Irony : saying 24 hours earlier that the field on the farm is perfect, if I could change anything about the situation I would just wish to have a stable and a field shelter.
Fast forward 24 hours and I am offered such a field
Short version :
Horse lives out - I have no stable, everything he needs is kept at home 5 mins away, his field is a largish one for him but he has dinner plate size feet which are shod so in a small space over the winter anything he is on turns to slush, so to combat this I let him have access over the whole field. Fencing is ok(ish) but I get round this by having my own electric fence up and plenty of poles - job done.
YO sees me tonight and offers me a stable, (stables are all in good condition) there are no rules regarding turn out or bring in so you can do as you please (yippeee!), however all the stables at my yard have the associated fields, so it would mean moving fields, I've just done a comparison on the google maps and this field is a bit smaller, fencing is ok in places but again not a big deal as I have the poles and tape. But if it gets slushy I could stable .... but I don't really want to as that would mean more work and one of the reasons I like mine out. It's more for peace of mind in case of needing a stable for an emergency (like last year !!! ) and I would have access to a locked storage area for hay etc (I keep my rugs etc at home) - however it would need to be decided on within the next 24 hours as my YO has a waiting list as long as his arm and places don't really come up that often. I would be taking a gamble on what the field is like for the winter - I know if I took the chance and it's cr@p then I am stuck stabling a horse (who is fine and actually likes his creature comforts) and have the extra workload and would pass my lovely old field with other horses in it ...unless I really manage the field well. It's about 1.5 - 2 acres for one horse, all of the farm is on clay though.
Argh ! What would you do?
Fast forward 24 hours and I am offered such a field
Short version :
Horse lives out - I have no stable, everything he needs is kept at home 5 mins away, his field is a largish one for him but he has dinner plate size feet which are shod so in a small space over the winter anything he is on turns to slush, so to combat this I let him have access over the whole field. Fencing is ok(ish) but I get round this by having my own electric fence up and plenty of poles - job done.
YO sees me tonight and offers me a stable, (stables are all in good condition) there are no rules regarding turn out or bring in so you can do as you please (yippeee!), however all the stables at my yard have the associated fields, so it would mean moving fields, I've just done a comparison on the google maps and this field is a bit smaller, fencing is ok in places but again not a big deal as I have the poles and tape. But if it gets slushy I could stable .... but I don't really want to as that would mean more work and one of the reasons I like mine out. It's more for peace of mind in case of needing a stable for an emergency (like last year !!! ) and I would have access to a locked storage area for hay etc (I keep my rugs etc at home) - however it would need to be decided on within the next 24 hours as my YO has a waiting list as long as his arm and places don't really come up that often. I would be taking a gamble on what the field is like for the winter - I know if I took the chance and it's cr@p then I am stuck stabling a horse (who is fine and actually likes his creature comforts) and have the extra workload and would pass my lovely old field with other horses in it ...unless I really manage the field well. It's about 1.5 - 2 acres for one horse, all of the farm is on clay though.
Argh ! What would you do?