advice on turning out a throughbred

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jordanross

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Hi i currently keep daphi in at nights and was wondering if she could stay out all night? I have a stable, but just thought maybe she could stay out whilst the weather isnt bad. it would save me ( lazy me) having to muck her stable out as much. lol

Obviously if she,d be better brought in still at nights i,ll keep doing that. but she seems happy enough out. Im not sure if i should or not.
 
My darling ISH (read wimp!) is out at night , has been since May and she loves it
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ETA - She is mainLy TB
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There's no reason she cant stay out all night too. If it gets a bit chilly and you're worried about her losing weight, put a little sheet on her.
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Yep, it's fine to leave them out. It is better for them too, as horses should be eating pretty much constantly so staying out helps the gut keep moving. My competition horse lives out in the summer, and would live out in the winter if it was at all possible too!
 
Ok great. so if i rug her up she,ll be ok? do i continue feeding her at tea time ( 1 meal a day) and what about the hay she normally gets when shes in the stable? will she need that when shes out or will the grass be ok? what im thinking is, maybe to buy another horse to kep her company one that could live out all year round though. what kind of horse would be ok with that? Its just daphi isnt ever going to be the best horse to ride. ( leg problems it turns out) so i was thinking.... buy another horse to ride and keep daphi that way they can be company for each other. so its a win win! I loe her to bits and even if i couldnt ride her EVER i wouldnt be able to get rid of her now. shes great!
 
Yes she will love being out in the fresh air and free to roam around graze to her hearts content, its what horses do!

She'll not doubt also look forward to coming in on an evening too once she in a routine, if you have plenty of grazing then you could leave her out 24/7, just keep in eye on her weight and the weather, if she needs a rain sheet on or just a fly sheet etc.

Also making sure that she does not gorge herself, if the grass is lush, you must introduce her slowly to prevent laminitus, so a few hours a day so she does not get much....if she's used to being in all the time and your field has alot of rich grass, so just be careful.

If its not cold and there is plenty of shelter, then you may not even need to bob a rain sheet on, depends on her coat and what she is used to.

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I have 2 TBs & an ISH and they've all been out 24/7 since the end of April. She'll be fine out. Just keep an eye on the weather & if it forecasts rain/strong winds you can put a sheet on her, it's not really cold ATM but I still can't see the point in a horse getting soaked through when it doesn't need to, so a light rain sheet will do her for nights if needed.
 
I need to buy a rain sheet then!
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I feel kind guilty about doing this. and it is purely for her sake more than mine ( honestly) lol ...


I just want her to be out rather than stuck in her stable! she does love going out. and it does free alot of time up for me.

thanks guys... god what would i do without you! lol
 
Cobby types cope best with living out during winter but watch for lami in summer. I would feed hard feed as normal and hay really depends on how much you have got. I have a lot of grazing so don't feed hay but do feed the hard feed as normal.
 
I use my rain sheet on my horse about 3 days a year - certainly right now the temp would have to plummet for me to even consider it! It is a spring/autumn fixture only - you can cause as much problems with a too hot horse as anything else.

Don't feel guilty - what is the point in mucking out for the sake of it? Horses cope just fine in fields, honest, they were designed to do it! Crikey one of the reasons mine lives out is to save money so I can afford to event him!
 
LOL - Bob is an archetypal wimp of a TB but even he stays out at night now we have decent weather
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I do tend to put a rain sheet on him if it might be cold (he is the first horse I have owned who will stand and shiver
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) but otherwise I treat him like any other horse - he prefers to be out
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I look forward all winter to chucking my lot out. And come May 1 they are all out and will stay out now till probably about November provided it doesn't get too wet and muddy. They are TB's and sports horses. Too right I love my lie ins in summer and only bring them in if the weather is relentlessly wet ( like the last two summers) or they come in for a few hours when it's too hot. I don't feed most of them - just leave them on good grass 24/7. The others will have a small feed with their suppliments or drugs as required but all do far far better on grass than anything else. You spend far too long mucking out through the cold dark months to have to do it all summer. She'll be fine and don;t feel guilty - just enjoy your spare time - winter will come soon enough.
 
Why on earth would you NOT turn her out! Sorry, but I never understand it when people automatically stable a horse. Its way healthier mentally and physically for your horse to live out. You dont need to bring in ever IMO! Mine all live out 24/7 ALL year round, that includes a woosy Luso x TB who came from Portugal! As long as they have access to shelter, modern day rugs are more than enough to deal with ANY UK weather.
 
You/she will be fine. There's enough work to be done in the winter without having to do it in the summer!!

When I first brought my horses home from being in livery, I was too scared to leave them out all night for the first year, thought they were going to get stolen or something equally as daft
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but knowing how much work is involved when they are stabled make the most of the summer months because she'll probably be in a lot more during the winter. Not sure how much grazing you have but if there's plenty you can cut out/or right down hard feed and hay but keep an eye on her condition obviously.
 
If she is going to be out 24/7 it is even more important she has company, horses are herd animals and stress if left out on there own even if they don't show it.
 
my tb stays out overnite as much as possible and he loves it. if its a little bit cooler i'll put a rain sheet on and take it off in the morning. I want him out 24/7 during the summer because the winter is long enough. He does feel the cold tho. The last few days he's chased me to the gate to come in during the day to get away from the bloody horse flies, hence a new purchase today.....a fly rug (he trashed his old one!)
 
If you're worried about her being cold, a good tip for testing this is to feel her ears. As long as the base of her ears are warm she's fine, if they're cold she's cold. Armpits as I call them (the inside of the elbow joints) are another good spot to test. You'll probably find that even a TB like her will be fine most of the time out in the summer and will only need a sheet to keep her dry rather than warm.
 
My thoroughbred is out 24/7 rugless
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He is fine, and will only get a rainsheet on if terrible weather is forecast (and only to save me the grooming the next day
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My tb is in his late 20s and he lives out all year round. He has a rain sheet on when it is really hammering in the summer but is naked the rest of the time. It's nice to hear from you again!
 
defo turn out...i have a cob and she has been out since april.

As wellas less work mucking out it helps keep teh costs down in teh summer as not paying for bedding or hay..

I have to watch how much grass she gets mind but this is when we acn enjoy each others company as I can spend the time with her now instead of rushing mucking out....

This winter i am going to stable her but leave her unrugged as she needs to loose weight still. (there is no field shelter)
 
Don't feel guilty...I'm sure she'd rather be out as nature intended than in a cage, which is really all a stable is.
Has she any shade/shelter in her field such as hedges/trees? If not then maybe she can come in for a few hrs during the hottest part of the day or when it rains hard.
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Horses will let you know by standing at the gate or running up and down the fence line if they aren't happy to stay out. Don't forget the flies if you have a problem with them, as they can make turnout a complete misery. There are lots of mesh rugs and face masks, sprays and feed supplements (like garlic) to help against the pesky things.

Company can make all the difference between them wanting to stay out or come in. Maybe a field-shelter (a portable open-fronted shed thing which can be re-located as it has no floor and is on skids) would be an idea if the field is exposed and watch any rugs or sheets she wears aren't exposed to barbed wire as it shreds them.

Keep an eye on her weight and reduce or supplement the grazing if you have problems in either direction. Feet still need picking out daily and a once over for any lumps or bits missing she may have today, which were not there yesterday.

Again lots and lots of excellent tips above
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Keep asking those questions and you'll get plenty of answers
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