Can you winter out an Arab?

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hannabanana

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Just wondering really. I was talking to a livery today who is about 12 and she went to see an Arab today (I am suprised she wants another because she doesnt bother much with the pony she has now, I thought she lost intrest).
I said you would have to be careful with it in the winter because I am not sure if there very good being wintered out. I mean my ISH is wintered out but thats with 3 different types of rugs, big feeds of build up and more, plus tons of hay and that manages to just keep him a nice weight.
The girl has currently got a welsh sec B which is hardy, plus she doesnt see her pony every day (Unless she just checks up on it in the field most of the time rather than come down to the yard) and the pony only gets a few handfuls of course mix on the days she is ridden; which is fine because shes a hardy horse and a little bit fat anyway.
Alot of the liveries and the YO were shocked when she tried a 16.1 thoroughbred which wasnt successful but it was the fact that she wanted to winter that out (If she was to get it) even though the owner said she lost weight last winter even when the horse was stabled with hay and 2 big feeds a day.
 
A livery that was where I am wintered out her 24 year old arab. He was rugged (but not rugged up to the eyeballs), and looked absolutely FANTASTIC.
 
Or a cross of the two! My AA mare spent most winters out with just a rug on. I have photos of her with icicles dangling from mane and tail. We didn't feed her at all, she got supplementary hay only when there was snow on the ground and she still came out of the winter fatter than she went in to it (and she wasn't skinny to start with.)
 
Arabs are waaay much tougher than most people give them credit for!! They might look like little spindly things that would snap at the slightest pressure, but they are generally very tough little cookies!

My little arab looks like a right wuss (and he is quite poofy I will admit) - but he gets a brilliant winter coat, and he is the only one out of my lot that is never concerned about the wind / rain / cold.

As the others have said though, most horses *can* winter out - I have wintered out a very wussy TB in years gone by - and he lived to tell the tale!! :)
 
100% yes, my full bred Arab mare has lived out all her life, she is rugged in a normal medium weight turnout, she is no longer clipped but even when she had a trace clip she wore the same rug. She is fed ad-lib haylage, but no hard food. She has a shelter and uses that when the weather gets awful. She never lacks condition and always looks and feels fab.
Arabs are hardy things and wont break or freeze, funnily enough!
 
Really! See round my local area unless your horse is hairy or big boned it will be stabled every night. I still get people saying 'What? Really? Thats terrible!' When I tell them my ISH was wintered out!
 
Some years ago (yikes, just realised just how many :eek:) I had a 3/4 arab who I wintered out two years in a row. He was unrugged too, and grew the most incredible coat. Easy to clean? No way. But he was happy and content.
 
I've always found arabs to be quite the good doers personally! Find them a bit like natives or spanish breds to a degreee...round up a little too easily if anything on all the lush grass here!
 
I have five purebreds and all of them live out 24/7 365 days a year - winter is no problem! They get rugged and plenty of haylage but they are all much healthier and happier living out than being stuck in a stable.
 
Of course you can. I keep thoroughbreds out all winter along with others and theyre fine.
It's best to let them grow a bit of an autumn coat and then rug up when it really starts to drop temp/ rain. If there's plenty of grass then you dont need to feed anything extra, if there isnt then lots of hay and possibly hard feed if the horse is working hard/ not keeping sufficient condition
 
Oh well there obviously not the little delicate things I thought they were. The grass around here isnt the best of quality but still seems to get a belly on alot of horses. I was just worried she was going to get something unsuitable. For riding as well as care. I hope she makes the right decision!
 
Abso-bloody-lutly is the answer to that! My Mum's Arab used to live out 24/7 come rain, snow, hail, thunder, lightening. You name it, she was out during it lol! She was never clipped as was a typical Arab with a very fine coat. She only ever wore a heavy weight rug in snow and during the Winter last year, she lived out very contently with a light weight rug during the day and a middleweight at night.

She sadly passed away in late February due to a very nasty colic attack at the age of 25 but she lived out quite happily all of her life. Arabs are a lot tougher than people give them credit for and if people don't wrap them up in layers of rugs then they'll become accustomed to living out and adapt to the weather like they do in the wild. I wish my boy could live out all year round but he'd be like a drum and severely Laminitic if he was! :(
 
Hell yeah! This, believe it or not, is a pure bred Arab. If the Arab in question isn't used to living out then it will need a bit of care, correct rugging and possibly a shelter, but should be doable.
Fireinthesnow.jpg
 
Most can but not all we have one at our yard who does live out but really shouldn't as she has already dropped weight and we're no where near winter. One of mine lives out, the other could but doesn't mainly cause of lack of places that do it round here and couldn't risk her in a big mixed herd.
 
There are approx 250 TB's at work, 110 of those are Broodmares who will live out all winter UNRUGGED! Adlib hay and fed 2 x a day with stud mix and suregrow. Only the handful that need it will be rugged. This years foal crop will live out too and they certainly will not be rugged! However, it's down to facilities, by that I mean natural/artificial shelter (though we are quite exposed and have no field shelters) and adequate and CORRECT feeding. They all grow coats like yaks, you'd not think they were TB's bred for flat racing!

Arabs are one of the worlds toughest breeds, they can certainly live out, if correctly managed!
 
I have transitioned pure bred Arabs and TB's from pampered existence to living out 24/7. I would suggest that if an Arab living out is already losing weight it's a management issue, rather than it not being able to live out. (Unless the horse is elderly, which raises other issues).
 
Obviously depends to an extent on the individual horse but generally, yes, you should be able to winter out an Arab. I had a Arab mare in my teens who was out all year round. She grew a coat like a Bear and thrived outdoors! Yes, extra attention to feed and rugs is essential and she might need to pay extra attention to condition etc. if the horse has always wintered in.
 
Another bod in agreement here. I've got 3 purebreds who live out 24/7/365 (and a TBX, but that's beside the point). They're unclipped and only rugged if the weather is severe, are fed hay in winter but need no extra hard feed (except for the 29yo who does need extra). Two of the three Arabs are working endurance horses too.

As others have said above, if the horse has previously been "pampered" and is used to living in, then yes, maybe a transition time will be needed, but there's nothing to say that without good management that it won't ultimately be able to winter out.
 
I've never quote got the whole stabling argument. Unless your stables have heating (and let's face it whose stables are heated!) surely all the horses get is shelter from the rain and the effect of the wind is reduced (my boy's stable is so drafty I would never say he's sheltered from the wind). A decent rug will do the same job and they can move around to keep warm which they can't do in the stable.

The one benefit of stabling that I can see is that you know exactly how much hay they're eating and it gives them some respite from muddy conditions so might help to prevent mud fever IF horses are prone to it. I suppose it protects grazing as well if it's limited but that's not really about the horse's ability to winter out.

My boy (IDxsomething!) comes in overnight as that's what the yard's rules are. They're not allowed hay in the field (although grazing is pretty good even in winter) to avoid fights, so they go out to play in the day and come in for a good feed overnight. However I would be more than happy to keep him out, well rugged and well fed if I was allowed. My old pony (Sec D so pretty hardy) lived out unrugged until he was 20 and then he tolerated a rug (would rip them to shreds before that) and when we moved yard he was stabled over night. He never suffered with arthritis until he started coming in overnight. I appreciate that his age at that time (24) might have been a factor as well, but I'm sure being stabled didn't help.
 
My arab mare (who I bought in feb) wintered out in her previous home. She certainly wasn't lacking in any condition...in fact she has been in a strict diet since she has been with me and has lost 75kgs since she has been with me!
 
Tough as old boots Arabs. My mare previous to me getting her had been a show horse and lived out for 6 months, this year our yard (3 horses and one sheltie) will be camping out for as long as possible. In fact the arab is the only one who does not want to come in the other two are welsh cobs.
 
Of course you can. My friend kept her two Endurance horses (one of which was a gold series) with me and they where out 24/7.
 
Any horse/pony can winter out with the correct management and certainly an Arab. They are very tough as a breed.
My AngloArab lived out 24/7 365 as does my tb:)
 
My lad winters out fine, he's a purebred. He fluffs up wonderfully autumn time then gets rugged as it gets colder, however he stands by the gate when it rains & is windy, he actually likes coming in then as he doesn't have to argue over his haylage then, walks into his stable on his own ;) so I see this as his choice!!
Its better for me too as saves the grazing and avoids mud fever which he has only had once, but I'm now ultra careful to make sure he doesn't get again.
 
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