For those at yards - is your turnout still open?

Wagtail said:
You see, how can horses be happy in conditions like that? I have kept them like that before when on livery. One ended up with a broken leg. All suffered from varying degrees of mud fever. All the horses were crabby and darn right dangerous at bringing in time. As Kerilli says, the grass doesn't grow in winter in any case so you may as well have them munching hay in an all weather turnout. Happy horses, no mud fever, no slipping or twisting legs in the mud and happy owners. I can't think how I ever coped without it.
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Well Olly in the pic used to drag me to the field and make me go and get him when it was time to bring in. He went out from 7am to 5pm. Also he has never *touches all the wood I can find!* had mud fever and he was at that yard for 3 years I think. They didn't have an all weather (I don't think I've seen a yard round here that has!) so it was the field or nothing.
 
broke_but_happy said:
Well Olly in the pic used to drag me to the field and make me go and get him when it was time to bring in. He went out from 7am to 5pm. Also he has never *touches all the wood I can find!* had mud fever and he was at that yard for 3 years I think. They didn't have an all weather (I don't think I've seen a yard round here that has!) so it was the field or nothing.
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He does look a happy soul judging by his face. I am only speaking from my experience, especially when horses are not allowed hay in the fields. They are very miserable and fight to come in first. I am not judging anyone for keeping their horses like that, as you say, you have to cope with the conditions that are available to you, and I've been there.
 
Ours are in at night now and have been for a couple of weeks because they started standing at the gate/pacing about.

We had 24/7 turn out for 6 months so I'm not complaining.

Ours are still turned out from about 7:30am until about 6pm during the week. Yes the fields get muddy but very little can be done about it due to how wet it gets here over the winter and we tend to keep them in the same winter fields and let the other fields rest so as to not churn up all of the paddocks.

We do have hard stand in the gate area's but sometimes that get churned up too.

I'm lucky that we are able to put hay out if we feel we need to.

I do have friends at yards with 24/7 turn out and fields that can cope with that but that seems to be a rare exception these days!
 
We have a fabulous yard.. all year round turnout which is drained, loads of space, I have three fields available to me (just my "lot") cant recommend the yard high enough, ther best yard I have ever been on! I wouldnt ever go to a yrd with no turnout at all... I have been at yards where winter turnout is limited and it just doesnt work for my guys.. I believe all horses whether retiree, or International Eventer should all have access to "free time" and turnout...
 
We are very lucky - my parents own the yard and we turn out during the summer most of the time (they come in for a nap :cool:) try to leave them out as long as poss until they start to hang around more usually around november, then they will be in at night and out in day (altho parents are happy for us to put them out here and there if they are unhappy being in) We are also aloud to give hay all year perhaps for a laminitic
pony (someone may prefer to soak hay) as long as it is kept to one area and any left overs cleared up every few days. It can get muddy in the winter but we save half the fields purely for summer use only - and i have to admit bringing them in at night does seem to stop them getting to bored.
 
We do all year turnout and are lucky to have sandy soil and sloping fields so really there's no mudbath. My horses are still out 24/7 but will probably come in at the end of this month, out through the day. Couldn't cope with no turnout.
 
Mine our still out 24/7! We will bring them in over bonfire weekend and then yard owner says they can go back out if ground still dry! When they do come in then I put mine out at 5.30am and then they come in around 4pm. Luckily we have loads of grass during the winter so they only get hay in field if snowy!Luckily I have always been on a yard with daily turnout during the winter!
 
Even when we did have them in at night in winter (many years ago!) we would have refused to keep them somewhere with no trnout, we left one place for that reason. Now they live out 24/7 they seem happier and healthier. Even when we had a yard and stables we only used them for vet/farrier/feeding.
 
At the same yard but my gelding is in over night as we havent had him very long so wanted to get him into a routine and is very happy coming in overnight from the day we got him about 2months ago but the other geldings that are in his field come in too, but we are on assisted diy and they turn out every morning and can stay out as late as we want, my mare has 2others which are staying out for about 2 more weeks, then the whole yard has to come in over night, i would never go to a yard where they were not able to go out all day! However my 2mares i used to have at our old yard we used to keep them in for day and night then come in day and night, as the fields were one hell of a walk but there was always something going on during the day being a competition yard :)
 
My yard will be closing the fields soon I guess. Some Horses are still out overnight, and live out during the summer months, but they all come in and stay in when the weather gets really bad, then our fields are fertilized before they can all go out again.
None of them mind this though. I think people get too worked up and fussy most of the time. Our horses range from all kinds, small fat ponies, Large Cob types, Thoroughbreds, Warmbloods, Racers, Eventers, and they all follow the same routine, are turned out together and get on fine. During the winter they have turn out in our indoor school in pairs or small groups, have their fun, and go back to their stable. They are all ridden reguarly and the majority of their work is hacking. No one has any problems.

I prefer my horse to be in and cosy and warm, rather than standing out getting wet cold legs, mud fever, shoes lost in the mud, no food and looking downright miserable.
 
we are on clay, on the somerset levels, our reservoir does quite a good job of draining the ditces!

we have 2 on 4.5 acres and find that so long as the winter paddock grass (3 acres) has been allowed to get long enough (was cut end of june for hay then left) it does a really good job of protecting the ground underneath and then we reseed when they move again. Our field does seem to be a bit better than some of the surrounding ones though.

eta bluecakes, I prefer mine out, wandering, stretching legs to keep warm (he is rugged as fully clipped), head down, eating the grass or hay provided, in the fresh air!
 
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Our horses live out 24/7 year round with natural shelter and access to their stables at all times. We are on clay and it does get boggy at the bottom of the hill but at the top drains quite well.
 
We're still allowed to turn out during the day only, but soon there will be no turnout till spring.

I've only been on the yard since June, but what puzzles me is that LOADS of people on the yard tell me their horses haven't been ridden for years. So how do they cope in winter? It's a mystery... :eek:
 
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Mine have 24/7 turnout all year round. I don't mind bringing them in at night, but they made it perfectly clear last winter they didn't want to stay in their stables. None of the horses ever look miserable because they have well draining pasture and an endless supply of hay in the fields.
I have been on yards where the YO said they always had turnout during the day in winter until the first spots of rain came and then suddenly turnout was stopped for weeks on end.
Each time I voted with my wallet and walked. If the service is for stable and grazing, that's what I'm paying for. If the land can't support the horses all year round, YO's should say so and give liveries the choice whether to come or not.
I've also viewed yards where the soil was clay or the grazing was poor and I was able to make the decision not to livery there.
I'm planning on moving house soon and this time, I'm looking for the yard first before finding the house.My last move was a real eye opener in that, what is a very horsey area has such appalling turnout on local yards.
 
No, but I actually agree because we are on a fell the fields get absolutely water logged. They will re-open as soon as it freezes. However, we do have a huge indoor school, which mine get to run around, well Captain runs, Fany stands there and looks at you!
FDC
 
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We have all year turnout and I wouldn't want to be at a yard where my horse did not get turned out every day, even just for a few hours.

When I was purely DIY my horse and his field mate had to go out before we went to work and stay out until we got back from work to bring them in. The ground was very wet and the mud in the gateway was often up to the top of our wellies. We sectioned off a trash paddock and gave them hay in the field. Quite often we had to negotiate the mud in pitch dark to find him and his friend as they were in no hurry to come in. He was a far happier horse than he would've been had I kept him in or only allowed a short period of turnout in the school.

I appreciate that people do have issues with trying to keep their land in a manageable condition and that for some people an all weather turnout is the best they can offer. While I wouldn't find that arrangement ideal, it is better than keeping horses in 24/7. That is something I wouldn't find acceptable.
 
Yes, we still have turn out. The horses are in overnight, and out during the day now though. OP, it that was my yard I would be out of there straight away - 5 months with no turnout at all is not fair on the horses.
 
Our are out during the day but in at night, made sure that there was no way that turnout would be stopped and they said definatly not. No horses are allowed to live out 24/7 during the winter except for one who has its own field and shelter as it lost the plot in its stable when his field buddy got put down
 
Still out 24/7, fully clipped and not needing to put hay out either! Usually, we're in at night end September/beginning October purely because of wet ground. YO gives us a choice when to bring in, if at all (although, there's an option of grass livery if you're in the 'out all the time' camp).
When it's miserable weather, like the last few days, they have been hanging around the gate. I brought Markie and my friend's mare in this morning but, after a bit of tlc they were both more than happy to go out. My friend checked them this evening, none of them coming to the gate, dry and well warm enough, and, obviously, not hungry.
We have, on average, 2 acres per horse in groups of 3 or 4. The land slopes down to the gateway which can get poached during the depths of winter, but the worst it's been is ankle deep. I have been on a yard with clay soil that did offer all year turnout but the fields were awful, much easier to turn them out for an hour twice a day in the sandschool! One of my brand new Hunter wellies may still be in those fields, lol!
 
broke_but_happy said:
I wouldn't be too sure about that! I'm in Surrey and when I was at my first yard the fields looked like this in the winter :eek:
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At my last yard we put hardcore down in the "trash paddock" and front of the main field and the horses had that over the winter with hay whilst the rest of the big field rested. It seemed to work fine.
At my current yard we get winter and summer fields so have AYTO, I couldn't be at a yard with no winter turnout!
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Believe it or not, that doesn't look too bad to me! Our winter turnout "pen" is about 20mx30m, and is grassed over hardcore, and it looks like that by the end of winter, but I don't mind as I know they will only be hoof-deep in mud, not knee/hock deep! I would absolutely turn my horses out in that.

The main reason why I don't turn my two out is they both get mud rash - one really badly. The vet says its almost like an allegy with him, and it swells up in no time to dangerous levels, so he just has to stay in. They're both good medium weight ISH - eventer/hunter types, so are heavy creatures. When we had ponies they went out without too many problems - they didn't weigh so much and therefore didn't sink as much and churn up - they were also much more intelligent and avoided the bogs. You'd think ISHs that had come from Ireland could cope with mud, but not mine!

TBH our turnout paddock is small, but it does give them an hour or two of free time, and is actually not that much smaller than some of the paddocks at yards where people have individual turnout.. The stables also look out over the valley, so they have lots to look at, rather than a brick wall as in some yards. I would love them to be out all winter, but it just isn't possible.
 
So glad we have all year turnout, Bertie is out in the day and is happy to come in at night. Makes me feel fortunate that we have access to turnout whatever the weather in the winter such a shame for you :(
 
New yard, winter field as of tomorrow - a field with lots of natural shelter and alone its about 10 acres, so hoping not to have too much mud at the end of the winter, but only time will tell. Currently three horses, (inc 1 pony) aiming to be out 24/7, but the old horse may have to be stabled at night so he can eat his grub in peace.

Do you think shoe-less horses create less mud than shod horses???

ps, clay soil!!

We managed with our old field JUST, but often had to fence off wet/poached areas. Some days it looked very poached. Hope we can manage with the new place!!
 
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Horses out during the day but in at at night, I wouldn't have my horse in a yard no matter his posh and flash it is unless I could have daily turnout
 
Ours is open for 24/7 365 days a year. Everyone is allocated a stable but can choose if and when they use it. Out of 12 on our yard 3 are now in at night.
 
Iv got my own 8 acre field with 6 horses, good doers. A small part is fenced off for summer grazing and all the rest is put back for the winter. Yes I chain Harrow, yes I re seed, yes I roll but would not keep my horses in 24/7. If I had to I would sell them would not want them kept that way. If your careful with your ground it can be done. But the type off soil will have a big say for some owners. Clay is a nightmare
 
New YO has put a lot of effort into getting out fields into shape hence we will have some restricted turnout this winter but the objective is to keep everything going out every day without turning the fields into mud pits.
 
I rent somewhere - 1 horse and 2 ponies on a 3.5/4 acre winter paddock. It's not clay (was bought up keeping horses on clay so I do sympathise!) but is flat and on a floodplain. they are out 24/7 (after having one on 5 months boxrest I won't keep them in unnecessarily) although I bring the big one in for the odd night if I want to ride in the morning. all are unshod (makes a difference) and although I feed hay in the field, I don't use a ring feeder. I have a number of gateways, one of which is out of bounds atm as too wet.they stay out come wind/rain/ice and snow. they do not melt, they aren't clipped or rugged and this year, am seeing if big one will do without rugs at least as long as possible. as I live on site, it's easier!

I did the livery thing, I would not keep a horse at a yard that restricted turnout for months out of the year even while understanding why some have to do it.
 
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