>>> At the boarding barn the horses went out around 8 or 9 pm and came in >>> around 7 or 8 am during the summer, then in the winter they were out in >>> the day and in at night, so if I put mine out all night they should >>> remember the old routine. V
That's pretty standard at boarding barns in NC too, to minimize the exposure to biting insects. That's why it would be very difficult for someone who boards a horse to have an SE horse, if they want the horse's turnout reversed. My horses are out 24x7. If the grass gets too rich and/or tall (which hasn't happened since last year's drought) I close off some of the satellite pastures for a few weeks. I've come to think of pastures as rec-rooms, not so much as dining rooms. Horses need exercise and mentally, they need to graze and roam. Even the all-day moseying around mine do keeps them more fit than merely standing around in dry lots. Is there a way you can add some cross-fencing, expanding your "dry lot" and to provide some staggered areas of richness of grass? Adding cross-fencing isn't so expensive, and is something you can add as you get time. I know your property is big, but I can't remember how much you had fenced. BTW, I'm working to get Vinnie and Bart off the rigidly timed feeding schedule the boarding barn had them on. One thing I didn't like was that they both seemed too food-obsessed, getting too grumpy and possessive at mealtime, something we've never had a big problem with here. The last thing I want is an untrained stallion with a bad attitude at mealtime! I'm weaning them down off the pellets they were giving (Vinnie needs to meet Jenny Craig badly) and have started giving them as much old dry hay as they will eat for the switchover period. The change in attitude is amazing - they are no longer possessive about their food, since they seem to think there's no shortage. The hay I'm giving now might eventually be too much and make them fat, but I hope to have them out in pasture where they can get more exercise soon. Karen Thomas, NC
