how many of your horse live out 24/7 in winter?

Ted's mum

Ted's mum

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My section D is going to be out this winter - although she will be rugged and have hay in field and fed twice a day etc, how do you all cope when its constantly wet and muddy with rugs etc etc??
am I being cruel keeping her in my field over winter or should I find a livery which I cant really afford at the mo! x
 
Cruel?! Ha! Quite the opposite IMO ;)

Both of mine live out 24/7, and I can't say I worry about them. Lots of hay/haylage, a decent rug, and a feed once a day = happy horses! :)
 
I wintered mine out last year and intend to do so again this year. I do however have a stable in case of severe weather warnings lol. If his rugs were wet I just changed for another one, or better yet if you have a barn or something to bring them into for a couple of hours then the rug will dry on them and give them a wee reprieve! Tbh most modern rugs are seriously waterproof and breathable and they don't get too heavy when wet. I wouldn't hose legs at allo though, either that or make sure you apply some sort of mud barrier regularly. Alvabarrier is excellent.

It is definitely much easier and my horse was happier. Win win! :D
 
All mine live out 24/7, 365 days, rugged when necessary and with constant access to shelter (we have stables which we never use properly, we just leave the doors open and they go in if they like).

For the record, mine are ISH, TBx, 12.2 pony of some kind and a shettie. First 3 will be well rugged, shettie not.

If mine want to get out of the wet then they can go into the stables when they want. We've never had any health problems or issues from them being out, personally I think it's healthier for them to be out all the time. It is worth pointing out that I ride for pleasure when I want (no competing or anything) so it doesn't matter if Belle is dirty or whatever. :)
 
Both my boys live out - my 23 year old native, was unrugged last year and coped really well with his fluffy coat and inbuilt central heating system, the other one is clipped and rugged - both are fed & hayed once a day.

We don't have a field shelter, but there are trees they can shelter under if they want to.

Theyre a lot tougher than we give them credit for :D

ETA - My boy who is clipped & rugged is an Appy Cob type!
 
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My boy lives out very happily - he is looking better than ever since he has been living out.

This year he's going to be naked too!

Last year I had 2 MW turn outs which got used most often, swapped when one got wet. I also had a full neck HW for when it was really really horrible - but on snowy sunny days I loved taking his rug off and watching him doze in the sun :)
 
Puppy said:
Cruel?! Ha! Quite the opposite IMO ;)

Both of mine live out 24/7, and I can't say I worry about them. Lots of hay/haylage, a decent rug, and a feed once a day = happy horses! :)
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Ditto!

Our herd were so happy to be out that barely touched the hay we left them :rolleyes: :p

P.s, only Phil and the mare were rugged. The others (including a 3 year old welsh and a 20-something shetland) were un-rugged and still very content ;)
 
Mine is out all year and is happiest in winter because his grazing isn't as restricted and theres plenty of mud for him to get filthy in! He is unrugged but his fieldmate has a selection that we swap around if he is too soggy. Worst case scenario they come in for a few hours to dry off. We tend to load up a wheel barrow in the morning with feeds, hay and a rug to change. Quick turnaround at the field gate while brekkie is scoffed and then night rug hung up to air during the day followed by a repeat performance at night, usually with a head torch to check them over for scrapes etc. If they don't expect to come in they don't tend to loiter round the gate and it doesn't get so muddy. I would rather battle with rug changing and a bit of mud than mucking out all the time!
 
Ours wintered out 24/7 for the first time last year and loved it. They had rugs on upped or downed in weight according to the weather, ad lib hay and lots of natural shelter. Some parts of their field get quite boggy but the top of the hill is quite dry so they weren't constantly in mud.

We used pig oil and sulphur as a precaution against mud fever and Field Paste from Red Horse Products to guard against thrush and that was about it really.

Loved not having to muck out each day!
 
My ID X TB will be out for the first time this year. I'll just rug him up and hope he's alright! There's lots of shelter in the field so I wont worry about him too much.
 
Puppy said:
Cruel?! Ha! Quite the opposite IMO ;)

Both of mine live out 24/7, and I can't say I worry about them. Lots of hay/haylage, a decent rug, and a feed once a day = happy horses! :)
Click to expand...

This, but I have three. Now have two stables but these will be used only as last resort or if oldie is not keeping weight on. Even with shelter, in the past my appaloosa has rather stood out than come in!! He is, after all, a horse, not a human used to central heating.
 
My welsh x NF does. Does very well even with her arthritus just keep her rugged up now (she never really needed one) and try and keep her out of the mud. Shes always had access to a shelter and never used it!!!

My ex racer did. Again did well out.

And so will Samba this year, have no idea how she will be, shes already living in the shelter im basically mucking out a stable every day lol. Went up the horses about 10.30pm the other week and she was out cold in it!!
 
Ive gone back to nature as it were this year and both mine are living out. We are putting a shelter up soon as we can as there is no natural shelter in the field and its rather windswept! They will be rugged as and when and at the moment are loving it! My retired girl feels the cold and gets very stiff and grumpy if she isnt rugged, but my little broodie seems to be happy with no rugs unless its wet!
 
last year i had mine out - no choice due to threat of shed roof collapsing with the weight of snow/ice on top (like minime, we get a lot).
it was down to -20 overnight and snow past their knees. both well rugged and fed twice a day, plenty of hay and were content. it also kept them mobile and they were happy. mud is a pain, i bring them in every couple of weeks to check for mudfever and apply a barrier treatment if needed.
 
Mine are living out for the first time this year. I have recently moved yards from a place where i HAD to stable overnight all year round, to somewhere where I have 24/7 turnout 365 a year. There is lots of natural shelter with hedging all around and trees within the hedges. There are also field shelters. My Welsh is in a field with natural shelter at the mo and is likely to be rugged when the weather gets foul. Old TB is in a field with both natural shelter and a lovely field shelter. He is changing between no rug, to rain sheet to 100 filling with neck cover at the mo depending on what the weather throws up. But this is because hes 29. He doesn't like the wet, but being turned out full time really helps with stiffness.

I have a whole array of rugs so don;t expect wet rugs to be a problem, and also have access to a stable for the old boy but I think he'd rather stay out with shelter and be able to see friends than come in on his own. I do worry about the old boy, but am gradually getting used to it, and I don't worry at all about the welsh!
 
Nadia lived out last winter and it worked well. It was hard checking them for cuts in the pitch black and not being able to ride until weekends but she was happy enough.
i'm having to move her 20 miles away now though and can't find any decent live out so she's going to be stabled this winter.
 
I have never kept any of the horses that I have owned stabled and they have always been fine. As long as they have shelter, plenty of hay and are warm i think most will happily stay out.
 
Our three live out all year round. We have a TB a native x and a welshie. Welsh mare is usually unrugged and even with all the snow last winter my TB was toasty in just a mw rug most of the time - with it off when the sun was shining! I actually prefer a winter like the last - where we have lots of snow + cold temperatures but it's fairly dry and sunny. It's the wet that can be a pain. Ours will come in occasionally if the weather is really bad but we get some pretty foul weather up here in winter! Where we used to be we didn't have stables and I don't think they missed them. Most decent rugs don't get too heavy when wet and I've never had a problem with leaks. I do usually swap to a lighter rug during the day unless the weather is foul, which I think is much nicer for them. I hate seeing horses left in a hw rug day + night for weeks on end just because it's 'winter' when we often get nice sunny, dry days when they hardly need rugs at all.
 
Mine are out 24/7 365 days a year!
My old boy is rugged but my other pony is au naturale.

Plenty of pig oil on their legs and tails keeps the mud off.
Sudocrem keeps thrush at bay.

They have a large shelter and hardstanding they can use if they want - but rarely choose to.

And ad-lib hay. (they also get sunflower seeds and my old boy gets a scoop of 16 plus)

And they are both very happy ponies :-)
 
All four of mine live out 24/7/365 - and always have done. They have natural shelter only, are rugged if and when necessary, have ad-lib hay when it's needed and the oldie (29yo Arab) has a feed of Speedibeet each day. Even though I say it myself, they're all thriving on my KISS (keep it simple, stupid) lifestyle and I can honestly say that they are genuinely healthy, happy, horses.

I'm moving my horses to a new place this weekend, as the current place is being redeveloped. When looking for a new place to rent, my highest priority was finding somewhere where they could still live out all year, as I have no intention of keeping them stabled at all. Fortunately, I've found the right place!
 
All of them. They may come in for a few hours to dry off if it rains constantly and put a rug on or re rug. We are on clay and it also floods and sometimes the areas round the gate are really muddy for months. Never had mud fever in any of them.
 
Typed out loads and lost it aaaahhhh.

Anyhoo, my 3 live out clipped, rugged with access to natural and field shelter, they hardly use the field shelter (which cost me a fortune) typical. I find it all a lot easier with them being out.

Liz
 
Mine live out, whatever the weather.

Not because I think it is better for them particularly, if it suited me to keep them in I would have no qualms about that, but it suits me very well to keep them out, they are happy enough. It is called bone idleness and an aversion to mucking out;)

Fortunately in this area we have very little rain in the winter normally, so don't have to cope with mud, rain rash, mud fever etc, etc. It's the persistant rain that makes life so miserable in winter.
 
2 of my 3 live out all year round and one is stabled at night times during the winter.
The 2 living out get rugged, haylage in the field and are fine :) there out because they are much happier like this.
 
My TB mare lives out all year as she HATES being in a stable since she lost her sight. She is rugged up from about November onwards, and has access to shelter. She only has haylage if it snows or is frosty and she can't get to the grass, and doesn't get fed, but she always has access to a mineral lick to make sure she gets her vits and mins.

She has never had a problem, and I have two identical Rambo plus heavyweight rugs for her so that if one gets ruined/soaked through, then I can switch them over.

My youngsters all live out all year, all rugged up, and fed and hayed when necessary. They're all TB or TB crosses and do absolutely fine outside!
 
my NF lives out because he does not do living in! he does not have a field shelter but he has a wood he can go into to shelter and there are hedges round most of the field. he also has friends and they tend to get together in a group and shelter together taking turns to be in the middle or near the trees.

I would invest in good quality turnout rugs - i don't need stable rugs so i can afford to spend on good turnouts - mine had a rambo wug (he gets chaser clipped) and he was never wet underneath even if there was a lot of rain. i also make sure my rugs are re water proofed every year.
 
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