our stables dont do turn out

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We love our stables - but they dont do winter tun out exept for muk out and riding time-we are new and didnt know this - but we really llike the folk and we want to stay but are worried for the pony...

Well, take their shoes off. If your only hacking at weekends, their feet should be adequate. If not, get some horse boots and use them when doing road work.

What Saggy said.

Both are hardy types. Should have good feet!

I think if you like your current yard stay . Do you work ? If not could you not hand graze your horses on the days they don't go out . If you have the floodlights at least you can ride every day - give them their day off on one of the turned out days. Your current yard may be trying to squeeze more cash out of you but sadly that is the price we pay for not having our own land. I would also speak to your farrier to see why you are losing so many shoes to the mud as this does sound a little excessive. If you find the situation is not working you can always move at a later date.

To find grazing, I have
Asked friends.
Asked strangers.
Asked in tack shops.
Asked in local shops.
Asked the postman.
Put up adverts everywhere.
Put adverts in all local horse mags and papers.
Spoken to every farmer in a five mile radius.
Looked on google earth for likely plots, then walked round the village knocking on doors asking people who owns them and if they are available.
The last was most productive.
Farmers were also great. Loads of them had something to offer.

flora - i work three days 9 to 3 pm .what is handgrazing please ...i presume its taking them to graze with headclooar and lead on - ive never heard of it you see....thanks .ps the mud if very deep and slippy !!!poor drainage to our field and we wd have to pay for the better one on the hill ...

I have also done all if the above

I found somewhere eventually and I am still there 5 years on. Great place but not fancy. Pony is happy. Lots if grazing.Cheap !

I knocked on the door and begged

saggy - ive thought of driving in area...so i wd get grazing and hack out - i dont thnk farmers wd allow to ride on land with it being so wet...but as grazing wd be priority i wd let riding go out of equation if needed...thanks - food for thought ..

please may i ask - if its just grazing - were store additional food ,tack etc - any tips..

That's right . Could you arrange the days they go out to be the days you work . All the other advice about finding independent grazing is fine but if you are a novice horse owner which I gather you are it's nice to be in a yard where you can always get a bit of help / advice. Don't worry we all started somewhere . I have always used livery yards for mine and I have always stabled overnight in the winter , it is a matter of personal preference but I like to know that they are getting a decent break from bad weather and somewhere dry and warm to lie down. However everybody has their own opinion and what works for one won't work for another.

Tack and feed sack goes in the boot, I used to get a round bale at a time, hay goes in a fenced off corner, on a pallet, under a tarp. You need to put a pallet or something on top too, where the tarp touches it can sweat, but that's only really a problem if you're storing long term.
Farmers generally accept horses on their land or not. You'd be on headlands so weather shouldn't matter. Several locally to me had grazing available. They're usually quite useful. They usually have hay on tap, useful sheds and outbuildings and manage the land well. It's always useful to have a local farmer or two in the bag.

Agree with Flora. Nights in are useful. But tossing up between always in or always out, out is better.

flora- my prefernce wd be out in day and in at night and a school but all that have that are booked full so its -daily tunout cple hours and no school - hack but concern if icy.or x 3 turnout pw and riding in school or hacking if light or weekends.we cd do mon wed fri turnout as ahave to share days.tehn ride tue thur fri sat,i do worry onthe ride days they wd only be out in a smal turn out to muck out and then for riding with no freedomto roam but if we cd hand graze or even take for a walk....????

meant out all day in night!! not in an in!! in night winter only due to the rainfall otherwise out all the time.

saggy what do you think to this as a plan- mon wed fri turnout .tue ,thur sat sun ride.and hand graze.i do worry that the not turn out days wd lead to stressed horses but wonder if this plan wd just make it ok .....

I think if they are turned out a few days a week , ridden regularly and walked out regularly they will be fine . Just remember to feed appropriately, ie lots of hay and not a lot of hard feed .

Well it's a start. Just don't forget a plan for the days when the weather is too shit to ride. I'd still be hunting high and low for anything else. Farmers are a good start. Have a ring around.

on the non turn out days i guess id just have to take em out for a wlkand hand graze like flora said??cant think of anything else..

Be prepared for alt of work still that way !

They will have to get it on in days , rain, shine, snow, hail...

And be prepared that they may be more spritely .

My shetland had to have a few days box rest last year . He was in a mahoosive stable no hard feed just hay. Three days he was in!
Twice the fecker managed to drag me round the yard. He bargd me at the door on day three. The walk down to the field to let him.back out was...interesting .

Please please think about your horses and how theyes may behave. Will you ebb able ti keep.control if they have a funny five minutes? I will openly admit that I had very little control over mine and he is 8hh. He is cheek by nature but had he have been a few hands bigger it wouldn't have been funny!

My tb mare used to stay in at night out by day. That girl had impeccable stable.manners but pranced out every morning with head held high and was much.livelier to ride during winter.

They are all different but any horse even the quietest will 'perk' up during winter if stabled .

Sorry.
Damn phone has a mind of its own

bonkey - thanks and dont say sorry - you are gining advice plus my typing is poor full stop !!

Yes. An 8h Shetland is different from a 15h cob!
And I have a dd too. It can be hell getting her out of the nice warm house in the depths of winter! I've spent a lot of time wading round in storms on my own!

The few days out and then in for a few does sound better than you had before.

Like saggy said i would still be looking else where, ask around, some livery yards dont advertise just use word of mouth.

I have two out at day in at night, my little filly tb lives out 24/7 naked she is hardier than my cobs!

I hope you find a solution/yard that works for you soon :)

I agree with asking around, found the perfect home for mine by total chance and chattiness.

Now am not forking out £120 a week (diy!) your set up sounds quite expensive too.

I rent 6 acres, with water, and lights when they work with 4 stables and a tack room which I never use, for £50 a week.

Sorry I am away from home so this is a quicky reply so that you don't think I am ignoring your PM!

Daily turn out is a MUST. Look everywhere for a yard with daily turn out or you risk your horse becoming a real handful. If you only turn out on some days your horse is much more likely to go loopy when it is set free and you will have more problems with lost shoes and possible injuries (I would have a chat with your farrier as this many lost shoes is not acceptable unless you are leaving the re-shoeing far too long (somewhere between 5 to 8 week intervals are usually suitable for most horses)). Hand grazing is all very well but will you have time to go up to the yard twice a day and do it for an hour each time? Where will you hand graze if the fields are not available? In winter don't rely on being able to ride on the ridden days, it may be too wet, cold or foggy to ride. Also, if the horse is ridden from being in the stable all day long it needs a proper long warm up, I would say 15 minutes in walk at least, otherwise again you risk injuries.

If it were me I would either move to a yard further away, or go to the yard with daily turn out and wait for a place at a yard with daily turn out and school.