The first year I was in Tennessee from Florida I had no experience with horses in winter conditions. So I let my quarter horses out to play in the snow, just like I've seen on tv, right?
Bad decision on my part. They ran up the hill and I had two of them slip and slide and fall and go tumbeling down. My quarter horse mare, Poco's Classic Star,wrecked her hocks/hips and had to be given shots of adequan and she was basically out of commission for the rest of her life. Michael's quarter horse Classic Action bowed his tendons and had to be on stall rest in poultice wraps, full length of his two front legs for 4 weeks.
I think the trick is to think out your areas before winter comes and prepare it before you get into these troubles. Take some pictures of your turn out areas now, and then in the spring, look at them carefully and then you will know what areas need to be adjusted accordingly to try to avoid those problems again.
I've moved fenclines, and added gravel where needed. Anything to avoid extra muddy conditions.
With the new barn construction, I made some decisions about this taking into all weather conditions. I have several fields that I can choose to use. I moved all pastures around the barn area accordingly. This way the barn is centrally located to all fields. I can elect not to use the pastures that are hilly and close them off anytime it snows and select the others that are flat.
My barn yard is large, and can also serve as another turn out area for the whole herd, plus allowing them to come in and out as they choose. Because of the way it's ditched and built, we don't get mud there and water runs off of it easily.
Around the barn yard, I have loads of gravels where I walk so I don't get full of mud and slip myself. I have paths for me to use and also so you can drive a truck all around it and not get stuck. It's not finished yet either. We still have more to do on that. Come springtime, it's going to be back to fixing stuff. I don't think this kind of thing every ends.
