Does anyone have an all weather turn out area on their yard?

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Moobucket

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Do you use it? Was thinking about the practicalities of putting a woodchip floor in a shed for over winter. We're on clay which is drained but if its anything like last year it would help for turnout. I ve found some liveries to be reluctant to use them though. I know its cheaper to have your horse grazing through the winter but is there any other reason that I haven't thought about?
 
We keep our horses at home, and in order to preserve the grazing we surfaced an area by the field shelter and water trough, and put gates at the end of it. The idea was that the 4 of them would be turned out during the day there with haynets, coming in at night. One problem was that I have a 25 year old, and he's bullied by the others - not a problem when there's loads of room, but an issue in a restricted area, and he also has COPD so he needs soaked or steamed hay - which is heavy to lug in bulk to the turnout area. Ended up with 2 in the turnout area, and I divided the concrete yard in front of the stables in 2 with electric fencing, so the other 2 stayed with their stable doors open, able to mooch about but with their own hay. Think the turnout area would have worked brilliantly if it wasn't for my old boy, but didn't like to keep him in the yard all on his own! Only issue is misbehaving when bored in a confined area.
 
No, but I have before and god I miss it. I've only ever had them outside though, but they are so useful, for things like horses coming off box rest and fat ponies as much as for winter turnout.
 
Yes, we put in a woodchip area a few years ago and I don't know how I'd cope without it in the winter (especially last winter).
 
I do as well. I've done two areas, each one about 15m by 6m, for two horses each and with a field shelter each. We have very clay soil so I had to remove the top soil, put down hardcore and then a blinding layer. The horses are digging it up a bit in the field shelters and there is more sand now than bliding layer which is a nuissance. Also because of this I will need hay feeders that keep the hay off the floor, but overall it's a godsent for wet days.
 
I have 7 stables in an "L" shape so we squared off the front to make a concrete yard which is ideal for winter.
 
We have one, we have used it for two winters now, and our mud rash prone horses have not had a sniff of mudrash for three years now. The horses go out on it from 8am to 6pm all winter. We have very boggy clay fields. We put down a good layer of hardcore, then road planings. The area is about 20x50 in an L shape. My two horses go out on it with haynets together. We did try wood chip/shavings over the ground, but the clay just swallowed it in no time, so personally I would go for something more hard standing. Ours didn't cost that much, a few hundred pounds.

Ditto everyone else's comments that it is an absolute godsend. If I was planning another yard and had a choice between an arena and a hard standing, the hard standing would win hands down.
 
I use the arena to turnout if the fields get too wet.

I put haylage in nets hanging off the fence, with a large tarp underneath to stop any getting mixed into the surface.

If I didn't have the luxury of the arena, an all weather turnout would be a top priority, especially after last winter!
 
I've just taken on my own little place, and will be moving Alf there as soon as I have a companion sorted. Whilst having a mooch round, I realised that what I thought was a rather tatty paddock was actually the remains of a very elderly sand school. The guy who owns the place looked at me as if I was mad when I practically did a happy dance on the spot! Alf had terrible mudfever last year, so having an all weather turnout area is an unexpected, but massive bonus!
 
If anyone has any photo's, I'd be really interested to see what your all weather turn out looks like. Just looking for ideas - so if anyone has a pic they don't mind posting I'd be grateful :)
 
I've posted these a few times, apologies to those who've seen them before! It doesn't look quite as pristine mid winter, hay gets everywhere, and we get some grass growing on it over summer, but the horses strim it quickly!

Hope these come out, can't find the preview feature on this new forum!


Sorry, its only posting the links, does anyone know why I'm not just getting the pics if I'm copying the IMG and HTML codes from Photo bucket? Don't like opening my whole album to everyone..
 
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20x50 what honey, feet or metres? Two big horses?

I have an existing area of about 20x30ft which is half hardcore and half grass I was tempted to put my 14.1 on last winter but I was concerned it would end up totally trashed, I could potentially cover the grass with hardcore too.
 
I have one, originally made for my broodmare with a skin condition that meant she couldnt come into contact with mud, when she used it was road planings but she used to churn it up as she was an awfull box and fence walker so have put woodchip fines down ( waste product from biomass woodchip company ). I have an endless supply ( our cattle sheds also have a layer on bottom ), its highly absorbant, free and deep enough that they can roll in it and have a bit of a trot round. Not quite finished but will get pics.
 
20x50 metres. It goes into the yard too. My 16h and 17h go out on that all winter (and have even readopted it during this hot weather to stay away from the flies!

If you click on the left button on this link (still can't get the photos on!!) there are three photos of it.

 
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This is all weather, done from old sand school
51cd31d29bc3a395056467812cd15dcf.jpg
 
How strange, if you run the mouse over the pic there are arrows on my link, which scroll to other pics.

They are The Timber Yard stables, a local company. The ones on the first pic are mobile field shelters with doors on that we use for hay and straw storage. Not sure that I love them though, they leak a lot and the wood shrinks loads in hot weather. We seem to be unlucky though, other friends that have them have had no issues, think the wood used for ours must have been damp when they were built so that the wood contracts to leave gaps when they dry out.

Course you can move in! Especially if you bring Titchy and daughter and some sheep to eat off all the grass! We've got seven spare stables, so should fit all your lot!
 
How big an area Romany? This is the crux of the matter for me, I don't want to lose too much grazing by doing it, really, the three ponies can be out like they were last year as I doubt it could be much wetter and they were fine. My horse however I need to do something for her. I just want to know how small an area I can get away with, without it being a churned up mess. Using hardcore with a membrane underneath I think.
 
Honey08 said:
How strange, if you run the mouse over the pic there are arrows on my link, which scroll to other pics.

They are The Timber Yard stables, a local company. The ones on the first pic are mobile field shelters with doors on that we use for hay and straw storage. Not sure that I love them though, they leak a lot and the wood shrinks loads in hot weather. We seem to be unlucky though, other friends that have them have had no issues, think the wood used for ours must have been damp when they were built so that the wood contracts to leave gaps when they dry out.

Course you can move in! Especially if you bring Titchy and daughter and some sheep to eat off all the grass! We've got seven spare stables, so should fit all your lot!
Click to expand...

Oh my god we are on our way :D. I have arrows but the stupid iPad won't click them whatever I try :o
 
Could you scrape the grass back, add hardcore then spread the soil over it, so the grass grows back but it doesn't churn too much but the grass will grow? We have a 20x30m hardcore area as well that was made 30 yrs ago, and grass has grown over the top with soil to about fetlock level. We used to use that before we built the hardcore area, it did really well with the ponies, but my husband's horse is a walking rotavator and wrecked it, he is also the most prone to mudrash! We initially built the hardstanding to store haylage on when we decided to do it last minute and got seventy bales one year, then a lightbulb went on when I saw it..!
 
I found that a layer of scalpings was enough to keep the mud at bay and the grass grew through to provide a little 'grazing'. It was right in front of the stables so proved invaluable when one pony, who hated to be left, was on box rest as another one could be turned out but still keep her company. Later the box rest pony could mooch around out there and see her friends over the field gate. Couldn't have survived without it.
 
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