Does your yard offer group turnout?

[milliepops]

I moved yards recently and for the first time my mare is in individual turnout. Today she jumped a 4 foot electric fence to get out of her paddock and I think it's because she is lonely. I've always had her in a small herd before

Anyway. I spent the day looking round other local yards trying to find a place she might be happier. I'm amazed at how many only do individual turnout.

Is this now standard? I haven't had to move yards for many many years before this so may be totally out of touch!

 

[wonderhorse11]

the horses at mine are split in to out geldings out mares in geldings and in mare the out horses are in 2 huge groups! 15-25 in both!!! although YO thinks that this is better for them as its more like the'd be in the wild

 

[acw295]

Our yard offers limited individual but it is almost totally large herd (single sex though) - it is why I moved there!

I loathe individual turnout (unless for medically reasons) but it is sadly all too common

 

[Tilda]

My yard does group turnout in small groups of up to 4 unless you request individual turnout and then they will sort that for you

 

[PolarSkye]

Kal has been on five yards and all of them have offered group turnout . . . can't imagine turning him out on his own.

P

 

[scazza]

totally individual preference,i have just recently moved yards to indiv paddocks as my mare is very much a loner and prefers her own space and the herd had grown to 10 at my old yard and she was not a happy bunny,all depends what your horse prefers and i know a lot of yards that do both ways

 

[Quartz]

Mine is personal preference. Some are together, some not. Can you not ask someone else on your yard if they are happy to put there horse with yours and then approach the YO with that suggestion?

 

[BigGinger]

My yard is all the horses together in one big field mixed herd..theres 17 of them. They all get on fine and my boy loves it, he really thrives off stimulation with other horses and he doesn't know which one to talk too. There is enough room to be on their own if they want to

 

[Paint Me Proud]

we have a mix, a few out individually, but most in three herds of 6 max - all herds are mixed mares and gelding.
Wouldnt ever move to a yard with just individual turnout - a horse needs to be a horse and to me that means be in a herd.

 

[Jazzy B]

I found this too when I was looking five years ago relocating from South to the Midlands. Wasn't aware that individual turnout, strip grazing or electric fencing even existed until moved to the Midlands as the three yards I was on at home where just everything out together or mares and geldings. Now at a yard where they are turned out mares / geldings and as have so many geldings and a couple of liveries that have more than two horses theirs are out together.

 

[muddygreymare]

At my yard we have single sex groups of about 3 horses, some of the yard's horses (it's a stud and livery yard) are in larger groups though. At my old yard they were in mixed groups but one or two had individual turnout. I wouldn't have my horse at a yard with individual turnout only though, she'd go nuts as she hates not being able to see/interact with other horses.

 

[ebonyallen]

We only have group turnout.

 

[milliepops]

Thanks all, guess I'll have to keep looking as we can't carry on as we are

Can you not ask someone else on your yard if they are happy to put there horse with yours and then approach the YO with that suggestion?

Yeah, this is what I'm going to try and do tomorrow, don't want her leaping any more fences

 

[Shooting Star]

Individual or pairs seems to be a lot more common these days, I'm not really a fan of either although I guess there will always be some horses for which it works better than groups.

When I first started owning horses it wasn't even normal to split mares & geldings and I've had ones in the past in mixed herds of up to 15 with no problems, gradually over the years though splitting has happened and now it just seems to have gone even further.

I've been lucky enough to end up at a yard that does small groups (4-6 ish) and daily turn out all year round which I think was about the best I case I could have found for the area I live in.

 

[kiritiger]

Sort of. The 2 liveries are in together and the 2 ponies are in together. The YOs other 3 horses are all in individual turnout, it's just what suits those individuals best.

 

[Golden Girl]

We are a livery yard based in the East Midlands, and our turn out is in groups. We have a paddock of mixed, one of young stock, mare paddock and gelding paddock. We have no indivdual turnout, but if it was requested at our yard, it would be catered for. It doesn't seem popular to have individual turn out in our area unless for ill ponies

 

[Janah]

One of the reasons I moved yards was that my boy was in individual turnout.

He is now turned out with 3 other geldings and loving it. All 3 are of roughly the same size and get on well though they tend to be in two sets of two. They spend a lot of time playing and being horses.

I know turnout together isn't for everyone but I do feel that most are better for it.

 

[Paddy Irish]

Mine is personal preference. Some are together, some not. Can you not ask someone else on your yard if they are happy to put there horse with yours and then approach the YO with that suggestion?

if you could do this ^^^ you could save the other persons patch and rest it for you both to get the grass benefit - after all you'd both be paying for a patch.?

 

[Mlini]

My yard is completely DIY. Everyone has their own paddocks

I would prefer group turnout, but everyone else likes individual. They all bring in at around 4pm while mine is out upto 2 hours longer. They don't turn out when its windy or rainy, mine goes out whatever the weather. I'm starting to think everyone on my yard is backwards

We have a new YM starting shortly and she hopes to get 4 geldings (inc mine) all out in a large field together.

 

[skint1]

Always group turnout, but I don't like the group to be too big, no bigger than 4 really.
Biggest group ever turned out in was 8, and that just felt like too many, poo picking was a night mare, there was always jostling round the gate and what have you, but 4 seems a more manageable number

 

[Carrots&Mints]

Were split up into geldings and mares, couldnt think. Of anything worse than having induvidual turnout, horses are social animals and in the wild would be in a herd not on their own. Hope you find somewhere xx

 

[TicTac]

Now you see I wouldn't consider group turnout again as I was fed up with the agro you get at the gate or the kicks, cuts and bites my horses would come in with. So for the last few years they have had individual turnout in paddocks next to each other and I do not have a single problem with either their health or mental state.

I do let my two romp around in the school together and ride out together etc. I would only consider group turnout again if it was a small group ( 4) a minimum size field of 8 acres and everybody looked after their horses and poo picked etc

what suits one horse or it's owner doesn't suit all.

 

[AdorableAlice]

Now you see I wouldn't consider group turnout again as I was fed up with the agro you get at the gate or the kicks, cuts and bites my horses would come in with. So for the last few years they have had individual turnout in paddocks next to each other and I do not have a single problem with either their health or mental state.

I do let my two romp around in the school together and ride out together etc. I would only consider group turnout again if it was a small group ( 4) a minimum size field of 8 acres and everybody looked after their horses and poo picked etc

what suits one horse or it's owner doesn't suit all.

I agree, there is always a dominant horse in a group, fine if you own it, but if yours is the timid one at the back, you can bet it will be yours that has the living S kicked out of it. Friend had his horse kicked in the field, broken leg.

Its tricky if you are sharing facilities I guess. I can think of nothing worse than catching a horse in the dark in amongst a load of others all wanting to come in. I keep mine in individual or pairs, 3 at a push but the 3 would be same sex and roughed off. They can all see one another over the post and rail and seem happy enough.

 

[miss_c]

We only have group turnout and all the herds are mixed. Genie did get a temporary individual paddock when she was being gradually reintroduced to grazing after being ill but that's the only sort of reason it would be allowed. My two are out with 6 others, 4 mares and 4 geldings. There isn't any jostling at the gate etc as they are all in their own routines and aren't bothered by others going in or out. The fact we have decent grazing helps as well!!!

 

[T's mum]

I make sure that any yard I move to offers herd turnout. My hoss cannot cope on his own even if there's other horses in the next field

only thing about pairing up, means you or the other person has to bring in the other horse so they don't get left which can be a nuisance if you want to go out for a ride especiallly if horse doesn't like being left in stable on its own.

 

[wiglet]

My yard has just 2 or 3 horses per field. My two have their own field most people are paired up with friends or whoever you share stable duties with as it's a DIY yard.

 

[forestfantasy]

When i worked on a livery yard we had a high demand for single turnout paddocks - we never understood it!

Although i am saddened by how many yards do seperate sex turnout
I find it totally unnatural. I find my horses become better friends with horses of the opposite sex and are less likely to fight.

Personally i like a small group of 4-6, plenty of interaction but less likelyhood of injuries.

We are on a DIY yard so me & my friend turnout together, we have 2 mares & a gelding of various ages (6-22yrs!) together and they all get on well

 

[debsg]

At my old DIY yard we had group turnout, but in single sex paddocks. Now I rent my own place with two friends and we have our six horses together as a herd - 5 mares and one gelding, and they are blissfully happy together

 

[ShadowFlame]

Individual turnout seems to be pretty commonplace now - I despise it. A friend of mine took on a livery yard not long ago, I was set to move on there until she told me it was all individual! "No battling at the gate, no fights, no injuries, no bullying, if you put hay out only yours is eating it", all fair points I suppose, but it doesn't change the fact that the majority of horses are miserable by themselves.

Our yard splits the mares and geldings, but other than that there's one herd of around 15 in the boys' friend, and one herd of 8 in the mares' field. They're happier that way.

 

[MillionDollar]

When I first opened my yard I left most of my grazing unfenced so I could fence it as I went along as to what people wanted. I had a field for group turnout, split into 2, but the rest was undecided. Well 95% of the clients want individual paddocks, so we have 35 one acre paddocks now. Most are in individual paddocks, but there are a few who are turned out as a pair, and 3 geldings that go out together..... the biggest group we did have was 4 geldings out together for 8 months, but now have ended up as pairs.

In fact I think out of all the livery clients I've had over the last 4 years, only 1 requested group turnout.....the rest are very happy to have individual or pair turnout (one of the things they are looking for). And we have a complete mix of people from happy hackers to advanced dressage competitors.