anybody wintering out with NO shelter??

Ted's mum

Ted's mum

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am hoping to build one on the weekend in my field...but do any of you winter horses out with no shelter - there is shelter from trees in my field but the leaves will be falling off soon so thats no good....I have a welsh cob, 6 yr old mare who is fat and will be rugged and fed everyday!

what do you guys think?
 
All 3 of mine live out and get rugged when needed (still all out naked at the moment) they have a fairly high, thick hedge. They have hedging all around but they shelter along the tall hedge. I would be worried if there was no hedge and just fencing. Mine are always warm and dry, they always have enough food and water.
 
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I've wintered horses out before without a field shelter, but there was natural shelter available in the form of woodland adjoining two sides and thick hedges (inc holly) along the other sides. I wouldn't have been keen on wintering them out without any form of shelter at all, either natural or manmade. Do you have hedging around the field or is it all fenced? They don't necessarily need overhead shelter as such, but something like a thick hedge to stand against when the wind and rain are coming down almost horizontally.
 
They`ll be fine,a full neck rug would be better to stop that awful dripping neck syndrome,I think that is quite chilling.I know TBs that winter out rugged with no problem whatsoever.This is a NATIVE type of horse,so more than able to cope.Horses these days are very mollycoddled.
 
My retired boy winters out ina field wihtout a man made shelter. But like others mentioned they do have good thick hedging all round and the land is dipped so the wind doesn't really hit it.
They haev rugs and hard feed and hay if necessary.
He's wintering better this way than when he was stabled at night.
 
EAST KENT said:
They`ll be fine,a full neck rug would be better to stop that awful dripping neck syndrome,I think that is quite chilling.I know TBs that winter out rugged with no problem whatsoever.This is a NATIVE type of horse,so more than able to cope.Horses these days are very mollycoddled.
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yes I am just a worrier...will feel sorry for my poor girly out in bad weather when I am safely tucked up in bed at home!! I may even give in and put her on livery....see how it goes methinks..I just hope it is going to be a dryish more cold winter than wet.....xx
 
mine lives out 24/7 365 - last year she wintered out - full clipped and hunter fit - in a field with no field shelter - only a slight dip that she could have hidden in and a line of mature trees along one fence - and yes their leaves dropped - she was fine and dandy with good rugs and ad lib hay and i never found her trying to shelter under the trees or in the dip!

this year however i've moved her and i now have a 7.5acre winter field with undulations and lots of large mature trees - i feel happier knowing she has more natural shelter - i'm not even contemplating building one ;) again she'sll be full clipped and hunted from the field :)
 
Yep. Bella doesn't possess a rug other than the one Mother Nature gave her :p She is in the process of growing it at the moment and will be wintering out with just natural shelter and ad lib hay. Once we start feeding hay then she will also get a hard feed once a day.








Oh and she is a Sec D x :D
 
EAST KENT said:
This is a NATIVE type of horse,so more than able to cope.Horses these days are very mollycoddled.
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You do have to remember though that wild ponies are free to roam and seek out shelter, whereas domesticated horses are confined to their own field. I don't think horses need a man made shelter but they do appreciate somewhere to get out of the worst of the rain and wind, whether that is from a few trees, some hedging or the undulation of the land. For example, if you had a flat field on an open hilltop and fenced with just post and rail all round and with no trees at all, it will offer no natural shelter whatsoever and I wouldn't want to winter out an animal in such a place without providing a shelter of some form.
 
Yeap my lad is out with 4 or 5 others, all cobby hardy types. He'll be rugged because he'll be clipped out soon and bought in for a couple of hours in the day to have feed and hay but otherwise he's out and about 24/7 without a field shelter. First 3 years I had him at home unrugged and no shelter and everytime I was a panicking mother and would run out and check him if the weather was bad he would look at me like I was insane and carry on eating!! He doesn't 'do' stables so why waste my time and money, and last field shelter he had I can't say I ever saw him in it..well unless I put hay in it of course!!!:D
 
I'm sure she'll be fine after all she's a Welsh cob, so long as she's warm and up to weight.

I've wintered TB's out before with no shelter, of course rugged up and well fed there just as happy outside, yes do get the odd one that likes their creature comforts but horses are better out than in living the natural way. :)
 
thanks all...my field has hedges and a small amount of natural shelter within trees etc...she will have heavy rug with neck on and will be fed haylage and hard feed everyday! x
 
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