charlie is a real Cool Dude I much prefer to have horses out - when conditions underfoot etc allow - far better for them |
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NUTTER
Platinum Member
England
2452 Posts |
Posted - 31 Oct 2008 : 8:33:35 PM
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Yes they shore know... mine are out tonight in med weight rugs and happy as can be..
Yay no mucking out in morning!!!!! |
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Timberwolf
Gold Member
England
726 Posts |
Posted - 31 Oct 2008 : 8:44:13 PM
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Mine are out too Judith with good rugs and are as happy as Larry.
Jackie. xx |
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gossy
Platinum Member
England
3639 Posts |
Posted - 31 Oct 2008 : 9:38:11 PM
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| its like you have said they decide, mine are waiting at the gate whenever its cold and more so when its wet and cold, they shout and shout until they come in, pj's on mine are happy.x |
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mogwai
Platinum Member
England
2717 Posts |
Posted - 31 Oct 2008 : 9:48:32 PM
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Mum's know best . Mine are all out, including 7 month old missy. They have lots of natural shelter and their field shelter bedded down so if it does get wet they always have somewhere to lie down, Missy has a rug on but the others are nekkid. I think sometimes they get colder in as they can't move about as easily  |
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tamila
Platinum Member
England
2532 Posts |
Posted - 01 Nov 2008 : 07:24:21 AM
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| Mine have mainly lived out all their lives with natural shelter and manmade shelter. Up until recently Milly, who is now 24, was not even rugged. The ridden ones were rugged but only becuse they were clipped. |
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nicolanapper
Platinum Member
England
4247 Posts |
Posted - 01 Nov 2008 : 07:42:13 AM
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Well mine are still out too. They come in to be fed, dont touch their hay though (we have lovely hay this year),have a lie down and then start banging on the stable doors to go out again. Like you too Judith we have so much grass, and the three of mine are out in 7 acres of long grass, we have plenty of natural shelter including about half an acre of woodland. Three days ago, they too did what your mares did, and would not come in, just kept galloping around, so I left them. They are all fat, and all rugged up. Better for them to be out. Especially with bonfire night fast approaching. One year I left mine in the stables and we had very heavily sweated horses and badly churned up stables.
Nicky |
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arabic
Platinum Member
England
4562 Posts |
Posted - 01 Nov 2008 : 07:59:09 AM
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As you probably remember from my various fits of panic on here "what should I do"?? - it took me quite some time to realise they will let you know what they want. Now I decide but Freddie always has the last say. If he follows me to the gate when I leave, I know he wants in and if I bring him in and he wants out - he will whinny. On these occasions you can guarantee Mr weatherman has got it wrong again!!! I try and adopt the attitude that if its better in than out, he comes in but if its just dry and cold and calm, he stays out.
Funnily enough Nicky, Freddie is much happier in on Bonfire night - he stresses badly in the field but seems to look upon his stable as some kind of sanctuary lol! |
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jaybird
Gold Member
France
1192 Posts |
Posted - 01 Nov 2008 : 08:24:38 AM
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Hi Judith
That's about right, build them a lovely new stable and they want out, I'd leave them, but it's nice to know when the weather turns that they are tucked up cosy, can they access the stable block from the field themselves? I saw this on the first house we looked at over here, the guy had electric fenced a long walkway so that his horse could come & go as he pleased, Voila!!
Beryl
Beryl |
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nicolanapper
Platinum Member
England
4247 Posts |
Posted - 01 Nov 2008 : 11:49:21 AM
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Arabic, it is amazing how different horses can be, mine will let me know when they want to stay in, when the weather gets consistently cold and the fields are very muddy. At the moment we are not very muddy at all, but then part of our field is on a hill, and drains down to a lake.
Nicky |
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Judith S
Platinum Member
Wales
15686 Posts |
Posted - 01 Nov 2008 : 7:11:33 PM
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| They have chosen to stay out again -cold but dry - so fed them in the field & left them to get on with it. Polly & Cuckoo are happy out - but both will come in - but Polly isn't all that happy/settled stabled - Cuckoo continues to amaze as we thought she would'nt be happy stabled - but no - she is Mrs Cool & Happy in a stable - whereas handling if we get it wrong she reacts by huge OTT rearing!! Both foalies are fine in or out |
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Deboniks
Platinum Member
England
3776 Posts |
Posted - 01 Nov 2008 : 7:37:12 PM
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Hi Judith
You're right and horses are much happier out if the conditions are right.
I think a friend of mine has the perfect conditions for her horses.
She has built a huge open barn with a concrete floor, tack room and kitchen one end and feed room the other end. Her horses are out 24/7 in a huge field, but if they choose they can come in and stand on dry ground and eat the hay, which she always leaves out. She puts straw down in case they wanted to lay down .She said they used it mostly between 2am and 5am when it the temperature was at it's coldest in the winter and to get out of the sun and away from the flies in the summer. All her horses were bare foot so she also made different surfaces for the horses to walk over to condition their feet. She thought of everything from the horse’s point of view. I wish I had my own land as I would make something similar, but as I haven’t I take each day as it comes, depending on the weather. As tonight is fowl and they have nowhere dry to stand they're in, but a few nights ago it was dry so they were out.
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