We caught up with Jayne on a wet and windy November day and she gave 5 tips on turning horses away for the winter.
Jayne explained that for many of her horses, after a busy season competing, they benefit hugely from having a break in the field. However, there are certain things to remember:
1. We earmark out winter paddocks well in advance, so there is plenty of grass, excellent fencing, automatic water troughs and a field that will provide areas of shelter for the horses to escape bad weather.
2. It is vital when you turn horses away that you keep a good eye on them and check them twice a day. A problem can develop very quickly and if not caught soon enough, you then run the risk of having to bring a horse in and disrupt their break.
3. We feed haylage in the fields throughout the winter, but we are careful about where we place it. We don’t just throw it over the fence as this can lead to it being wasted and being put down in the muddiest part of the field. We tend to watch them over a couple of days and see where they like to shelter in the field and will then place the haylage in that spot.
4. 95% of our horse will go out barefoot. We also find that this is much easier on the paddocks.
5. Although we hay and check the horses that are turned out, we find they settle and relax best into their break if you can leave them be as much as possible.
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