Bringing in at Night for the winter

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Mickeymoo

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For the horses that are stabled at night over winter - When will you bring them in?

I was thinking when the clocks change unless it gets cold quick, then it may be earlier.
 
I've been bringing mine in at night for a week now
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Not quite sure why, other than I need practice mucking out a straw bed
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I was thinking about this tonight and I am still not sure.

It is dropping quite cold at night now but is still dry. I think I will wait till at least the end of this month and see how it is looking. The horses aren't clipped yet so they will probably be OK out for a good while yet, it's just a pain trying to get them to eat their OWN feeds in the field, will be so much easier when they are in at night!
 
I don't, very cruel and leave them out to fend for themselves.
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Yard rules used to be that they came in November 1st, out May 1st, but a lot depended on the weather and the state of the fields etc. A lot of us bought them in earlier for convenience if they were clipped and hunting.
 
I'm waiting for the clocks to change too - mainly because it will be dark at 5pm then and I dont want to be trudging back to the field after riding! i have been tempted to start now though but I am holding out so the winter doesnt seem as long!
 
I will bring mine in when the ground gets to the point that he has nowhere dry to lie down. At the moment, it's quite dry and the weather is ok.
Last year it was around the middle of October.
I have started bringing him in for an hour or so to give him a good wedge of haylage though as there isn't much grass now in his little paddock.
 
I usually try to put it off till the second half of October, the cold doesn't bother me, they can have rugs on, but when we get that driving rain and gales I like them to be tucked up dry and cosy
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I keep mine out for as long as possible and only bring in when the weather gets really wet and the field starts churning up. I do it to protect the field more than the horses!
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Mine is in at night now, been coming in for about a week. In the summer she is in during the day to keep her off the grass - now she's been relegated to the fatty paddock to keep her rotund boyfriend company but her work has increased, so she's in at night to get some hay.
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Ours come in end of October, once the fireworks start. There are houses near the yard and we inevitably end up with them regularly landing in the fields. However there was mention of them possibly going out again after bonfire night this year!

Genie's being clipped a week Saturday (blanket or full clip, haven't decided which yet) but she will stay out at night (rugged of course) until it gets too cold even with a rug on.
 
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Thak God for that Milliepops, I was beginning to think I was the only one
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[/ QUOTE ]

Well it does look like it's just you and me... but I don't 'do' peer pressure
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When my YO decides they have to come in at night. Last year it was probably about start of Sept but I think it was quite wet so it was about saving the grazing. Hopefully we can keep them out at night while its still dry. I'm not worried about the cold, will just put on thicker if it gets colder.
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Thak God for that Milliepops, I was beginning to think I was the only one
crazy.gif


[/ QUOTE ]

Well it does look like it's just you and me... but I don't 'do' peer pressure
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[/ QUOTE ]

Me too...sort of....mine come in every night of the year, what joy
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Ours come in during the day in summer and then they swap round for winter.

There is 4 of them in the field and we are quite high up - hence its cold and windy. Mick doesn't do weather of any kind bless, so he seems to round them up in the morning and its been a mad dash to the gate for them this week.

Mick normally tells me when he want to come in as he refuses to leave his stable.. bless. Shiney just follows the food. He eats everything that is given to him and will happily stand all day eating.
 
Not for as long as possible. I hate mucking out and he is far, far better off out. I am v hopeful with this new yard as apparently some were still out in December last year! Marvelous. I bought him a HW rug last year, so when he's clipped if he can still be out then he'll be grand. He's not even rugged at night yet, and I can attest to his toasty warmness as I saw him at 5am yesterday and 10pm the other night!
 
hoping to leave mine out to end of October and will rug before then and just leave out. She spent last winter right up until it snowed at christmas out with nothing on at the stud in a big group of them.
 
I try to wait until after the fireworks have died down, because I live close to a village, and my horse is calmer in the field than in the stable.

If the weather was terrible, I would be tempted to bring in earlier though.
 
My two will stay out for as long as possible which hopefully will be untill the end of october or untill they tell me otherwise! I have just started to feed them a small feed each twice a day and will need to offer them hay by the end of the month. But if we have a dry winter I will leave them out 24/7. Easy life!!
 
its my yard so I make the rules for the 7 of us but I have to muck them out so like TGM its as late as poss as I only do it to protect my fields!!!..normally seems to be around Nov 1st but depends on ground might manage a few more weeks if grass plentiful and its dry..i try not to have hard and fast dates..at my old place where I was a livery it was 1st Sept in at night and 1st June out 24/7 if you wanted but they had absolutely no grass at any time of the year....
 
I have 2 out 24/7 this winter and just my riding cob in!! will be soooo much easier than having 3 to muck out! all mine are natives though so winter out happily, but the cob coming in so i don't have to walk back up the lane in pitch black, and can ride straight from stable in morning on a clean dry horse!!
 
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