How many of you haven't put their horses out because of the weather??

My boys have been in nearly a month now with an hours turnout on the yard morning and night and the odd few hours hear and there in the field when the weather hasnt been too bad. Mine have prefered to stay in despite 2 being natives, i cant even get them through the gate into the field, so if they want to be in then they can, i'm not going to argue with nearly a ton of animals.
 
I think it's horses for courses really.
I'd like to be able to turn my horse out all day long in the snow but after about and hour once she's had a run around in the snow she waits by the fence to come in and when I do collect her jogs all the way in.....which is not very sensible on the ice!! So she's been going out in the school for an hour with a couple of playmates in the moring and the in the field for an hour in the afternoon...and when I've been working a full day she is in all day with a walk at lunchtime and an hour out at tea time.
Today however the snow and ice is really begining to thaw and theres actually patches of grass hurrrahhh so she'll be going out at lunchtime till evening and then out all day from now on!
I cant wait to put her out today
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I have two natives out and two sport horse types in, they have been in totally for 10 days now and both are coping fine. They have unlimited hay and one has a big box so can move around. The younger one will deffo have a major hooley when he gets back to the field but he's fine being kept in. Am worried they will damage their legs or slip in the rivets.
 
Mines been in over a month now - I'd have no problems turning him out in the snow but I am NOT risking him across the skating rink of a car park that I have to cross to get there - especially as he's slipped several time just walking from his stable to the arena.

I'm lucky that I have access to an indoor and the YO is bending over backwards to accomodate liveries and riding school clients (whilst losing a fortune in lost revenues from shows etc.)

It's got nothing to do with me being soft with him and tbh I'm a little insulted by the suggestion.
 
we have only small paddocks to use all year round - due to the wet weather before the freeze, alot of the paddocks were poached. I am lucky in that I am on one of the very few yards in the area where there is the possibility to turn out at all between October and May every year - however when the fields are poached, and then it freezes I am afraid it is too dangerous to turn out on it - I am all for turn out every day but currently it is far too dangerous - we do have an indoor school so I can at least ride everyday.
unfortunately on Christmas eve I made a poor judgement - we had had several days above freezing and the ground was 'more or less' defrosted - I turned mine out - he was relatively sensible - did not tear around, however due to the fact that the ground was still a bit slippy and hard underneath in places he managed to damage his PSL on a hind leg.... luckily it is not too bad.. but I am going to end up with a huge vets bill - (currently on 5 visits - x ray/ultrasound scan/lamesness work up/ first shock wave treatment and will be at least 3 more visits one more shockwave treatment and more scans to come PLUS on top of that of course, my horse can have no turn out for at least the next 6 weeks.
So.... I think you can safely say, it would have been a better decision if I had not insisted that he go out ..

It is very easy to be judgemental when you have great facilities and luck with the yard you are on - but it is sometimes not just as easy as 'change the yard you are on' or don't be so soft.

I will definately think more than twice about turning mine out unless all the frost has gone in the future, shame I did not think twice before as he will be stuck in the box much longer now as opposed to if I had simply left him in at Christmas.

Personally I think we have had enough of these posts , it has been done to death,
 
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Mine's been going out for a leg stretch, so not sure if this counts lol. Basically, she doesn't want to be out. I put her out with hay, with her friends (and without her friends, just to see!), with a warm rug on, etc etc. Within 10 minutes, she's left the hay and is standing at the gate looking miserable - when she sees me, she whinnies to be brought in. She's a cowbag to catch, so if I can catch her, I know it's because she *wants* to be in.

So she's been going out with hay while I muck out/make feeds/water/hay etc, then coming back in. She seems happy, it's keeping her sane, and I don't mind too much. At least she's getting out.

I suppose I could leave her out, but she has a choice of going out while I do her jobs, or being out 6am-4pm (I work full time). She would just run about and fall over (as she did yesterday, when turned out in the afternoon instead of the morning). I know it can and does happen on muddy ground as well as snow, but why risk it - I would take the same view if it was excessively wet. I have no problem turning horses out on snow, and with a different horse who was happy to be out, it would be out! I am getting nervous about the ice though - we're on a hill, and the steep part past the school is getting very slippery. I'm hoping the rain today will wash it all away by tomorrow, otherwise she might be in for a day or two until it thaws - leading an old horse over sheet ice is just not a risk I'm willing to take.

Should add that she is a 29 year old TBx - if she was younger, or a more native type, I'd treat her differently.

I suppose in a very roundabout way, I'm saying that all horses are individuals, and should be treated as such. Worth remembering that they don't all react in the same way, and what works for Joe Bloggs' TB in the wilds of Scotland might not work for Jane Doe's cob in Surrey.
 
Mine are all arabs and live out on the fells in Lancashire 24/7 - we've had lots of snow but not once have any of them looked like they wanted to come in.

I could never keep a horse somewhere and not have turnout. I used to, for years, but it's very obvious how much happier my horses are now that they're out 24/7.

For those who say their horse prefers to be in, presumably you don't ever have to shut the stable door? Of course horses will congregate by the gate if it's feeding time or if there's nothing to eat in the field. I do bring a couple of mine in to feed them and they are waiting by the gate when my car pulls up, but as soon as they've finished eating they want to be back out again. If horses are standing at the field gate in a snow bound or grass free field then it's not their stable they're hankering after, it's something to eat!

Risk of injury is a factor and of course if a horse only gets a couple of hours turnout a day they are going to have a hoolie and possibly hurt themselves, but for horses out 24/7, or as close as you can get and the risk is reduced massively.

I agree with the post about dogs in crates, chickens in battery cages, lions in zoo cages etc etc. Why are all these things unacceptable for those animals yet we lock our horses in 12x12 stables for 23 hours a day and think it's fine? Then when those horses misbehave who gets the blame? Yep - the horse
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Mine havent had a single day in as of yet, i have a TB an IDxTB & a WB.
However if i thought that there was a safety issue i would not T/O.
I do think it's wrong to judge people who arnt turning out atm. Im very lucky in that i have my own yard & can change paddocks & set ups very easily to suit this weather, many cannot do this.

Even though mine are out every day all they are doing is standing at haylage piles, i also put breakfasts out in fields of a morning to discourage hooning about.
So basically it's really no different to being in as there just stood all day eating haylage until i bring in. However it's easier for me & they think out is good so everyone is happy at my yard.
 
So what if there's hay there for them to eat, but they're still standing by the gate?

Mine doesn't hoolie around at all - yes, she did last night, but because I turned out in the afternoon (after work) instead of the morning - at bringing in time. She saw the others starting to come in (not her field, her mates were still out) and decided she wanted to come in too (she did this a lot last year, despite having been turned out since 6am - so definitely nothing to do with lack of turnout!).

And yes, on one embarrassing occasion I have forgotten to bolt her door. I came back to the yard 5 hours later to find my door wide open and my horse still inside - no bedding outside the stable to suggest she'd been for a wander.

I definitely don't think it's ideal to keep her in 23 hours a day, and when the weather and ground conditions return to something like normal, she'll be back to being turned out 6-4. At the end of the day, it's been a week (10 days by the time it thaws) out of her very long life. It's been an exceptional winter over the past few months - I've had horses since 1988 and never seen anything like it. It's not for her entire life (such as battery hens or lions in cages), it's a short term solution to a short term problem. She is not stressed, she is behaving and eating normally, she is not running around when put out to release pent up energy - she is totally her usual self. If she did start to misbehave (so far, the worst she's done was walking into her stable when I was trying to pick her feet out!), I would reassess and certainly wouldn't blame her for it.

As I said, they're all individuals and there is no "one rule fits all" in the horse world - otherwise they'd all be ridden in the same bit, wearing the same saddle, and turned out in the same rug, eating the same feed.
 
IMO every horse owner (well, most) do the very best for their horse given the restrictions imposed by YM/YOs....my cob has no sense whatsoever and even in "normal" winter conditions will only be happy with around 4 hours max turnout, after that he hangs about by the gate, gets agitated, and eventually practises his show gallop around and around the field, getting totally overwrought and then being an idiot (although a few sharp words makes him behave) to bring in.
He has been out while I am not at work, but I can't expect the 2 grooms to monitor him the way I do (24 horses on the yard), so I'll wait till tomorrow to turn him out after he's been ridden to take the edge off him.
We have salted, cleared and gritted the farm tracks to the field again and again and it's just not safe - today we have 2" packed ice from the remaining snow and running / freezing water on top.
I'm not going to justify how I manage my horse, suffice to say I know my horse best, and I have enough respect for other horse owners to think they know THEIR horses best, too.
 
Of course there's a difference between being locked in a stable on their own, with movement restricted and no opportunity to interact with other horses and being turned out where they have free choice (still limited to a degree but free choice all the same) to move about, stand near other horses, play, nuzzle, groom each other, fight if they want to, stand in the sun or in the shade, watch the goings on a few fields away or just doze in the safety of knowing other horses are around them watching out for any approaching predators.

But we can do a lot to improve our horses' turnout. Flat, featureless fields are never going to encourage horses to keep moving or exploring as they would instinctively in the wild. What you can do, very cheaply with just some electric fencing is set up a Paddock Paradise. The benefits are huge - horses behave more naturally and keep moving, herd dynamics develop better, they keep fitter by being on the move most of the time, their brains are more stimulated so reducing the boredom factor and reducing the risk of injury, it saves more land, you can fit more horses per acre and if your land is suitable you can then use the land in the middle of your fields that you're no longer using for grazing for hay or haylage making.

Looik on here for loads of examples and more info:
http://paddockparadise.wetpaint.com/page/Paddock+Paradise+Videos
 
My boy hasn't been out for a while! thats because he cut his face open and vets insisted he stayed in so it didn't get infected, then he got stuck in as his field is at the top of a hill that even the quad bike couldn't get up, the snow is so deep. His face looks pretty good now, scabbed over so will be turned out now
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My two havent been in for 3 weeks because of the weather!!! They were living out anyway but I am 7 months pregnant and bringing in a yearling and a my naughty gelding is just not worth the risk with the icy ground - call me cruel but they are quite happy with ad lib hay and lots of rugs
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Of course there's a difference between being locked in a stable on their own, with movement restricted and no opportunity to interact with other horses and being turned out where they have free choice (still limited to a degree but free choice all the same) to move about, stand near other horses, play, nuzzle, groom each other, fight if they want to, stand in the sun or in the shade, watch the goings on a few fields away or just doze in the safety of knowing other horses are around them watching out for any approaching predators.

But we can do a lot to improve our horses' turnout. Flat, featureless fields are never going to encourage horses to keep moving or exploring as they would instinctively in the wild. What you can do, very cheaply with just some electric fencing is set up a Paddock Paradise. The benefits are huge - horses behave more naturally and keep moving, herd dynamics develop better, they keep fitter by being on the move most of the time, their brains are more stimulated so reducing the boredom factor and reducing the risk of injury, it saves more land, you can fit more horses per acre and if your land is suitable you can then use the land in the middle of your fields that you're no longer using for grazing for hay or haylage making.

Looik on here for loads of examples and more info:
http://paddockparadise.wetpaint.com/page/Paddock+Paradise+Videos

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Not being funny, but why would you automatically think that people havent tried the PP system or know about it. I have & it really didnt work for me or my horses or my land. The PP system is not perfect for most Land in this Country mine being one.
In this weather my lot chose to stand around. I for one am perfectly happy with this as i would not want slipping on this ground.
They are also T/O sperately one because he was a Late cut Stallion & doesnt understand herd dynamics, he is also my Comp horse.
My other 2 are seperate because of injury.
All my horses are in Fabulous condition both mentally & physically.

Also how do you know what stable set ups people have?? You just assume!! Not everyone has tiny stable's with no interaction to other horses!!!
 
Mine have been in maybe 3 times this winter - only when it has been raining heavily all day, to give them a chance to dry off. Our fields have been icy, but we just carried the hay to the bigger field where the grass was longer and so the ice crunched underfoot. The ponies and donkey have all been content to just have hay, but my horse will ignore hay you give him and wander off to root through the snow for grass. My SJer and show pony have rugs on, as does the donkey, but the welsh is nekkid and seems perfectly fine.

The last time I brought them in, Murphy tried to come out of his stable when I gave him 2nd hay at 10pm, so he obviously prefers the field to the stable!
 
I have two heavies, a native and a mini. They have been out for a few hours every 3 days or so. They rest of the time they have been in. They have huge boxes, hay and a forage based diet only. None of them have been bothered at all and when they do go out, they have been calm and relaxed and waiting to come back in again after a few hours. Mine are at home, so I am not restricted on turn out. I think it is wrong to generalise that horses are "happier out 24/7 in all weathers" as my lot are clearly much happier in their nice boxes with hay and their friends for company, than standing looking miserable in a muddy/frozen field. Each to their own.
 
I completely agree with JNB and dressagecrazy, i keep my 6 horses at my parents home where i have complete control as to their management etc and mine have been kept in since before christmas with limited turnout when the ground has been suitable and controlled exercise due to the dreadful weather conditions. My horses are kept in very very large airy warm boxes where they can interact with one another and have plenty of space to wander around and limitless supplies of forage to keep their digestive systems going. T_K, mine are all perfectly happy, sane animals and when exercised are being done so in a controlled manner either in hand or ridden.

My parents place has clay land and has therefore got rather poached over the last few months, not a problem usually as we've been used to mild winters for the last few years but with the big freeze and then snow on top covering over this lethal ground im not prepared to risk my horses charging over it on days when they would actually prefer to be in. Couple this with the concrete yard to cross which is a liability for a person to walk over as it is so icy made turning them out last week a complete no go. Having spent in excess of 10K getting one of my horses back to competition soundness and fitness last year, i would be absolutely devastated if he were to go out and injure himself just so he could have a few nibbles of grass before wanting to come back in again.

I think under these recent conditions everyone has been trying to do there best by there horses and having owned mine now for a number of years know that mine would hate to live out 24/7 in this weather, as would i, although it would make my life a whole lot easier!!
 
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Not being funny, but why would you automatically think that people havent tried the PP system or know about it. I have & it really didnt work for me or my horses or my land. The PP system is not perfect for most Land in this Country mine being one.

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I'd be interested to know why it didn't work for you. I know people from the Highlands of Scotland downwards who have set up very successful PP's and all have worked brilliantly. I just don't agree with you that most land in this country is not suitable for PP systems. Quite the opposite in fact. All land can be adapted, all you need is a bit of imagination.

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Also how do you know what stable set ups people have?? You just assume!! Not everyone has tiny stable's with no interaction to other horses!!!

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No not everyone but the vast majority of livery yards I've ever been on or visited have boxes no bigger than 12x12 with solid walls between all the horses. I wasn't getting at you specifically, you just happened to reply to my original post. I'm sure your set up is great and same for lots of people on here but we're a small cross section of horse owning people. I'm sure we all could quote many examples of horses that live 23/7 in their stables all winter... if not 24/7 for some of the poor creatures - you know the ones I mean, the ones with the owners who can't be bothered to ride or do anything with their neds, or are short of time and rushing etc etc.

I still maintain that if a horse prefers to be in his stable then you would be able to leave his stable door wide open and he'd stay put. Can anyone honestly say their horse would not budge from their stable overnight if the door was left wide open?
 
I have 2 horses who live out 24/7 all year. Not natives but finely built polo ponies. They are rugged and have hay. They are no more likely to slip in the ice than they are in the mud. Plus, they are horses so they are quite good at managing to stay upright most of the time (prey animals are pretty good at that kind of thing!) They regularly roll or lie down in the snow, they are happy, content and most importantly, they are able to express their natural behaviours of foraging, grazing and moving about in their small herd. I wouldn't have it any other way and I certainly would never keep a horse on a yard where daily turnout wasn't guaranteed, as it doesn't fit with my ethics and morals about keeping animals (personal choice we all have to make about any animals we keep)
Each to their own I guess, and we're all entitled to have our own feelings on the subject, no doubt many will disgaree with me.
 
Mine has been out every day in the snow (they live in at night during winter, yard rules) but he's had turn out every day, the minimum was probably about 6 hours when it was really bad. The lane / yard has been like an ice rink but I took a slowly and let him pick his way. The ground was frozen under the snow in the field, and I did worry when I saw them galloping about
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, but then I worry when the ground is hard / wet and slippery etc. And I rest assured that if anything were to happen to him, (god forbid) I know he had a really nice life
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