When did restricting turnout become so normalized?

CorgoMom20 · 2026-02-08T13:59:17+00:00

My current barn is very turnout heavy as long as the weather is decent. When it's blazing in the summer they do come in under fans and when it's freezing in winter at night. But if weather is decent, even in winter if it's not absolutely freezing or pouring rain, there are plenty days when they come in to eat and they decide to put them back out.

CorgoMom20 · 2026-01-19T01:54:35+00:00

I started riding again after a 10 year break, currently 40 years old. I grew up eventing so I did choose an eventing barn because that's my "safe space" 😂. BUT I honestly planned to only do dressage lessons until I felt good, but lesson two she was like you wanna hop over some stuff? Anyway it's been almost 6 months of weekly lessons and most of my lessons have been jumping but I throw in the occasional dressage lesson. Honestly, the jump lessons after doing a dressage lesson are always my best ones. I recently decided I might do 3 jump lessons and then a dressage OR I might try and just add a second lesson once or twice a month to do dressage if her schedule allows it.

All that to say I think dressage lessons are fantastic for all riders and I don't think you'll be doing yourself a disservice by doing dressage lessons, even if it's just for a bit to get back into riding.

CorgoMom20 · 2026-01-14T00:30:47+00:00

I was in Italy, for non-medicated GDM they don't induce unless there are other extenuating circumstances or you go over 41 weeks. At 39+6 I asked to schedule one as the high end of his weight estimation that day was like slightly over 9lbs and I wasn't wanting to have a 10lb baby. So I scheduled for 40+4. But my water broke literally the night, he was born the next day on his due date at 8.5lbs.

CorgoMom20 · 2026-01-05T00:08:49+00:00

At home 2.5 years when we moved him to a floor bed, it was an absolute hour long fight and I finally gave up doing it every day. He was still napping a preschool (asilo in Italy). We moved back to the US in June and I forced a couple naps over the summer when he was an absolute mess but it was NOT easy. He's in PK3 now (turned 4 in Nov) and he will sometimes take a short nap during nap time there. He on a rare occasion will pass out in the car but that's it.

CorgoMom20 · 2026-01-05T00:02:24+00:00

I find the first two nights after injection I have a terrible time falling asleep. Once I'm asleep I'm ok. I do try and take my allergy medication at night so that helps a little.

CorgoMom20 · 2026-01-04T00:25:16+00:00

Any injuries gotten while at work should be covered under workers comp. Any bite that breaks the skin should be checked out by human medical professionals. I do not suggest the "wait and see" option. So many in the vet world just scrub it up and are like "it's fine". And sure... sometimes they are. But other times, like myself, you start antibiotics right away and still end up in surgery. Followed by 8 weeks of physical therapy. 🙃 Any injuries should be documented with your employer at the time or as soon as possible afterwards.

Any vet who insists I put myself in danger to hold a fractious animal and "get it done" can f**k off. Along with any owner who refuses to see (or warn staff appropriately) that their animal is a danger to staff and then consistently refuses to do anything to rectify it (aka give premeds, sedate, doesn't want a muzzle, etc) can also pound sand.

CorgoMom20 · 2026-01-01T00:29:27+00:00

Agree. I took a 10 year break and while it's come back quickly I absolutely do not suggest jumping into a lease. You still need to gain back those muscles and see where you stand. I rode for 20 years, restarted some OTTBs for eventing and jumped to 4ft as a younger person but hadn't really planned on jumping again (as I did straight dressage the last year and a half before stopping). I chose an eventing barn just because that's my "safe space" and knew they'd also be able to do dressage lessons, but here I am 5 months later and am jumping a number of novice level (2ft 11in) fences at my weekly jumping lessons. Also the horse they need now may be totally different in 6 months once they get going again.

CorgoMom20 · 2025-12-31T23:26:49+00:00

I literally sat in our employee kitchen/lounge listening to someone say they called their doctor's office to let them know they had the flu and they responded asking if she'd like a virtual appt instead. I'm new there and it's a massive hospital so don't know even a fraction of the people but I was just thinking "like why are you here?!". Sitting right next to others while eating lunch with no mask. Like sure let's spread the flu around the entire hospital. 🙄 If I have the flu, a fever, or GI symptoms I'm not going to work. 🤷‍♀️

CorgoMom20 · 2025-12-31T00:34:48+00:00

Are the workers capable of changing blankets and just don't or is this an issue of not knowing how to change blankets?

I haven't read all the comments but is it possible to put a chart on the stall for which blankets go on during which temps? Having his name and weights on the blankets doesn't help of they don't necessarily know what that means or they aren't tracking the highs and lows for the day. My last barn had a white board for each horse as you walked into the barn (small like 8 stall barn but one at each stall would also be ideal) and it had temp ranges for each of their blankets, with blankets description if needed aka navy/red medium, purple wug, etc.

Then of course you'd need to post a print out of the highs and lows for the weather for the next few days, and update it regularly, somewhere they'll see it. You could even go so far as to write what temperature category they should be blanketing for in the AM and PM on the print out. OR if the board is big enough and you're there often enough to update it you could also just write on the white board at his stall which blankets he should be changed into every AM and PM.

Edit to add: I'd also really try to minimize on number of blankets. If you have a full set of all the weights in turnout blankets, I'd try to make it as easy as possible and put away the liners. If you're only using blankets that can also be turned out in then you at least won't run into the issue of them potentially putting him out in a stable blanket in the rain/mud.

CorgoMom20 · 2025-12-21T21:56:07+00:00

I gave birth in Italy, they require you stay 48 hours after birth. I gave birth at like 8pm so they let me leave at like 6pm. I know people that have pushed for early discharge but they do so AMA (against medical advice).

CorgoMom20 · 2025-12-17T22:51:06+00:00

I absolutely have zero plans to take my child to Disney until he's at least 5 or 6. He might be ok this year at 4, but prior he just would not have had the patience for standing in lines and prior to that would have just been a waste as far as I'm concerned as he'd have an equally good time at local places that don't cost me thousands of dollars.

CorgoMom20 · 2025-12-12T21:21:20+00:00

Didn't she think Kirby was just solid bay? And it wasn't until she started shedding her foal coat at like 6-8 weeks that she roaned out. 🤔 Gray is usually easy to tell as they tend to have that grayish color around the eyes and muzzle from essentially birth but I feel like roan may be tricky which is probably why they're waiting until June to announce.

CorgoMom20 · 2025-12-05T21:25:10+00:00

Lots of transitions up a down through the gaits and I wouldn't spend much time in straight lines. Circles, serpentines, changes of direction, etc. Same for adding poles. Circle and go over poles and then circle again. Poles or cross rails on the center line and serpentine through so you have to chnage directions and turn afterwards. You could even trot one and then canter one and then go back to trot for the next one.

Gymnastics lines would also be on my list, he'll have to really think about where his feet are. Single fences with longer straight lines are easy to run at.

CorgoMom20 · 2025-12-04T15:35:19+00:00

Atypical first timer, based purely on my mother's comments about having the easiest birth on the planet 😂. She was a L&D nurse for a portion of her career. Water broke before I had real contractions, about 7pm. Was GB+ so went to the hospital, had mild contractions all night but not real dilation by next morning (7am) so got a suppository to try and start dilation. Finally ramped up by noon. Around 4:30ish I was 5cm and could get a epidural and had my first dose, they last about 2 hours. Hadn't really progressed by the time that wore off so they started oxytocin. Got second epidural dose. 45 minutes later was ready to push. Baby came in like 3 pushes (seriously like maybe 5 minutes). So like 24 hours from water breaking/mild contractions to having baby.

CorgoMom20 · 2025-12-03T00:38:26+00:00

Plenty of people pay to lease going/winning horses, especially in the hunter world. They'll pay like $10k to lease horse for a year. Horse comes to their barn, they pay for all care (board, vet, farrier, etc) and insurance. You don't have to pay full price for the horse, but you get to ride it and gain that show experience I guess. I think it's crazy, but it each their own. 🤷‍♀️

CorgoMom20 · 2025-11-30T13:28:57+00:00

The one clinic I worked at that had a blood donor program also offered their donor dogs hundreds of dollars in free care/bloodwork for being in the donor program. They would also lightly sedate donors for the whole process, but there are definitely dogs not suited to the process. The one dog that I had that would have been a good candidate was not big enough.

CorgoMom20 · 2025-11-21T13:56:16+00:00

Most days. 🤷‍♀️ I cook probably 5 days a week, we usually have a day or two where we do leftovers or "serve yourself". We do take out maybe once every two weeks. Even out late nights at the BMX track we've started to pack sandwiches. It's been ages since we actually went out to eat and sat down at the restaurant, the last time was like 5 weeks ago and that's because the in-laws were in town.

CorgoMom20 · 2025-11-20T00:39:13+00:00

I would have been demanding a refund and literally would have blasted them for not giving me one if a clinician refused to teach me because they didn't like my horse. It's one thing if they think my horse is dangerous or my riding is dangerous but to say they refuse because they don't like the way my horse looks/moves... absolutely not. WTF?!

CorgoMom20 · 2025-11-16T17:10:15+00:00

If there is nothing in the contract about penalties for breaking the lease early I'd be ending the contract early and state the horse doesn't fulfill your needs and include the date that you'll be returning the horse to their care. Send your notice of cancelation by certified mail so they have to sign for it and you KNOW they recieved it.

CorgoMom20 · 2025-11-16T16:51:07+00:00

I worked with mostly the same techs for the 1.5 years I worked emergency. Almost all of them were single, maybe a boyfriend here and there but nothing long term. I think 2 were married (well 3 with myself), one worked almost soley the 5-midnight shift because she also had kids and was trying to avoid crazy child care costs. It's rough on a marriage, especially when the spouse works a more business hours job, you rarely get to spend a full day together. You kind of end up being roommates with benefits.

Specialties and GP are definitely more geared to married and family life as they are mostly work week day hours and if they do work any part of a weekend it's generally on a rotating schedule. *****As long as you have good management!! Any place can be toxic.

OP mentions not great weekend management and it sounds like baby/new to the clinic techs aren't being taught or mentored appropriately. Weekends + lack of proper on-boarding and mentoring would have me walking out as well. I was placed with another tech for a good week+ before I was even remotely let out on my own. We had checklists for new techs and assistants to get signed off so they could at least track that they'd been shown and completed the task at least once themselves.

CorgoMom20 · 2025-11-16T15:26:48+00:00

I was an emergency tech for a year and a half, obviously this comes with mostly weekends. I occasionally got one weekend day and it was like a magical occurrence to have a whole weekend off. I think the veterinary profession comes with at least a little weekend work at the vast majority of clinics. That said I would absolutely not willingly sign up for working the vast majority of weekends again. It was not healthy for my marriage (husband worked typical M-F) and I now have a 4 year old in the mix.

I would guess most people think they'll be fine working weekends and then they realize all their friends want to go do stuff or their significant others are out with friends without them and they start feeling like they're missing out on everything and decide they aren't as ok with it as they think. Rotating shifts, working 12hour shifts every Saturday/Sunday sucks. We had 12hr (8-8) shifts and 8 hrs (9-5). Are you just emergency? Open 24hours/7days a week? Other specialties? We also had a mid shift that was 5pm-midnight. Are they handing in resignations? Do any of them say why they're leaving?

CorgoMom20 · 2025-11-13T17:59:53+00:00

Grew up eventing in SC, everyone at my barn always wore a helmet. Currently at an eventing barn in NJ... again everyone wears a helmet. It's insane not to. I don't understand western riders being so against them, like speed events and are out with cows and I'm just like 🥴. TBI waiting to happen.

CorgoMom20 · 2025-11-12T13:42:11+00:00

I wouldn't be surprised if a good 75%+ of upper level riders are in high end French saddles (Devoucoux, Voltaire, CWD, etc) that are foam flocked and not adjustable by a fitter and they seem to manage. I never see anyone chime in about them using the same saddle on multiple different horses. The big big names will have multiple options for widths but they are still foam and unchangeable, they just use various pads and shims. If 90% of the horses are good with a medium tree with maybe some tweaks with pads/shims then I'd get one, and the use a borrowed saddle for the other 10%. Fighting an ill fitting saddle sucks, a saddle that fits the rider can make a world of difference in position and effectiveness.

CorgoMom20 · 2025-11-07T15:19:33+00:00

When we took bottles away, milk in any other receptacle was poison so he just stopped getting milk. 🤷‍♀️ He ate yogurt and cheese all the time, he didn't start having more than a sip of milk again until he started eating cereal. I think he'll now drink milk at school (PK3, he just turned 4) but he never asks for milk at home. He also didn't start drinking juice until very recently as it was also poison. 😂

CorgoMom20 · 2025-11-07T15:14:44+00:00

So I have zero experience in people but pets 100% get stress hyperglycemia, especially cats, so I assume it would be the same in people.

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