For those at yards - is your turnout still open?

[scotsmare]

For those of you at yards, is your turnout still open? Mine announced today that turnout is closing from now til April as the fields are wet!

 

[Zimzim]

Hiya yes we have all year turnout, theyre now in at night and turned out during the day. The only times we keep them in is if its extremly bad weather but if thats the case we just turn out for an hour whilst we muck out twice a day.

Most of the horses on the yard couldnt cope with no turnout for that amount of time.

 

[Annie&Lilly]

Mine is closing as of this weekend.
They are still allowed out in the day, but 24hr turn out is a thing of the summer

 

[AmyMay]

Yes, we have grazing 12 months of the year. I wouldn't be at a yard that didn't offer this.

 

[scotsmare]

My boy is only out during the day anyway, but needless to say I'll be yard hunting at the weekend, I'm not imprisoning my horse for five months!

 

[Luci07]

Our yard will turn out all year unless in extreme weather. We have winter and summer paddocks and while they have shorter turnout in the winter, they are out everyday - and actually at our yard there are a couple of part liveries whose horse continues to go out at night and in during the day because they NEED that extra time out..

 

[Hippona]

Does that mean no turn-out at all?

Even a muddy turn out paddock where you could put hay out would be better than being in 24/7 IMO.

How stressful

 

[quirky]

Ours closed at the weekend.

There are no yards round here with all year turnout. The one I am on manages turnout better than any others I am aware of in the area.

They do get out onto sand paddocks for a couple of hours with a pal, which will have to suffice until Spring is sprung .

 

[StormyMoments]

yes but we make the decision as to when they come in, i brought my 2 in last niht but other people left out they will always be able to turnout at least 12 hours a day in the winter, even if it snows not that im planning on leaving them out long when it snows

 

[scotsmare]

Does that mean no turn-out at all?

Even a muddy turn out paddock where you could put hay out would be better than being in 24/7 IMO.

How stressful

Nope, none at all. You're expected to come and ride everyday. They don't allow hay in fields anyway!

 

[leflynn]

Yup still open, they're going to daytime turnout only on Saturday tho (24hr at the minute)

 

[luce1]

gosh thats awful! would hate to not have my boy out!
We have a summer field each and a winter field each at the yard I am at... Only go out during the days though...

 

[Alimac19]

I used to be on a yard that decided to restrict turnout in the snow, including closing the manage even for riding, also due to the rural location hacking was not possible in the snow. As we had a lot of snow for a long time that year (3 months approx on and off) I left. I'm now at a yard where turnout is not restricted at all but in the winter people do bring in at night as haylage is not allowed in the fields. Some of the horses are still out 24 hours.

 

[ecrozier]

Ours will come in at night from Sunday! I'd struggle to be on a yard that allowed so little turn out, my boys would be such hard work!

 

[BorgRae]

And this is where my major issue is with yards! ...

I have searched and searched for a yard that does winter turnout and has good facilities, just when I thought I'd found one, and we moved there, all of a sudden, the rules change!! AGAIN!

At our current yard, as of this week, they are only allowed out for 4 hours a day. That being the case, we now also have to pay extra to get them brought in after their 4 hours (on top of an already very expensive yard!)

I have two horses and they have their own field, however, for their supposed "winter turnout" they are still in their summer field and it's "up to us" if we keep them in there over winter, but they'll have nothing for summer! So basically, there is winter turnout, if you trash your summer field, leaving no summer turnout! Great!

So annoying as we are paying double now to what we were paying, and still have no turnout!! How hard is it really!!!!!!!!!!!

.... Thanks for the moan!! hehe!

 

[tinap]

Well I did rent my own field so rules were mine to make!! But due to lighting issues paired with daughters gcse revision session after school each night I moved to a yard on Monday. He still gets out all day, in on a night (which he did all year round on my field anyway). YO doesn't like them to be locked up all winter so I'm dead happy

 

[M_G]

Mine will be coming in at nights as from sat but I am very lucky that we all have our own fields so it's up to the individual to manage their own turn out, if you **** up your field then you pay to seed it.. Just my kind of DIY yard :0)

 

[Bertolie]

We have no restrictions on turnout at my yard. We each have our own paddocks to do with as we please. If we want to buddy our horses up with someone elses thats fine. Me and my daughter share our two paddocks so we will use the one over the winter then move to the other paddock in spring to allow the winter paddock to rest and recover before summer. We will probably bring the horses in at night during the winter anyway but the option for 24/7 turnout is there.

 

[tabithakat64]

I have horses on two yards.

First yard is DIY where you are allowed out either at night or during the day all year round, the grazing is very well drained but we're not allowed to put hay in the fields.

Second yard is my friends yard which has terrible clay soil. My boy will be out for between 16 and 24 hours from March/April until November/December providing it doesn't get too wet.

He will then go out in a trash paddock for between 4 and 7 hours a day and have hay in the field, during this time he will also be ridden every day, we have probably about 8 inches of horrible clay mud after it turns really wet I would like more winter turnout although my horse is quite happy being in

 

[Wagtail]

I really don't think people understand the issues until they have owned their own land. When I moved from being on DIY at livery to owning my own place I had all these big idealist ideas about how I would manage our then 7 acres and 3 horses so that they had all year round turn out. How I would rotate the fields throughout the year etc. Did everything by the book and ended up with 7 acres of trashed clay mush! We now have 18 acres and 8 horses (five liveries) and if I let them out on it all year round all 18 acres would be trashed despite installing new drains in the main field. It is because we are on clay soil and would need at leat 3 acres per horse to sustain the grazing all year round. In addition to that, I believe it is detrimental to horses and down right dangerous to turn out in muddy fields. However, I do believe that horses should get out every day 365 days a year and so we built an all weather turnout and now everyone is happy as horses get out at least half a day every day in the winter.

 

[Hippona]

I have 3 horses on 2 acres.....sure, they come in at night all year round but are out at least 12 hours per day even in winter- I sacrifice a small area to get totally trashed and put a big bale of hay in whilst I rest the other paddocks.

I appreciate the difficulties livery yards face- I was on one for years- the YO did turn over some small paddocks to the liveries which did get trashed all winter but we were allowed to put hay out so the horses still went out for as long as we wanted during the day.

I left the yard though because some other liveries were happy to put their horses out without hay and I wasn't - horses were scrapping over what I had put out for mine - all very stressful, but it wouldn't have been if people had not been so stinging grrr

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

Agree with poster above. I've got my own place and people do'nt realise how hard it is to keep grazing year-round so there's enough for everyone!

All it needs is a couple of younsters out there tearing around and its all chammed up and none for anyone else! Some owners think its funny to see horses tearing around; but not if you've spent time, effort, money, and dedication rolling, harrowing, seeding, and trying to keep the fields productive.

Here, we'll be bringing the horses in very soon so they're in at night and out during the daytime; would have done it before only we're having some building work done to the stables so as soon as builder finishes, we can commence winter regime.

My boy is on loan at a riding school; and they're gonna be bringing the horses in for the winter this weekend. So he will only get a very limited turnout, say a morning or afternoon per week, and that's if he's lucky, coz they've got the same problem of preserving their grass so there's enough to make haylage for next year AND enough grazing for 30 odd horses. No easy task. This is also the way it was when he was on working livery at equestrian college - and he was fine with it, is still alive to tell the tale!!!

I agree that its nice if horses can be out 24/7, BUT realistically this just might not be possible; so please peeps, don't blame the YO's coz they're trying to do their best for everyone but it doesn't help when people are grousing about it!!!

If a particular regime doesn't suit owner or horse, then there's always the alternative - MOVE!!

 

[Bosworth]

My fields will be open all year round. I have summer and winter grazing. From April to November horses can be out 24/7, in winter they are out from 8 til 5 every day. We never hay the fields as the horses tend to just trample that in. but all our fields have big deep gorse hedges so the horses graze in the hedgerows. Our fields are good, do not get really muddy. If there is bad snow, I will get the horses out, for as long as possible. They may not get put in their own fields, they may not get them out for 10 hours but I will get them out. the only time I have them in for more than 24 hours is for worming so the chemicals don't go on my paddocks.

 

[Slinkyunicorn]

We have year round turnout. We are lucky that we have good soil and our own paddocks so we decide on when they come in and go out. In the 10 years I have been here the YO/farmer has never restricted turn out - eben in the worst rain and snow. You can also put out as much hay/haylage as needed.

The previous yard I was at allowed year round turn out but you couldn't put hay in field as it looked 'messy'

 

[Arabesque Ani]

im lucky my mare out 24/7 at small yard. i feel sick at the thought of horses living in a box for days only coming out for an hour or to in winter . owners should spend a day shut in a box : yards take on too many horses for the land they have and the horses suffer. if alll owners demand turnout, horses woudl live better

 

[quirky]

I really don't think people understand the issues until they have owned their own land. When I moved from being on DIY at livery to owning my own place I had all these big idealist ideas about how I would manage our then 7 acres and 3 horses so that they had all year round turn out. How I would rotate the fields throughout the year etc. Did everything by the book and ended up with 7 acres of trashed clay mush! We now have 18 acres and 8 horses (five liveries) and if I let them out on it all year round all 18 acres would be trashed despite installing new drains in the main field. It is because we are on clay soil and would need at leat 3 acres per horse to sustain the grazing all year round. In addition to that, I believe it is detrimental to horses and down right dangerous to turn out in muddy fields. However, I do believe that horses should get out every day 365 days a year and so we built an all weather turnout and now everyone is happy as horses get out at least half a day every day in the winter.

I'm with you all the way here Wagtail.
It's all well and good people saying it's not good enough not to have all year turnout but if you don't have the right soil, you don't. End of!
I don't object the the horses not having field turnout in winter, I can't see the appeal of being stood fetlock deep in water or mud ... and that's one of the better draining fields . Even in summer we didn't have many weeks of non muddy gateways, let alone the odd patch of flooding .
My horse doesn't appear to suffer for the regime, neither did my previous horse who was much more quirky.

I am extremely grateful to the YO for building 3 sand turnout paddocks (not used for riding) that she gets the horses out onto everyday for a number of hours each.
If the ground is icy, they get loose schooled, so they don't have to go out of the barn and risk life and limb.

All in all, I think she does a great job .

 

[Wagtail]

im lucky my mare out 24/7 at small yard. i feel sick at the thought of horses living in a box for days only coming out for an hour or to in winter . owners should spend a day shut in a box : yards take on too many horses for the land they have and the horses suffer. if alll owners demand turnout, horses woudl live better

Yards would not be able to take on so many liveries and so prices would rocket. I agree however, that horses should get out every day for at least a few hours and that yards could look at providing alternatives such as all weather TO. Though I suspect that many would not be happy with that either.

 

[Noodlebug]

Mine are still out 24/7 but we have no limit on turnout. When they are in at night mine go out at 5am and back in at 4/5pm depending if I ride.

 

[quirky]

im lucky my mare out 24/7 at small yard. i feel sick at the thought of horses living in a box for days only coming out for an hour or to in winter . owners should spend a day shut in a box : yards take on too many horses for the land they have and the horses suffer. if alll owners demand turnout, horses woudl live better

You really have no idea .

 

[LaurenBay]

I wouldn't be at a yard that couldn't offer all year round turnout. She's out every day from 6am to between 6-7pm. Then stabled over night. We are a small yard and all the Horses live in a herd. They are still in the summer paddock at the moment. There is hardly any grass though. Next week they are moving to the winter field which has been resting a while.