How many hours turnout during winter

[SEL]

Mine are out 24:7 on my own land. It is clay and it's my first year so it's been an exercise in understanding what gets wet - I won't use the same fields next year for winter because the underground stream is very much not underground currently.

I've always done DIY so turnout in winter has fitted around work. Last year's awful winter was the covid one which meant I was at home and could usually bring them in early if it was vile. It didn't do my old boy's arthritis any good with so much time in a stable and if we're still there I'd probably have PTS before this winter but he's loving 24:7 out even with the boggy bits.

 

[EmmaC78]

We are lucky enough to have unlimited turnout all year but in practice we turn out for about 9 hours a day in winter to try and save the field a bit.

 

[ycbm]

Mine are out 9 - 6 unless ridden when it's 11 - 6 but if they could get back in at 2pm that is definitely what they would choose, even with food in the field.
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[Surbie]

the underground stream is very much not underground currently.

That made me snort tea!

Very glad to hear your boy is doing so well.

 

[Polos Mum]

We ended up buying our own place because were we were (Berkshire) the normal was 2 hours every other day which sent mine loopy.

At home it really varies with the weather (code for mud). It's a careful balance with their short term needs and not destroying the fields. I have four horses and 5.5 acres so it's tight. Some winters they have been in maybe 10 nights all winter (usually when it's cold as that's better than wet), other winters it feels like they are in every night. Usually out at 8am and in 8pm

 

[NinjaPony]

My retired pony is out 8-5:30pm every day, I can pretty much do what I like so I’m lucky, plus I’m not on clay. He’s always ready to come in when I show up though and would happily come in earlier if I let him!

 

[DeliaRides]

Livery at riding school (about 15 liveries), we get about 8 hours a day year round, and overnight when it can be managed in summer (it turns out it's not that easy to manage because people had different preferences and it disrupted the herd and the horses all became unsettled). Only restriction we have had was about 2 weeks before Christmas when we were on alternate days turnout due to a drainage issue in fields, which is now fixed. Then, on the non-turnout days, they had a quick runaround individually or in pairs in the riding arena, which seemed to do the trick for ours most days if ridden as well.

 

[ArklePig]

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.

Would you mind PMing me what yard you're at. Tentatively thinking about The Future and where my hypothetical horse will live.

 

[flying_high]

I drive 25 minutes for chalk sloping turnout. My boy is out over-night. Most of the yard is day turnout.

For day turnout, it was 8am to dark until last week when it switched to 8-12pm half days to preserve fields / lack of grass in fields, as horses were starting to gate hang / bicker.

They are rarely in unless the ground is saturated / frozen and rutted / melting snow / 40mph winds. Handful of days a year.

I think you need reasonable draining ground and reasonable stocking in our increasingly wetter winters to be able to turn out every day in winter.

This forum is generally very pro turnout (which I also am), and you tend to find those with poorly drained winter turnout / heavily limited winter turnout dont post on these threads, and from reading these threads you'd think all day winter turnout was common, when in my wider experience of wet soils and wet land, it really isnt, sadly. It is important, but really hard to find unless have free draining soil.

 

[Winters100]

Can be 24 hours, but it is too cold for my horses where I am. If you want the yard to turn out / fetch in then it is dawn to dusk, so right now about 7am to almost 4pm, but you can leave them longer if you are willing to fetch in yourself. Ground is a disaster around the gate, but at this time of year at least frozen solid, but the field itself is mostly fine even when it thaws. My advice would be to find somewhere that they can get a decent amount of time out unless you have a LOT of time to manage the horse.

 

[Arzada]

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.

It might be. I've never looked for a yard with turnout only for yards where horses have 24/7 access to fields and a run in barn. I had to compromise briefly and accept 24/7 live out with good natural shelter and with a yard and stable for that in very bad weather we would bring in overnight so the horses could have some respite. In the last 20ish years we have never failed to find this arrangement.

 

[Hallo2012]

mine are on clay but at home, normally they do 7-3 from Oct to Dec and then 7-12 Jan-March (April to Sept 7-5)

this year its been mild and dry, so more grass and less mud, the pony that used to charge round a lot has been sold and the two i have now are much quieter and slow picky eaters rather than scoffers so they are still out 7-3 and its holding up well just one boggy gateway.

but we pour money in to it every spring harrowing rolling and seeding and they are in at night all year round to protect it.

in summer they are on bare pens with ad lib soaked hay to keep weight down which is £££ but allows me to save grass for decent winter turnout so thats my compromise-when 24/7 turnout people are saving £££ i am spending more BUT then i have decent winter turnout.

 

[tiga71]

I am on DIY in the South East and mine are out 24/7 on a 33 acre field. There is still plenty of grass, only 12 horses, and none of mine want to be in for more than an hour or two.

The gate way and area in front of the field shelter are muddy but the rest of the field is fine.

A few people bring in for a night every few days but most stay out all the time. We are very lucky.

 

[irishdraft]

Mine are out 24/7 not even feeding any hay there's so much grass .

 

[humblepie]

DIY livery. My horse goes out about 7.30 and I get him in about 4 - if I ride he goes out a bit later or comes in a bit earlier. The majority are out a similar time. Some go out earlier and there are a few that only go out for a few hours. The fields on the whole stand up fairly well. Previous yard was much more restricted but the other yard where I kept my retired horse, some were on 24 hour a day turn out all year round.

 

[First Frost]

Private yard. My three are out in the field from 7.30 am until 12 noon ish. Then they come into their all weather turnout paddock with hay. They are also ridden during the afternoon. They go into their stables at about 6pm, so they are out of their stables for at least 10 hours a day in winter.
In the summer they are out over night from 5pm to 8am and come into their all weather paddock with soaked hay during the day to restrict grass intake. They are also ridden during this time. During the summer they almost never go in their actual stables.

 

[Havital]

10 hours a day. I’m on DIY and have my own field so I choose what I want to do. If weather is really rough then she stays in as she will stand at the gate.

 

[scats]

As long as we want. Mine got out between 7.30-8am and come in between 4.30-5pm.

 

[pinkypug1]

Mine are on my own land so currently out 24/7 but I do have the option of hard standing turnout if fields get too wet for the oldie. They are not are ridden at present so having them out 24/7 moving around is vital.

 

[cobcentral]

Current yard does turnout every other day, they go out for about 5/6 hours on this day. Suits my horse down to the ground, others not so much.

 

[millitiger]

Mine are at home, out overnight so turn out about 4pm and in at 7am.

interestingly, 2 of mine used to be absolute gate mitherers in the winter and hang around from lunchtime, waiting to come in.
1 was also a terrible fence walker.

since having them home, they are much more settled in the field, despite being out for longer!

 

[poiuytrewq]

My horses are currently out 6.30/7am until I finish work at 2pm.
My ponies come in just before the horses go out and they go back out at about 5pm
I don’t stick rigidly to anything though and they are all fairly happy to be flexible.
I rarely ever keep them in, my field is destroyed but it’s still outside time and I give ad lib hay.

 

[chocolategirl]

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.

Minimum 10, max 12 at my yard and 24 hour April to November ?

 

[maya2008]

Mine at home are out 24/7 with access to shelter, but there is no grass livery locally so even if I only had 1 horse I would have to rent a field to get the option of keeping them out. Very little DIY also. My one who is on full livery is out 8/9am until 4pm. If it rains, they all stay in or are brought in early (depending on the time of the rain). She doesn’t seem to mind…

 

[sherry90]

Average around 6 hours in winter out from 8:30 (they are fed and given morning hay beforehand) til 2:30ish (he’d happily do just 2 ?) and then summer can be anything from 12 hours to 24 depending on individual horse. Mine usually comes in during the day in summer around 8:30 and goes back out anywhere from 4pm to 6/7pm depending on when I ride. He’s a fatty so needs some time off the grass.

 

[AFB]

No restriction on TO/bring in times - but must come in.

Mine used to be out for 11ish hours but WFH I tend to nip down and bring him in earlier now, so TO is usually around 7am and bring in between 3-4pm.

Two winters ago when we were well and truely waterlogged we were restricted to a half day but that's the only time in 20+ years our YO has ever had to say that.

 

[Antw23uk]

Own land, on clay, out 24/7 with an open yard/ stable and a field shelter with mud control mats in front of it. Its wet but not looking too tragic! At some point i'll start to fence off his 'summer' patch so it can rest then swap him over come spring and harrow the rest ready for hay growing. I will do a grass track this year ... i will i will i will!!!

 

[holeymoley]

Depends on weather, can be as little as 3hours or as much as 7hours.

 

[Zoeypxo]

Im in the South West and it is difficult to find anywhere with all year round turnout that also has facilities (school, decent stabling).
My old yard was restricted in winter, no turnout in bad weather, 3 hours only when ground is muddy, this sent my WB mad.
You were also expected to keep in in summer months if there was bad weather even when the ground was dry.
New yard is where i work and no restrictions on turnout. Currently have 7 living out (inc mine), 12 living in overnight turned out 8am-4pm daily any weather.
April-November everything is out 24/7.
40ish acres so allows no restrictions! Very lucky.

 

[spotty_pony]

Mine are at home and out 24/7 at the moment still with it being so dry. I do put a bit of hay out for them and they get two feeds per day. They come in about 5 out of 7 days per week to be be worked/for a snooze in the stable for 3-4 hours.