What should I do for my horse?

Question

Hi everyone. Ok so I began leasing my horse 6 months ago and he was currently in what is called "the metal barn" which is basically a small metal barn in which the horse stays there all day or night and is turned out is a dry dirt small paddock for a few hours. Well the reason he was in there was because he is an appaloosa with sensitive eyes and is blind in one of his eyes and is 20, but looks and acts more like 10 when he is out, he needs to wear a fly mask.

So now i finally own the horse and i was wondering if i should take him out of "the metal barn" and place him in a nice pasture at the same boarding facility. He loves grass, and where he is now, he never gets grass and he is always by himself and never with other horses which he loves. We are just a bit worried with his eyes to move him in a pasture.

His previous owner has had him in pastures before and he did fine with it.

BTW " the metal barn" and the pastures are both 300 dollars a month.

where would you put him?

Answer 1

I used to live in california so I know what you are talking about when you say the summers are harsh and the winters are freezing. Since he is older you will need to probably have a heavy winter blanket for him and a nice shady place for him in the summer with good access to water (it would be great if the water could also be covered.). Their are plenty of shaded fly masks that you could put on and keep on so that he could be in pasture all the time so I wouldn't worry about that too much but  I would get the vets opinion first. Other than that he should be fine.

*Edit*

so are they not allowed to wear a blanket in the winter if they are in pasture?

Answer 2

pasture.

Answer 3

A 20 year old horse should be out as much as possible to keep his joints from deteriorating, and keep the gastrointestinal tract functioning well.  If there is a substantial run-in shelter, big enough to provide a 12' by 12' space for each horse, then I would definitely opt for pasture board.

He won't need blanketing if he is allowed to develop his winter coat...mine are 21 and 22 and I never blanket them..it gets to 35 degrees below zero F here, and they do fine, even preferring to stand out in the wind and snow.

A good fly mask will protect his eyes, and he can go into the shelter as he pleases.

If there is no shelter, I would look to find a different facility since in that case, neither of the options you have would serve his best interest.

As for sunburn, you can use the Cashel long nose mask to cover his pink area, and human sunscreen is also okay to use on a horse.

Answer 4

the paddock as no horse likes to be kept in side all the time and you can put zinc on the pink skin that's what i do and my friend has always had her horse with one eye out in the paddock as long as there is some sort of shelter the horse should be fine

Answer 5

You should put fly mask with halter and blinders that may help!!!!

Answer 6

put him in a feild leave the barn open so the horse can go out when it wants

Answer 7

Why don't you move him to a new facility?  If you own him now, and are unsatisfied with the options, find somewhere else.  Most boarding facilities have a standard full board package which includes both stall time and turn out time, not having to choose between one thing 24/7.  The woman who boards my horse is very agreeable and is always happy to follow my specific requests with my horse.  I think it's time for you to find a new boarding facility!  One that will do exactly what you want them to do with your horse, after all, you're paying for it!

Answer 8

I would say pasture. You can spend a little more and get him one of the fancy masks meant to protect the eyes, not just keep the flies off.

I am assuming, however, that there is some sort of adequate shelter in the pasture? Like a run-in shed? If there is no shelter whatsoever, I'd be moving to a new barn, as neither option is appropriate for an older horse.

Good luck

Answer 9

Take Him Out,, And Im Sure You Can Find Something To Cover His Eyes Or Always Have A Fly Mask On Or A Shaded Area Open For Him,, If He Luvs Grass I Dont Think He Would Mind Going To Eat In The Sun

Answer 10

There is one thing you didn't mention. Does he have pink skin around his eyes and on his muzzle? If he does, he needs shade during the day. My appy is almost blind, can't see at all at night. She is turned out, but has lots of shade, wears a fly mask, and is kept inside on the brightest days. To protect his good eye, I'd keep him inside during the hottest, brightest part of the day, and leave him out the rest of the time. If he has pink skin, you should put some sunscreen on him, or he will burn. The idea of replacing part of the mask with opaque fabric is a good one.

Answer 11

I know this situation, my friend was given a 1/2 blind app for her birthday.  What we did was take one of those UV flymasks, and took the eye out of the blind side, and covered it with an opaque fabric.  This protected his blind eye and made sure he didn't go blind in the other one.  This is the best thing that I know how to do, it's worked for 4 years

Answer 12

I say put him in a paddock. If his eyes really bother him, have him wear a driving bridle (minus the reins and bit) so he'll have the blinkers covering his eyes...JMO.

Answer 13

If you're completly unsure of how he may react to moving him then you should keep him where he's at. Even if his owner says he's been pastured before you want to take in account how long ago that was. Because his health could be way different now. Also you if you do decide to move him then you need to make the change slowly. Stress can lead horses to colic and since he's twenty you want to be careful with that. Hope that helps.