ihorse
in
equestrian
Moving from pasture to a stall + turnout?
Hello everyone, I come seeking advice from you lovely people once again!
Here's my situation: I'm working enough that I can afford to start paying board for my mare, Andie. We've kept her at home for around five years now and she's been living in a pasture 24/7 with a shed. With her living out all the time, it's been hard to keep weight on her this winter since it's been unusually cold, and in the summer she gets super itchy because she's allergic to flies. She's rubbed her mane and tail out every year she's been on our property, so I'm happy to finally move her to a place where the flies can be controlled a little better and she can stay warm and dry. She's an idiot and stands in the rain even though she has a nice little shelter to hide out in.
I've found a super cute little barn that's like four miles from my house, there's only a few other boarders and the owner of the place is hoping to compete intermediate level eventing this year. She's very willing to help me out with my girl, so I'm excited about it. I might actually be able to do a couple little schooling shows this year!
Here's my question for you though: For those of you that have moved horses from 24/7 turnout to a stall with ~9 hours of turnout a day, how did your horse react? How long did it take for your horse to adjust? Is there anything I can do to help make the move as stress-free and positive as possible? Would you recommend turning her out 24/7 for a few days, letting her adjust, and then start stalling her at night, or should I stall her right off the bat? She has been stalled before, when I bought her she was in a stall and perfectly happy with it. With her skin issues, I would really like to stall her so I can keep her clean. I think that has been one of the biggest issues the past few years.... With her being turned out all the time, and crappy water pressure because of our failing well at home, she hasn't been able to get bathed regularly, which I think will definitely help her out.
Would you recommend a calming supplement? I've tried these with Andie before, and I'm not sure they really made any difference. Also, any tips for trailering horses that don't load well? The last time we trailered Andie it took quite a while to get her to load, even with the help of my trainer.
ETA: The girl in question
Here's my situation: I'm working enough that I can afford to start paying board for my mare, Andie. We've kept her at home for around five years now and she's been living in a pasture 24/7 with a shed. With her living out all the time, it's been hard to keep weight on her this winter since it's been unusually cold, and in the summer she gets super itchy because she's allergic to flies. She's rubbed her mane and tail out every year she's been on our property, so I'm happy to finally move her to a place where the flies can be controlled a little better and she can stay warm and dry. She's an idiot and stands in the rain even though she has a nice little shelter to hide out in.
I've found a super cute little barn that's like four miles from my house, there's only a few other boarders and the owner of the place is hoping to compete intermediate level eventing this year. She's very willing to help me out with my girl, so I'm excited about it. I might actually be able to do a couple little schooling shows this year!
Here's my question for you though: For those of you that have moved horses from 24/7 turnout to a stall with ~9 hours of turnout a day, how did your horse react? How long did it take for your horse to adjust? Is there anything I can do to help make the move as stress-free and positive as possible? Would you recommend turning her out 24/7 for a few days, letting her adjust, and then start stalling her at night, or should I stall her right off the bat? She has been stalled before, when I bought her she was in a stall and perfectly happy with it. With her skin issues, I would really like to stall her so I can keep her clean. I think that has been one of the biggest issues the past few years.... With her being turned out all the time, and crappy water pressure because of our failing well at home, she hasn't been able to get bathed regularly, which I think will definitely help her out.
Would you recommend a calming supplement? I've tried these with Andie before, and I'm not sure they really made any difference. Also, any tips for trailering horses that don't load well? The last time we trailered Andie it took quite a while to get her to load, even with the help of my trainer.
ETA: The girl in question