I am a genius

[LovePinkBitsOfMyHorse]

Brainwave this afternoon - if a few of those trees were not there and a bit of that ditch was filled in I could have a gate THERE and not go through other fields. This idea has been enthusiastically received, hooray for me.

Probably take all year to organise but am hugely pleased with self.

Field will probably quadruple in value though leading to rent increase?

and will you need planning permission?

Noooooooo, unlikely, although farmer will know if we do, there already is a gate there (to the next field) but its padlocked shut and has been for years and is a bit overgrown. It will make my journey to the yard so short and easy, the bit of land we'll cross is unsuitable for grazing but we have all relevant permissions to ride on it already.

Well done

I knew this thread would be you.

I used to have a little gate at the bottom of my field and managed to get hold of the key. It led out on to a public footpath which led on to the road, but I used to walk all round there and back in our main gate rather than go through the field with the other horses. In my case it wasn't quicker but definitely safer and caused me less terror grey hairs. It has been taken away now as the farmer wanted to use the gate elsewhere and has re-arranged all fencing so we had a path inside the boundary, but I liked having my own private entrance so I miss it a bit. Probably for the best though as it did make it that little bit easier to steal our horses in the middle of the night, being so hidden away but still near the road iyswim.

Forgot about the stealing thing, it is one of the plus points of being inaccessible. Thieves would still either have to go through other fields or past farmhouse with scary old lady inside, through the yard passing about 20 stables full of plump proper animals HOYS and Olympia ponies and along the edge of a field with much more tempting prospects in. They would have about a million gates to struggle with too, most of which scrape noisily on concrete and need about twenty people to operate them.

Realistically nobody wants an odd shaped old brown thing do they? Coloured pony might catch their eye though. Are horse thieves kind to the animals they steal? How do they know what to feed them? AIBU to consider embroidering their current feeds to rugs, just in case, with helpful notes such as 'I prefer it when you don't put succulents IN my feed as it wastes valuable eating time when I have to remove them and stamp on them until they are no more. However I do enjoy them between meals. But not bananas, ever.' ?

Ways in which am not a genius, part one:

Have been carrying water to field, about 30 litres twice or wheeling 80 litres once if feeling wheelbarrow competent, when of course (and don't understand why this didn't occur to me bit sooner) everything has thawed out and there is a HOSE. So could have just twizzled a tap instead. Probably for at least the past week.

WHY?

Heh heh...I almost took water up to the yard once it was thawed, but I did remember in time! :)

I panic about horse thieves too, especially having a piebald gypsy cob. Embroidering current feeds sounds such a good idea...in the way that if you plan for something, that something doesn't tend to happen...

I would rather embroider on something that's going to turn him into a raving loony (2 buckets of oats and 1 of racehorse cubes per day perhaps), then hopefully he will kick the thief's head in and make a break for freedom.

but then they might get colic and DIE

:(

or worse, thief might not kiss them good night or nibble their necks in special place and make their lips wibble

:(

how do racehorses cope, digestively, when they are so young - can they ever eat a more normal diet when they stop?

Well I suppose that could happen. I'd be more worried about him ending up in a tin before that unfortunate scenario tbh.

I never had this constant worry about my old pony being stolen. Not that he wasn't beautiful (to me anyway) but I knew it was very unlikely anyone would get him into a trailer, not without waking everyone for miles around anyway!

I expect racehorses adapt don't they? I've heard about racehorses retiring from the track and being turned out to 'let down' for a few months before they start training for whatever their new job is going to be. I think they have to get things out of their system but no permanent damage iyswim? They must get fed a lot of hay as well in their day to day lives, they aren't permanently racing fit (just 'cos yours are ). Actually I used to live right near Brighton Racecourse (still go past now and again) and there is a trainer's yard there. I've often seen well-rugged TBs that I assume to be racehorses having a graze in the field with the training hurdles (and dodgy fencing that wouldn't keep mine in for 5 mins which is a bit worrying!).

No neck scritches and lip wobbles is indeed a sad thought :(

But that is okay, because you have been talking about your field being inaccessible right?! I am moving to a yard next month with big gates and a security code.