DOES YOUR YOUNGSTER COME IN AT NIGHT?

surreyhorsechick

surreyhorsechick

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I have a young QH (rising 2 in May) who lives out with my semi-retired Welsh X pony who these days has to live out due to the on-set of arthritis in his hocks. Living out 24/7 has turned his life around and he has gone from being in at night with leg wraps and magnetic boots etc to living out 24/7, moving freely and easily.

My youngster has practically lived out 24/7 from the day he was born and in fact before I purchased him last June had lived out the previous winter without even being rugged!

This winter both boys have lived out, but both been rugged since October, well fed & on a good amount of quality hay morning and night. The lady who runs my yard has got quite stroppy with me and strongly advised that I should be bringing my youngster in at night (even though he's happier out) which would mean leaving my old boy on his own.

What do other people do with their youngsters???? Should I be listening to this woman???

Help appreciated!!!!
 
My youngster comes in every night and has done for nearly every night of his life, it is an arrangement that suits me and the other horse I have, and he likes the routine. Having said that if I had vast well drained paddocks with good shelter I would be happy to leave him out 24/7 - sadly mine are nowhere near that good.
 
my 3foals come in every night but ditto above if i had lots of well drained grazing with field shelters i would leave them out, but as we are on clay its not an option, I also live the daily handling it gives them.
 
Ours have always lived out. Our home bred filly will be three this summer, she has never been rugged or in and has a coat like a yak. The foal I bought in November is also out 24/7 unrugged, he is out with my 18 year old gelding who as the OP said, is the soundest he's ever been by living out, they have lots of hedge shelter, hay and feed, and are both well - the gelding has recently put on weight, and I've noticed they are spending more time grazing than eating hay.

If your horses are happy and well out 24/7, then carry on with your system, simples!
 
Theres no need for them to be in until you want/need them to! My girlie was 3 when I got her and had only ever been in a stable occasionally. Once I had her she lived out in that summer and then was in at night in the winter, more for my convenience than hers. The important thing is that they get enough handling which can be easier if they are in at night but is in no way essential!
 
My rising 2 year old has come in at night this winter and I think it has done her the world of good.
The first few nights she was very unsettled but she is the first waiting at the gate to come in now.
I treat her like any of the others and I can do anything with her like hosing feet off, changing rugs, grooming, tying up, feet, have had a bridle on her, She leads out perfectly every morning and comes in at night, we are leading her over the manege at the moment so every night we place something different for her to negotiate on her way in, so she now walks calmly over poles, walks over water trays and passes fillers and showjumps without looking now.
I feel if she had been left out then I wouldnt have done as much with her whereas when she is in I have spent alot more time with her.
I know some people have other ideas about keeping youngsters living out but my paddocks would not stand them out 24/7 and I am so pleased with how much she has come on over this winter.
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If yours is happy to be out and it suits you then i would leave things as they are, at the end of the day if your paddocks will stand it then it is up to you
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Chancer lived out until he was 16 months but when he came to me he had to come in at night, plus stay in three days a week but they are allowed to go in the school for a hour during the day and another in the evening.

He was fine and happy with his hay.

Farra had never been kept in until we got her as a four year old. She lived out for the first two months as we are out 24 x 7 in summer but at the end of October had to come in at night and also three days. She took to her stable fine. We had put her in it for a few hours at weekends prior to the change over and again she had plenty of hay and was relaxed about it.

If I had the land and drainage, I would prefer to keep my youngsters out but would bring them in and leave them in for a few hours during the day to get used to be stabled a couple of times a week.

I prefer to have mine in if the weather is howling a gale and pouring with rain, but that is because I am a softy and honestly, my so called tough hairy beasts actually prefer their stable in bad weather - not keen on coming out and can't wait to get back in.
 
I have a rising 3 ID and he comes in at night, merely because my mare (not his dam) has a bit of a wind problem so is best left out with some soaked hay. I find it easier to bring him in as a) I don't have to soak all the hay all the time b) he has quite big feet so can do quite a lot of mud churning c) it's better for the field d)it's good for him to go in so he doesn't stress about being on his own and also makes it easier when I want to take the mare out as he now knows his stable is a good place to be and full of nice hay and a feed! Plus all the other things said above about handling etc.
 
My youngster is also 2 in May and she lives out all year round day and night.
she has haylage in the field through winter and a field shelter and she is a lot happier being out than in
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My almost 3 year old filly lives out with my friends 3 year old cob and and almost 2 year old TBx filly and the three of them are absolutley fine. They're much happier out that in so we leave them to it. The two fillies are both rugged but the cob is only rugged in the worst of weather and he's never cold and seems quite happy with life. If yours has been living out up till now there's no reason she couldnt continue living out.
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Thanks everyone for your replies! My field is muddy at the moment (whose isn't?) thanks to the consistently heavy rain we've had, but both my boys seem happy enough - they're warm under their rugs, get two feeds a day and pretty much ad-lib quality hay. The only downside is that half the field is a bog!

To be honest I don't think my yard runner's quite 'all there' and it's more about trying to control people than do what suits the horses best! She's also made comments about the youngster being underweight, but everyone who's seen him has said he looks great a the mo and not to put too much weight on him. TBH I can't really win with this woman and am looking for somewhere else!!!!!
 
My youngster is exactly the same as yours surreyhorsechick. Fed twice a day, plenty of haylage and under a warm rug though his field is a boggy mess.
Hes happy, and hates being in, so there he will stay!
x
 
Why EXACTLY does your YO think he should be coming in at night? I'd ask her out right (politely).

Does he have mud fever or anything? Does he get stressy when the other horses come in each evening? Is she trying to keep his field from getting more chopped up? Maybe she'll have a genuinely valid reason... or, maybe she wont. Ask her!

If she gives you a nonsence reason, just carry on as you are. Your youngster has the company of the older pony and vice versa. Nothing wrong there. Plenty of youngsters live out 24/7/365. Just wish my sensitive WBxTB would. Really do. Tried this year but she suffers from the dreaded MF. It must be in the soil at our yard, and bringing her in nightly to dry off, and reapply protection before turning her back out each morning, is the only way to manage it. I envy you!!
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Spyda I'm so sorry your girl suffers from mud fever. We're on really sandy soil so although the field's really muddy it dries out quickly, but the nice thing is that none of the horses suffer from mud fever. A friend of mine swears by liquid paraffin rubbed into clean dry legs before turning out (her YO doesn't allow hose pipes on her yard!) so she cannot wash the mud off easily and relies on this method. Works a treat for her!

As for my yard woman I honestly don't know what her problem is. It's a bit of a long story TBH but needless to say I'm on the hunt for somewhere new!
 
My babies stay out, I don't get much, if any mud, not much rain and the cold doesn't bother them. I only have one QH foal stabled at night this year and that's mainly because her particular field companions are fatso's and she gets hard food and needs more hay than they do. If I didn't want her to have plenty to eat she'd live out too.

In, out, all a totally individual choice, situations and horses vary so much.
 
TB yearlings at work live out all winter, rugless, and they are fine!
My own youngster (2 and a half) is coming in at night this winter, but only because he has no field mate to stay out with. Trust me, if I could have him out, he would be OUT!
 
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