Can someone please explain to me why horses are better kept in as much as possible, because I just don't get it!

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R2D2

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I have always firmly believed that in the vast majority of circumstances, most horses are far better off out in a field, so they can stretch their legs, graze, and socialise. This seems to be a really unpopular view now, and I don't understand what has changed. I am starting to wonder if I am wrong, as literally everyone at our yard now seems to keep their horses in as much as possible. If it is sunny, they are in, if its windy, they are in, if its raining, they are in. Today, in a yard of 30ish horses, there are 3 out in the field, because it is raining. (They all have to stay in at night, and no one is riding because its raining.) Its not cold or windy, just steady heavy drizzle. We are lucky enough to have access to a large field, with plenty of natural shelter, but no one seems to want to use it. All summer they were all kept in for 10 hours a day because it was too sunny, even after the heatwave had passed.

I just want to put my horse out, for at least some of every day, but often I can't now because he would be on his own. I am tempted to move yards, but I am scared to in case it is the same everywhere else. Is it like this everywhere? Am I missing something?
 
Have you asked a few of the others why they don't turn out. Maybe if you can get chatting to them about it you can persuade one or two to turn out more consistently with you
 
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I think the most honest answer is that many owners really have no idea about what is best for horses and tend to treat them the way they treat themselves, a bit of rain and many people will not choose go outside so the horse stays in as well, it can also be laziness, not wanting to deal with a wet or muddy horse and would for some odd reason prefer to muck out, waste money on hay rather than put the horse out.

To balance matters on my small yard everything is still out 24/7, only my old boy is rugged every night, they are all out in the rain at the moment apart from the one who went jumping this morning who is in drying off and having some hay before he can be turned out later, one livery went out for a long hack in the rain, one has not been ridden because the owner is working all day but otherwise would have been regardless of the weather, not all yards have the same attitude.
 
It does depend on the yard - and the type of turnout. You need to find one which suits you. There are all sorts off reasons to keep a horse in - although I do think everything benefits from at least a couple of hours. I will keep my older mud fever prone lad in if the weather is bad. He is genuinely happier warm inside with room service. When we had very expensive competition ponies we often didn't turn out, or kept it very limited. They don't have the option at stay away shows. Field injuries are common and very expensive. Show animals always seem to be kept in or dressed up in lycra. On the other hand the hunters can stay out as long as they like - they're a bit less fragile! YOs might limit turnout to avoid poaching, or to rest fields.

You just need to find a yard which suits your ethos. Don't be afraid to look around. And when you do ask about length of turnout.
 
Keeps them cleaner - don’t have to deal with mud ... loads of reasons not to put horses out but none to do with horse welfare - the only thing I can come up with is I have read studies that say you shouldn’t put a horse on grass that has been frozen for at least 6 days because of the laminitis risk.
 
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Obviously being able to roam and graze is good for their mental and physical health, but it's also a lot less work than keeping them in. I have 3 and if they were all stabled I'd spend half my life cleaning up after them.
 
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Definitely thinking t
Chinchilla said:
Anthropomorphism.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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yep!
Although as a human I personally don’t mind some drizzle.

I understand some people don’t like to risk injury. The same reason for individual turn out in general.
However, my friends horse chipped a bone.... in his stable on his own!

I find the more they are out the less they injury themselves as they don’t get over excited having been in for ages.

I can see your issue op, I agree to try and get chatting to some of the other liveries. They may be in the same position. Just doing what everyone else is even if it isn’t benefiting them or their horse. Especially while currently there is still quite a bit of grass and it isn’t a big yet.
 
I keep in if:
- THe ground conditions are dreadful in the sense that they will cut it up terribly (however, I have now sectioned off some hard standing for them in case of this).
- To save the ground (stabling overnight in winter).
- Extreme weather (in during hottest parts of heatwave when no shade available, thunder makes one anxious, very high winds rip my electric fence off...you get the drift).

The beast from the east, for example, forced me to bring mine in as the winds were bitterly cold and up to 40mph and higher, which dropped the temperature even more. I'd love, however, to be able to not have to stable overnight in winter and that is my ultimate goal with having a good field shelter (covers for summer and winter!) and, of course, good land that can be managed for this cause.
 
Admittedly, I do not enjoy riding in the rain anymore because I wear glasses (and I was put off contacts due to a graduate optician treating me unpleasantly... I may try again). I did one ride across the Wiltshire hills with glasses and I couldn't see very much at all! Just a "grab mane and hope for the best" job!
 
I think people vary horses vary .
I don’t think all horses are best kept out all the time and I definatly think that all horses benefit from turnout unless of course they are injured .
What I don’t understand is people who will not train horses to understand about stables and therefore do the I won’t box rest my horse if it’s injured thing I think most of these people are lazy and don’t want to make the effort to prepare the horse for something that probaly happens to most ridden horses during their lives .
In winter I like to get their feet dry even if they are not working and they like coming in out of the worse weather .
In summer I keep my horses out the flys and out of the blazing sun if there’s no breeze .I stable my horses part of every single day because I own horses to use them and enjoy doing stuff with them .
Atm I have two horses hunting out of five all of them are still out ,they all come in every day for work foot care and they like it they get their rugs off have a sleep and a lie down .
I have one of the hunters who prefers out, he comes in stays in half an hour then I pop him out unless he’s going to ridden .
One evening in January he will let me know he’s ready to come in at night then I will stable him at night , Fatty whose retired will stay out until then the others will come in as soon as I think they are ready .
That’s just how I do it .
But really while I think the combined system is the best all round I think it’s up to others how they sort their horses , apart from the not box resting injured horses thing I think that’s incompressible.
 
CurryCombTalesBlog said:
Admittedly, I do not enjoy riding in the rain anymore because I wear glasses (and I was put off contacts due to a graduate optician treating me unpleasantly... I may try again). I did one ride across the Wiltshire hills with glasses and I couldn't see very much at all! Just a "grab mane and hope for the best" job!
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I got my first set of contacts when I was 15 and they were a revelation - except for jumping. I'd never jumped with glasses on so just aimed in the general direction of the blurry fence and let the horse get on with it. When those fences were in focus they looked huge!!

A lot of people in my yard seem to think horses will shrink in the rain and there's been a fair few days when my two have been the only horses out. I don't always rug one of them either :p

In overnight this week though due to the flashing and banging that seems to be going on every night. They are not impressed and will be out again as soon as the major fireworks displays are over. Hopefully can manage a few more weeks out because they are both filthy in the stable.
 
I found this difficult to understand at my new yard. The horses do go out everyday but not for very long as they are ‘happy’ in. My horse goes out everyday all day. The yard and I have come to an understanding and I just leave everyone else to do what they want!
 
CurryCombTalesBlog said:
Admittedly, I do not enjoy riding in the rain anymore because I wear glasses (and I was put off contacts due to a graduate optician treating me unpleasantly... I may try again). I did one ride across the Wiltshire hills with glasses and I couldn't see very much at all! Just a "grab mane and hope for the best" job!
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Laser eye surgery ... best thing I ever did
 
Well, I keep my two stallions in at night - I DON'T want to be woken up by mayhem in he mares' fields. And I keep one gelding in beside each one, for company. They are all turned out for at least half of the day - and worked most days. The rest live out - and come in for work - and go out again. A bit more time on bringing in and out and grooming - as balanced against the shit shovelling, no contest!
 
The reasons horses are in, or out, are myriad. As Goldenstar has said above, the best system for ridden horses would seem to be a combination of both. Horse and land management must go hand in hand, unless you are the lucky owner of endless acres of rolling, well-drained parkland. In our changing climate in our area the days of keeping horses out all winter would seem to be unfortunately at an end.
 
I'm not sure if you are talking about horses staying in all the time or whether you are talking about the 'combined system', out by day and in by night (sometimes reversed)

Like everything to do with horses it depends -
If you are talking about the combined system then there can be welfare reasons to use it particularly if the grazing available is not ideal for the type of horse on it. Two obvious scenarios being native ponies on lush grass or poor doers on poor grass. Other reasons have been highllighted in the posts above like letting feet dry out and the horse be able to have a good sleep.
 
My horses are in at night out during the day ... this is a mixture of convenience for me, weight control for the horses and preserving our fields ... in the summer I reverse the system for avoidance of flies ... it works for me the horses are always waiting to come in and it means when I ride in the mornibg the horses are dry and cleanish which I appreciate
 
I like my horse out as much as possible, this time of year he gets between 6-8hrs turnout a day in his field. Sometimes he is not that happy about that and I can tell by the poos he and his friends spend a lot of time at the bottom of their field by the gate. In the summer my horse comes in during the day, among other measures, to restrict his grass intake because he has Cushings and is prone to laminitis, it would be a lot more convenient for me if he could just stay out 24/7 spring and summer like everyone else, so it isn't always about convenience to the rider/owner
 
The yard where my share horse is kept is similar to this. They have really decent grazing all year round and are on chalk, so although it can get wet it's never too bad. Even last year it was far better than where my two are kept, which is on clay. Yet the horses never stay out 24/7 even in summer, are kept in if it looks like anything heavier than drizzle and are all in by 4pm. Even through the summer and autumn with the long evenings, all the horses are in by 4.30pm at the latest. That is the weirdest one to me. Also the routine never changes - so even when it was 30+ degrees during the day, the horses were still out in the day and in at night. I did suggest swapping to nighttime turnout but they all looked at me as though I'd grown two heads. It's an odd yard though - most of the people have been there for years and do very little riding (and certainly no competing) and horse ownership seems to mainly be about sticking to the same routine, all year.
 
Our horses are out 24/7, we have stables but never use them. They get rugged in winter (still naked at moment but that may change this week) and have ad-lib haylage in the winter, but not yet as they still have a bit of grass and are all a little on the large side. I like the horses to have a bit of weight at this time of year and then lose it over the winter. They get fed but mostly just chaff with a vit and mineral supplement and lots of apples and carrots. The last time one of the horses was in they tried to jump over the stable door and took it off by the hinges. I have to say we're lucky that we own the land so can do with it what we like, but the horses have ample natural protection from the elements and can exercise as much as they want.
 
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I'm lucky as I'm at a livery yard where 24/7 all year round turnout is available. Mine is out all the time and they have ad lib hay out in the field during winter (and summer this year because of the grass!) My old pony was laminitic so stabled a lot of the time so it's nice to have one that can go out and I don't have to muck out! I think, bar any ailments, turnout is best.
 
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blitznbobs said:
My horses are in at night out during the day ... this is a mixture of convenience for me, weight control for the horses and preserving our fields ... in the summer I reverse the system for avoidance of flies ... it works for me the horses are always waiting to come in and it means when I ride in the mornibg the horses are dry and cleanish which I appreciate
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Same here. though as soon as the flies and heat are tolerable I put mine out during the day in summer, my stables are inside a closed barn so they don't get a lot of daylight otherwise. Most people on my yard still had them out overnight last month, but I really like them outside with the sun on their backs :) I'd say I only have them out overnight for 3 or 4 months of the year as a result.

But i know where the OP is coming from, everything was in in my barn by about 2pm yesterday, having not gone out particularly early. It was a bit windy but really mild.. i expect they are in again now cos it's drizzling. Each to their own, I don't think I'd feel so sad about it if we had a view from our stables but it does seem a bit rubbish to be looking at 4 walls for so long. One of mine lives for turnout, she loves to be outside, the other is happy with either so long as there is food so it really does depend on the horse.
 
windseywoo said:
Our horses are out 24/7, we have stables but never use them. They get rugged in winter (still naked at moment but that may change this week) and have ad-lib haylage in the winter, but not yet as they still have a bit of grass and are all a little on the large side. I like the horses to have a bit of weight at this time of year and then lose it over the winter. They get fed but mostly just chaff with a vit and mineral supplement and lots of apples and carrots. The last time one of the horses was in they tried to jump over the stable door and took it off by the hinges. I have to say we're lucky that we own the land so can do with it what we like, but the horses have ample natural protection from the elements and can exercise as much as they want.
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Whilst this may seem ideal to you, to me having a horse that is so stressed by being in that it cannot be stabled would not suit at all. I have one that is stressed by being out, but with a bit of time and patience he now allows himself to be out for most of the day if the weather is fine/there are no flies/the omens are good.
 
Leo was a nightmare. He had to be in at least 12 hours a day or he jumped out and caused mayhem. He was very happy once we found a yard where everything went out and came in together and only in the day time.

Bobbie is out 24/7 in a little herd and loves it. I did have another livery tell me she felt sorry for her as she must be exhausted and need to come in for a sleep. As I see her sleeping in the field I think she will probably be ok. She does have a very good line in begging for treats though so I suspect she has been heavily hinting to the other livery in the hope of getting the treats that I dont give her :rolleyes:

She will come in overnight from about January as there will be no grass left then and we cant hay in the field safely. She also comes in to suit me. If we are going out competing or a lesson etc she will come in the night before. Shes fine with that and to be honest, I expect any horse without major issues to be able to adapt. But I couldnt be somewhere that didnt turn out in rain or sun or any other silly reason. I've never been on a yard like that but I do know they are out there
 
There’s nothing ideal in having horses so poorly prepared for stabling that they break out , just shows an owner that has not done their job in preparing their horse for the world .
 
There's a horse on our yard who absolutely hates turnout. She gets utterly stressed and panicky. She is lucky enough to have the most amazing patient owner who works closely with the vet to try to get the mare the best life balance possible. The owners other horse spends most of his time out enjoying being a horse in a field.
 
Why does everyone worry about what everyone else is doing? If you want to put your house out then do it, if you don't want to then don't. I have 3, they go out around 7.30am each day & come in around 2.30pm & they are waiting at the gate to come in. They come into hay & are fed around 4.00pm & ridden/schooled/jumped etc about 5.15pm. Some liveries come in earlier & some come in later. When it's lashing down with rain we keep in as we know the horses will charge about & trash the paddocks, but they go out most days.
 
Some yards definitely have an 'in' culture. My old yard was like that. The slightest drizzle and the liveries were all giving their horses 'duvet days'. When I moved on the yard owner said they turned out during the day so I assumed that meant they were out in the day and in at night. But what they really meant by that was a daily 'leg stretch'. So the horses basically lived in with an hour or 2 out each day. To be fair the horses all seemed perfectly relaxed and happy.
 
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