Now that Disco is home, we are figuring out winter turnouts. Last winter, we kept our 3 horses drylotted all winter because we seeded the pastures in October (which worked out beautifully). This winter, we have 6 horses, and so we had to choose which of the paddocks and pastures we wanted to sacrifice and which we wanted to grow grass in and rest.
It's no easy choice. We have 3 bigger pastures that grow a lot of grass well, two paddocks that don't grow grass well despite getting the same treatment as the others, one drylot and one drylot around the barn. We also have a stallion to keep separated, so he and Connor are unavoidably in a pasture I would love to rest over the winter but can't (long term pipe dream: build a drylot in the stallion paradise pasture), and we only have shelters in two pastures and the barn drylot.
In the end, we decided to sacrifice the two paddocks, which can be opened up to the drylots and to each other to make a pretty decent sized area.
So, a couple weeks ago we opened up all the gates and chucked the non-Connor/Disco herd of four out there. They were turned out together from April until the end of August when we had to split them up due to drought, so I didn't think things would be THAT wild.
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| F***** horses. |
Lesson learned. Even previously integrated herds need to be re-integrated in wide open spaces. Which, after this incident, we promptly put the same four horses together in the big field and they've been just fine for weeks after, go figure.
Fortunately, there wasn't so much as a scratch on any of the horses involved, and even better, most of the fencing materials were able to be re-used. The best boarders and significant others ever dutifully came out the following Saturday to put it back together, which required just a knife, a Sawzall and about 45 minutes of work.
I complain a bit about this white fence, but on the whole, it has been great to us. Generally it breaks before the horses do, it's easy to work on, and it requires no maintenance at all unless you feel like pressure washing several miles of fence (I mostly don't, although I'm often tempted).
Here's hoping that's the most interesting thing that happens to us in winter turnout this year!
Horses, man. They can be so destructive and dramatic.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, no one told me when I built the farm what a PITA fences would be. Always fixing something with the fences... And it doesn't matter what kind of fence (I've had a few varieties...) the horses always find a way to break them. I do agree though, better the fence break than the horses!
ReplyDeleteA new (extremely valuable) arrival to my yard once pulled down the electric fence between him and Thunder (also rather valuable) during my guys' lunch hour and on one of the rare occasions I wasn't around. Somehow, the only casualty was Thunder's fly sheet, which the new guy removed and absolutely destroyed. Also several years off my life when I realised what was going on lol
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