all year round 24 hr grazing v livery yard which makes your horse thrive?

[thinlizzy]

Having a conversation with my neighbour today,all last year and through winter my boy lived out no shelter, just trees rugged up from xmas one feed a day and hay and never any ill health etc, not a sniffle just me worring about him out in the blizzards.I then decided after winter to move him closer to home , to a livery yard and since the move since april he has been attacked and permanently marked off a bit from another horse , it grew back white
cut himself on a metal partition in the stable
had a bad back/lameness
discharge/cought respiritry virus
yard politics
livery yard has been bad luck me thinks accidents/viruses happen but isnt it starange he lived out all his life nothing happened then try to mollycoddle him, so to speak and all that .If you have experianced both how did you and your horse fair ?What did you think was best ?

 

[schneeko]

My pony used to live out and i've found he's been a lot happier since he's been in. However, he does now have a cough and that's annoying.

 

[abbieandfiona]

Pony always ill on a yard now in own place no more virus or cuts etc been sound for ages until fall whilst riding and is now a much happier mare!

 

[TicTac]

I would opt for 24/7 365 turnout over a stuffy livery yard any day. Providing the horse's needs are met, most are happier living out.

 

[Moggy in Manolos]

I would opt for 24/7 365 turnout over a stuffy livery yard any day. Providing the horse's needs are met, most are happier living out.

100% agree with this /\/\

 

[Oscar]

Mine live out 24/7 in the summer and are out at night and in overnight in winter. I personally feel that leaving horses out 24/7 in the winter is just plain laziness!! Horses in the wild have freedom to roam, they dont stand in mud, they can find shelter, roam and graze freely not only on grass but other things too. And they would cover miles and miles a day. Putting a horse in a few acres is very limiting to them and "un-natural" so those that preach being natural are talking poppy cock.

 

[Enfys]

I personally feel that leaving horses out 24/7 in the winter is just plain laziness!!Quite right, we are all entitled to our opinions and to do what we consider best for our own horses. You are also right about plain laziness, I hold my hands up to that I have 10 empty stalls in winter, no clockwatching-I can go out and come in when I like rather than having to rush back to turn out or bring in, no cleaning out etc, no bedding bills, total and utter bliss!

Horses in the wild have freedom to roam, they dont stand in mud, they can find shelter, roam and graze freely not only on grass but other things too. And they would cover miles and miles a day. Putting a horse in a few acres is very limiting to them and "un-natural" so those that preach being natural are talking poppy cock. My horses have free choice hay - I have no grazing in winter so they don't see grass for a few months, they don't stand in mud - because we don't have any, they have shelters to use - should they choose to do so, and if they wanted to they can move around. I don't keep them out because it is natural, just because, at this moment in time, it suits them and me to do so

Being a feral horse isn't all that marvellous in the winter. I had mountains butting on to my land in Wales and I can tell you that those poor little ponies suffer in a hard winter, they were nothing but skin and bones, very often out riding we would find dead ponies. I also lived and worked on Dartmoor for years and it was no better there either. No, I think the majority of our domestic horses have the life of riley.

 

[Enfys]

.If you have experianced both how did you and your horse fair ?What did you think was best ?

I think both methods have their merits and what may suit one horse may not suit another, same with owners. I don't believe that breed and age has a great deal to do with it, you'll get Tb's that are happy in a field all year and others that shiver away to nothingness and are begging to come back to their bedrooms after an hour. One of my arabians was a wuss and would run for cover at the first drop of rain, whereas my 19 yo arabian hates being stabled and thrives on being out all the time.

When I hunted alot it suited me to keep me horse in most of the time, he preferred that too as he liked being in (couch potato), didn't like being cold or wet, he was also bullied. So in was good for us at the time. Aside from that we actually had no choice, DIY yard and the rules were in at night 1st November to 1st May (or whenever the fields/weather ruled)

Now, I have my horses in my back yard, it suits me (being idle) to keep them out 24/7. As long as they are happy and healthy then it works for us. Some are rugged, some tell me in no uncertain terms that they don't want or need rugs.