Do you have all-year round turnout?

[Hippona]

Just wondered how many of have all year turn-out - or if you have a period of time where grass is resting and your horses are stabled 24/7.

We have all year round turn-out - when the grass is resting we have access to turn-out paddocks- they can end up a bit of a mud-fest

but at least its somewhere to put the beasts when mucking out for a roll/leg stretch etc - and when the weather is not too horrific we put hay/haylage out and turn the horses out as usual.

What does everyone else do over winter?

 

[siani1989]

we have winter turnout 24/7 its great because one of mine hates been stabled all time,

 

[Hippona]

yes, one of mine does too- he'd rather be out than in....getting muddied up! We only have 24/7 turnout in summer, YO is very strict about rotating fields and resting grass.

 

[MizElz]

Our field is only 0.2 of an acre, so we have to use it all year round - it's pointless trying to rest it, really! We're struggling at the moment as it is so wet - landlords are totally uncompromising so we have to try to look after what we've got, and dont want to let her out at the moment as she would just trash it! So in theory, yes we have all year turnout, but she goes out as and when the weather is bearable!

 

[samp]

Don't get me started on this. We do not have a lot of turn out in the Summer and winter there is none - unless you call a tiny mud bath paddock turnout?). Ours were not out until May this year and I can see it being a long winter. I am now thinking I will have to move this year as in this weather it is getting silly

 

[Smash]

I wouldn't keep a horse on a yard that didn't have all-year round turnout unless I had no other choice.

 

[AutumnRose]

We do, i don't think i could be on a yard without it tbh. We are lucky though in that we have summer and winter fields, a group of 5 fields which are close to the yard and have a good hardcore track so its easy to get them in and out in the dark in winter. The another set of 6 which are bit of a walk down a track which gets very muddy in winter (and at the moment with bloody rain).

We all complain about the walk to summer fields but luck y to have it really. No1 is allowed out 24/7 though, night in summer and day in winter

 

[hellspells]

We have all year turnout - althugh in the winter we have to bring in by 1pm. One of mine is a huge wimp and if its a little wet and cold she does not go out - she loves her stable and would much rather be in.

 

[Heidi1]

We have all year turnout, but YO does ask that if the weather bad that we do consider leaving in for a few days, but that we can turnout in a small paddock whilst mucking out........ I don't ahve a problem with that and my horses are happy.......

 

[malibu211211]

We have all year turnout but have to be cautious when it's like it is today

The fields are all flat bar one and they don't drain very well so we tend to bring in at night when it's been like this all day or if we know it's going to be wet at night.
My boy is such a wimp he hates the rain

 

[The Original Kao]

we're quite lucky round here, loads of places with all year turn out and grass livery.

 

[SAL66]

We have all year T/O and can be kept out 24/7 if you want to winter them out.

We are lucky to have plenty of good fields and if like it has been absolutley pouring down with rain will our YO ask us to possibly limit the horse have out, and are asked to treat the paddocks as though they are out own.

I don't think I could manage with limited TO its natural for horses to be out.

 

[BackInBlack]

i'm lucky to have own land so i have a summer field and a winter field - both with stables that horses can walk in and out of as they wish. but with the weather this year and a poorly horse, 2 of mine are stabled at night now. and, the winter field is very wet at the moment so hope rain stops soon ( there can't be any left in the sky can there?) plus the gateway gets really muddy so have to try and solve that problem before they are turned out over there.

 

[luckilotti]

i am very lucky,
Some of mine live out 24/7 all year and no matter what the weather, there is always grass still there! Also, all of my livery horses have winter turnout, no restrictions on time etc out, and yet again, there is always grass still on the field they are in, yes, a bit of mud by the gate but our fields which are used all winter always still look green. TBH, now i couldnt go back to not having winter turnout!

 

[arwenplusone]

[ QUOTE ]
I wouldn't keep a horse on a yard that didn't have all-year round turnout unless I had no other choice.

[/ QUOTE ]

ditto. even then it would be the wrong choice imo.

 

[Sprout]

I keep mine at home, and can turn out all year round, personally I would never keep them where this wasnt an option, to me its a necessity for their happiness and well being.

 

[thedunthing]

at our yard we have three feilds and the horses wll get shut in one while the other two grow or the get shut in two while one grows they are out all summer and come in in the winter but go out through the day so yeah theyre out alyear round oh and we have a small bare paddock for the fatties or the ones that get lammi! or they can live out in the winter but YO prefers them to be in sp there are a few that pay about £12 for them to live out and the ones that live in pay about £30 or something lol

 

[RachelFerd]

i am on grass livery, so obviously it is 24/7 all year turnout. the part and full liveries get daily turnout all year - overnight in summer, daytimes in winter.

my old yard was daily turnout all year with the option of going 24/7 through the summer months.

i would never be at a yard unless it had a minimum of daily turnout, and preferably 24/7 option.

 

[Hovis_and_SidsMum]

We have turnout all year but only during the day - they all come in at night. We have lots of spare fields so the rotation is good.

 

[pottamus]

Well I rent a field and have a mobile field shelter so can do as I please. He will be out 24/7 all winter as I have plenty of grass for one horse.

 

[Archie07]

Yep we have year round turn out and almost all the horses are out 24/7 anyway. Personally I wouldn't even consider being on a yard without it.

 

[LankyDoodle]

Would not go out of my way to keep a horse of mine at a yard that wouldn't allow turnout in winter. There are a few round here and when we were looking round, as soon as they said that, I just said 'no thanks' and went no further with it.

 

[AmyMay]

Yes, we have all year turnout.

Feel desperately sorry for those that don't.

 

[sandr]

24/7 between May and Oct, and we have to bring in at night from from Oct - May, but they can go out during the day. If it is very wet, then we leav ein for a few days.

 

[BBH]

Yes have own land now so easier, previous yard didn't allow horses out not just if raining but if ground wet as clay soil so with the summers we've had they would have been in for months on end. Ridiculous !

 

[nuffield]

Yes I have all round turnout. my horses live out 24/7 but do have field shelters . the shelters have scaplings [small stones] in tthe bases and as an outside apron with wood fibre on top, bedding grade inside and turnout grade outside,so they always have somewhere dry to stand and eat.

 

[tabithakat64]

We have all year turnout, a couple of horses are out 24/7 all year round. Mine come in during the day all year round to be fed and have hay. Our turnout is well drained with natural shelter and there is more than enough grazing if it's managed properly..

 

[mrdarcy]

You're all very lucky! In my part of the world livery yards with winter turnout are like gold dust. The vast majority of yards have zero turnout on grass in winter (which is basically October to May these days). A few have turnout paddocks (sand based) but have to be shared amongst all liveries so the most you'd get is an hour or so a day. Or the few that do have winter turnout just have one big field that all liveries can use if they want - I wouldn't turn mine out in a big group - too much risk of being kicked. It really is a nightmare in Central Lancs - poor draining land and lots of rain are a bad combination.

I moved from my last yard because the promised all year turnout was just an hour a day in a sand paddock. The yard I'm at now there are only use two liveries and the YO's two horses. She promised they would get out in the winter whenever possible but after all the rain we've had in the last week or so the fields are like lakes and we're on half day turnout at the mo, so god knows what it'll be like in winter. However I've also separately rented a 4 acre field. It's a 10 minute drive away in the horsebox but is all mine, is very well drained and plenty of grass as it's not been grazed all summer. Once I've electric fenced it I'll be taking my horses down there for winter turnout, and once I get a field shelter sorted they can stay out at night if the weather isn't too bad.

 

[nikkiportia]

I couldn't imagine not having year round turnout. It would be impossible for me to keep a horse without access to a paddock of grass.
How do people cope?

We have 4 stables, but only really enough year round turnout for 3, so thats all we have on the land. If we had another down there, it'd ruin it for our horses. If a paddock starts getting muddy then we rest it, so we need plenty of space to do that

I think people cram too many horses onto yards without considering the grazing available.
The amount of land available should dictate how many horses you can cater for IMO.

 

[mrdarcy]

I agree - over grazing is easily avoided unless YO's are greedy. However the livery yard I moved from that has no winter turnout has nearly 400 acres of land (says so on their website) but they only use about 10 acres for the horses and only in the summer. I think that was what frustrated me the most - they could easily have sacrificed another few acres for the winter... the yard only has 20-25 liveries at one time. Crazy!