Horses trying to tell us!!

eml

eml

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Apr 29, 2002
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Leicestershire
www.ivanhoeequestrian.net
Up till now fields have been ok, grass still growing and apart from gateways and walkways being worse then ever before a fairly mild if wet winter. Large fields with good 8' hedges all round with some horses in overnight and clipped; most cobs, ponies some horses out unrugged coming in if working. Five retired ones happy,fat and furry on 6 acre well sheltered and best draining field only come in occasionally for worming or farrier trim.

I don't know what they know but yesterday the ones turned out in the daytime started breaking fences at lunch time to get back in, the out at night ones joined in at 4pm and were given a night in stables and at 10.30pm I heard a commotion and found that the retired ones had broken through two lots of fencing and were strolling round the yard. As no one was fighting I decided to wait until daylight to sort them out and just let them freerange.

This morning bright, still a bit chilly but one of the better days I have woken up to. CK currently repairing fences before restoring horse to fields.

I hope they don't feel a coming weather change? Ideas??
 
I think they can sometimes sense weather changes. Yesterday was dire here and in between the bad showers I thought a few times it was taking a turn for the better, they knew different and had other idead about sheltering and eventually being brought in!
It was minus 3 here last night and its bright and sunny - not at all what was predicted!
Love your description btw "fat and furry" hehee - sums our pair up atm!
 
Interesting you say that eml, two of mine started doing this just before this wet weather really set in down here just before Christmas.

They're now only out for a few hours in the evening for some "pony time" and a good leg stretch in the field, really not keen on being out there any longer than necessary and these two have spent most of their lives living out.

Maybe the rain is coming to an end and we're going to get a late cold snap?

OH were debating at the weekend whether we thought we were going to get a cold spell at all, or whether this weather will just rumble on into Spring?
 
Ok they know best, just pre-empted us by 24 hours!

This morning was very wet again and we had a surveyor coming in to advise us on how to improve drainage assuming this is the shape of winters to come so we left those that were already in with haylage. CK set off to show him the state of walkways etc and returned very quickly as snow started falling and settling only to report that today the walkways looked more like muddy rivers than stone and bark. Discovered we are in a 'high risk' area for groundwater flooding, well we think we know that as the yard floods at least once every winter!

Opened up gates to fields and every field horse was in their stable within minutes and having a warm feed.All dried out and warm this afternoon so we were adding rugs on some ready for turning out when CK saw the weather forecast for tonight... -6C, heavy rain/snow and 40mph+ winds. Ok 23 stabled horses tonight it is!! Wind already howling and dog refusing to venture out!!
 
Yep! You should see the pile of hay K has waiting for him in his stable tonight.....possibly guilt feeding for clipping him last night :frown:
 
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