Competing and 24/7 turnout

is soph a CR@P rider?

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My mare is turned out 24/7 in summer, and is in at night from October to March. We compete at intro eventing, hoping to move up to PN this year. I've only had her 6 months. She is capable of producing a half decent dressage test if out all the time, but this went tits up at her last ODE when she'd started coming in at night as she turned into a bit of a loon.

She is much happier outside. She shares a field with one other. The grass is crap but I don't have a choice of field so she gets quite a lot of hard feed (cool mix only) in summer.

My previous horse was also out 24/7 in summer and I was eventing him basically off grass as he was a good doer for a TB.
 
We've got 3 horses and 2 ponies at the moment but only 4 stables so one of my horses lives out 24/7. He's loving it and is so much more chilled than he's ever been and is thriving (usually the weight drops off him in the winter). Unfortunately our fields have got water lying on them now so I think Dad (farmer) is going to make me bring him in soon
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But horse can't come in until Dad has made him a temporary stable in one of our sheds!

We're competing dressage and show jumping at the moment and will go BE in the summer if he stays sound. His competition performace has definitely increased so I'm thinking about leaving him out 24/7 next summer too. The only disadvantage is our gateway is so muddy that to take him anywhere I have to wash his 3 white socks which is a hassle. Also he adores rolling in the muddiest patch of field as much as possible and as he isn't clipped it takes a lot of effort to get the mud off!
 
My 2 (5 yo ISH doing BD & BSJA & 35 yo semi ret mare) are out 24/7 with a field shelter. My field hasn't got much grass cos we're on sand & it drains too well, so I feed all year round & give ad lib hay in winter.

Both of them get quite cross if brought in. Adrian neighs & kicks the door & Jenny neighs & box walks. If it's v wet I bring them in late & turn out early. I think they're better off out than stuck in with nothing to do & breathing in dust.
 
I think it is better for them to be out the night before a competition it relaxes them and stops them getting stiff. In fact my grey pony stays cleaner out than in. Last year I won 2 big showing classes with him after a night in the field.

I cant do this in the winter because my M&M pony wants to come in at night !!!
 
my horse is out 24/7. he's now retired but i competed him off grass as well. i actually found he went better in winter - he was full clipped and rugged with hay in the field. in the summer he got a bit bloated and quite often i brought him in the night before a show for morning classes to let his belly deflate a bit. we did dressage to Elem/Medium plus 10mile sponsored rides and low level Sjing/ODE.
 
We have got well drained paddocks with good field shelters on rubber matting so I tried 24/7 all year turn-out with our BSJA ponies a couple of years ago.
It was fine during good weather in the summer but in the winter they were always dirty, seemed grumpy that they were not being brought in at night and didn't perform as well at shows.
We now stick to turn-out for at least 12 hours a day but tucked up in their stables at night.
I find this works much better.
 
A pony that jumped on the european pony team for ireland and won a bronze had to be field kept as he hated being stabled
 
I don't understand people who say that horses cant compete off grass - makes me laugh! Ive always competed all mine off grass. I have one horse doing BE Novice and BSJA Foxhunter and the other doing RC level. All compete absolutely fine. When I work them at home I just ride them straight off the grass (well I guess I take 20 mins to take them in to groom and tack up). Occassionally mine stay in overnight if I have an event on early the next morning (and have to plait up night before or have them spotless), but otherwise they're out.
 
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