Am I the only one who thinks a horse should go out daily

C

coen

Well-Known Member
Joined
23 July 2009
Messages
716
Visit site
I am beginning to think I am the only person who thinks horses should go out daily...even in the cold.

I spent ages this morning trying to get someone to allow me to put their horse out with mine. Some people are turning out every other day, others only a couple of hours per day ect which I just don't understand as we have great turn out.

Last week nothing was turned out as fields covered in snow so I would think people would make the most of the thaw before the cold spell returns but no.

Someone actually looked at me like I was crazy this morning and proceeded to tell me they don't think its fair for the horse to stand all day eating freezing cold grass.
I am of the opinion that it isn't fair to have him standing all day in a little cell with no exercise.

So am I crazy or are they.
 
My horses live out 24/7 so no I don't think you are remotely crazy. Unless there was a serious chance of injury then can understand people not wanting to lead horses out across skating rinks. Other than that I'd say put them out everytime.
 
They are.

Mine go out every day whatever the weather. They're more likely to injure themselves having a mad turn around the paddocks after being kept in for days on end than going out every day even in snowy conditions.
 
They're mental, I've had the same problem at my yard every winter. I want mine out, nobody else turns out because it's cold/wet/muddy. Does my head in.

It's different just now though, as our fields are a bit of a trek from the yard, and it's so icy you would be taking your life in your hands just trying to get there!
 
Oh you are definatley crazy..horses should spend all day shut up inside under their duvets.
No, actually I completley agree with you. My horse has been in 10 days and I am desparate for him to go out! Even just to stretch his legs. Its my only real bug bear, I want daily turnout.
Interestingly horse is normally awful when stuck in, but he's been an angel, doesnt seem grumpy as he usually does, its almost like he knows he's better off snuggled inside instead of sliding around on the ice outside!
Roll on the big thaw! I just wish it would sodding get on with it!
 
Grrrrrr... this annoys me so so so so much!
Obie has atleast 10 hours out in his field everday with his buddies.
If there is a sprinkling of snow, people don't turn out. It's only snow for goodness's sake!
People complain here that it must be horrible for them eating frozen grass... THEY'RE HORSES FOR GOODNESS SAKE, my house does not act any different in this weather.
 
doris2008 said:
Oh you are definatley crazy..horses should spend all day shut up inside under their duvets.
No, actually I completley agree with you. My horse has been in 10 days and I am desparate for him to go out! Even just to stretch his legs. Its my only real bug bear, I want daily turnout.
Interestingly horse is normally awful when stuck in, but he's been an angel, doesnt seem grumpy as he usually does, its almost like he knows he's better off snuggled inside instead of sliding around on the ice outside!
Roll on the big thaw! I just wish it would sodding get on with it!
Click to expand...

my horse has a duvet :o lol

On a serious note.... no you are not crazy! The only reason I would keep a horse in would be for some kind of medical reason or it being dangerous. In the snow my boy only goes out for a few hours other wise he just stands at the gate with a face like a slapped bum chewing the gate :p
 
And so another debate starts!! ;)

No you're not the only one, I recently moved yards so mine could live and, yes even in this weather!!

They needn't eat frozen grass - they eat hay in the stable, they can eat hay in the field.

Last year when I had to stable at night I had to go out and buy several sacks of road grit so that the walk to the field wasn't on ice, but rather this than slide all over. The other 11 liveries benefited but didn't contribute financially!

This is another subject where opinion is very divided. I don;t agree with horses being kept in, but I guess there are worse things in life....?
 
I think horses should have turnout no matter what the weather but I can understand how difficult it is on yards with rules and regulations. I am lucky as I rent a field and can do as I please so my lad is out every day...even when the snow was over his knees! He would go crazy stabled all the time, especially as last year the snow did not go for many weeks!
 
My 2 live in a small covered barn and has a fenced off coral outside about the same size. but i still try and get them out when i can, although 1 is prone to mud fever so they dont go out in the mud, but the ground is solid! keeping a horse in will only upset it, and make it more likely to injure itself when it does go out
 
I think all horses should have at least 4 hours out a day unless they are on box rest for a medical reason.
I like my own to have more than that though, they go out every night for 10 to 14 hours regardless of the weather.
 
Mine have been in for one day in this weather and that was because i couldnt get them up the hill to their field...they are now being walked on the grass verge to get up and down so out from 6am until 6pm :D
 
I agree with you to a certain point but there is more to it than that.

Some horses may do themselves an injury if they hoon about, not all are sensible enough to walk or turn out in the snow.

Access to water, pipes an ball cocks maybe frozen.

Some YO's won't want the responsibilty of turning out peoples horses should they slip or may not want the snow and ice being packed down on the grazing, makes a big difference when you have 5 horses trampling it all down, it only makes it hard and uneven and ruins any grass underneith.

Some horses may get bullied if turned out with other if large bales of hay have been provided so then there stood around not eating anything anyway all day long or more likely to get injured, so owners prefer to keep them in, least there not getting a hefty vet bill, if there all in all together it's not always as bad as it looks.

However I'll put my hands up, mine have been going out, my lad would climb the walls if he was kept in for more than a day and I will go out of my way to make sure they can go out no matter what the weather throws at us, but everyone is different just like everyones yards and horses are. :)
 
No you are not crazy! When my horse was on schooling livery whilst I was recovering from my accident the woman who owned the yard told me that really she ought to be stabled at night in August!!! I thought she was going to get the RSPCA onto me when I told her that Tilly had actually lived out in all that snow last year because at the time she was on grass livery.

It seems to me because she has a lot of TB in her people asssume she can't cope with the cold but the tiny bit of cob in her seems to keep her nice and snuggly and when I attempted to keep her on box rest for a week she nearly knocked the stable wall down so out she goes for at least 7 hours a day!!
 
Ahhhhh yes the little known fact of "horses do actually melt in the cold/snow/wind/rain/"

PLEASE!

If you can get your horse safely to its field then it should go out in any weather IMO. I would do my utter best- clearing snow/ice/gritting/defrosting water troughs to ensure a horse in my care wasnt stuck in its stable for more than a day!
 
I agree with Kenzo (and some good points raised). However 2 of 4 of mine hate being stabled and the other two like to go out for a bit and then come in - one of them is an oldie and is better if he can move around. I am lucky that we are on a flat piece of land and have rolled big rolls of hay into the field. I also get them out whatever the weather. They have loved going out and on weekends come in at 4 ish. However during the week they only come in at 6 (after work) and on Tuesday night even had ice on their whiskers and eyelashes and I did feel a bit bad lol.

One of my friends who I have stabled with in the past has a rather steep track down to her grazing and its just too dangerous if its icy to get down.
 
I totally agree. My biggest bugbear not turning horses out.

I listen to people keeping their horses in for whatever reason & I just bite my tongue, it is mainly for their benefit but they convince themselves it's for their horse's (now I'm not tarring everyone with the same brush before all my mates that read this attack me lol), I have no doubt various people keep their horses in for various genuine reasons but I think a lot don't.

Mine are out 24/7, they would usually be in at night but can't come in atm. Even in the worst of winter though I try & keep to a 12hr in, 12hr out routine. I find this way the horses are chilled, well behaved, not getting into trouble, not going mental when they are let out, not arguing with their field mates, not getting totally bored out of their heads couped up in a stable. I wouldn't want to be shut up in my smallest room for numerous hours a day.

I know a few horses that are not particularly nice people, are always getting themselves into trouble & when I look at their routine I don't wonder why.

My fields get trashed in the winter, so what, they recover, horses are well rugged, well fed, well checked on, no reason why they should be couped up for hours & hours on end, I don't believe they are happy at all kept in.
 
Mine live out 24/7, no matter what their breed or what they do. I'm pretty shocked how people seem to bring horses in by default - why?! Horses were designed to live out. Stables are TINY compared to the size of the animal - you wouldn't keep a dog in a small cage for hours on end (at least I hope people wouldn't) let alone days on end just because the weather isnt wonderful.

IMO my horses are happy and healthy. Having seen livery yard horses (when competing etc.) I have noticed how many bare their teeth at me and the other horses... they're extremely stressed but people just think their horses are generally grumpy natured.
 
Thank god I am not completely unreasonable.

I understand the implications of having them living out in the bad weather may be harder to deal with but in my case and many others the horses are out in the day in during the evening, the yard makes no rules its down to owners to decide, and there isn't any need to put out extra hay as plenty of grass.

So why do people think their horses are happier standing still in a stable?
It would be great to hear from someone with a opposing view.
 
My horse will go out every day unless he's going to be knee deep in mud - and even then he only comes in for the sake of the field....

In the snow he sometimes only went out for a few hours but I'd never keep him in ALL day every day where I could help it.
 
I prefer as much t/o as possible, but the liveries are only getting about 3 and a half, to 4 hours a day at the moment, as there isn't adequate grazing and the yard isnt putting hay out.
However since buying my second horse, I can now turn both mine out together at 7.30am and chuck my own hay out for them :D With only one horse before I had to let the yard t/o as he didnt like being on his own, and those get turned out at 10.30am, which means mine are now getting an extra 3 hours! horrahh
 
hey all,

no i dont think your mad. My ponies are out 24/7 in summer ,and in winter go out during the day but come in at night. The horses seem to like this routine and i like to know they are safe and warm when it is freezing or pouring with rain in winter. Some i like after now last year were out 24/7 all winter, but they now come in and they seem very happy with this-they neigh and charge ovr to come in!!

People must remember they are HORSES, herd animals-something else that is so annoying- people that don't want their horse turn out with any other-how unnatural is this!! I think horses should have daily turnout, i don't understand why a horse owner would not want their horse outside being a horse rather than stabled...understand if the weather is terribl, but a few hours at least...maybe it a work thing-time consuming to swap rugs, brush, turn out bring in etc?? for some people...
 
My horses are out from 9.00am-4.00pm in mid-winter including my first horse now almost 32 who is in great form. He didn't winter well before I bought him and used to be stabled in the winter. He became such a handful that no-one was allowed to ride him!!

Before I had my own place I would never keep him at livery which had less than 4 hours winter turnout.

In truly appalling wet and wind, they still get turnout but may come in early.
 
I suppose its horses for courses in some cases.

If you turn out your horse and he turns around in the gateway and just stands waiting to come back in?
 
I think it depends on the horse tbh. Mine has gone out every day in this snow etc, although one day I nipped down and brought him in at lunch as it was really cold and he wasn't happy when I got there the previous night. I don't mind him being out in the snow - as I can't work him due to the school being frozen I would not like to leave him in. However, YO leaves hers in quite often cos of the snow and they are fine.

When the snow thaws out however, I will be keeping him in for a few days so his field doesn't get trashed as it will be really wet and muddy. He hates being out in the mud (stands at the gate all day) and I don't want his field ruining for the summer. He will go on the walker once a day and also be worked so he will be quite happy standing in munching hay.

Everyone does things differently and so long as the horses are fed, watered and exercised daily I don't think it matters if horses go out every single day of the year.
 
I don't think people choose to bring them in by default just because it's winter or dark nights etc, it's just the way many livery yards operate to enable them to manage the grazing better.

whilst I totally agree they should be out no matter what, when I had my own field mine were out 24/7 every day of the year, stables where there to act as a field shelter (if they wanted to go in) and a feed store, worked wondefully.

But not everyone has that choice if they are on a livery yard, not if they want a stable included in the livery package as well.
 
This is why I'm determined to get my own property with a little acreage before I get a horse. I've already asked several livery stables in the area about their winter routines, and those on grass livery throughout the year are brought in for winter and given two hours turnout a day. No ifs, ands or buts. I appreciate that this is an icy, cold region, with winter effectively lasting from November until April, but I fail to see why 24/7 turnout or even 12/12 fails to become a daily option, knowing that here people give hay year round anyway.
 
Brandy said:
And so another debate starts!! ;)

They needn't eat frozen grass - they eat hay in the stable, they can eat hay in the field.
Click to expand...

This.

Out, for a least a couple of hours with food. IMO injuries are much less likely to happen turning out every day for a short time on hard ground/in imperfect weather than keeping everything in for two weeks then turning everything out and them going ape and tear-arseing around when in thaws.
 
Nope not mad, my horses live out 24/7 all year round (well half do the other half have a rota of in at night out by day but thats due to 'issues' they have!) I would NEVER keep them shut in, they can eat haylage out in the field, they walk around so get exercise.
Im lucky and own my own land and stables so do as I please, but recently visited a friend who keeps her horse a a competition yard, it was stabled 24/7 due to the frozen ground and was going stir crazy as couldnt be turned out, one horse on the yard had been prescribed sedaline to calm it until turnout could be granted, i mean come on get a grip.
My horses regardless of age, breedor whatever, have not shrunk, froze to the spot or frazzled with heat yet, horses are waterproof if clipped do need adequate rugging, but sometimes keeping in all the time is not healthy for them they are herd animals at the end of the day.
 
Out as much and as long as possible all year round... is what I find best and to be honest my horsey seems to thrive on it too. Was at yard with quite restricted turnout for years then moved house and so moved to new yard and where we are now they can go out so much more and she is so muchhappier for it. Wish i could have done it much sooner. She is a light built TB by the way who in the past years seemed to really feel the cold but she currently appears stronger and happier than ever after having lived out for most of the summer and getting turned out so much ...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top