Do you turn your precious competition horses out with others?

[BBs]

All three horses live together.
Berts tends to get picked on a bit by the other two but isnt happy to be out with anything else, so goes out with them.
When snoop goes off to be ridden, the other two are happy, as its Snoopy who is a bit of a bully (he has small man syndrom

)
Winston and Bertie are anything for a quiet life so get on well.

I have no problems with putting my horses out with other horses, equally I dont think I would subject anyones horse out with Snoopy, as hes a known kicker although thankfully doesnt kick either Win or Bert.
Winston and Bertie are both big wuss' so as long as they didnt go out with something like Snoop it wouldnt bother me.

Shock horror also, none of my horses wear boots out in the field.... and are out 24/7 eek

 

[Halfstep]

Mine doesn't wear boots either but is about to start wearing over reaches due to chronic shoe/hoof removal/self mutilation........

 

[Chloe_GHE]

Soap is sectioned off on his own because all the other livery horses are underworked and overfed so absolute maniacs in the field!!! I have him in a paddock next to Jack in an attempt to ease them into being in a field together but so far over the fence Soap has grazed both back legs, cut his face 3 times whilst Jack had lots of bites on his face and neck

I will try to get them together at the end of the season but for Soap to be injured and miss a comp for the sake of a bit of electric fencing it's not worth it

 

[dressagecrazy]

[ QUOTE ]
TBH I also think its very lonely and totally unatural for a horse to be out on its own. I can understand why people dont do it as they dont want their horse injured - but at the same time its not right at all for the horses mental health. They are herd animals.

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I understand where your coming from, BUT i have 2 horses out together & 1 on his own.
Ive been doing this for over 3 years now & study them closely because there at home & i also work from home. I can honestly say that the horse on his own is not suffering any Issues being on his own. I can also say he hasnt developed a really strong bond to the other horses either the 2 horses i have turned out together have a very strong pair bond which can be problematic on a small yard.
The horse out on his own loves being out & does stay out overnight. He will also go out totally on his own & decides he want's to stay out himself on his own also they have the option to be in or out, so can decide for themselves.

Some horses are happy to be on there own. I think the way we keep all are horses now is un-natural tbh if you want to go down that route!!

 

[jennystreek]

Mine are turned out in separate mares and geldings fields, and seem to get along just fine.

however, if it was my own land, I would have my mare on her own. The reason being is that she is very nappy, and I think it makes her worse by being with a herd of other mares. I've taken her away before for training and had her on her own in a paddock. She seemed more than happy and stopped napping - she seemed to bond more to me, rather than constantly worry about what the other mares are up to

 

[Madam_max]

Good point. My mare was terrible when she was out in a hige herd as she is always the leader and she becomes a nappy madam. She's much nicer on her own

 

[jennystreek]

[ QUOTE ]
Good point. My mare was terrible when she was out in a hige herd as she is always the leader and she becomes a nappy madam. She's much nicer on her own

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really? That's quite interesting, as she is also the leader, and sometimes i struggle to get her off the field where she doesnt want to leave them.

My problem is that to ride anywhere, I have to take her past the mares field which causes a lot of problems. She's much better now, but when I first got her, it used to take me 10 mins just to get her past their gate.

Interesting if you found the same

 

[LEC]

It took my horse ages to learn body language as he had no idea. Through being a dimwit he would end up kicked as he could not read ears back, swishing tail and stamping feet and would carry on pushing it as he is a cheeky one who will want to play/be too nosey.
I am careful who is turned out with as he will often end up bottom of the pecking order. At the moment for the first time ever he is 2 out of 3 and is revelling in having something he can dominate.

 

[Madam_max]

She made me so angry when I first got her, and as mean as it sounds I kept her in for a couple of weeks and she was much nicer. Now she has been turned out on her own for a few years and she is hardly nappy at all, but whatever yard she goes to she's the dominant mare.

 

[MillionDollar]

Yes and no. My WB has always gone out with all my others, used to be 6 of them together. Now she is in-foal and out with 3-5 of my others 24/7.

My Welsh D who I'd like to BD with is out on his own next to others, he loves otger horses, but he can be a sod for getting a horse in a corner and kicking the sh*t out of them

 

[BBs]

[ QUOTE ]
Mine doesn't wear boots either but is about to start wearing over reaches due to chronic shoe/hoof removal/self mutilation........

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Ive seen him going out into battle with armoured plating on before

 

[jennystreek]

[ QUOTE ]
She made me so angry when I first got her, and as mean as it sounds I kept her in for a couple of weeks and she was much nicer. Now she has been turned out on her own for a few years and she is hardly nappy at all, but whatever yard she goes to she's the dominant mare.

[/ QUOTE ]

Really is food for thought. I dont let her stay out at night - tried this last year and she was AWFUL. Its a shame I dont have the facilities to let her be alone - I sometimes wonder if I should move her away from the yard so that she can have individual turnout... hmmm

Thanks anyway - glad your mare is a lot better

 

[only_me]

well, my horse IS much happer on his own - he gets neurotic and stressed when in penned field; he HAS to come in first otherwise he just gallops and unsettles all the other competition horses, and causes more hassle and stress than it's worth.

Plus he is accident prone, and has a bad habit of jumping electric tape to "party" with the others

 

[ihatework]

My horses have always been turned out with others (although whether they are classed as precious competition animals is debateable) they also always get turned out overnight in the summer.

I personally am very pro group turnout, at the moment all my yard offers is herd turnout so mine is out in a group of about 10 horses. I would prefer a smaller group ideally and if he ever becomes more valuable/competative I could see myself wanting him out in a pair rather than a herd.

 

[ecrozier]

Mine used to be together when I had 3 mares and a gelding and they were good as gold. We then sold one mare and another went to a retirement yard, so my remaining mare and gelding were paired up with two other mares, and it wasn't ideal! My main competition horse (the gelding) got stupidly clingy to one of the other mares who we tend to compete at same events etc as. He also got bullied quite badly by the other mare. So when we moved yards (along with the other two mares) I seperated them. Gelding nowout with 5 others in a huge field, does have the odd scrape or bite but nothing too traumatice ( he is very quick to get out of the way if necessary!) and mare blissfully happy in field with 5 other mares. In a totally ideal world I'd prefer 2 or 4 horses together rather than 6 or 8, but to be honest my boy is much better now in a herd of 6 than he was being bullied in field with 4, and mare is always boss so she's easy really, she never bullies but must just have an air of authority about her!

 

[Taffster]

No Taf is a little boystrous so he either goes out on his own or with another of his own age build etc..they stable next to one antoher too so know each other they seem ok together
I'd panic in a group it only takes one kick then game over

 

[imafluffybunny]

My horses go out together, usually 2 in one field and 2 in another but occationally all together. They all get on very well and (touch wood) never is an injury. I dont care how much they are worth, I would rather they lead as normal a life as possible and are turned out as much as possible. Saying that if one was a kicker it would be in a field on its own! I wouldn't turn them out with anyone elses horses tho.

 

[Quadro]

mine go out in 2's, its 1 of my big issues that no horse is 2 valuable to go out in the field!!! and i do think they like the social intetaction, turnout in pairs can be carefully selected and ive never had a problem

 

[dieseldog]

Ours do all go out together for about 2 weeks, then Dolly gets too fat and she has to live by herself in a tiny field with no grass - she's lost her field companion from last year.

 

[hannahkirkhill]

All of mine go out on their own, they are all next to each other in big fields split up.
I use to turn out in pairs and was all ways extreamly carefull about it as it allways worried me but I do love to see them grooming each other and ''being horses'' but a couple of years ago I turned two out, they cantered off, my dosy mare bucked (didnt kick out at him to get him, he was a bit dum and was in the way) but she caught him one on his fore arm and broke it. He had to be PTS, since then I just can not put them out together, I would never forgive my self if it happened again.
When they have their shoes off for their hol I put them out together, and youngsters with only front shoes will go out together.

 

[Baydale]

Our lot all go out together, normally in gangs of up to 4. The hunters are all turned away now and 2yo Myrtle had to go in with them but one of them soon paired up and looked after her. She's a cocky madam anyway so it didn't do her any harm to be the lowest in the pecking order. My Baydale boys look so funny out together: they're like Small, Medium and Large.

Our broodmare is a pain so she only goes out with one other, a gelding, and we vary who that is as she drives them wild with her "suggestions".

 

[Vizslak]

I kept one of mine separate from others normally as she generally gets beaten to a pulp! I got sick of cleaning wounds everyday and more than one emergency trip to vet for joint flushes!

She has a very nice friend now who also used to get beaten up and as her ridden days seem to be over for now let alone competition I dont feel the need to keep her so separated.

One of my boys goes out with a bunch of typical 'boys' and he comes in with the usual scrapes and marks on occasion from exuberant playing but hes not a show horse so I dont care, hes never had anything that would impede his performance or done any real damage, I'd rather he was out with his mates playing and being a horse for the time he gets out, he's still young too and craves that interaction with others if he spends a day out on his own. Hes usually a horrible nasty stress pot to handle/ride if he hasnt had his mates with him for a couple of days.

 

[MandyMoo]

mine goes out with 4 other big hunters...he is fine,

and tbh - horses are horses...you can't keep them cooped up on their own, nor is it right to turn them out on their own with no other horses in sight as they are herd animals and it is against their natural behaviours etc...i turn mine out almost all the of the time when i am not competing/riding and they stay fit, sound and happy

xx

 

[millitiger]

i always turn out in a group if possible- much more natural and i think they are much happier.
mine will go out individually if needs be, and they are fine with it, but much happier out with others.

i think we owe it to our horses to treat them as naturally as we can- i have had a mare retired through a kick in the field, had another horse chased through a post and rail fence and known a number of horses to be put down through broken legs...

BUT i still think it is worth the risk when you can watch them grooming, play fighting, swatting flies off each other etc and all of the other normal horsey behaviour when they are all out together

 

[Hornby]

Thanks everyone for lots of interesting replies - it's obviously a subject that quite a lot of people think about (I thought I was just being over anxious). I think I will have to bear the galloping about and realise that when they get more turn out time things will calm down. Wishing everyone a safe summer in the fields - thanks

 

[amandaco2]

mine go out together
sometimes they will have the occasional scrap over hay or hoon about but thats just horse behaviour.i wouldnt want to curb it
the more they are out the calmer they are.
if they dotn get on though i will seperate them.

 

[sachak]

mine is turned out on his own but he can interact over the fence. he was out with 4 others for 8 months out of necessity and NOT choice. if he needed cmpany id get him a shetland!

 

[toomanyhorses26]

mine is out 24/7 in a herd of 10 ranging from two 11hh sec a who keep the whole field in check to him(16.3hh tb) ,all have back shoes apart from the sec a's and no rugs cause we are pretty sheltered .

 

[Amaretto]

Yes, performed better as helped him chill and mind was in a better place!

But there was a lot of land and room to escape the bullies...not that he would have been, other horses had a healthy respect for him and walked away if he encroached on their space.

As for baby horse, he needs a 'telling off' without getting hurt as he is very cocky in the field. Scary, but have to grin and bear it until he learns the pecking order...

He needs the turnout as all babies do, or he would be a nightmare to handle/ride.

 

[Jane_Lou]

Baileys drives other horses mad as he constantly wants to play, he belted round the field all day constantly self harming himself or getting himself beaten up for being annoying! Joe has always been the bottom of the pile, he was covered in bites and I couldn't keep up with the rug repairs! It got to the point where he hated going out and just hung around the gate all day. The yard they are at now has individual paddocks of about an acre each, they are surrounded by other horses but out on their own. Joe is so much happier and relaxed he bounces out to the field now and Baileys plays over the fence but is far more settled and now grazes rather than blatting round all day injuring himself! I would not put them out in a group again, although they are very different individual turnout suits them both for different reasons.