Do you need to visit them everyday? What if someone lived on the yard 24/7 and they were checked throughout the day and had enough hay/plenty of grazing? Does it matter if you can't get down one day?
Thanks
Thanks
how often do you NEED to visit a horse on grass livery?
- Thread starter Remi
- Start date
I personally need to give mine hard feed every day- but would be happy in summer to have someone check he had all legs and head intact and let me know, if i couldnt get down.
I visit mine am and pm everyday.
Owners live on site but are non horsy probably wouldn't notice if their legs were hanging off.
Got a friend who rents a different field on same farm, we help each other out.
Owners live on site but are non horsy probably wouldn't notice if their legs were hanging off.
Got a friend who rents a different field on same farm, we help each other out.
Really they need to be checked at least once a day....generally nothing may need doing, but there could be a problem (stuck on fencing, water broken / polluted, colic, injury) and I would never forgive myself if a horse was suffering for any length of time, at least once a day is important.
I reckon that if someone looks over the fence once a day to make sure thay have water, hay (if needed) and all 4 of their legs then that's fine. Don't really have to do anything more than that on a daily basis with a happy healthy horse.
At least once a day to ensure they've got access to grass/hay and fresh water, and I would physically check them over quickly for any injury/mudfever etc rather than a quick look over the fence, but I may well be a bit paranoid
I would worry that if I hadn't checked them over and they were standing still they might have been lhurt/injured/ ame and I didn't notice
I would worry that if I hadn't checked them over and they were standing still they might have been lhurt/injured/ ame and I didn't notice
As long as *some one* sees that they are behaving normally, then that should be fine. Mine don't really get hard feed in spring/summer/autumn so if I'm not riding they can do their own thing!
so if I'm not riding they can do their own thing!
Someone who knows about horses ought to check them every day - does not necessarily need to be you though.
In the winter if it is freezing someone should check their water has not frozen over and if there is snow they may need hay if they cannot access the grass. As to if they need hard feed or not that will depend on the grazing and the type you have living out and work load.
A small shetland not working very hard on decent grazing will not need any hard food but a big TB on poor grazing would.
In the winter if it is freezing someone should check their water has not frozen over and if there is snow they may need hay if they cannot access the grass. As to if they need hard feed or not that will depend on the grazing and the type you have living out and work load.
A small shetland not working very hard on decent grazing will not need any hard food but a big TB on poor grazing would.
thanks for the replies everyone
The place I was thinking of is a small, friendly livery yard where the fields and stables are literally in the yard owners back garden. She would check over the horse and field each day as she has to look after her own horses anyway. If there was a problem she would call me or something.
I'm thinking of a hardy native breed, probs New Forest.
Ofcourse, I would want to spend as much time as possible at the yard but I might not be able to get up one day...
How does that sound?
The place I was thinking of is a small, friendly livery yard where the fields and stables are literally in the yard owners back garden. She would check over the horse and field each day as she has to look after her own horses anyway. If there was a problem she would call me or something.
I'm thinking of a hardy native breed, probs New Forest.
Ofcourse, I would want to spend as much time as possible at the yard but I might not be able to get up one day...
How does that sound?
Sounds good to me.
Much easier if you have a hardy type that you don't have to worry about adding and taking a away rugs and being glued to the weather reports.
If you are the sort that wants to keep the horse rugged at an even temp then you might need to do twice a day for a day and night time rug change.
I can't be doing with any of that and have no need to with my mare!
Much easier if you have a hardy type that you don't have to worry about adding and taking a away rugs and being glued to the weather reports.
If you are the sort that wants to keep the horse rugged at an even temp then you might need to do twice a day for a day and night time rug change.
I can't be doing with any of that and have no need to with my mare!
So Joyscarer,
What do you do if you want to ride and the horse is wet because its rained? Could you just put a cooler/thermatex type rug on?
And what do you do about grooming?
Thanks. You've all been really helpful
What do you do if you want to ride and the horse is wet because its rained? Could you just put a cooler/thermatex type rug on?
And what do you do about grooming?
Thanks. You've all been really helpful
Well I don't think that wet is the problem, wet mud is the problem
If Joy is wet then I towel off the bits where the tack goes and tack up as normal.
Some would stay they would never ride a wet horse, I don't see a problem with a damp horse although when I first started as an owner I was paranoid!
In my view if you won't ride a damp horse then you'd better get off and not ride a sweaty horse either.
With a horse damp from rain the rain only dampens the outer layer of coat and the saddle cloth will take that up with no problems.
With a sweaty horse, if you can see the sweat then that means that the sweat has seeped from the skin right along the whole length of the hair till we can see it so a sweaty horse is twice as wet as a horse damp from rain!
Of course if you know you are going to ride then you can stick on a lightweight or no fill rug so you have less to deal with.
If Joy is wet then I towel off the bits where the tack goes and tack up as normal.
Some would stay they would never ride a wet horse, I don't see a problem with a damp horse although when I first started as an owner I was paranoid!
In my view if you won't ride a damp horse then you'd better get off and not ride a sweaty horse either.
With a horse damp from rain the rain only dampens the outer layer of coat and the saddle cloth will take that up with no problems.
With a sweaty horse, if you can see the sweat then that means that the sweat has seeped from the skin right along the whole length of the hair till we can see it so a sweaty horse is twice as wet as a horse damp from rain!
Of course if you know you are going to ride then you can stick on a lightweight or no fill rug so you have less to deal with.
When I'm away in the summer, I'll get the friend looking ater Bojangles to check him once a day and another friend to chack occasionally. He'll be brought in a couple of times a week to be thoroughly checked/given treats/possibly exercised.
I think that grass liveries NEED to be checked a minimum of twice a day actually. This usually works easily if there are a pair of liveries, one who visits in the morning and one in the evening. I would not want horses left out for a 24hr period with only one check... not with the severity of injuries easily caused by fencing accidents or kick wounds.
If you have someone on the yard who you have a firm agreement with that they will check/feed your horse on specific days than that is fine... but I don't think it's ok to say 'well so and so will probably be up today, so I don't need to visit...' and I do worry that a lot of grass liveries become quite blase about their horse being safe and healthy.
If you have someone on the yard who you have a firm agreement with that they will check/feed your horse on specific days than that is fine... but I don't think it's ok to say 'well so and so will probably be up today, so I don't need to visit...' and I do worry that a lot of grass liveries become quite blase about their horse being safe and healthy.
I have a New Forest living out on grass livery and I don't go every day and he is fine - he is also clipped and rugged. YO is very experienced and has 4 ponies living in the group of 10 and if it is good enough for her to check her ponies once a day and not twice then I think it is fine for me too
All ponies are checked once a day and TBH how well can you check a pony in the dark which is what I do when I go after work. He does not get his rug taken off all week and has never had any rug rubs. I know it is not the BHS way but seems to work well and pony is very happy pony.
My pony spent several years living out on the forest as stallion and no-one checked him twice a day there or picked out his feet or gave him any hard feed and he was fine.
Native types I have to say tend to be fairly sensible and our pony group is all natives and small cobs and they don't tend to kick each other or gallop about a lot. YO has said she won't have TB's or hotblooded horses in the living out group as they are more prone to doing something silly and hurting themselves. Ponies living out on a low calerie diet tend to be less excitable as it is not like they have been in all night and are excited about being turned out or fueled up by cereals.
I am sure a New Forest pony would be fine in the routine that you describe. There are two in our group mine and another both in the same routine as you have described and they seem fine.
All ponies are checked once a day and TBH how well can you check a pony in the dark which is what I do when I go after work. He does not get his rug taken off all week and has never had any rug rubs. I know it is not the BHS way but seems to work well and pony is very happy pony.
My pony spent several years living out on the forest as stallion and no-one checked him twice a day there or picked out his feet or gave him any hard feed and he was fine.
Native types I have to say tend to be fairly sensible and our pony group is all natives and small cobs and they don't tend to kick each other or gallop about a lot. YO has said she won't have TB's or hotblooded horses in the living out group as they are more prone to doing something silly and hurting themselves. Ponies living out on a low calerie diet tend to be less excitable as it is not like they have been in all night and are excited about being turned out or fueled up by cereals.
I am sure a New Forest pony would be fine in the routine that you describe. There are two in our group mine and another both in the same routine as you have described and they seem fine.
I generally visit Flare once per day but the ponies are in a similiar situation to the one you describe as the field backs onto the YO's house and garden.
All the liveries keep an eye on everyone's horses, I think this is a good arrangement. If I can't make it up to the yard any day I make a point of letting the YO and one of my fellow liveries know. Flare has a daily balancer which is kept at the yard so someone else would be able to bring him out and feed him for me.
All the liveries keep an eye on everyone's horses, I think this is a good arrangement. If I can't make it up to the yard any day I make a point of letting the YO and one of my fellow liveries know. Flare has a daily balancer which is kept at the yard so someone else would be able to bring him out and feed him for me.
Personally I WANT to visit mine everyday, I know the YO'er checks them every morning so I go every evening. We all keep an eye on each others horses and will bring in or take out to feed if someone can't do their own but I adore seeing Kane and I get withdrawl symptoms if I don't see him everyday.
Of the six horses in the herd mine live in (all out 24/7), 2 are mine. I visit twice a day and although I only remove mine from the field and feed them, I give all the others a cursory check too and know that all the other owners do the same so technically all of them are checked 7 times a day (twice by me, twice by one other owner and the other 3 owners come down once a day).
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