Can't decide - keep horse out 24/7? How do you manage?

I don't understand why you think it would be any worse riding in the rain if she is stabled or not?! You'll get just as wet either way. The only difference I can see is for her as she will be a bit wetter, but if she has a full neck rug that's no issue either.

I guess you arent allowed to have a stable and just use it when you feel like it then? Such a shame few yard let you do that. Both my horses live out, and I ride all the time, but I have a stable just to feed them in if it's raining or whatever. It's perfectly easy to manage without though.
 
24/7 grass livery entirely depends on the kind of grass livery offered. If there's good natural shelter/field shelter, decent grazing that's not a sea of swampy mud, and the horses have somewhere dry to stand so their feet can dry out properly, then it be good if your horse prefers living out. However, if any of those elements are missing, I'd want a decent stable available.
 
My horse lives out 24/7 and really don't see a difference, we have a tying up area that everyone uses, stabled or grass livery and a communal tack room, so it makes no difference! If your about to ride in bad weather anyway it shouldn't make a difference whether you tack up in the stable or not as your only going to go out and ride in it anyway! Horse has a full neck rug on as well so only need to scrape mud off his face and legs and off we go! I find them being out 24/7 much more flexible and cheaper for me personally and I know my horse prefers it so its worth sacrificing a stable for IMO!
 
I ride in the evenings in an indoor school - we have a training plan so that I can get her fit for showing/competing in summer so I suppose I am just worried about the weather affecting my motivation to ride as I am used to the luxury of a stable so that I can put her massage pad on before schooling etc - I wouldnt like to do that outside if it was raining incase it got damaged.

I know this makes me sound like a princess but I have always had a stable so I suppose I have just gotten used to it and always feel bad for the people who are trying to tack up/groom etc when it is really rainy and windy and complaining about how cr@p it is!

I also like having a stable incase of injury etc and its being able to stable overnight before a show etc. Its also really handy for drying rugs haha! My mare also has massive feathers so I like her being in overnight to dry them off a bit and hopefully help with prevention of mud fever. We are also about to go barefoot on her back feet so thought that standing in wet muddy conditions for 24 hours a day may not be the best conditions for newly unshod feet?......

My mare isnt necessary doing anything bad when ridden, she just seems so dis-interested and unwilling to work with me so the only thing I can think is that she is misreable being stabled. Everytime we walk past the field on the way to the school she tried to drag me into the field!

Part of me thinks - just be a beter rider and ride through it and dont let her off with naughty behaviour but the other part of me things I am being cruel stabling her if she would prefer to be out 24/7..... I just want her to be happy so that she can fulfil her job to the best of her ability.

Moving yards isnt really an option - all yards with decent facilities in our area do assisted livery meaning horses have to come in for a set period of time throughout the year and any yard with a stable where you can decide when/if to stable overnight doesnt have any facilities. I have no transport so not having facilities isnt really an option if we want to continue with our training plan.

Sorry this is rambling a bit now and probably a silly post but I dont really have any horsey friends to air my thoughts so this is the next best thing for me!
 
To me you sound to have things sorted, why change you do not need to, you're not being a princess you are just doing what works for you.

There are lots of horses and ponies who are not as lucky as your mare and only get out for a couple of hours each day.

If you feel she needs more energy when working check out her feeding routine.
 
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