Do some horses just NEED to LIVE OUT

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Marley&Me

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I just posted this thread below about my horse's recent personality transplant since being clipped and brought in, rather than continuing to live out virtually 24/7.

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=520213

It got me thinking, do some horses just NEED/ PREFER to live out? Last year he was much more stressy when IN than OUT, but the yard we were at had no night time winter turn out.

We have since moved to a lovely yard who let you do 24/7 turn out in winter if you want. And it has suited him really well....until I made the mistake of clipping him and bringing him in....


Anyone else have a horse who NEEDS to live out?
 
taz loves being out... in the summer... as soon as it starts raining he wants to be in but the whole time hes in hes grumpy and stressy of a morning abut he doesnt like rain wind or snow so i cant really win but i think he would be happier out with a field shelter than in at night but i dont have a field shelter so he will have to live... it gets to about october and hes asking to come in anyway but i think some horses are just happier out :)
 
All of ours, from native ponies to TB x prefer to live out regardless of the weather. Whilst the more sensitive horses enjoy being brought in for feed and rug checks etc they would much rather go out again than stay in the warm, dry stables.
 
My pony needs to live out otherwise he jumps out of his stable and takes himself out when he has had enough and how long "enough" is varies on his mood!

If is very hot and the flies are bad he does not seem to mind coming in so much during the day but he can get very worried about being in when it is windy or rainy.
 
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mine seem to prefer living out, but my anglo arab WILL NOT be stabled. At all. Which is a pain and potentially inconvenient, but as she is able to live out she does.
 
Yes I think they do OH horse used to be stabled when he was younger now if stabled hewill undo stable and let himself out if not he will barge the door till the hinges give way. He is happier living out even in the snow
 
My boy did the first year I had him. When he was in overnight for any reason, he'd be a bit of a nightmare to ride until he was turned out again.
When I took him home, he had to live in at night, as we don't have the space for him to have 24/7 turnout, especially not in winter, and he has coped brilliantly, right from the start. Having said that, when he moved home, I started feeding him hard feed, and that seemed to make a difference to him too, so it might have been an imbalance of something that was sending him a bit loopy.

If given the choice, he'll stay out if it's nice, and bring himself in if he's too cold or if it's windy (or if he decides it's dinner time). He has access to his stable from his winter turnout, and will put himself in during the day if it's not nice out. I had to start leaving a bit of hay in the stable for him, as he was going in for a couple of hours, and wouldn't go outside for the hay. Over the summer, he's perfectly happy to stay out, and will lie down and sleep a lot quicker than in the stable.
 
There are 4 categories.

1 . those who cant live it - reasons trash the stable structurally
2. those who did live out changed to living in now love it.
3. thosde who used to live in have to live out for other reasons owners lack money etc
4. those who love living it.



we had one which hated stable so much it started to destroy it.
 
Yes. We have a cob that can not stay in even for one night as his stifle will lock. It doesnt lock at all if he is out overnight and in for a snooze during the day.
 
My TB copes coming in with all the other horses to wait for the farrier. Other than that she hates being in. She poos, shakes (as if she's shivering), grinds her teeth and wont eat.

She used to live in when she was a young horse in training, she went on to be a broodmare and changed to living out. I think that she knows which she prefers. ;)
 
Yes,my girl paces and barges the door and rears then if all else fails she has and only once ive known her to jump over the door but get stuck in the process,frightened the crap out of me and everytime shes been in threatened to do it again since shes been living out with good grub and rugs shes a lot happier and also better to ride.My gelding also has an attitude problem if kept in and since living out hes been an absolute gent rather than face pulling and dragging me to the field,so yes my two are certainly better out.
 
Cobby is happy in or out as long is there is food :rolleyes: TB has put on loads of weight since being out with a bale in the field but seems more than happy to spend time in her stable as well.
 
Mine does for medical reasons otherwise he'd be a cripple... Sometimes I know he'd rather be in when it's windy and cold but he's rugged up etc.

Wish summer would hurry up! Plus I couldn't manage him being in as I work shifts.
 
I would say some horses are simply better off out. I have a collection, and being stabled isn't really an option for any of them. We were worried when we turfed them all out that the older mare wouldn't cope, she has come through every winter better thn the last since the change!
Horses with ulcer issues or copd are better out, as are many horses with niggling lameness problems as they can keep moving. With the advent of better rugs that are actually waterproof, I think it has made all the difference
 
As you may have seen from my other thread, my boy has changed beyond recognition since coming in and being clipped.

I would put him back out overnight but I am concerned about him being out with none of his own hair for warmth.

I have read a few threads about clipped horses living out, but very few have full clips.

I have a 420g Heavyweight Turnout with a neck that I could put on him, plus others I could layer under if needed, but I am wondering if that would be ok? What about his tummy and legs??? :confused:
 
My Pottie pony was a bit... well, potty when living in at a busy yard. She had two and a half years being a field bum and is now back in very light work. She's SO different. She's still her looky, sharp self, but she
 
Poo - stupid phone!

... she's sane with it. She is also easy to catch, and she never was before.

It just relaxes some, I suppose, to the point where they're easier to deal with.
 
M&M
My ISH has had a full clip, legs and half face left on, and has been out 24/7 this winter. Ad lib hay and a field shelter. He has spent most of this in a sheet, about a month in a 100g and a week or so in a 200g when it dropped really cold. He's coped absolutely fine, IMO as long as they are rugged appropriately and have sufficient forage there is no reason why they shouldn't be out 24/7 with a full clip. I think your boy is telling you which he prefers :cool:
 
One of mine is fully clipped and lives out happily. The other,a TBX WB hasn't been clipped this winter but has previously.
Whenever I've been fortunate enough to have good grass livery, every horse I've had has thrived. It depends on the envirnment though. If they have decent land, good shelter, ad lib hay and company, they're very happy living out. I wouldn't be happy turning out 24/7 in a muddy bog though.
When they had small individual paddocks without hedges/trees and no hay in the field, they couldn't wait to come in at night. The downside to stabling has always been a change in behaviour. Some have been more stressy, more spooky to ride, stiffer, less fit and more prone to field injuries because of more energy when turned out.


If your horse is rugged appropriately and has ad lib hay, he'll probably be warmer living out with the ability to move around than standing still in a cold stable.
If more people turned out 24/7, the calmer supplement industry wouldn't be so profitable.
 
Bringing horses in is a human thing. Living out is more natural for them. Yes a paddock isn't as natural as roaming where you please but its far far far closer to a horses instincts to live with the heard in the open air
 
SO1 said:
My pony needs to live out otherwise he jumps out of his stable and takes himself out when he has had enough and how long "enough" is varies on his mood!

If is very hot and the flies are bad he does not seem to mind coming in so much during the day but he can get very worried about being in when it is windy or rainy.
Click to expand...

^^ This! I knew my new horse didn't "like" the stable, and his last owner never made him stay in it so didn't know to what extent. But because of the snow yesterday morning, and all the other horses had been brought in, YO text me to say he was stressing being on him own, so i put him in his stable. I then got a text from YO in the afternoon to say she had put him back out because he tried to climb over the door :)
 
Oh also when my cob was in pretty much everynight at old yard he turned into a skitty bargy mess. Worst I've ever seen him. Almost as if he wanted to run off back to open pastures and riding was impossible
 
Both my cobblet and section A would rather be out than in & that being out 24/7. If the farrier is coming I put them in the cowshed,cobblet is ok tied but section A gets bored and hates it.They prefer to be outdoors.
 
Horses are better out.

I have an Anglo Aran that was in for about 22 hours a day due to that fact he was on a Dressage yard.

He loves living out 24/7 well rugged in the very bad weather with 2 good feeds a day plus hay twice a day. We have grass so he is loving just wondering around.

He has my others to play and graze with. I believe that the inter reaction of horses out to horses in is most important.

Less health problems if out.

I clip mine out and do not find they suffer in any way.
 
mine all prefer to live out, there is only 1 who is as chilled in the stable as he is in the field but given the option he'll stay out. i have knocked my 2 stables into 1 and built a pen out the front about the same size so that if i need to have 1 'in' i can leave the door open and they are free to wander in and out. that seems to be a better option as far as the horses are concerned than being shut away:)
 
Consensus seems to be then that my boy would be ok fully clipped and out overnight with appropriate forage and rugging.

He is a VERY good do-er (traddy coloured cob) and there is plenty of grass, a hedge and the majority of the field is decent grazing land on a slight slope with only the bit around the gate muddy and following torential rain turns into soupy mud (you know what I mean). But he certainly wouldnt be standing in a bog. I also dont think he would need hay....but could monitor.

He comes in during the day for about 6 hours anyway and has soaked hay then.

I am still concerned about his bald legs though :confused: Dont want mudfever!

if I had know this was how he would react to being clipped/in I would have left his legs on and left him out at night :rolleyes: We live and learn!
 
In my opinion ALL horses NEED to live out. Its a basic requirement for them to live out. I think its purely a human thing, this need to stable them every night or all the time etc. Just because you've clipped him, as long as its not a full body clip (ie. legs as well) he'll still be fine out! I've had my woosy lightweight TB x Luso hunter clipped over past winters no problem, as long as you rug up well and they have shelter they've absolutely fine.
 
I brought mine in and put him on livery last month as I wasn't managing him from the field as well as doing my injured broody.

He has gone from being everyone's favourite dork into a horse which takes me to the very edge of my competence to ride. I'm persevering until Andrew Hamilton next week but then he's back to the field 24/7 (as he has been since a foal and fully clipped last 3 years). Happy days are coming......:):)
 
I think a lot of it depends on the horse! I have a VERY good doer tb who does not do living out very well and given the choice I think she would be in at night all year round!

Last year I managed to keep her out 24/7 from the end of April until the beginning of October, and by the time I bought her in she was standing waiting at the gate daily and was a nightmare to handle!! Once brought in she is back to her happy self! I un-clip her on the yard in the evenings and she walks herself in to her stable and it quiet and content.
We have bad grazing though and lots of mud where we are so I dont think this helps matters at all! We are moving to a new yard at the end of the month with better grazing so hopefully I can try and keep her out a bit longer this year!
 
My lad has hunter clip and lives out. He will not tolerate the stable, he will not eat, he will get the runs and hates it. He is warm as he has very good rugs and ad lib quality hay, plus he has some shelter from the rain. I know he was on box rest for ages a long time ago before I had him and he stamped his feet all day long.
My neighbour keeps all hers in most of the time. One has died from colic, they kick the ***** out of the stables at night (and keep me awake) and are totally bonkers. I know what I prefer, a relaxed horse!
 
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