Winter Survival Guide

Midnight_Ashes

Midnight_Ashes

Active Member
Apr 1, 2008
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County Durham
Well the weather is definately more "wintery" than "autumnal" today, so I thought I'd start a Winter Survival Guide thread! Maybe the mods will even make it a sticky ;)
Add your hints and tips for surviving winter...and not going bankrupt in the process!

Here are mine:

Put hay in a dustbin and add a kettle full of water and put the lid on - steams your hay to keep the dust down.

Save time on a morning changeing rugs by investing in a good quality, breathable turnout rug and leaving it on in the stable - just be sure to remove it at least once a day to prevent rubs etc. After a wet day, the rugs will dry better on the horse's back than it will on a rug rack!

If you're short on time during the week, just remove the droppings and put fresh straw on top, leaving your big muck out for the weekend - it leaves you more time to ride.

Sudocrem or any zinc+castor oil cream is great for treating wounds and mud fever, and is a fraction of the cost of "horsey" creams. It makes a good preventative barrier cream for heels too.

Leather headcollars won't retain water (and are safer for turnout) so if your headcollars are left out in the open (on field gates etc) then investing in a leather one means no more stinky, soggy headcollars. If they get covered in mud, just hose them off and towel dry. You can get cheap ones on ebay for little more than the price of a nylon headcollar.

Feeding zinc capsules can help support the skin and reduce the risk of mud fever - it is the main ingredient in things like NAF MudGard - mine get 4 of Tesco's own "1 a day" zinc tablets.

Using a summer sheet as a base layer means the inside of your rugs stay cleaner for longer, as the summer sheet can just be washed in the machine, leaving your horse's coat cleaner too.

Adding warm water to feed (or soaking beet/nuts in it) makes a nice treat for a cold wet horse.

Try not to hose the legs off - the bacteria that causes mud fever gets in through cracked skin; the constant wetting and drying of the skin caused by repeated hosing off results in chapped, damaged skin which is a breeding ground for bacteria. It is much better to leave the mud to dry and then brush it off.

If applying a barrier cream, ensure legs are dry beforehand. Putting a barrier cream onto damp skin creates the perfect environment for damaging bacteria!

To stop feeds/beet freezing, put the bucket inside another (larger) bucket or box filled with straw, and cover. I used to put my morning haynet on top for added warmth.

Ski grease is apparantly the best thing for stopping snow balling in shod feet - my saddler recommended this and I will be trying it this winter after no success with vaseline, cornucresine and every other greasy substance ever made last winter.

Only clip if necessary, and give the right clip. The more hair you take off, the more rugs you need put on and the more feed you need to provide to maintain weight.

I will add more as I think :)
 
Make sure your boots are waterproof - I stood for three hours last winter trying to do fencing with a hole in my welly - doesnt make a happy person or a happy day!

Always have waterproofs in the car for the "downpour" the weatherman missed.

If no time to soak or steam nets, try feeding from the floor - much quicker and solved our dust problem - and weigh hay in an ikea bag and so it doesnt go everywhere :D

Dont groom :giggle:... leave them to dry and brush off as little as possible to keep grease in :D
 
Always keep a torch handy in your car or tack room in case of power failures or to find ponies in the furthest, darkest corner of the field!!

Invest in some decent pairs of thermal socks, I get mine from Millets and they are fab!
 
Goodness PFB have you never heard of plastic shopping bags :eek: ,always wore 'em in my wellies when wellies began to leak. I don't know young people today :biggrin:
 
Have a mini horse kit in your car, even tho we keep ours at home, I have lost count of the amount of times I have struggled in horrible wet, dark and cold conditions trying to bring them in from the field or do some kind of horsey chore NOT wearing the correct stuff, ie, gloves and waterproofs! (I should go to the house first but it is always tempting to cut corners and save time on the way home from work!) I always make sure I have a spare warm coat in the car, decent waterproof gloves and boots and if possible one of my spare riding hats. Torch of course is a necessity!!!

Pimple palm gloves at £2.99 are great for yard chores specially if you put rubber gloves on underneath (pimple palms are usually plenty stretchy so go over the top of rubber ones easily). Voila, no more wet cold hands!!

Make sure no matter now darned tired you are the morning before or in the morning before work you get all your worst chores done in the daylight, get those nets filled, you'll thank yourself for it when you return after a hard days work - the less you have to do the better! Don't be tempted to muck out or try to in the pitch dark if you don't have the luxury of lights, make the effort in the morning - tis worth it!

Spare things are essential like lead ropes. I hate wet lead ropes but in winter it just happens, they are awful, so I make sure I have plenty on the go then one can be drying out etc etc whilst the other is being used.
 
Make sure you have spare batteries for your torches too, nothing worse than having a dimming light - its dangerous too!

Keep some various lengths of baler twine cut up and ready where you can get them easily in your tack box - they are brilliant for emergency tie-ups, during the nastiest weather you might need to tie up somewhere that you don't normally. (I know a lot of people don't use baler twine to tie up but we do and haven't had any problems, as it always breaks if either of ours spook). Of course, baler twine is essential for tying back the top boxes on your stables - make sure you check these before the winter sets in - you don't want them blowing shut and frightening your horse or worse, injuring them.
 
Another thing, make sure your first aid kits are up to date and full of useful stuff. The silly season has already started for our pair, last night Joe came in with another cut requiring bathing and creaming. He also pulled a shoe (well, OH had to get it off) as it was loose, so ex farrier equipment if you can lay hands on its a good thing.
 
1. Colander and hammer for breaking ice in water troughs and sieving it all out with out getting wet.
2. Cylindrical water carriers like the ones for caravans with a detachable metal handle you can pull it along with.
3. Thermals thermals and more thermals
4. Head torch
5. If you're going straight to work after checking them in the morning get a pair of oversized trackie bottoms on over your trousers so you don't get covered in mud and can pull them off in the car. (anything for an extra half hour in bed IMO!)
6. Trapper hat - better than a hood for mobility in the field and keeps hair from flying away in wind and snow.
7. Steal your dad's huge waterproof jacket and keep in the car so can put on over your own jacket to keep you nice and dry.
8. Keep an old towel in back of car for emergency dry off situations.
9. Pen off a section at the gate of your field using electric tape so you always have a non muddy area to prep stuff and keep your hay in if like me you have a live out 24/7 neddy.
10. Get one of those tiny tiny walking stools to sit on when you want to spend half an hour in the pitch black just listening to your horse munch hay. Love it!!
 
These tips are great :smile:

I will get a couple of cheap summer sheets to use as liners - the inside of Frayne's rugs always end up really dirty and will save on the cost of having them cleaned.

I can second the advantage of feeding hay loose on the floor. I fill haynets, so I can weigh the amount of hay fed and also leaves the correct amount ready if someone else feeds them for me, but then just empty the contents out. My vet recommended it when Frayne had a respiratory tract infection last winter, and it is must better for her topline rather than having her head stuck in the air (which is what we spend ages schooling them to prevent!). The hay isn't there long enough to get trampled into bedding.

Winding up torches - I have them everywhere and they are brilliant. Never need to worry about batteries.

Keep a really deep bed (unless you have rubber mats). It saves on mucking out in the long run, as the bed stays a lot cleaner. I see so many people scrimping on bedding thinking it will be cheaper, but then they have nasty wet beds and end up having to remove most of it. Straw/shavings/hemp -whatever - they all benefit from adding more.

Thermals - I wear mine whenever it is cold (they fit under jods or breeches). A neckwarmer is also essential.

I often have a warming pad on my back because of my health - but it really makes any time spent outside more comfy, especially if you are standing around at a show. They are not expensive and the heat lasts all day.

I am actually looking forward to having no flies around. They seem worse than ever this week.

Ali xx
 
Yes, totally agree with Enduranceali about making a nice fluffy deep bed, it does last longer and saves a lot of time, particularly in the winter when daylight is short. I find if I make a nice deep bed at the weekend it does tend to last properly all week and I just have to take "the top off" and pick the poop out.

Also love the sound of the wind up torches, I have a wind up radio, must look out for a torch that winds too!
 
Some of mine prob have loads more

Have spare socks and clothing at the yard, and a towel for you if you get soaked. Dry foot ware also is handy.

Keep a torch at the yard and in the car.

Keep a charger for your mobile at the yard or have a car charger just in-case you ever get low batteries and need a vet.

Wet rugs dry easier on your horse, but if there damp inside air over something.
 
brillaint guide, great ideas and tips - many grateful thanks.

just one thing :

Midnight_Ashes said:
.

Save time on a morning changeing rugs by investing in a good quality, breathable turnout rug and leaving it on in the stable - just be sure to remove it at least once a day to prevent rubs etc. After a wet day, the rugs will dry better on the horse's back than it will on a rug rack!
Click to expand...

Am I the only one who cringes a little when they see people do this? I KNOW horses aren't people, but I would hate to have wear my soggy coat all night indoors until it dried off, and I am sure it would make me feel chilly whilst it dried - latent heat of evaporation and all that science. Just IMHO. I know plenty do it with no apparent ill effects.
 
whitby which said:
just one thing :

Am I the only one who cringes a little when they see people do this? I KNOW horses aren't people, but I would hate to have wear my soggy coat all night indoors until it dried off, and I am sure it would make me feel chilly whilst it dried - latent heat of evaporation and all that science. Just IMHO. I know plenty do it with no apparent ill effects.
Click to expand...

Why don't Weatherbeeta make winter coats?!!! Why am I always soaked to the skin and she is all toasty and warm under her rug?

If you have the space to store it well(I have a spare freezer) I make up a few days feed in advance, particularly if I am going to have any early starts or late nights for work in the week - then I just add my sugarbeet and supplements. Also I take a flask of hot water with me to add to the feeds on cold mornings/evenings for a bit of a warm up (or if this winter is like last winter to defrost my sugarbeet despite its layers of insulation)!

I also prepare my hay in advance - a bale lasts me four days so split it straight into four haynets, one goes into stable the other 3 I store in a wheelie bin. (Wheelie bins are very useful for storing and keeping things dry outside I have discovered..)

Everyone has their favourites but I like spray Stockholm Tar for her feet.

For those of you with mobile field shelters/stables that like us are not exactly close to a water supply put a trough at the bottom of your down pipe (we actually added extra down piping to the back of our stables) for your water buckets. We did this last winter and it was a godsend not dragging water up to the stables from the mains supply!
 
I poo pick on the worst weather days (preferably ice so the barrow doesn't sink in) that I wouldn't ride on and ride for longer on the other days if I can.

Invest in a twin wheeled barrow for poo picking in the fields as this is less prone to sinking into mud.

Ditto the tip about a hammer and a sieve - don't be tempted to leave ice broken up on top of the water as it will freeze over quicker.

Keep a close eye on the detailed forecast. It maybe that the weather will be ok in the morning and pants later so time your visits accordingly.
 
Trewsers said:
Have a mini horse kit in your car, even tho we keep ours at home, I.
Click to expand...

LOL

Just made my son "muck out" the car as we are going on Holls on Thursday. He dumped loads of ropes and headcollars and gloves and general horsy stuff in my workshop.....then I made him go and put half of it back......as you never know when a rope or headcollar or gloves or.........may come in handy.
 
Trewsers said:
Yes, totally agree with Enduranceali about making a nice fluffy deep bed, it does last longer and saves a lot of time, particularly in the winter when daylight is short. I find if I make a nice deep bed at the weekend it does tend to last properly all week and I just have to take "the top off" and pick the poop out.

Also love the sound of the wind up torches, I have a wind up radio, must look out for a torch that winds too!
Click to expand...

You are very lucky to be able to do that.

My Trakehner stirs his bed up with the poop and wee so that in the morning it looks :eek:

I once put down a nice fluffy bed for him, about 5/6 bags worth and it last him 2 days!!

He is so so messy. Would cost a fortune and a hell of a lot of work.

Now he just gets a sprinkly at the back of the stable on top of rubber.

I would love to see a big cosy bed for him but just is not practible.

Luckily my other 2 are very tidy.
 
whitby which said:
brillaint guide, great ideas and tips - many grateful thanks.

just one thing :



Am I the only one who cringes a little when they see people do this? I KNOW horses aren't people, but I would hate to have wear my soggy coat all night indoors until it dried off, and I am sure it would make me feel chilly whilst it dried - latent heat of evaporation and all that science. Just IMHO. I know plenty do it with no apparent ill effects.
Click to expand...

Mine are always dry, warm and cosy under theirs and I always do it over winter. Maybe it's different if they are just in LWs or something, but mine wear stable rugs under their turnouts and they have excellent quality turnout rugs which breathe etc.
I'd rather have a damp top layer and be toasty underneath than have all my clothes removed out on the yard when its minus 15C and have a rug put on that's freezing cold and clammy cos it's been hanging in the tack room all night :p ;)
 
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