Help me decide - In or Out???

chickeninabun

chickeninabun

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Background - I have a 14.3hh 14yo HW cob mare. This will be our first winter together.

Problem - Shall I keep her out or bring her in this winter??

Things to consider
- My old pony will be coming in, so shall be at yard mucking out etc anyway.
- She's quite portly and doesn't get ridden much, due to dark nights etc.
- She kicks the stable door when I'm at the yard, but Ok when left alone.
- She is used to being out all winter
- She would have a companion who is also left out.
- Companion might be shortly moving to a field with lots of grass, so she might have to be muzzled if left out with them.
- I can only get to the yard in the morning & night when it's dark, so would only be able to see she by torch light Mon to Fri, unless she's in a stable.

I said I wasn't going to bring in, but do you think I should? I feel like I'm not going to see her as much or get as much interaction with her when she's left out.
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Thanks in advance for any opinions.
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I would see how it goes and be guided by her and how you feel. Personally I prefer to have Murphy in at night in winter, it just seems to make life easier (even taking into consideration the early starts and the mucking out). He seemed really quiet and tired last weekend so I brought him in at night and he seems so much better and happier - so i think it depends on how you feel about it, and whatever keeps her happy.
 
Just see how it goes.If she is use to living out in winter she may prefer this than being stabled.Mine is living out all winter but her stable is in the field anyway so will be left open so she has a comfy straw bed whenever she wants.She prefers living out so I am not going to change this.It is also the first winter i am going to have with mine but I am certain she will be out all winter with her best friend as she likes to be able to roam around.Just give it a go with her being out you can soon change it if she is not happy.Good luck !
 
Well my lad is much happier out even in the worst of the winter weather. I still get to see him and feed him with my head torch on!
The benfit of bringing in for a 'portly' type would be that you could restrict the amount of food eaten at night to help with any diet, unless you think the muzzle is an option in the field.
I think if your horse is happy being in and you are able to do the extra workload then fine...otherwise leave them out.
 
Leave her out, why make more work for yourself if you don't need to, if she's happy out, and has company? It might even help keep her weight down if she's using more energy to keep warm. You can always bring her in if you think she's struggling but it's much harder to put her back out again once she's coming in regularly if she doesn't like it. If she needs a muzzle, you could put it on her and take it off when you're up seeing to your other horse, although the grass won't have much in it during the winter so she might be ok without it.

ETA - you can spend the time you would have been mucking out grooming and making a fuss of her so you'll still get to see her and interact with her.
 
Out! Espec. as presumably someone else will be checking on the companion. You can always bring her in for a little fuss and then turn her out again at the times you would have been mucking her out if you want a 'better than by torch' look & play.
 
Out if she is happy then if you feels she want to start coming in then she can come in. Whatever you decided i am sure you can change further into winter if it isn’t working out.
 
Out. Definitely out.

Mine live out all year and for the next 5 months I won't get to see them in daylight except at the weekends. I check mine all over each day by torchlight and by feel.

As she's not doing much work anyway, it'll be far better for her physiologically to have the exercise and movement that being out all the time brings.

Got to agree with what BFG says though - you can always change later on in the winter if it doesn't work out.
 
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