Concerns with pasture boarding.

Question

Since I got my horse I have kept her at her barn but it is 45-50 mins away from my house. It has taken it's toll on me with all the time & gas & less time with my horse. So I am moving her. I found the stable I used to take lessons from when I was little & its 10-15 mins away; problem is is all the stalls are taken. They have pasture boarding for a dencently cheap price & I can have a locker there for tack & full priveliges to the areas & such.But i have two concerns; one being her feed. She'd have hay & be grazing all day but is that enough with me exercising her at least once a wk? i cant really feed her twice a day even with her so close, i have a schedule & the pasture is probably 20 acres that id have to walk around to find her. another concern is when it becomes winter should i try getting her a winter blanket? i live in ohio so its not super cold but i dont think there is a shelter. but there is a good herd of horses so should they keep each other warm? im just worried cause idk how often i could come down in the winter & walk through all that snow on foot to find her & make sure she has the blanket on & shes warm & okay. any suggestions?

Answer 1

Most horses do just fine with just pature to eat.  I currently have a 19 year old gelding who gets nothing but pasture and the very occasional apple, and he is fat and sassy.  As long as you are not doing heavy exercise like race training or cross country or 3 day eventing, just the pasture should be quite enough.  If she starts losing weight, just add a little bit of grain to her diet, you should be fine.

Answer 2

If she is used to being stalled at night - then I would think twice - she will need a blanket and she will NEED shelter from storms and wind and rain.

Also if she is NOT used to being fed in a group situation, she will enter an established herd of 30 as "new kid" and have to fight for her food.

It is rare that a herd will allow the new guy to huddle for warmth.

Putting a horse out in a 20 acre field with a blanket on is not a great idea...they can get caught up in it, or it can get caught on something or other horses can use it to pull her around as they determine her spot in the herd...

Sorry - but it does not sound like you will see her any more often being 10 mins away. And if you are not willing to wander thru "all that snow" in bad weather to check on her daily, why not leave her where she is - safe and warm.

You will be glad you did when that first really bad storm hits in the middle of the night.

Answer 3

I don't know how cold it gets in the winter in Ohio, but if you have below zero wind chills, your horse will need a place to get out of the wind. Since she will be outside during the winter, I would strongly suggest that you don't clip her. Since she will be in with other horses, be prepared for a few bite marks on her until she fits into the pecking order. I would suggest that if you want to feed her more than just hay, that you get a dish and feed her horse feed when you take her out of the pasture each time you come. If you do this every time you come, she will find you in the winter.

Answer 4

Horses do BETTER outside than inside.  It is very unnatural, and therefore stressful, for a horse to be in a stall all the time.  They get to "act like a horse" in a pasture which is much better for their well-being.

20 acres + hay should be plenty for her.  You can supplement her with a little grain after you ride to replace extra calories if you really things she needs it.

She doesn't need a blanket.  Horses' hair is made to insulate them from the cold.  Humans just like to put blanket on them to make themselves feel better, not really for the horse.  Unless she has some issue where she doesn't grow much of a winter coat or you need to clip her for some reason, she'll be fine without a blanket.

As for catching her, bring some grain.  After a few times she'll learn that she gets a treat if she comes to you and before you know it you'll have all those horses running for the gate when you walk in and rattle that grain can.

Answer 5

WOW. Lots of questions.

Hay and grass should be enough for her with you excersising her a couple times at least (she needs to be ridden more than once a week anyway)

She will need to be fed concentrates (grain, ect) in the winter because the grass dies and hay is not so good. Feeding her will just have to fit inher schedual or you need to pay someone to do it.

If the big pasture is a problem then teach her to come when called. Its not to hard to do.

If she is outside in Ohio, chances are she will need a blanket. Talk to the people at your barn or other horsey people and find out what they do. My horse is in the south and still gets blankets in the winter. He just needs them or he stands shivering in the pasture with 7 other horses. They dont keep each other warm.

You seem to be put out about all the work that is required to have a horse at pasture. Feeding in winter is not optional. Checking on them in the winter is not optional. Blankets (especially if she is use to stall life) is not optional.

My suggestion is to keep her at the barn she is at. She will get the care she needs without inonviencing you or your schedual in the winter.

Answer 6

walk her like twice aweek in the summer someoats wont hurt taking her and yes buy her ablanket in the winter once a week good to walk her

Answer 7

I board a horse at an outdoor facility with three other horses living on the property. They do have a run in shelter (stalls) and a hut if it's nasty, they live on 8 acres of beautiful grass pastures.

Generally in the summer the horses can live and thrive from hay and grass alone. It does wonders for the coats and the nutrients they receive helps them pro long their life and keep them active.  Plus if your horse is in a herd, they will be moving A LOT! She'll be fine and full of muscle! Winters are always the toughest! As long as they are supplying enough hay for 30+ plus horses in an abundance such as morning, afternoon and night and probably supplying for about 50 horses so they can graze I don't see a problem.

I do hope that if she isn't being fed enough you would be able to see that and make the appropriate changes necessary to maintain her health, I.E. talking to the facility and its staff, supplements, etc. Not saying they are going to starve your horse, just that with 30+ horses in a herd setting, someone is bound to get the short end of the stick!

Talk to a couple different boarders there as well, maybe you could work out some sort of a comp.

As for warmth, horses in a herd will take care of eachother. Plus if her coat is thick and she doesn't have any awkward illnesses that lower her immune system you shouldn't need a blanket! Horses love being outside! The fresh air does them wonders! If you notice if it is gusty the horses will stand in some what of a semi circular line and turn the butts towards the wind!

Answer 8

Well pasture is the most natural feeding plan for horses. It is defiantly a grand idea to move her. And hay and grazing is PLENTY of feed if you are only going to ride her once a week.  If she is outside through all the seasons they adapt and grow thick woolly coats during winter. My horses are out side yr round and they do great.  But if there is no shelter of any kind defiantly blanket her, and if she is high in the pecking order she will be warm lol but if

there is no shelter defiantly blanket her.

Answer 9

Horses are fine outside. A blanket would be fine in the winter time; she needs shade in the summer and the quality of feed has to be better in the winter, to include some kind of grain. Ask how they handle feeding in the winter because they might take grain out. In the other months she should be fine.