Can any horse live out 24/7 in winter?

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Parisexx

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Hi all had my mare 6 1/2 years, she is late 20s arthritic and retired. I am hoping to winter her out 24/7 for the first time this year to save costs and time as I'm pregnant. Can any horse live out 24/7 in winter? What things should I consider thanks all
 
I turned a pampered racehorse into a hardly out 24/7/365 horse. So he was well rugged in winter, had ad lib haylage, 2 bucket feeds a day and decent shelter. He was grand! He was better to keep moving as he had a dodgy hock.

So long as she is well fed, well rugged, has company and shelter she will be fine.
 
It does not save time if done properly, in fact it is harder work to carry hay to the field, push a barrow through mud to poo pick, picking out muddy feet, checking wet and muddy legs by feel as you can't see any injuries, changing and checking under wet and muddy rugs out in the field and carting the rugs back to cover to dry, break ice on the water trough at the very least twice per day if it is cold enough to freeze, if the temperature stays cold enough for any length if time you will have to cart water to the field, I have had horses living out 24/7/12 for many winters and it is not easier. I prefer mine to live out as i think it is more natural but it is a lot of work compared to mucking out in the dry under cover etc etc.
My vet says any horse can live out if you feed it enough fuel, it can be more expensive as they need to eat more to keep warm and keep weight on, many arthritic horses cope better as they can keep moving but a lot depends on temperament-will your mare be happy out in all weathers all the time?
 
It will probably be better for her arthritis and as long as she's well rugged and well fed she'll be fine. When a friend had retire her TB at the age of 23, she moved him from our yard as she didn't need facilities any more and it's quite expensive. He got turned out 24/7 in the middle of winter (I'd have waited for spring but she chose not to) and he was fine. He lived another 3 years very happily.

I would imagine mud fever might be a bigger issue than weight. If you can avoid that she'll be fine.
 
She has had mud fever before and does wait at the gate alot to come in in the winter but I think that's more wanting to come in for hay and feed x
 
Twiggy2, totally agree on time saving etc :)

I prefer mine to be out 24/7 all year round, but in the worst of the winter I save so much time by having them in overnight for exactly the reasons you mention above - water, poo-picking, hay carting, wet rugs/legs etc etc - despite me having field shelters in the closest paddocks it's too much faffing at 6am to go off the yard, so mine are out 6am - 6pm in the worst of the winter and then return mid/late feb/early march to 24/7 as soon as its dry enough underfoot & light enough for me to check properly :)

It's also far easier to manage any mud fever if it arises etc. I skip out on work mornings & then remove the wet at weekends as my current 2 are pretty dry.
 
Yes, it is good for arthritic joints to keep moving, but arthritic joints really don't appreciate mud, especially deep, clay mud. My mare had arthritic knees (amongst other things) and found the mud at the gate really difficult because she couldn't bend her knees enough to get her hooves clear. She used to stand on the edge and tug at my sleeve which was her way of protesting. She also wouldn't lie down to rest in the field (although she would roll) and coming in at night meant she got to sleep properly. The principal reason I had her PTS was to save her from another 4 months of deep mud and frozen mud.
 
Temperament is most important. An unhappy horse will stand still, get twice as stiff as they do in a stable, and literally shiver the weight off from misery as much as cold. Luckily such a horse is quite rare. Most love to be out.
 
It depends on the horse the field ,it's soil , it's shelter the support the horses can recieve .
I do think most horses will survive the winter in the field but not all will enjoy it ,all but one of mine prefer the stable in bad weather .
 
For an elderly, arthritic lady, a well bedded field shelter along with 24/7 turnout would be ideal. Then she can pick and choose whether to be in or out, and can lie down in comfort if she wants to, and she could be hayed there too.

I am very lucky to have two field shelters, both with shavings over rubber mats on concrete, and mains lighting. It is little exaggeration to say that they transform winter care for my lot.
 
Tiddlypom said:
For an elderly, arthritic lady, a well bedded field shelter along with 24/7 turnout would be ideal. Then she can pick and choose whether to be in or out, and can lie down in comfort if she wants to, and she could be hayed there too.

I am very lucky to have two field shelters, both with shavings over rubber mats on concrete, and mains lighting. It is little exaggeration to say that they transform winter care for my lot.
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Agree, and a nice companion that isn't going to bully them, but will be a friend. My sister's arthritic horse lived out 24/7 and was better for it than being stabled at night, but it was a good draining field with light soil, there was a large field shelter to go in and where he was fed and his rugs checked (they should be changed to prevent rubs) and generally checked over and there was plenty of natural shelter, high hedges and trees.

Personally, I don't poo pick in winter, as mine go out in a large field that is grazed by cattle in the summer months, so that is one chore I don't have to do, but I would if they had to be kept in a small area.
 
My lot (PBAs) live out all year round, and we're on the edge of Saddleworth Moor so just a bit exposed! My old boy (24) is a wuss and has creaky joints but definitely does better out. Decent shelter is essential though. I bring mine in overnight in the winter when it's constant heavy rain, to dry off legs and rugs.
 
Any horse can live out provided it has all its needs met correctly & isn't up to its knees in mud.

My absolute biggest bug bear is when horse owners proudly declare their horses live out '24/7' & the poor animals are on a hideous patch of soup-like mud up to their knees, with no respite from it & miserable as sin 😞
Personally I think it takes hard work, a lot of land, well draining soil, good rugs, a proper field shelter & plenty of hay/Haylage to keep horses happy & healthy out 24/7 in winter.
 
My field is on a slight slope and never gets very muddy at all, only really by the gate. No chance of a field shelter. She cant be in on straw as eats it so the bedding ends up being expensive being in. I dnt think with a new born I can have her in so thinking of options x
 
glamourpuss said:
Any horse can live out provided it has all its needs met correctly & isn't up to its knees in mud.

My absolute biggest bug bear is when horse owners proudly declare their horses live out '24/7' & the poor animals are on a hideous patch of soup-like mud up to their knees, with no respite from it & miserable as sin 😞
Personally I think it takes hard work, a lot of land, well draining soil, good rugs, a proper field shelter & plenty of hay/Haylage to keep horses happy & healthy out 24/7 in winter.
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Yes, true.

Adequate acreage is important, preferably a sloping field, as are appropriate rugs and forage. I wouldn't say a field shelter is essential. Great if you have one, but my experience has shown me that horses are as likely to be standing out in horizontal rain! Mine utilised the hedges during bad weather, and never, ever, used the shelter.

If these needs can be met, it can be a very healthy and happy way for horses (especially arthritic ones) to live.
 
Our lad is now 25 years old and has always lived out 24/7/365 since we bought him 14 years ago. Very little shelter sadly, but he maintains weight remains full of energy and seems happy. He was diagnosed with arthritis about 12 years ago he does get rugged and haylage if required, but had non last year. His field does slope, and there is slight shelter at the bottom end.
 
I think they can. All mine have lived out 24/7 365. We do however have adequate acerage that it doesn't get too muddy, bar gateways/where they are fed.

I think the key is ensuring they have adlib forage, this is what will really keep them warm. If you do decide to keep your mare out, let her grow a decent winter coat before rugging her up to her eyeballs. If you rug too soon then you don't utilise what she would otherwise naturally grow. I echo ensuring shelter, not necessarily in the form of an actual field shelter, but trees, hedges etc. Don't leave them with damp rugs so it is sensible to have a spare. And if it gets really grim, mine enjoy coming in for an hour or so to have some hay out the weather and to have some time with their rugs off.
 
Why is there no chance of a field shelter OP?

Is there any other shelter?

Will you be able to check rugs daily and replace wet ones?

Will you be able to afford the extra hay costs?

The mud-free field is great and the first thing to tick off... But a dry field is not the only thing you need. Mind you, there are very few circumstances where I think a horse is better off boxed!
 
Most NZ horses live out all year around. Mine have hedge and tree shelter, two are uncovered. We are in the middle of a drought, so minimal mud for me this year (last year paddock was under water), which has meant I have had grass all the way through and haven't needed any hay.
 
My old arthritic WB mare has always prefered to be out year round, until last winter, we moved house and new field is very very wet in the winter and all mine prefered to be in at night, to get a rest from knee deep mud, usually I only rug my two oldies and only when temps drop to around freezing, carting hay to the field is time consuming and a lot got wasted, nothing about last winter was ideal, so I'm preparing now for this one
 
Give them enough land and it's a doddle. I've had a wide variety of different types/ breeds/ ages winter out well on lots of free draining land
 
The things that will strip the flesh off most livestock quicker than anything is freezing driving rain with no shelter and inadequate feeding. My dozen or so Highlands live out 24/7/365 in the north of the Scottish Highlands. Provided they have shelter from the wind and adequate feeding, they grow their own rugs. One year, due to another's infertile stallion (long story), I had foals born outside in mid winter and they could not have cared less as they grew a thick coat of fur and had a hot milk bar on tap! This is Fearna, aged 1 day, born in January during the hardest winter for years. What livestock cannot cope with (apart from the above) is rapid changes in temperature. I know others up here who have TBs living out without rugs and they are fine.

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Decent rugs! And plenty of hay/hayage.
If you have really decent rugs they should rarely get so wet through that they need changing. If mine are wet I leave them on the horse to dry, unless they are wet underneath of course.
If you can put up a shelter, or even a wind-break to the prevailing wind, that would be useful.
Get a hay-crate of some sort, and make sure there is plenty in there at night to keep the central heating going!
My lad started living out at 16 having started with joint problems, never lived out before, and has lived out since. He's now 23 and still going strong!
 
I'd say given some shelter (either natural or field shelter), enough space to move around in that it won't turn into a mud pit (or some surfaced areas if on a smaller area so they can escape from the mud) and supplemental hay and hard feed as required (esp in snow / when grass isn't accessible) and rugging / not rugging as appropriate to the horse then yes I'd say most horses could.

In reality one or more of these elements is normally missing and so we tend to compromise by stabling. Most commonly this seems needed because a lot of yards do not have enough land per horse to have them living out without totally trashing the fields in winter when it's wet or there isn't shelter in the field so the horse would be constantly exposed to the elements.


I'm hoping to have mine winter out this year and expect him to love it as it's a big area he'll be in, he'll have plenty of company, he'll have hay if needed and there's loads of natural shelter (there's also an option of an emergency stable if I need it)
 
My TB wintered out last winter,for the 1st time since he was a youngster,he's late teens & getting a bit creaky. He absolutely thrived! He's a very poor doer but was fed twice daily with ad lib haylage,ate better than he's ever eaten when stabled,held weight well(for the 1st winter ever!) He was so happy & chilled(can be a stress head when in & has had gastric ulcers in the past. He has sinus issues & gets snotty when in but being out sorted this. Last time the Chiropracter came she said he felt the best he's ever felt(she's been treating him for 10 yrs), they have good natural shelter & access to a barn,but rarely use the barn. I forked out for 2 Rambo rugs as they're the best fit on him & have a multitude of different weight of rug liners & a fleece neck cover for when it was really cold. I usually fully clip but did a chaser for most of winter then fully clipped in March. He did get a bit of mud fever but kept on top of it with aroma heel & also pig oil,it never got bad but I had to be very diligent with checking legs every day. He was so happy that I now feel guilty for all the winters that he was stabled at night & miserable!!!
 
Mine lives out 24/7. Yes echo what others have said about different rugs for different temps, rain etc, plenty hay and supplementary hard feed. Mine isn't prone to mud fever but if yours is then make sure field drains sufficiently and he is not knee deep in mud.

We have a field shelter but not absolutely necessary if there is natural shelter eg hedges, trees etc. most ponies prefer not to use shelters anyway lol.

Yes it is hard work in the winter. One thing I would suggest is some form of lighting if you can or a good head torch, not easy putting on a rug in the pouring rain in the dark!
 
I couldn't put up a shelter no, there is plenty of trees one side of the field though. Yes I could check rugs daily and have quite a few x
 
Provided there is enough land that they're not in a churned up muddy field, I would always pick 24/7 turnout over anything.

In my experience my horses have thrived on 24/7 turnout, and now I wouldn't have it any other way.

With suitable rigging and feed i don't doubt your horse will be grand.
 
twiggy2 said:
It does not save time if done properly, in fact it is harder work to carry hay to the field, push a barrow through mud to poo pick, picking out muddy feet, checking wet and muddy legs by feel as you can't see any injuries, changing and checking under wet and muddy rugs out in the field and carting the rugs back to cover to dry, break ice on the water trough at the very least twice per day if it is cold enough to freeze, if the temperature stays cold enough for any length if time you will have to cart water to the field, I have had horses living out 24/7/12 for many winters and it is not easier. I prefer mine to live out as i think it is more natural but it is a lot of work compared to mucking out in the dry under cover etc etc.
My vet says any horse can live out if you feed it enough fuel, it can be more expensive as they need to eat more to keep warm and keep weight on, many arthritic horses cope better as they can keep moving but a lot depends on temperament-will your mare be happy out in all weathers all the time?
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I can relate to all of this!
My horse really is a wimp when it comes to the Winter despite rugs and as much hay as it needs!. So she comes in overnight with a huge straw bed and is a happy customer for it. Another of mine is very old, but thrives on keeping out (access to shelter) to keep joints from swelling. So it's very hard lugging hay, water, poo picking in mud and all weathers for the outdoor ones and then having to muck out the stabled ones!!.
So no, not all horses can live out, it would be nice to think they all can, but they soon tell you what they want.
 
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