Fw: [RC] Horses Outside/Weather - jennifer a berger
When I was younger my mother agreed to bring my
horse from Colrado who was living with my dad To Illinois so I could ride him
while I was in school. My poor horse!! He was use to Colorado
winters in the mountains, he grew a fuzzy coat and got really fat running
his 50 or so acres. When we brought him to Illinois we had to keep him in
a stall at a boarding facility. It was a beautiful barn all the horses
were very well cared for. But my horse was miserable. He lost weight
from swaying in his stall and was a very unhappy horse. We could not keep
weight on him and he was almost impossable to ride. We turned him out
twice a day and you can tell that was the highlight of his day. He missed
his acreage, he missed the cold winter months of Colorado were he enjoyed
trunching through the snow because he could. He didnt mind any of that
because he was free to rome were he wanted in the cold or the very muddy
weather. It was clear he had to go back. We sent him back and I rode
him in the summers in Colorado were he was very happy. Livin life and
gettin fat in exposed to the harshes elements. 15 years later I have
acreage of my own and my husband and I built this lean too and fenced off the
paddock so when it is too muddy in the pasture he does not rip it up.
After all that is his food for the summer. Here he is also in the elements
with three other horses. As I write he and his buddies are sitting in " a
mud hole " and I think they love it. That is the impression that I get
when the role around in it. I give them everything they need and they love
me for it. They are healthier and happier living outside and my vet would
agree.
I agree with you on this. In our
country, it rains but not snows. It never gets below the high 30s in
winter. Their paddock is muddy. I feed them plenty and they weather
the winter successfully. We have pasture, but I don't turn them out
because their favorite game is going to the top of the hill to the water trough,
then galloping wildly down the hill, putting on the brakes, and plowing up 10
foot long furrows in the pasture. Very shortly, there IS no pasture.
I keep them confined in a large paddock so they can exercise, but they can't
damage the rest of the ranch. They are ridden when the weather
allows. I don't consider them abused. If it's raining, the wind
is blowing and a horse is shivering, then I will put on a
waterproof blanket. There is a rain shed, but two of the
horses dominate it and won't let the third one in.
I once was looking at a horse to buy, and
when the owners found out that I didn't stall our horses in
the winter, with hot and cold running water and carpeting on the
floor, they refused to sell to me. Oh well...........
" THEY ARE LEFT OUTSIDE 24/7, WITH NO SHELTER, NOT EVEN A ROOF TO GET
OUT OF THE SNOW AND RAIN. IN THE SPRING TIME HER PLACE IS JUST A MUD
HOLE. "
My horses are also left outside 24/7 with no roof
over their heads and I don't feel that is neglect . As I posted a few days ago
, our temps here were hitting up to 40 below with no wind chill factor , it
did not faze our herd of 15 that has 4 older retired dude/pack horses in it
between the ages of 25 to 30 . And in the spring our place like most others
becomes a mudhole until things dry out . I love my horses but they are not
house pets . They can handle it , let them live like horses and not something
that will melt if they get alittle wet .
