Horse jumps out of field ONLY on rainy days?!

MeganMarie

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4 January 2015
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Hey,
I was wondering whether anyone else has a horse like this. I describe him as a “fair weather horse” hahah!
He will stay out in the field on dry days, even windy ones but anytime it rains he jumps out!! 🤔😂 even with a turnout rug on. Obviously being in Britain he’s got to cope with the rain 😂 Maybe he thinks he’s too precious to get wet, who knows!
I guess the solution is higher fencing but the yard we’re currently at, doesn’t. They’re about 1.15m in height. I’d also be worried that one day he’ll hit it or get caught. We’ve tried him in a small paddock to see if he won’t jump out because he doesn’t have the run up but he still did it😂
 
I had one here briefly he was from Switzerland and had had no turnout .
It took him a while to learn about paddocks and once he had learned to graze he accepted daily turnout when the weather changed or he had just had enough he just jumped out and came back to the yard he did it for the rest of this life .
 
Some horses just despise turnout in anything but the nicest of weather, I know of a native that hates getting wet and will fence walk until brought in. Whilst I prefer my horses to have as much turnout as possible if they've made it clear they don't want to be out I don't make them stay out.
 
Mine wont jump in, but will stand miserable in the field in even so much as a drizzle, regularly walks sideways in from the field when it's barely raining to avoid the best she can. I don't turn her out on days where it's going to rain all day.
 
My very opinionated but otherwise fabulous Draft horse, once smartly shoved me out of the way with her bum, as I was shutting the field gate on a wet day and legged it as fast as she could back to the nearest open stable door. After I had finished laughing at her I put her back out. I did find out though, that so long as she had a neck rug on, it didn't matter what weight, she was happy. She just didn't like her neck getting wet. She had been brought up in Germany and I assume barn-kept over winter. Unfortunately for her we are on top of the Pennines, where winters tend to be wet and windy but with her neck warm and dry, she always looked smugly at the others.
 
Is he ridden? If so I would ride in the rain so he gets used to it. I had to do this with one of mine, she wouldn't jump out of the paddock but she would gallop around and demand to be bought in every time it rained. She didn't have a lot of turnout with her previous owner and I don't think she would have been out in bad weather. I rode her in wet and windy weather deliberately until she got over the whole panic thing, because I couldn't take her out to anything when I first got her in case it rained. She still isn't keen and will immediately go and stand in the shelter but she can at least tolerate rain without throwing a tantrum. I don't rug her unless its wet and cold.
 
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