How Important Is Routine?

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

Jake has previously not had a set routine as to whether he is in or out, he would be in if the weather was foul and out if it wasn't mostly, then out 24/7 in spring/summer. Each owner to their own, and he never showed any obvious behaviour to show that he was bothered by it - apart from waiting at the gate sometimes as horses were brought in for their breakfasts in the morning.

I have always understood routine to be very important, and have therefore decided that he will be out at night and in in the day, and then out 24/7 from around April all being well. Thankfully his field mate (who is also owned by Jacobs previous owner, and who has really quite bad separation anxiety from Jacob) has been very accommodating and is happy to fit in with this routine.

However when I see weather like it is today, fine but constant sideways rain and pretty windy, I wonder whether he may actually prefer to be in, but I am more than likely being soft! He has hedges 2 sides of his field, and trees at the bottom.

How important is it to stick to their routine really?

 

[HufflyPuffly]

I actually try not to get them too fixed into a routine, so turn out and bring in times can vary without them becoming hysterical about it. I've found that as long as they do things as a group they don't really care that much if they have to stay in/ go out.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

The only routine mine have is they are always fed before 9am and after 6pm. The rest is whatever will be will be. Somedays breakfast comes at 4am before I hit the road racing, extra hay is given and the big lads stay in. They wont get dinner til about 9pm that night and are ingored inbetween times. Sometimes they are out at 6.30am and in at 5.30pm, some days they are out and in later, some days they go out for a couple of hours after work - weather dependent - sometimes they stand in for 2 or 3 days if I am busy racing. They basically do things to suit me and touch wood I have never had any issues or colics or the likes.

 

[ponios]

I agree with HufflyPuffly. Mine are in a very set routine due to having to be done around 9-5 job but that means that when the routine is broken they can be quite impatient!

I usually ride before work in winter due to the light, but on a day off I rode an hour before I would usually bring in in the afternoon and the horse was such a nappy little ***. I think he was miffed, thinking 'hey this isn't riding time its feed time'. My old horse will dig a hole in his stable if I'm 10 minutes later than normal feeding and box walk if not turned out straight after.

 

[exracehorse]

I leave mine out in the winter as much as possible but bring in if heavy rain. So sometimes they are out for months and in December they were in every night as weather was foul. I have no set routine. They are sometimes in during the day if bad weather app it might be an odd night. As long as they are fed same time of the day am and pm, they don’t care if their feed bucket is in the field or stable.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

If you can get the weather to stick to a routine, I take my hat off to you!

 

[Pinkvboots]

Mine come in or go out according to the weather so routine it's not really ! and they seem happy enough with that.

 

[horsefeed]

I don't stick to a routine at all if they expect the unexpected I feel they are more likely to adapt to competitions etc. Mine live out 24/7 and get fed once daily somewhere between 6 am and 10 pm. They have constant access to good ha hay and still have some grass left. I try and ride/exercise each of them 4 times a week, sometimes that is daily then 3 days off, sometimes ride and lead every other day. Its whatever works around my job/life. They seem happy which is the most important thing.

 

[meleeka]

I’m another who doesn’t like strict routine. I broadly have one but that can change depending on what I’ve got going on or what the weather is doing. Mine usually amble up to the gate at around 4pm, but if I’m there they think 3pm is fair enough for tea. They never get fed that early! They sometimes stay in, sometimes out and don’t seem at all concerned whatever they do.

 

[greenbean10]

My horses are all laid back and adaptable, which I think is actually due to their lack of routine.

They are ridden at different times each day, sometimes in overnight, sometimes out overnight. I think too strict a routine can make it much harder to deal with when things go wrong. My mare is an anxious type but doesn't seem bothered by a lack of routine at all.

 

[SpottyMare]

I don't think strict routines do horses any favours so mine aren't on one, within the limitations of working around a full time job. I don't think it's an accident that they're pretty chilled about life in general.

There was an interesting post on FB recently from a competition/training (I think) yard that was saying strict routine is not good for horses and they actively avoid it.

 

[tatty_v]

My horse is quite difficult to manage and thrives on a consistent routine as it helps prevent any issues with his separation anxiety/habit of removing himself from any field he is put in (regardless of the height of the fence!) should he wish to do so.

He is turned out every day between 8-9am and brought in around 4/4.30 in the winter and 6/7pm in the summer. The benefit of this consistency is that he is nearly always good to catch and bring in and can be ridden whenever. He will also spend a day in his stable if the weather is foul quite happily so long as he has equine company.

If wasn’t as anxious and difficult as he is I’d be more flexible but I bought him at 15 and a lot of his issues are long-standing. It works for him so we carry on with it!

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

I stand thoroughly corrected! Very good points you have all made - I was only meaning either in/out, in at nights etc, not quite ‘feed at 6pm, ride at 10am’ but reading the replies I think I’ll continue to play it by weather in that case. It’s clearly fine by him and I’d like him to continue not being too fussed. Off I go to fetch them in.
Not sure where I got this idea from!

 

[milliepops]

yep i think most normal horses will cope with swapping and changing quite well.
I have 2 on a yard that runs like clockwork. They join in the morning routine where the whole yard gets fed, turned out and then brought in together and that works well for them because they know what to expect and no one gets upset about being left out alone etc. they are both horses that are better if every day is more or less the same.
But I do the evenings and so that depends on my timetable, so they still have to be quite flexible about things

 

[Bellaboo18]

I think it depends on the horse and the yard they're on but I'd much rather they're flexible.

As long as they know they've always got what they need (food, water, company..) most *shouldn't* panic if you're an hour or two later than usual as they're confident they'll never go without. Unfortunately some horses don't know this is the case so we need to teach them that they'll never be left alone/never be left without and then I do think routine is handy.

 

[clairefeekerry1]

I don’t have any set routine due to weather/Riding/kids/work and general life etc and my 2 don’t mind at all. Even my youngster. Both mine are pretty laid back types tho. Sometimes they come in, sometimes they stay out, sometimes they go in the all weather arena sometimes they go out to their field. I can bring them in anywhere between 2pm and 6pm, obviously helps they are together but it’s such a relief knowing I’m not stuck to anything rigid.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I stand thoroughly corrected! Very good points you have all made - I was only meaning either in/out, in at nights etc, not quite ‘feed at 6pm, ride at 10am’ but reading the replies I think I’ll continue to play it by weather in that case. It’s clearly fine by him and I’d like him to continue not being too fussed. Off I go to fetch them in.
Not sure where I got this idea from!

I remember reading somewhere, many years ago that if your horse came in overnight for one night in winter, it should stay in that routine until the summer, not go out some nights and in some nights. I guess you have read something along the same lines, OP. When we had 4 horses and both worked f/t ours went out at 7 every day and stayed out for 12 hours, regardless, unless the weather was really awful and we persuaded Dad to come and put them out at lunchtime.

Now we both work p/t and just have 2 horses, they get the benefit of us being much more flexible and seem to appreciate it. They were certainly glad to come in about 4.30 pm yesterday and about 12.30 today because of the horrible weather.

 

[J&S]

Breakfast is a constant @ about 7.30 am, whether in or out. Winter evenings the hay net is also a constant but it is weather dependent as to being hung inside or outside and it is later on the afternoon I go to my little job as I don't get back till 8.30pm. They are happy to see their feeds what ever time they arrive!

 

[scats]

I like routine myself so I like my horses in a routine as much as possible. However, they are used to things changing occasionally and they are fine with it. For instance today the farrier came, so they came in at 1pm. They’d normally go back out but the weather was horrid and the field was very wet so I opted to leave them in for the afternoon. They were fine with this. Their bring in time does tend to vary due to what I’m doing, whether I’m riding, the weather etc.

 

[Follysmum]

Mine have a pretty set routine. I like to turnout and bring in roughly the same time. If I have farrier or am riding that varies. Also when the lighter nights come they stay out longer.

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

I remember reading somewhere, many years ago that if your horse came in overnight for one night in winter, it should stay in that routine until the summer, not go out some nights and in some nights. I guess you have read something along the same lines, OP. When we had 4 horses and both worked f/t ours went out at 7 every day and stayed out for 12 hours, regardless, unless the weather was really awful and we persuaded Dad to come and put them out at lunchtime.

Now we both work p/t and just have 2 horses, they get the benefit of us being much more flexible and seem to appreciate it. They were certainly glad to come in about 4.30 pm yesterday and about 12.30 today because of the horrible weather.

I definitely have read that somewhere - I also had my previous horse on assisted livery so they were all turned out/brought in and fed at the same time everyday, and then when I have shared/loaned horses on DIY it would be up to the owner to think about it - so this is my first time owning on a DIY, guess I have never had to really think about it before and just went with what I vaguely remembered.

I have been feeling a bit guilty about them being in for 18 hours in a day, but their (Jacob & fieldmate, Moon) field is fetlock deep in mud, it's far to wet to get any amount of hay near it, and the grass has little to no nutritional value to them - they're keen to come in, so they must not be that keen on being out for much longer.

 

[doodle]

I like routine. But the routine is probably for my benefit rather than the horse. I have routines outside horsey life too. So he goes out around 9 and I muck out do hays waters etc. Then I go back up at 2.45 to ride. Yo wants them in by 3 anyway so I would rather bring in and ride when he would be in stable rather than ride in the morning and loose his field time.

in summer he is out 24/7 but if weather bad they will come in for a night here and there. In summer I go back up at 4 to ride. He doesn’t seem to mind the odd night in.

 

[DabDab]

I have always been of the mix up routine and keep it flexible line of thought, and I certainly have two horses that are fine with it (and I think it benefits them), but I have recently had to change my view a bit having realised that my one other horse really benefits from more daily structure. So I picked a few things and fixed them, and she is so so much happier. One of those things is that they are turned out every day in the morning. However, after about 4 hours I can get them in whenever (though in practice they are usually out for 10-12 hours).

So I would say that for some horses it is far more important than others, but that giving them routine that makes them feel comfortable doesn't have to mean putting everything you do with them in a strict routine.

 

[awelshandawarmblood]

One of those things you were told when growing up I found over & over is 'your has horse to be in a routine or they get stressed' but obviously over the years I've learnt its the routine thats the problem! Mines out 24/7 & gets fed whenever I get there between 7.30am & 7pm, I work 12hr shifts & I could be there anytime, therefore he doesn't wait stressing for tea or to be brought in at the gate as he could be there all day at that rate, plus he knows I'll be there at some point. When he was a livery on a yard that were in overnight he'd be stressing from the time the first went out until he did & hanging around spatting for position with the others at the gate from 3pm! Which in turn stressed me out too! He's so much more relaxed now having a mixed up life & also accepts being kept in the odd night if its awful to rest the ground. All horses are different though!

 

[HashRouge]

I think routine is mainly important for stabled horses, as they really benefit from knowing when they will be fed/ turned out. I think it can reduce stress - it's really not fair on a horse if during the week they are always fed/ turned out by 6.30am and then at the weekend not till 10am (not saying you can't have a bit of a lie in ).

But for horses that are out more often, it is less important, especially if they have plenty of grass or ad lib hay. My two live out all year round and at this time of year they get hayed in the morning at about 8am by yard owner and then fed in the evening by either me or the yard owner. If YO does it or if it's a weekend and I'm doing it, they'll be fed by 4pm. But if I'm going during the week then they don't get fed until 6.30/7ish and they don't seem remotely bothered. They're usually at the other end of the field rather than hanging around waiting.

Although they live out 24/7 year round, I do have stables and will bring in if the weather is horrendous. So they were in Monday night and last night. This meant that yesterday day time they were turned out in a different field to normal, as their stables are in their summer paddock, and it seemed daft for them to go back down to their winter field when they were coming in again anyway. So YO just opened stable doors in the morning and left them open so they could go in and out. So a complete change to their normal winter routine! But they seemed happy as Larry when I went up to muck out after work! In fact, they were both in one stable together watching me while I mucked out the other one and I was thinking what a happy pair they are!

So ultimately, I don't think it would do any harm if you decided to leave in for a day although I personally avoid stabling for much more than 12 hours at a time. But that's not because of routine - I just don't think being stabled for that long is good for horses.

 

[Red-1]

I believe that having predictable humans and rules is far more important than a predictable routine.

Police horses have very unpredictable routines, and they were happy and confident. Turnout = great. Lorry trip = great. Walker = great. Schooling = great. Early start = great. being groomed then being on standby, tied ready for 2 hours before being boxed up = great. 2 weeks turned away 24/7 = great.

What they had was decent sized boxes, ad lib hay, plenty of work or turnout, consistent handling.

 

[JoannaC]

Mine don't have a routine as such, they come in at some point during the day and have a feed, might be ridden etc but I will change it around depending on what I am doing and what the weather is doing. They've been in the last three nights but will stay out now until the next lot of rain. Like someone else said as long as they are all together they don't seem to mind too much and I don't want to be tied to must see to them at x and bring them in at y. Having them at home helps and being able to look at them from the bedroom window and know they are all still standing is a definite plus.

 

[fburton]

I remember one yard which adhered to a feeding routine that was performed with almost military precision. The evening feed was a time of great commotion - horses shouting, running around boxes, and some stereotypic behaviours.

Was it the strict routine that caused the stressy behaviour, or something else? I can't be sure, but suspect the routine was to blame.

 

[Red-1]

I remember one yard which adhered to a feeding routine that was performed with almost military precision. The evening feed was a time of great commotion - horses shouting, running around boxes, and some stereotypic behaviours.

Was it the strict routine that caused the stressy behaviour, or something else? I can't be sure, but suspect the routine was to blame.

If one of mine makes a fuss at tea time, tea does not arrive. They soon learn that tea arrives when one waits patiently for it. I would start towards them with tea, they bang the door or whatever, I change direction and walk away. When the horse is quiet I go back. If a fuss re-commences I turn on my heel and walk away. When they are calm I go back. Doesn't take long to break the habit.

IMO, with big yards with regimented routines, a horse makes a fuss one day (could be because the hay ran out or whatever) the fuss they make is followed by tea. Next time they make a fuss, tea arrives. Etc etc.

Trouble is, most yards would not change their routine, so these habits get worse.

 

[fburton]

I think you hit the nail on the head, Red-1.