How many hours turnout during winter

[sjdress]

As title, how many hours turnout do your horses get during winter? Looking at livery yards and it seems much more common for yards to restrict turnout in the winter and wondering if my ideal for full days turnout is now unrealistic.

 

[Bernster]

Seems to vary a bit by region and ofc by yard/ground and set up. Current yard they are out around 6 hours in winter. Not great but seems fairly standard for that area. On horrible days they’re often waiting at the gate to come in.

 

[HappyHollyDays]

My two are out for 7 hours a day in winter and overnight in summer. I have to put hay out for them at the moment or they want to come in by lunchtime but I’m lucky in that I have the freedom to decide what I do with them and usually keep them out overnight until Christmas unless the weather is awful.

 

[MuddyMonster]

Monday - Friday its usually between 8-12 hours a day. Often a bit less at weekends as I don't ride so early and do much longer hacking or generally out or about - so 4 or 5 hours turn out is common if we've done a fair bit or 6-8 if we've done less.

Over Summer, we have the option of 24/7 turn out but my native tends to do overnight.

I've always been on yards that don't generally restrict turn out (although I did accidentally move to one that were optimistic shall we say, about the turn out!) *but* I've found it hard to find a yard that doesn't restrict turn out and has good facilities - thankfully, I don't need extensive facilities so its not much of a compromise for me!

 

[smolmaus]

Out on gravel paddocks with hay from light until dark so about 8-4? It's the best arrangement we could find in the area, very few places have winter turnout.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

Currently about 4 hours. When weather gets bad, less.

 

[gallopingby]

Mine are at home so l or they decide how much turnout they get in winter. It’s very wet here and some are more than happy to be in as long as they have plenty hay to eat. The ones that are ‘made’ to go out bring themselves in at speed if l open the gate!

 

[j1ffy]

I'm lucky at my yard - the geldings are out in two herds in 15-20 acre fields and there's no restriction so mine are still out overnight. Horses on individual turnout and mares (there's no mare herd) are less lucky - last winter some were in from Christmas to April

 

[Leandy]

All day, or if you wish, all night. Same winter and summer.

 

[Annagain]

Ours are out 7am-6pm. Two of them are retired so we couldn't have them anywhere that didn't allow a decent amount of turnout. Out 24/7 in summer.

 

[asmp]

At my yard, we’re putting out between 7-9am and bring in between 5-6.30pm. In the summer they live out. Amazingly we still have grass (we strip graze), which is a first in all the years I’ve been here at this time of year

 

[Widgeon]

Ours are out 24/7 on individual turnout. It's been a relatively dry winter so although we are now haying in fields there is enough grass cover that they can nibble on it and the fields are in good shape. They're fed out of tractor tyres on top of matting so that the area they eat in doesn't turn into a swamp.

ETA - it also helps that we're on top of a hill and all the fields slope a bit.

 

[Quigleyandme]

If I were to turn my horses out onto the grass in winter it would be a sea of bottomless, sucking, oozing, black mud in no time. I know because I’ve tried it and have had to get contractors in to plough and reseed at hideous expense. Despite having their legs washed with hot water, thoroughly dried and treated when they came in at 16:00 their skin was horribly compromised and they were miserable. They couldn’t run or play because the mud was too holding. I now have a 20m by 40m sand school and they can come into the barn where their hay is or stay out on the sand as they please. The new grass looks like a posh golf course and they’ll be on it full-time from early March to mid October. It isn’t ideal but the best I can do and they seem content.

 

[Widgeon]

Amazingly we still have grass (we strip graze), which is a first in all the years I’ve been here at this time of year

I was also strip grazing up until this weekend just gone. Amazing really (although no comment on whether the weather that kept the grass growing is a good thing!)

 

[milliepops]

i'm not on a commercial livery yard now but last winter mine had about 2 hours a day out as v small paddock and very wet land. they've been in all winter this year (box rest... field looks like a bowling green)

last livery yard had 4 hours a day.

yard before that the YO would close the fields at random or say we could turn out while doing stable chores and no more.

Restricted TO is really common here, the ground is either really low lying or clay and wet winters make it pretty bad.
I have 4 at home who live out and we just ignore the boggy bits!

 

[sportsmansB]

Mine doesn't really like going out in the winter, but if its not too cold / rainy / windy he'll do about 4 hours. He tears around like a lunatic threatening to jump the gate after that so he comes in.
He gets ridden at one end of the day and the walker at the other and a mooch about the school for a bit otherwise, and he is quite happy. Would be completely different story if he wasn't in full fairly hard work though.

 

[Ratface]

Out at dawn, in at dusk at the moment, so 7.30am until 4.30pm. Large individual paddocks but can see/groom each other over the fences. In summer, grazing time and paddock type is dependent upon horse/laminitis risk.
Small private specialist yard with extremely experienced YO/staff.

 

[Ratface]

As with previous poster, mine will also make his imperious views known by flying round the field, flattening/jumping fences and then doing extravagant "airs above the ground". At 29. The epitome of "Don't You Know Who I Am?"

 

[Mrs G]

Mine is out 8-4pm most days from end Oct/beginning Nov till April then he's out 24/7. Id love him to be out longer in Winter but he wont have it (he fence walks/runs himself into a state) no matter who hes out with/how much grass there is/whether he's got hay/haylage in the field. The horses are kept in the odd day or two if the weather is reallly wet and the (clay) land is suffering but its never been for longer than that. Im lucky, the Y/O understands that the horses welfare comes before that of the paddocks!

 

[MissTyc]

Some are out 24/7 and the ones that come in depends on the owner, but generally turnout between 6-8am and bring in between 4-7pm. No rules, so it comes down to individual scheduled and preference (DIY, you can guess!)

 

[Widgeon]

As title, how many hours turnout do your horses get during winter? Looking at livery yards and it seems much more common for yards to restrict turnout in the winter and wondering if my ideal for full days turnout is now unrealistic.

You might be best to try asking around locally (i.e. instead of here, because this is essentially a national sample), because it will differ depending on what sort of soil and underlying land you have in your area. Eg if you're in a heavy clay area I wouldn't be surprised if everyone struggles for winter turnout, and you might be better giving up on the idea of full day turnout and looking for the best compromise you can find, somewhere with a bit of grass turnout and proper gravel turnout pens or barns or something like that. That isn't meant to sound defeatist, just realistic.

 

[Birker2020]

As title, how many hours turnout do your horses get during winter? Looking at livery yards and it seems much more common for yards to restrict turnout in the winter and wondering if my ideal for full days turnout is now unrealistic.

Wholes yard fed about 8.00am - 8.15am turned out from around 8.30am till 9.15 am as there are a lot of horses and some are a distance away.
Brought in mostly after 3pm although some liveries require theirs bringing in earlier due to bad weather or the fact their horses get bored.

Dependant on staff shortages or how many normally DIY'ers are on full day care that day they have all come in by 4pm.
Our fields aren't too bad, my paddock is sloping and gets muddy around the gate and Lari has about four spots he's adopted to roll in which doesn't help with grass growth but I leave him to it. He has to be turned out with 'no turn' over reach boots and the mud accumulates behind them but luckily within half an hour of him coming in I am at the yard able to wash the boots and his fetlocks. I make sure they are dried as well as I can dry them and put keratex powder around the area where the boot makes contact with the fetlock. Touch wood no mud fever yet.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

If I were to turn my horses out onto the grass in winter it would be a sea of bottomless, sucking, oozing, black mud in no time. I know because I’ve tried it and have had to get contractors in to plough and reseed at hideous expense. Despite having their legs washed with hot water, thoroughly dried and treated when they came in at 16:00 their skin was horribly compromised and they were miserable. They couldn’t run or play because the mud was too holding. I now have a 20m by 40m sand school and they can come into the barn where their hay is or stay out on the sand as they please. The new grass looks like a posh golf course and they’ll be on it full-time from early March to mid October. It isn’t ideal but the best I can do and they seem content.

This would be my dream set up!

 

[Surbie]

My last yard had (for me) quite restricted, very wet winter turnout despite being on sand. Fields were closed sometimes. There were a lot of really good things about being there, but this just didn't work for my horse or managing DIY around my working hours. That said, it was still roughly 6 hours per day - I know several yards in the same area that offer a lot less.

I'm now on heavy clay, but my horse is in a big sloping field with a quiet herd and I can turn out as much as I like. In practice that works out to about 10 hours per day. There's still loads of grass so he's not bored. Sadly also then not losing much weight. The enormous puddles on the track to the yard are brilliant for washing his feet clean.

 

[The Xmas Furry]

Own yard: little A in at night all year round as needs 'managing' for various needs.
B has only done 4 nights in since autumn. If weather really grim she's has access to the bigger shelter with a drop of hay overnight.
Not yet haying in fields, and unlikely to unless a lot of snow or everlasting frosts.

Stables just used for parking pre riding and as dining room at present

 

[Pippity]

Basically out during daylight, but she'd be happy with less, especially on grotty days.

 

[SussexbytheXmasTree]

We don’t have any set limits and mine were out 24/7 until about the 6th December as it was mostly mild and dry until then. I decided to stable overnight then as ground very wet. 8 hours min usually 7.30-3.30 mid-winter if I’m not riding in the morning and the weather is rubbish. Now they’re out until 4-4.30pm. If I ride in morning they may not go out until 9am or even 11am at weekends.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Mine normally go out about 7.30 am until about 5pm they do come in to be ridden during the day but I put them back out.

Only got 1 out the other one is on box rest he sometimes wants in a bit earlier as his on his own.

 

[Sealine]

I'm on DIY livery in Herts and horses are in herds of 6-8. In winter we are allowed day time grazing only. We can arrive at yard any time from 6am and turnout. If I ride my horse goes out at approx. 8.30am weekdays or 10.30am at the weekend. All horses have to be in before dark. My horse comes in around 4pm at the moment. We moved onto our current field the week before xmas and we will probably stay there until the mid/end of March. It's getting a bit muddy around the gate but not too bad at the moment.

 

[charlotte0916]

Last yard we had 4 hours a day with a lot of no turnout days thrown in. It was 13 horses on 20 acres.

Current yard (chosen for turnout) we have 24/7 most of the year. We’ve just moved to in during the day this week so in for 8 hours roughly, out for 16. 2 horses and 2 minis on about 6 acres currently on terrible clay soil but the ground is coping relatively well.