# is this OK for horses?



## Taylorbaby (Jan 10, 2009)

hello horse board!

I just went past a field near me it isnt a big field and they normally have 1 or 2 horses in it, this time they had 6, and the snow is like 5inchs thick and its liek a blizzard, the ground is covered, they dont have any shelter at all, not even a tree, water, cant see any food.

They are just standing there, its so cold out.

Is this normal for horses? Will they be OK? I think the people who own the field let it out.


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## Kinjilabs (Apr 15, 2009)

Taylorbaby said:


> hello horse board!
> 
> I just went past a field near me it isnt a big field and they normally have 1 or 2 horses in it, this time they had 6, and the snow is like 5inchs thick and its liek a blizzard, the ground is covered, they dont have any shelter at all, not even a tree, water, cant see any food.
> 
> ...


Wouldnt have left ours out in this temperature without shelter etc


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## lymorelynn (Oct 4, 2008)

They would all be inside at the stables I use and have rugs on too in this weather. The ponies on the New Forest are outside in all weathers but at least they have the shelter of the trees.


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## Taylorbaby (Jan 10, 2009)

Its a very small open field, its had horses on it for odd times for like 20years now, there is a house to to it and they rent it out (99.9% sure of this) so it isnt their horses, the field has Lots of bushes and horses cant get into those bits so Im guessing that its about a 14/ of a acre with 6horses on it? Im not very good with measurements though??

no blankies no food water nothing, 2 are pegged down and cant move morethan 15ftt in a circle? the other 4 were nearer eachother under a teltphone plong thingy.

Should I call the Rspca? I dont want to get anyone into trouble but it was a really sorry sight to see.


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## JANICE199 (Feb 1, 2008)

*I was watching an article on the television yesterday,and people had been phoning the rspca about horses left in conditions like you are stating.But they said that some breeds of horses are fine left outside in this weather.*


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## Taylorbaby (Jan 10, 2009)

no idea of the breed, they were brown white in colour, although I doubt that helps!! didnt have thick coats, just looked like normal horses!!


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## tonette (Dec 28, 2008)

Please read my web.... I am not trying to promote it after all it is non profit just to give out info.... there are 2 pages on winter management here is the link
Winter Management
A horse in winter when turned out ( that is in a field ) need lots of hay it should be on demand. also horses need water they cannot rely on snow for their water intake as they would need to eat so much of this us as humans would never be able to do it and nor can horses..... if they should try it could give them colic and worse...... so do the right thing and ring the RSPCA or if they won't do any thing The Horse Welfare will here is their link
World Horse Welfare: Horse charity
.... if you are wrong okay it was a phone call and 15 mins out your life...... but if you are right you have helped a few horses from suffering..... not a lot between the two really if you think about it the horses come first. Horses need hay and water in these weather conditions. Please let us know how you get on


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## pamela Renfrew (Jun 9, 2010)

Hi there..... Just caught this thread...... Did you phone the RSPCA or equivalent ? Are the poor horses still there in the field ? ? Pamx


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## Taylorbaby (Jan 10, 2009)

I actually meant to post on here a few days back, we past the field and all the grass was cut, the horses were no longer on leads staked in to the ground and they had MAssive troffs (are they called that??) of food and water  :thumbup: 

Looking closer (literally stopping and being nosey haha!) they looked quite like the wild horses you see on tv? quite longish coats? they were brown and brown & white, might have had other colours but some were round the corner.
The field still looks quite small for the amount of horses, at least 6 we could count, the filed must be about 1 acre? but they all looked good,, no ribs could be seen!

infact thats the best ive ever seen them, they were all munching in the troff thingys! :thumbup:


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## pamela Renfrew (Jun 9, 2010)

Wow.... that is very good to hear..... Obviously someone has reported them to the right authorities who have taken time to go and assess the situation and get it dealt with.... great news..... Thanks for the update... x


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## lymorelynn (Oct 4, 2008)

That's good news TB :thumbup: Even if the field is on the small side they are at least getting extra food. A lot of horses have long, shaggy hair this time of year as it helps to keep them warm without the need for rugs which can get disgusting when they're kept outside


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## Taylorbaby (Jan 10, 2009)

I didnt know whether to phone as people on here said that some horses are ok outside?? then I was ill and just forgot 
They looked happier though! :thumbup:


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## Praecelsus (Jan 14, 2011)

It's good to see that you are concerned, but I have fallen foul of a 'helpful' member of the public.

In your situation, what would have concerned me was the fact they were tethered to the ground so they couldn't graze for food or reach water. You did the right thing in calling. 

I have 4 horses, all of whom are kept outdoors 24/7. None of them have stables (they do however have field shelters to use as they wish).

Only one is rugged (the thoroughbred) and my welshie, Clydiex and ID are all unrugged and nice and fluffy. They are all checked 3 times daily to make sure they are warm, have enough hay and water has not frozen over. They are also ridden regularly. They also still graze, unrestricted and dig the snow to get to the grass.

Now I realise this is a different situation to the one in the first post, but I was reported due to mistreating my horses. The first time was fine, I would much rather any member of the public who was concerned report something and be reassured, and it was good to know someone was looking in on the horses (in case one ever had an accident). 

We had the authorities come out, who recognised me as a horsey person in the area and we had a god chat while I tacked up to ride and the woman explained she had to investigate every call made, but she new my lot were fine.

The same person then made 8 more calls, every time the investigator having to come out to see me. Sadly, wasting the inspectors time when she could have been dealing with real cases. each time she had to come out, check everything then leave again, and no doubt spend time writing a report and then getting back to the person who had called. 

The calls finally stopped when the person who had been doing the reporting came down the fields one day while I was there and I had a long chat with them. They didn't know anything about horses, so I explained why one had rugs, and the others didn't and how they grew their coats over the Autumn. How they could dig for grass, but were also getting hay and feed and how that made sure they had enough. 

It was a pretty stressful time all round, so while I fully commend people for making a call if they are concerned (better to call than not) There are some instances where it can get a bit out of hand.


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## Taylorbaby (Jan 10, 2009)

sorry to hear that  I dont think they were being miss-treated, I was a bit worried due to the snow no stables or shelter and they were tied to the ground.

We went past them last week and they are all looking really good, I think that 2 of them have foals? I think that the grounds bigger than I first thought to, more horses arethere and the feeding thingys look massive they all gather round them lol and no longer tied down.

still no shelter, most of them just seem to stand there and not move! 

the trees have been cut and just down the road is another field with the same looking horses and foals in it! same situation as these horses no stable/shelters but they all look nice and have big troff thingys lol

grass all been cut to  the other field looks about the same size, dont really know sizes im giuessing both are about 1-2acres and have about 6horses on both


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## CountrySmiths (Sep 12, 2010)

It really depends on a few things such as the age and breed of the horses, the owners may put hay out (although the horses may have eaten it all by the time you see them), trees and hedges can provide shelter from the wind so even if there is no actual field shelter there may be natural shelters for them.

If the horses looked under-fed or were shivering then I'd certainly worry. If they look healthy, good weight on them and seem happy then I wouldn't worry so much.


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