Top Hunter? Dressage Queen More Like!
“Yep, this is about warm enough”
I am a firm believer that horses should be treated as horse, not expensive china, and should be turned out in all weathers and at all times of year. Obviously you need to rug it appropriately, but restricting turn out to protect “my little precious” is not my ethos.
However it turns out that oh-so-tough Irish hunter, Monster, also has a caveat, and that is “but only if the horse wants to go out”.
Ever since I got this creature, born and raised on the Emerald Isle, a land not noted for it’s dryness she has hated rain or cold and has been a bit, ahem, wet, about staying out.
As we are now in one of the wettest winters since horse-ownership began turn-out has already been heavily restricted, but it now transpires that even two hours twice a week is too much for her to bear. She is obviously pacing to come in, and twice now I have brought her in with minor lameness. The irony is that this has caused her to miss two weekends hunting, which she longs to do whatever the weather.
Whatever my opinion on winter turn out that of the horse must come first, and if Monster wants to stay in, then she can stay in.