Use the navigation bar above to access articles and more discussions on this topic.
| Author |
Message |
    
Lisa Mathewson
Member
Username: Lisam
Post Number: 72
Registered: 7-2000
| | Posted on Friday, Sep 29, 2006 - 2:28 pm: |   |
Hi everyone, I am hoping to move my 20 y/o mare from our current boarding barn (which has dry paddocks) to one with pasture. The barn to which we're most likely to move has the horses out 24 hours, then in 24 hours -- alternating days to cut down on herd size. What is your opinion of this schedule? Would it be hard on their guts to adjust back-and-forth each 24 hour period?
I have talked with the owner and I believe that she will transition my horse onto pasture very slowly (starting with one hour a day), so that is not a separate worry. My worry is just about that 24-hour on, 24-hour off thing.
Thanks in advance!
Lisa |
Robert N. Oglesby DVM
Moderator
Username: Dro
Post Number: 16760
Registered: 1-1997
| | Posted on Sunday, Oct 1, 2006 - 10:21 am: | |
Though I agree not ideal, most horses are kept up 24 hours for a period occasionally then turned out and do just fine. Some horses may be more sensitive to this than others however.
DrO |
Lisa Mathewson
Member
Username: Lisam
Post Number: 73
Registered: 7-2000
| | Posted on Monday, Oct 2, 2006 - 2:50 pm: | |
Thanks Dr. O. I figure it's going to be better than her current arrangement of having 10 hours/day in a small paddock without grass, but we'll see. My horse does tend to get stiff when she's kept in, but I am hoping to ride on days when she would otherwise be in all day.
Lisa |
Robert N. Oglesby DVM
Moderator
Username: Dro
Post Number: 16773
Registered: 1-1997
| | Posted on Tuesday, Oct 3, 2006 - 9:20 pm: | |
That is another consideration Lisa. If your horse has trouble standing in a stall due to lameness issues this may not be the best deal. Do you think it is arthritis or chronic heel pain (navicular) syndrome?
DrO |
Lisa Mathewson
Member
Username: Lisam
Post Number: 74
Registered: 7-2000
| | Posted on Tuesday, Oct 3, 2006 - 9:54 pm: | |
My vet's diagnosis at this point is just "prone to stiffness," probably related to some age-related degenerative changes that we haven't localized to anywhere in particular. She was lame on her RF for a while and we couldn't figure it out at first (her RF navicular bone shows very mild degeneration on x-ray, LF mild-to-moderate), but I had her ultrasounded (discussed here) and we found she had an impar ligament injury. With ECSW and shoeing changes, she has been moving beautifully for about a year now.
She is sometimes in now for 24 hour periods during bad weather, and with careful warm-up she does limber up. Harder on her on the 48-72 hour stretches that sometimes hit when the paddocks and driveways are too icy to even hand-walk. It is certainly something that I am concerned about.
Thank you, as always, for your input.
Lisa |
