asbo
Well-Known Member
who does this?
do you have shelters?
whats your routine?
thanks in advance
do you have shelters?
whats your routine?
thanks in advance
grass kept all year round
- Thread starter asbo
- Start date
Tinker_Belle
Well-Known Member
I've kept mine out all year round before due to not having shelter. Mine was rugged at night & during the day if it was very wet.
They had ad lib hay in nets & in sheltered parts of the field Although I'd advise some kind of holder so it doesn't all get trampled about!!
Mare was fed a feed morning & evening purely because, although she is NF, she doesn't hold weight during the winter & does better rugged up in the hardest months.
Mine were a British Spotted Pony, two mini Shetlands & my NF mare & they were all happy.
Were a bit fed up when it was relentless rain but they were all happy & relaxed living out. Try to stable S as little as possible as she doesn't like it much.
RachelB
Well-Known Member
Mine has been out 24/7 since July. The last place she was at, she had an eight acre field between her and two youngsters, water trough, nothing else. No shelters although there were three sides of tall hedge and one side of trees. My routine was to go and check on them sometime during the day!
katie_southwest
Well-Known Member
Mines out 24/7 with lots of natural shelter for them, she gets bored if shes in for too long! She gets a morning feed all year round and morning and evening in winter as the grass is rubbish (and hay in winter) I check on her once a day and YO feeds/checks in mornings
amandaco2
Well-Known Member
my ISH was out for 3 years,
she wasnt rugged apart from the very wet weather(she had a lw rug on) and she had a huge field of about 12 acres on a big hill with natural shelter.
they got some haylage over a few months of the worst weather.
i fed her hifi lite and usually rode her 6-7days a week doing an hours hack or 45mins schooling.
she loved it and it was so easy on the work load for me!
she wasnt rugged apart from the very wet weather(she had a lw rug on) and she had a huge field of about 12 acres on a big hill with natural shelter.
they got some haylage over a few months of the worst weather.
i fed her hifi lite and usually rode her 6-7days a week doing an hours hack or 45mins schooling.
she loved it and it was so easy on the work load for me!
asbo
Well-Known Member
thanks guys, keep em coming lol
badgerdog
Well-Known Member
Mine are out 24/7 with rugs on over the winter. They have big round bales of hay in a 30 acre field from Oct - April normally, although this year they are still getting hay in May! We make sure they never run out. They have natural hedges but if the weather is horrendous I bring my 24 year old in for a few hours to dry him off and for a bit of respite but never overnight as he hates being in. I feed them hard feed once a day. I have to be careful how much hard feed I give my oldster (who's 7/8 TB!) because he would come into the spring too fat! They look very contented and I love giving them a natural lifestyle even though the mud is a complete pain and I end up hacking out looking like a bit of a scruff compared to the full liveries up the road. I feel this is a small price to pay.
hadfos
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
who does this?
do you have shelters?
whats your routine?
thanks in advance
[/ QUOTE ]
Hiya
I did it for 2yrs with my tb,he loved it!!However now he back in a routine of being stabled he loves that too,lmao
(all food)
There was a shelter and do you know what he used it for.....peeing in,
,some horses will use it,my lad chose not too,the last thick snow we had couple yrs ago he was out snoozing in it all,when he had the option of a bedded down shelter
Routine not as high maintenance,if there is a few of you!!
We used to take it in turns for poo,etc(actually i got stuffed with most of it,bone idle gits i was with,but i wanted my horse poo free so did it
)!!
What is your plan sweet??
who does this?
do you have shelters?
whats your routine?
thanks in advance
[/ QUOTE ]
Hiya
I did it for 2yrs with my tb,he loved it!!However now he back in a routine of being stabled he loves that too,lmao
There was a shelter and do you know what he used it for.....peeing in,
Routine not as high maintenance,if there is a few of you!!
We used to take it in turns for poo,etc(actually i got stuffed with most of it,bone idle gits i was with,but i wanted my horse poo free so did it
What is your plan sweet??
Diggerdog
Well-Known Member
3 horses on 8 acres
- 1 TB
- 1 TBX (blanket clip)
- 1 Welsh
No shelter or hedges
Strip grazing in the summer
Rugs & hay through the winter.
- YO puts out hay (am)
- 1 visit & hard feed per day (pm)
No shoes seems to reduce poaching
= happy horses!
The downside - POO PICKING
- 1 TB
- 1 TBX (blanket clip)
- 1 Welsh
No shelter or hedges
Strip grazing in the summer
Rugs & hay through the winter.
- YO puts out hay (am)
- 1 visit & hard feed per day (pm)
No shoes seems to reduce poaching
= happy horses!
The downside - POO PICKING
Tia
Well-Known Member
Almost every single horse who lives here with me, lives out 24/7; even throughout the most severe winter chilly weather. Winters are typically around -10 most days however we do have a number of days which go down to -25 and once in a while we have the -40 days ..... brrrrr. Horses don't seem to mind though.
I ad-lib top quality hay all year round - although they don't each much of this during Spring and Fall, however in the blistering heat of the summer they do have to go back onto eating it as the grass burns and frizzles away during June - August.
All of my fields have large field shelters or barns which they can use any time they like. My pasture fields are all around 10 acres each and all have good natural shelter in the form of trees, hedgerows or woodland.
No fields are poo-picked, we harrow here. We can't poo pick in winter as the poos freeze solid within minutes. When Spring comes, there are huge piles of sh.. everywhere, particularly around the hay feeders, and we have to dig it up with the tractor or the Bobcat and remove it from the fields. It is dumped and then used the following Fall as organic fertiliser.
We don't really have mud here, thank the lord! So none of the horses looks dirty except if we go for rides along the river bank or down by the lake where it gets a little mushy in the Springtime.
The horses here are only fed hard feed during the winter months.
Almost all of the adult horses wear rugs during the winter months; none of the foals wear rugs .... they grow them!
I like all of these guys to look slightly portly going into winter and a little slim going into Spring, however this year they are all carrying a little more weight that I would prefer. Not to worry though as they are all out riding most days now so should start to drop a little before summer comes.
I live and work on my farm every day, so I am out with the horses every day when it is nice. Winter, I spend a lot of time on here as it is too cold to do much outdoors.
I couldn't go back to having horses live in at nights now - I am so at ease with keeping them outside and seeing them so happy living this type of lifestyle.
I ad-lib top quality hay all year round - although they don't each much of this during Spring and Fall, however in the blistering heat of the summer they do have to go back onto eating it as the grass burns and frizzles away during June - August.
All of my fields have large field shelters or barns which they can use any time they like. My pasture fields are all around 10 acres each and all have good natural shelter in the form of trees, hedgerows or woodland.
No fields are poo-picked, we harrow here. We can't poo pick in winter as the poos freeze solid within minutes. When Spring comes, there are huge piles of sh.. everywhere, particularly around the hay feeders, and we have to dig it up with the tractor or the Bobcat and remove it from the fields. It is dumped and then used the following Fall as organic fertiliser.
We don't really have mud here, thank the lord! So none of the horses looks dirty except if we go for rides along the river bank or down by the lake where it gets a little mushy in the Springtime.
The horses here are only fed hard feed during the winter months.
Almost all of the adult horses wear rugs during the winter months; none of the foals wear rugs .... they grow them!
I like all of these guys to look slightly portly going into winter and a little slim going into Spring, however this year they are all carrying a little more weight that I would prefer. Not to worry though as they are all out riding most days now so should start to drop a little before summer comes.
I live and work on my farm every day, so I am out with the horses every day when it is nice. Winter, I spend a lot of time on here as it is too cold to do much outdoors.
I couldn't go back to having horses live in at nights now - I am so at ease with keeping them outside and seeing them so happy living this type of lifestyle.
MagicMelon
Well-Known Member
Yep, 4 out of 5 of mine live out 24/7 all year (1 comes in at night for health reasons). The 2 horses who compete are clipped and rugged in the winter. I have a 3rd temporary pony at the moment which has thrown things a bit out of whack. They all generally have shelter in some form though (back of a building, an actual shelter etc.).
General routine, is keeping their waters topped up in their paddocks and giving lots of hay until the grass starts (which it is now finally). But generally the ponies get hay all summer as I have to limit their grazing to keep the dreaded lami at bay. Otherwise, they all get 2 feeds a day. To ride, I have a fenced off area.
General routine, is keeping their waters topped up in their paddocks and giving lots of hay until the grass starts (which it is now finally). But generally the ponies get hay all summer as I have to limit their grazing to keep the dreaded lami at bay. Otherwise, they all get 2 feeds a day. To ride, I have a fenced off area.
asbo
Well-Known Member
thanks everyone, thats fabby.
we have gotten a 5/6 acre field for jay jay/lady and fizz , jay jay hates being stabled, tends to take doors right off the hinges to get out
he also however drops weight in the winter although i think thats due to stress.
plan is that they get the field sectioned, fizz will have her own starvation paddock.
field has a flat area with some trees/hedging & the hill part has hedging the whole way up on side.
want to build a shelter and make a hard standing area, they will get ad lib hay all winter, jay
jay gets hard feed all year round anyway so that will not change.
hoping it makes for a more laid back, happy horse
we have gotten a 5/6 acre field for jay jay/lady and fizz , jay jay hates being stabled, tends to take doors right off the hinges to get out
he also however drops weight in the winter although i think thats due to stress.
plan is that they get the field sectioned, fizz will have her own starvation paddock.
field has a flat area with some trees/hedging & the hill part has hedging the whole way up on side.
want to build a shelter and make a hard standing area, they will get ad lib hay all winter, jay
jay gets hard feed all year round anyway so that will not change.
hoping it makes for a more laid back, happy horse
Nudibranch
Well-Known Member
The shetlands live out 24/7 all year and my tb did too. There is a mixture of natural shelter and an american barn for them to go into, plus a stream for water along with their trough... Soil is very sandy though so they are on hay/haylage from about October to June. Total area is about 15 acres, split into smaller fields. I've never been a fan of stabling though I appreciate there is sometimes a necessity.
Spot_the_Risk
Well-Known Member
Ours live out at all times, they are all native types, mine is clipped and rugged in winter, and the brood mare was rugged as she was still feeding her foal, but we have taken rugs off for summer now! We harrow rather than poo pick (lazy). We also have no water supply, so all water is collected off barn and stable roofs when it rains - in over two years we have only run short of water twice.
The horses are more laid back when living out, and you don't have the lunacy of stabled horse on a cold morning having been in all night!
The horses are more laid back when living out, and you don't have the lunacy of stabled horse on a cold morning having been in all night!
zelli
Well-Known Member
all mine except for the one that demands to come in during the winter nights (i think the cold and wet makes his arthirits play up, and hes not dumb
) They all have rugs, even the shetland, although the one that comes in is the only one that has propers rugs (god damned wimp!), the rest mainly live in lw, mainly because shelter isnt great so i try to keep them dry as they seem to get cold quicker when they're wet (but also because it helps to keep them clean). all of them are perfectly happy!
The old boy that has decided he wants to come in, used to live out, he also drops weight easily in the winter, yet also has lami, its easier now he comes in, but before it was literally a case of ploughing high fibre feed into him, and outshine was also my best friend!
The old boy that has decided he wants to come in, used to live out, he also drops weight easily in the winter, yet also has lami, its easier now he comes in, but before it was literally a case of ploughing high fibre feed into him, and outshine was also my best friend!
Jay89
Well-Known Member
Ours live out 24/7.
In the winter they are rugged and fed hay, we tend to feed this on the ground in dry patches off the field, put in lots of little piles so that everyone gets some! They have access to a field shelter but TBH they rarely use it would prefer to stick their bums in hedges and shelter that way!
In summer we stop feeding hay, and strip graze during the summer.
Life is so much easier and its more natural for them.
In the winter they are rugged and fed hay, we tend to feed this on the ground in dry patches off the field, put in lots of little piles so that everyone gets some! They have access to a field shelter but TBH they rarely use it would prefer to stick their bums in hedges and shelter that way!
In summer we stop feeding hay, and strip graze during the summer.
Life is so much easier and its more natural for them.