Does anyone not have winter turnout?

RubysGold

RubysGold

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When I moved to the yard Im on I was under the impression that they had all year turnout (when asked she said as much as is possible)
for the last week the horses have had to stay in, as the rain made the fields a bit slippy :/
Hopefully the fields will dry up soon (but the rain seems to keep coming a bit each night) and hopefully when its frozen they might go out.

But Im just wondering if there is anyone that doesnt have winter turnout, and how they cope with it and if the horses are quite happy with it?
 
I run a small livery yard, and although am 'precious' over my grazing, find it is a false economy not to turn out in the winter. Every horse goes out, whatever the weather, even if just for a few hours each day.

If the horses are denied turn out, when they do eventually go out they are more likely to trash the ground with over exuberance, which can also be dangerous for horses and owners alike.

In this country the rain, wind, ice and snow are all part and parcel of winter horse ownership. I have a quad with a harrow and roller and can easily recover my paddocks in the spring.
 
I also think not turning out daily is a mistake, they trash the fields more galloping round when fresh. I reduce the time out, getting in before they are bored and starting to hang around the gates, when it is very wet.
If they are already restricting, it is only November, it is going to be a long winter.
Do they have good facilities so that all horses are exercised each day or do they just end up stood in 24/7 which is in itself bad policy for any yard. The exception maybe if dangerous to get turned out in ice or snow.
 
Our farmer gets very precious over his grazing. We have 24/7 in summer, they came in a week ago and he wants them in by 4. Soon it will be not out til 9, then in by 3 and before long in at 12. Quite often he makes us stay in for several days in a row, then comments as people seem to fall off more! Its a DIY and a lot of people don't seem to work (not sure who pays - not starting on that subject though!) and those that do really struggle! We have a school we can use but it is 1/4 mile down an unlit road - not ideal for riding in the evenings :(
 
I wouldn't be at a yard where I couldn't turn out every day. My girl is still having 10 hours each day.

However I used to share a Horse that was at a lovely big yard. YO was very fussy about his fields and stopped the turnout. My share Horse was actually ok about it (a teensy bit more forward when riding, but not much difference really) the Horse stabled opposite (owned by same person as share Horse) was the opposite, He became very bolshy and exciteable. He was being led by owner and he got so excited about being out he broke away form her and bucked. Unfourtantly he caught his owner in the face, breaking her jaw, cheek bone and nose. I generally (as does owner, who is fine now BTW) believe it was due to no turnout!
 
I am moving to a yard that would probably rather not have every day winter turnout. The yard is well managed and appointed, with small sacrificial paddocks for the winter which I think TBH I'll turn my horse out every day on for a few hours at most. The rest of the time she'll be stabled.
 
LaurenBay said:
I wouldn't be at a yard where I couldn't turn out every day. My girl is still having 10 hours each day.
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likewise. Nitty wouldn't stand in all day without going potty and so she has to go out! YM reserves the right to have them in if the ground is really awful but I'm going into my 4th winter at the yard and it hasn't happened yet. Helps that only about 5 horses on the whole yard wear shoes so they don't cut up the ground quite as much as they could
 
All horses have to come in at night as of Nov 1st and if it's been really wet then they have to stay in 24/7, thankfully this doesn'y happen very often!
 
we have winter paddocks and summer paddocks.wouldnt stay on yard where horses couldnt be turned out somewhere.even a school or playpen or horse walker are okay.its places where they have to stay in stables all the time that is no no.:eek:
 
Mine are still out 24/7. Our YO/farmer is very good about turnout and in the 10 years here he has never restricted it for anyone. We have individual turnout that we poo pick and look after according to the individual horses - one of mine is always restricted due to previous lami and the other needs all he can get due to ulcers so it works really well as I rotate them as needed. The gateways do get poached - my boy is an idiot and will charge around so does trash his more but they recover in the spring/summer. We can decide when to bring in overnight and when they go out again - mine have been out as late as Christmas in a mild winter, earliest was late November last year when the snow came:o The earliest they have gone out for 24/7 was Feb and it never been later than April. I realise we are very lucky to have never had restrictions:)

No horse here ever really charges around as they get turned out allt he time so there is no novelty in it for them - you can tell if one has been on box rest for a while as then there is a bit of excitement on turnout but as they generally get ignored by the others it doesn't last long:D

I personally would never keep my horses on a yard where there wasn't year long turn out - neither would be happy.
 
good all year turnout is really essential to a horse.you can be on a yard with all the fancies-rug rooms/posh internal stables and all weather school-but they can have postage stamp turnout for the winter.nothing worse than seeing horses locked up all winter.:mad:
 
we don't have much winter turnout. we get out if the fields are hard, like if it has been frosty. they are in at night and have good sized individual hard stands during the day. I take mine for a roll in the school then out in hand for grass. she is fine, even when they do get out, she has a hoon around, a roll, a nibble of grass then stands at the gate to come back to hard stand. I would ideally like her to get out in field at least for an hour as it makes for an easier ride for me and also for the fields as they just tank around when they haven't been out. I wouldn't want her out too long as she would get mud fever standing at a muddy gate. Last year she was out quite a bit as it was so cold. She likes her routine and seems really content.
 
Mine do go out everyday but TBH, they are fed up after a 3 or 4 hours so I might keep them in one day and put them out the next.
Although not ideal, horses do seem to cope and adapt to what ever routine they are given ( as long as there is a routine) without too much fuss.
 
Mine are out approx 8am-5pm at the moment. If the weather is horrendous I cut that down a bit because they do just end up queueing at the gate to come in otherwise, so they might as well stand in with some hay. Last winter when it was really bad they were out for maybe 5 hours a day. I have them at home so I make my own rules about turnout but if I was ever to go back on a livery yard year round turnout would be an essential. I wouldn't go on a yard that doesn't offer that.
 
First winter on new yard and looks like we have daily turnout till it gets really bad and then its mares out one day and geldings the next, we have a school we can excercise in any weather so I'm not too bothered, mine is fine when its just a day here and there.
He was in on old yards for days here and there when it was bad, and spent nearly 2 months with access to a school as turnout only when our fields flooded badly, he coped with this too although not ideal!!
 
Ours are still out at night and will be until at least December - Genie's herd haven't even gone onto their 'summer' field yet! It works very well for me as so long as they do come in at night when they have to come in, there's no set time. Due to work I regularly turn out at 6am and bring in after 8pm and my girls do not hang around the gate, even in the middle of winter.
 
my boy usually goes out around 11 if im working him first otherwise its out at 10 an in around 2 or earlier if he wants in..although he is much happier being in with a haynet, i like him to stop in some days which really doesnt phaze him. he is only 3 and he never gets excitable if hes in for a few days, and in the field he very rarely charges round, he just watches or if he does run with the heard he soon tails off.
I like him to be out as much as possible but he loves being in lol
 
We have 10 hours in summer and 4 hours in winter. I find it works really well, there isn't much grass out in our winter fields after a while so she would rather be tucked up in her stable with a big slab of haylage!
 
We dont have winter turnout at my yard from nov to april, It works fine for me and my horse. My girl really likes routine and id rather them either in 24/7 or out 24/7 which she will be in summer. We have horse walker and shes ridden prob 5 days. I know its not everyones ideal but it works for me.:)
 
I was at a yard like that last year and spent the whole of the winter falling off a spooking, bucking horse, even though I tried to ride every day. Never again! Horse is now out all summer and in at nights in winter, out 8am til 4pm, and is happy and chilled and hasn't spooked at all for about 6 months! Its also better for his joints - his fetlocks used to click when I stretched them forwards and he would get puffy, now they're back to normal.
 
My girl is in if the ground is very wet, yard rules. It doesn't bother her, she is happy with it so what's the problem. Providing the horse is happy with the situation surely that's the thing that matters?!

I'd prefer my horse in that situation than at a yard where herds of horses are stood in deep mud with no grass cover to eat and then fight if you put piles of hay out!


Oh and before anybody decides to PM telling me what a horrible owner I am for stabling my horse when the ground is wet, it is a yard rule. I had some nasty PM's last year so don't bother!
 
We don't :( Unfortunately it seems to be the norm where I am. I'm fairly lucky in that we have a lunge paddock, an all weather schooling paddock and a small grass/mud paddock that we can use. I usually ride everyday and put my mare out for an hour whenever I can and it just about keeps her sane through the winter. Its not ideal and I can't even say I'm happy with it, but without travelling for miles/hours it has to do. Roll on April!
 
Our stay in if it is really wet but our stables all have there own outside yards. We also have a round pen wich she goes in for half hour a all weather arena and she is always hand grazed for a hour a day.
 
I can't seem to find a yard that has everything. If it has good all year turnout, it has no school, or no hacking. The yard I am about to leave has fantastic hacking and summer turnout, but winter turnout just a few hours on mud a day, with staying in compulsory if it is wet. The yard I'm moving to has less summer turnout (they have to come in for a few hours a day), but good hacking, an indoor and daily winter turnout. Its all a balancing game:rolleyes:
 
When I lived in California I rode at a competition barn out there where horses were kept in all year round. The only turnout they got was in individual pens (without grass, there was no grass where we lived) for two or three hours once a week on their day off. They lived. It's not what I would choose for my own horse, but the owners who paid upwards of $100,000 for their western competition horses were quite happy with that arrangement.

Also come to think of it, when my horse was on loan to a friend's riding school she was in year round and got full days in a proper field with one or two others on her days off. She was working hard, several hours a day in the summer. She was quite fit, well and happy every time I visited her, and now I have her home and have the option to turn her out more she actually prefers to be in and eating hay in her stable a lot of the time. However I make sure she goes out as much as possible for her arthritis.
 
I wouldn't do it, I honestly believe it to be cruel. I also cannot understand why horses would get 'bored' being out :confused: Are these horses on individual t/o? I also think that's cruel and gives them no opportunity to just be a horse. My yard lets you suit yourself, they can come in whenever, out whenever or live out 24/7. They're turned out in huge fields in herds so there is always company for them no matter what you choose to do. There are never horses standing at the gate 'bored' .......
 
Last year I had no winter turnout for 5 months.
We had a lean-to that we put the horses in for an hour or so of rolling and socialising then I would ride. Mare seemed happy with this but I wasn't!

Having moved yards, my mare hasn't even started coming in at night yet :D It will be in the next few days mind.

YO will turn them out everday unless it is blowing a gale and lashing it down with rain, in which case the horses are better off in and eating, then out huddling and not eating!
 
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