Help! Horse breaking through fences!

happy_bunny

Member
Apr 12, 2008
466
3
18
St Mellons, Cardiff
It all started last week, I couldn't find her in the field and had to hunt through two other fields before I found her - YO told me the next day that she had barged her way through 3 fences to get in there :frown:

So for the rest of last week the YO brought her in with the others (we think she did it when she was left on her own til I got there) and all was well,. The fence was properly repaired at the weekend with new posts and rails and everything and today we put her out again to see what happened. I was mucking out when the last other horse was brought in and by the time I went to get her (literally about 5 minutes later) she had gone through the fence into the next field and actually broken the fence rail in half :banghead:

The YO is now getting quite annoyed (and I can see her point) but I don't know what I can do about it - any ideas?
For the short term I can keep having YO bring her in, but at £2 per day it soon adds up and I can't keep doing it forever... :help:
 
I really feel for you. Caymen was a nightmare at our previous yard, ripping down fences everytime I put him out. I felt awful.

Is there not a "bring in last horse" rule on your yard? I know you only left her 5 mins but it was 5 mins too long!

One of the horses at our yard cannot be last out the field or she goes nuts. we all know to make sure she is 2nd last.
 
The YO is funny about people bringing other peoples horses in - if she sees anyone do it then she will charge me as if she has done it because in the rules it says that you can't do anything for anyones horse but your own :(

My friend who used to get there about the same time as me used to bring them both in if the YO had already gone home or leave her out if YO was still there, but she has moved to another yard now and everyone else seems to bring their horses in at about 5.30-6pm and I usually don't get there from work til at least 6.30

I think another yard move might be in the offing if I can't solve it tho
 
The only thing that stopped my big brute of a cob was this but purely by accident:-

He used to barge through and jump through post and rail fences all the time until one day when the bottom of the paddock was fenced off with electric tape. He tried to jump the tape only he only got his front legs over the tape so the electric tape was underneath him zapping his belly. Then it went "bang". He won't go near any fences now that have electric on he is terrified of the electric.

Good lesson learnt me thinks.

Sorry not much help.
 
The YO is funny about people bringing other peoples horses in - if she sees anyone do it then she will charge me as if she has done it because in the rules it says that you can't do anything for anyones horse but your own :(

My friend who used to get there about the same time as me used to bring them both in if the YO had already gone home or leave her out if YO was still there, but she has moved to another yard now and everyone else seems to bring their horses in at about 5.30-6pm and I usually don't get there from work til at least 6.30

I think another yard move might be in the offing if I can't solve it tho

Oh that is a tough one! Thats crazy that nobody can help each other but I guess that is how she is making her money.

I think that I would be considering a move.

Good luck, I hope you get something sorted.
 
I would move, imo the YO is more interested in making an extra £2 a day than the safety of a horse. Who you have dealing with your horse is up to you, how she can enforce rules like that ? is it written in a contract ?

I dont think its fair that a hores that isnt ok with being left on its own isnt brought in because YO states only the owner or YO can deal with the horses. As long as the horses are safe it shouldnt matter who brings them in.

I would worry about the damage that could be done if you were to not be able to get to the yard and your horse was out on it own for any period of time and the YO wasnt there to get her in.
 
The YO or one of the other staff are always there up until about 5-6pm as they have quite a lot of horses on full livery so there isn't an issue with them bringing her in as they just do it the same time as the others. Other people can bring the horse in but I will still get charged for it if it isn't me.

The main issue I have with it is that they yard is already quite expensive and paying an extra £2 per day every day is soon going to add up to a big chunk of extra cash and I am trying to save up money to buy a house next year so I can't really afford it.

I think putting some electric up for a bit might be an option but it looks like she is charging through the fences at speed so I'm not sure it would have much effect...
 
That is a tough one- I would have the exact same problem with Rhia if she was left on here own. The big livery yard I was at had a rule that you don't leave a horse alone, so you always ended up bringing in the last 2 together- which suited us but if Rhia got down to the last 2 she would think she was being left and jumped out anyway and bringing herself back to the yard.

I ended up moving yards to a place with more structure and we all bought in together. Which isn't very helpful really. I suppose I just wanted to say I think your YO is being rather unreasonable. Horses shouldn't really be left on their own in my eyes.
 
Possible solution!

I have found a yard almost next door to the one I'm currently at which does grass livery for £15 per week and the horses are all out 24/7 and a couple are retired - if I move there I can save myself a small fortune (currently paying £35 pw plus hay/shavings etc) and Lily will never be out on her own :biggrin:

It also has toilets (current yard doesn't), and there are a few pens in the field if I need her to be in for any length of time; it is a working riding school as well and I would get discounted lessons; liveries are allowed to ride in all the fields (not allowed at mine) and they have a bridle path running through their land which will take me into a whole new hacking area :happy: Sorry I'm gushing a bit - just got back so I'm all excited and I talked to OH about it and he doesn't really get that it would make any difference.... :yellowcarded:

The only possible issue I can think of is that they don't have any space for tack or anything so I would have to find space at home to keep all Lily's stuff - I think it is doable tho

Can't believe this place has been there all along and I only just found it...
 
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