Leaving the Horses All Day

[TN Belle]

Please give me advice on leaving my horses at home alone all day while hubby & I have to work nearly an hour away. The boarding barn will bring them in when it rains, turn them out later in the morning when it is light, take blankets off when the day gets warm, ect..... I would have to turn my two out around 6 in the morning, sometimes in the dark too, and won't get home till 6, sometimes in the dark too. I am beginning to worry about even bringing them home at all, but I can't drive anymore, so my bi weekly barn visit has become maybe once a month and it is killing me. If I blanket the boys over night pending the temp, I won't be there to take them off thru the day, so is it better to leave them on all day even if gets really warm (like 20 in the morn and 50 in the evening) or take them off when I turn them out early in the morning at 20 degrees? Or don't use blankets at all, as both have very full coats. Last winter my donkey shivered even with his massive hair, so we still blanketed him. What if something happens? What if someone runs away?

How many of you are gone all day and the horses left by themselves?

I have heard about a camera system to hook up and that would be awesome. I think most of my neighbors are gone all day and one neighbor is really questionable. As excited as I was before, now I am becoming terrified. Please Help Me!!!

 

[stacyeking]

Mine are out all the time with very little supervision. I count noses in the morning and evening and spend a few minutes before dark each day giving them attention, but we are not home at all during the day. Feet and fence checks get done on weekends. Brushing gets done when it is needed. They are horses and they are just fine in a secure pasture with plenty to eat and drink. I don't blanket. They have shelter from the wind and cold. You don't really have to worry yourself too much if they have a secure place to be with shelter, food and water.

 

[targetsmom]

I admit I am totally spoiled now because I work from home and can spend time with the minis during the day. But I have also had horses at home when I worked full time and was in grad school, so I do know it can be done. Having them in a turnout situation with shelter available at all times makes things SO much easier, as does not using blankets. In your case, I would try to find a high school student who might check on them after school and maybe do some chores too. I also highly recommend using a camera, which we do for our infrequent vacations. It gives me so much peace of mind to be able to keep an eye on things and even see them being fed, groomed, and exercised when we are many miles away. And since we use MareStare for this, in an emergency if we weren't watching, perhaps someone would call us to let us know.

 

[NoddalottaFarm]

I don't have horses anymore,

but when I did, mine were alone all day! My husband would leave for work at 5:30 am, and I left (when I still had a job...sigh) at 6:30 am. My husband gets home about 4:30 or 5 most days. If he had a late day, the horses would have been alone from 6:30 am, until I got home at 7 pm. I worked an hour and a half from home (everything is at least 30 minutes from us, as we don't live in town) so there was no way I could come home during the day to see them. It bothered me at first, but the boys were fine. They were outside most of the time, unless it was icy.... and I put them up at night because of the bad coyote and bobcat problem we have around here. I never had any problems with them being alone, though I know some people will disagree with me. I had quite a few people upset with me on a dog list because my dog was alone all that time too! (At least she had the TV all day!)

 

[Katiean]

I would not blanket them unless it gets really cold (single digets). Thats what winter coats are for. Also, is there any way you can make a paddock run off the barn so you can just open the stall doors? That way they could go in if the want and out if they want. I know this is not what they have been getting but it is better than staying in or out all day if the weather is bad. Horses will usually do what they feel best with in really cold or really hot weather.

 

[HGFarm]

Are your horses clipped requiring blanketing? I have never blanketed a horse- ever, unless they were clipped for a show and had to be. I hate doing it for the reasons you have listed- someone has to be there to take blankets off, etc.. I know many who never blanket their horses in winter, regardless of where they live. Horses have heavy winter coats and are quite hardy really.

I work about 40 to 45 minutes away with the traffic now- used to be able to make it in about 30-35 minutes. My horses are home alone all day. I have dog proof fencing inside another fence. I have never had any problems with horses being home all day while I'm at work.

I dont have a 'barn' per se.... they are all out in a herd environment in three different areas and have shade roofs to get under and a couple of trees too for shade, shelter, etc... If I lived in a climate where we actually had more 'weather' I would probably do a 3 sided shelter or something, but they would still be out.

 

[blueprintminis]

Mine are out all the time with very little supervision. I count noses in the morning and evening and spend a few minutes before dark each day giving them attention, but we are not home at all during the day. Feet and fence checks get done on weekends. Brushing gets done when it is needed. They are horses and they are just fine in a secure pasture with plenty to eat and drink. I don't blanket. They have shelter from the wind and cold. You don't really have to worry yourself too much if they have a secure place to be with shelter, food and water.

Ditto here, almost to the last detail. I think horses are happier when "unclothed" and free to be. I see mine out in the blowing snow or drizzle enjoying a good romp or just nosing around even though they have ample shelter and racks filled with hay. I work over an hour away from home, live alone, and do a quick feed and nose count in the am (still dark this time of year) and it is also dark when I get back down for a longer evening feed. For some reason, my horses are always so happy to see me!

 

[Marty]

Hey Misty, I"m caroling off the porch........can ya hear me over there on your mountain?

falalalala.........

Ok look, this is what I do. WEATHER SCANNER! Simple. Grab one at Radio Shack. You know these mountains of ours and our TV weathermen are a little goofy at times (way off by a mile is more like it) so I listen to the weather scanner. Whatever the scanner says it is going to do, its like 100% accurate.When you turn them out, make sure they have plenty of hay available for the day. That's what I do. I turn my horses out daily, no blankets as long as there is going to be no sign of serious big precipitation. No big snow, no crazy wind chill temps, rain, sleet, etc. And that is what I go by. We had flurries the other day though and they had a ball. If there is nothing big and bad predicited falling from the sky for that day, they are out. I just do not let mine get soaking freezing wet or stand out in the freezing driving winds no way. On days like that, they are fine and dandy staying inside munching on hay till I get home. I got a using barn to protect the horses from bad weather and that's what it is built for so use it.

As for Amos the donkey shivering, maybe he was wet to the bone when that happened or the wind chill was insane. Keep an eye on him if he does it again. If one of mine was shivering, by all means I'd be keeping him up in a blanket with hay. Sonny wears blankets too.

 

[Bren]

We work all day too. We have a solid routine and our animals are used to it and do fine. I head out each morhing by 6:30am and feed and clean and take the minis blankets off if the temp will get above freezing for the day. I know some say they don't need the blankets and if they were wild horses certainly they would not have them but... I only have 2 minis so I figure they don't have the herd to huddle with to keep warm. Maybe I am just comforted knowing they will be extra warm and snug. Our pot belly pig has a jacket too. : ) I leave for the day and we leave the barn gate open so the horses and pig can roam freely in and out. They are happiest this way. When my daughter Kate gets home at 4pm she heads out to clean the barn out and groom the horses and give them a nice walk on tandom lead. They are chuuby little mares and we know they do nothing but stand around all day gossiping about the neighbor's goat. LOL so we do what we can to get them moving a little. Kate feeds them by 5pm so when I get home at 6:30pm all is done and I can just head out and give them lovins before I have to get dinner done and homework with Kate, etc. This works just fine for us. Since this is our routine we purposely adopted two 10yr old mares so they would not be up to jouvenile antics while we were gone. I would worry more about a youngster or stallion, etc. I think you just have to know your horses and make things safe and comfortable so there are no worries all day.

 

[JourneysEnd]

They'll be fine !

I house sit for people all the time and the horses are only seen twice a day.

Make sure your place is as safe as possible. Don't worry about blankets. Even if they should need them it would be at night.

They'll be happier being able to see you every day.

Good luck !

 

[Jean_B]

Believe me - you should quit worrying!!

I used to live in a MUCH MUCH MUCH colder climate than Tennessee has (was in NW Wisconsin where we always had a couple of 30 BELOW nights ....and even had a stretch of 30 days where the temp NEVER got above Zero.

My horses were outside 24/7. They all had access to shelter. They RARELY used it!! And I never, EVER blanketed them (unless one was sick - but because they were outside, this rarely happened...they stayed much healthier). They were often walking snowdrifts. They grew so much hair they looked like woolly yaks, and coupled with the pile of snow on their backs (which did NOT melt) they were very comfortable.

The only concession I made to the cold temps was to feed a LOT more hay - as hay is the fuel to keep them warm.

 

[Leeana]

I had dad put a spot light on my barn, one pointing toward the roundpen & pasture ...and then one pointing towards the entrance and mare pasture. Sometimes i get home at 10pm...11:30pm..midnight and right now, it just feeding at night ext..but come this spring that is going to be 2 hours in the evening working horses ext so out at the barn until 1am maybe, so the spotlights will come in handy big time.

You have NOTHING to worry about...your schedule should fit into everything just fine. I try to get as much done as possible when i have day time off work...then the days i have all day off i am BUSY at the barn stripping stalls...ext ext.

I use to have a solid rutine, that has went down the drain since i got this new job. Now its just i get done what i need to first so that is out of the way (feeding, cleaning stalls, water, turnout)...days i have off are MTG, mane/tail, grooming days too.

 

[dannigirl]

If they are wooly, they probably won't need blankets as long as they are healthy. You didn't say how many you have, but leaving them together in a pen with the ability to run into their stalls may not be the best idea. If they are in a pen, they can get away from each other when one gets a bit pushy. In a stall, one could get cornered and hurt. If you can, I would have a turn out pen with a lean-to that is closed on the North and West sides for them to run into. If they are like mine, they will stand outside against the wall on a nasty day, but they will have the option. With a setup like that, you could even leave them round the clock most days and just bring them in on really bad days. It also won't hurt them to stay in their stalls for one day (I give them hay to keep them occupied) if it is really nasty and you would rather they not be out.

If there is more than one horse, they will be fine with you spending time when you can.