Advice for having a horse out 24/7?

[notsoluckyhorseshoes]

Don't have a horse yet but if it helps, I'm planning on getting a Welsh D youngster.

I've been considering having a horse out 24/7 as I know some people who own the grazing yards quite well and feel more comfortable being with them plus it makes things a little more affordable.

I know not many of these places have their own storage rooms so I may buy a trailer as a tack shack.

Just need a bit more advice I know the costs will be cheaper than a stalled horse but I don't know how cheaper is cheap!

 

[laura_nash]

Mine has to be out 24/7 due to his dust allergy. So much depends on the setup it's difficult to advise really. I don't ride in winter, but that's as much to do with me just not wanting to and lack of facilities for riding after dark as the living out part. What questions do you have?

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

It depends on the grazing the size the ground itself makes a huge difference if its grazed continually, how many horses are on it is there any shelter or stables on site for use it's all important.

I wouldn't leave tack in a trailer in a field it will get stolen.

You will save money on bedding but you may need to hay them through parts of the winter it all depends on how much grass there is.

 

[notsoluckyhorseshoes]

It depends on the grazing the size the ground itself makes a huge difference if its grazed continually, how many horses are on it is there any shelter or stables on site for use it's all important.

I wouldn't leave tack in a trailer in a field it will get stolen.

You will save money on bedding but you may need to hay them through parts of the winter it all depends on how much grass there is.

Yeah I've been looking at fields around here that do need hay during winter so that's £60 and I'll probs keep the trailer at my place I've got a little space or keep it at the yard I work at that has parking lot for trailers. The place I am really wanting to have a horse at has 15 acres and 4 horses

 

[windand rain]

Firstly it won't be cheaper as the costs and work are much higher. Unless of course your friends charge considerably less than most yards,
Secondly you need properly secured storage for tack feed and hay
Thirdly you do need to have at least a clue on how to manage the land and make sure contracts tell you exactly what you are responsible for.
I hope you have a great time with your new pony and it all goes well

 

[notsoluckyhorseshoes]

Mine has to be out 24/7 due to his dust allergy. So much depends on the setup it's difficult to advise really. I don't ride in winter, but that's as much to do with me just not wanting to and lack of facilities for riding after dark as the living out part. What questions do you have?

I'm not really sure on questions as I'm still trying to do a bit of research on grazing liveries haha but I suppose what is the monthly costs? I'll probably have hay during winter which would be £60 per haylage depending on how the grazing livery works (If we all buy one each or split for a massive bulk ect.) And vet stuff but again I'm not toooo sure. It is a bit underwhelming for me tbh lol even if it is quite simple. I work at a yard with 80 horses with 40 on full livery to now soon hopefully getting my own with a field and not too much things hope that is okay Nd makes sense

 

[SEL]

Just make sure they have a dry, preferably under cover area you can bring the horse into for vet or farrier appointments. It's also worth checking if there is a stable for emergencies.

It's probably about £10 pw cheaper around here if you don't have a stable and then you save winter bedding on top of that. Trouble is we're clay soil so unless it's a farm without any facilities but lots of acreage then your horse is on poached mud very quickly in winter.

 

[Muddy unicorn]

Going from your other posts OP, I think you’d be better off getting lots more experience with horses before trying to keep a youngster (whether it’s a section D or a haflinger…) on a budget. However you keep a horse it will be much more expensive than you think, and you will need a lot of support from your parents to make it work while you’re still in education. It’s lovely to have dreams and to work towards them but it’s good to have realistic steps on the way to achieving your goals.

 

[laura_nash]

I'm not really sure on questions as I'm still trying to do a bit of research on grazing liveries haha but I suppose what is the monthly costs? I'll probably have hay during winter which would be £60 per haylage depending on how the grazing livery works (If we all buy one each or split for a massive bulk ect.) And vet stuff but again I'm not toooo sure. It is a bit underwhelming for me tbh lol even if it is quite simple. I work at a yard with 80 horses with 40 on full livery to now soon hopefully getting my own with a field and not too much things hope that is okay Nd makes sense

Well my monthly costs are negligible, but I generally have enough grass to not need much hay and get my hay very cheap from my neighbour in bulk during the summer.

My up front costs are very high, what with buying and fencing the land, building field shelters, repairing the tractor and buying the kit to go with it, buying some cows for cross grazing and repairing the cattle race, putting down hardstanding etc.

If your looking at grass livery can you have a chat with an existing livery? They'd probably be best placed to give an idea of costs. Remember that circumstances change and some horses don't suit some setups, if you can only afford a horse at a specific yard you can't really afford one, or you have to be willing and able to sell on if things change (something I would struggle with).

IMO you need the option of a stable (or field shelter with a gate over the front) in case of sickness or injury, or at least a plan for that even if it means changing yards. You would also need to be able to afford a box rested horse for at least a month, just in case.

If money is tight you would need to insure for vets fees, which is a fair amount a month, I don't but I have savings.

 

[ihatework]

For me, the things that make having horses living out over winter a pleasure rather than a depressive chore are the following:
- Acreage and ground type, if your horse is wallowing around in mud it’s not fun for them or you. Plus it can be very stressful if you are then trying to get them clean enough for farrier or god forbid they get mud fever.
- really good shelter so they can get out of prevailing weather
- easy access to get hay delivered
- hard standing area
- access to emergency stabling, with lighting

 

[Gloi]

Where we had ours out had once had some cabins on the land which meant there were areas of concrete scattered round the field. These were brilliant for haying them on and saved the field from getting as muddy as it was otherwise . The worst times were when there were long periods of frost , having to make sure to regularly deice the water.
Our ponies all natives always stayed healthy and content.

 

[rabatsa]

Some shelter, natural or otherwise is a must. A hardstanding area is a necessary luxury. The rest can be worked around, not always pleasant but do-able.

 

[Waxwing]

Having spent last winter with a share in a field with no running water and no electricity I would be checking the water supply for any field and make sure you have contingencies for lighting if and when required; we invested in some good head torches with rechargeable batteries. The horse I was sharing had a field shelter but didn't like being in it so although there was a dry space available for grooming etc I ended up not using it as the horse was happier outside. I was originally going to put my horse on DIY but ended up on full livery and having costed it out; especially taking into account petrol costs and the fact I would have needed to find and pay someone to turn out or bring in three to four days a week I don't think it would have been much cheaper. I like and need the flexibility full livery gives me; my job can be unpredictable and sometimes I have to respond to situations at short notice that I can't leave to go and sort the horse out; less of an issue in summer but would be a problem now. I spend go up to the yard four times a week at present sometimes for two or three hours and others for the whole day and this works well at present. Obviously everyone's situation and preferences are entirely individual; but DIY options are always significantly cheaper than other types of livery. I appreciate this would differ from area to area.

 

[Fransurrey]

The only thing you'll save on is bedding, unless you choose to add it to the shelter they're in. In this area, grass is just as expensive as stabling, as the YOs are twigging that people will pay more for the extra turnout grass livery brings with it. Considerations of how you will deal with common conditions such as thrush, mud fever and abscesses are a must. You will need access to some sort of dry and hard standing for dealing with those. For storage I wouldn't use a trailer, even if it's at home. Aside from security, the tack will go mouldy and if you need to use the trailer, you'd have to empty it out, first. Also, consider where you'll dry rugs/boots if you have them.

 

[Jango]

Completely depends where you live as to costs. I've currently got a mare turned away and the livery is £65 a month. On top of that I need to pay for large bale hay (split 6 ways) for 3-4 months over winter, trimming, wormer and any vet costs. It's way cheaper than any DIY stabled livery yard I've found as you would typically feed some hay most of the year and pay for bedding too. BUT most fields like this don't have many facilities, we have a hard standing yard the farrier can do their feet on, hedges and trees for shelter, the farmer sorts the water (but we will need to smash ice in winter). All the 6 horses in the field aren't in work, there's nowhere to ride at the yard and it's on a bend on a main road so too dangerous to hack out.
I also have my main riding horse stabled on a different yard, so in an emergency I could swap them so the little mare could have the stable.

If you mean a 1/2 yo youngster this kind of set up would work well, but it's probably not ideal for backing a 3/4yo!

 

[milliepops]

For me, the things that make having horses living out over winter a pleasure rather than a depressive chore are the following:
- Acreage and ground type, if your horse is wallowing around in mud it’s not fun for them or you. Plus it can be very stressful if you are then trying to get them clean enough for farrier or god forbid they get mud fever.
- really good shelter so they can get out of prevailing weather
- easy access to get hay delivered
- hard standing area
- access to emergency stabling, with lighting

this.
I have 5 that live out. the 2 that have these facilities are a pleasure to look after. everything is easy.

the other 3 that have only a small shelter and otherwise natural shelter only, it's much more awkward and i would not want to be riding from there, mine are retired. Vet visits are annoying as there's nowhere to wait or tie up, farrier has to be scheduled for periods of dry weather so they aren't wet and the ground isn't soggy etc etc. likewise moving hay bales around etc.

 

[Cecilrides]

My 3 live out almost all of the time however I do have access to stables and the reasons I bring them in which might be worth considering are:

- feeding time - they all eat at different rates and varying levels of greedy so can’t all be fed in the same field without fights / missing out. You might not be planning on feeding but something might happen requiring some sort of medicine or supplement in a feed - you might at least need somewhere to tie up out of the field

-fireworks - I know some horses are fine out / better out but I worry they will bolt so I prefer to keep mine in.

- vet / farrier

- when they inflict some field injury on themselves which although not serious needs keeping clean from the mud for a few days bandaged in the stable (eg slicing off part of heel by overreaching I kept him in for a few days)

riding straight from the field - washing off a sweaty horse in winter with nowhere for it to dry before having to rerug and put back in the field I never found to be particularly ideal.

 

[notsoluckyhorseshoes]

Very good reasons!! I know somebody who has a field but want to get a school and a few emergency stalls with just a simple field gate on it so it isn't as enclosed if that makes sense
I'm hoping I can offer to help build those when I get a horse if I am able to keep it there

 

[Not_so_brave_anymore]

Getting your first horse is so exciting, but you really do need to set yourself up to succeed. Getting yourself a youngster and sticking it out in a field will inevitably lead to issues- issues that experienced horse owners could deal with, but which would likely break a novice owner. Like, when it's blowing a hooley and you don't have a nice, safe, calm space (stable) to feed and change rugs, and you're trying to deal with a riled up youngster out in a slippery muddy field.

As an absolute minimum, you need somewhere flat and hard for the vet and farrier, ideally under cover.

Dealing with horses at a big yard with good facilities (even just sturdy fences and gates that open easily shouldn't be taken for granted) and well established routines is such a different kettle of fish from dealing with a youngster by yourself in a muddy field.