How much turnout do you all get over winter?

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HelenBack

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Just a musing really as I’m currently considering the best option for my boy.

Yards round us seem to split into two categories. The first type offer all day every day turnout but when the fields are wet you have to keep them in. The amount and length of time they have to stay in for varies by yard. It could be a single day or up to a whole week. This would normally be during December or January and on a dry winter like last year they might not have to stay in at all.

The other category is those yards where the horses go out every single day regardless of the weather or the state of the fields but they only go out for half a day.

My ideal (obviously!) would be that they go out all day every day all winter, regardless of the weather, unless they decided themselves they’d really rather be in. In the absence of that though I can’t decide which model I think is the better one.

It just made me wonder what the norm is in other areas.
 
I have 3 retired in the field at home that live out 24/7.
The ones on the yard go out just for the morning. It's not what I would choose, and it only suits a horse that is in work. But they go out every day without fail, the fields are never closed so unless I say to keep them in because it's too icy then the YO will put them out.

I moved here from a yard that would randomly shut the fields for a week, or say you could only turn out while mucking the stable out. I find it works well because the horses know the routine and it's absolutely the same every day.
 
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I'm in Cheshire where a lack of hills can mean fields are easily waterlogged. The yard has winter and summer fields and ours moved to winter fields about two weeks ago. The yard aims for half a day everyday but if it has rained too much overnight, they get a couple of hours in an all weather and hand walked instead. A day or two of arena turnout can mean months of turnout through winter through protecting the land, so I don't mind the odd duvet day for a longer term strategy.

They will try to turnout in the week knowing many of us can't get down to ride during the week in winter.
 
I prefer the second category, out every day if the land is good. Even 1/2 a day or a few hours is enough.
We can do what we want. Very lucky to have a small yard with lots of land and good drainage. YO allows us to turn out 24/7 all year round, if we wish. I tend to bring in at nights though from November time, hes out everyday from 8am to 6pm.

My previous yard they were kept in for weeks on end if it rained, even a shower they'd be in. When i moved there they said it would be no more than a few days.. longest was 3 weeks without any turnout. I was riding daily but they really weren't happy. Definitely try and chat to a current livery at first yard, and get the jist of things. It also depends what your horse prefers.

Some yards turn out every day no matter the weather but the fields are 2ft deep in mud.. I wouldn't go for that either.
 
I am very lucky and mine are on 24/7 turnout and their winter field has a huge field shelter with rubber matting and straw. just means i have to very good winter boots as the fields get mega wet.
 
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Mine lives out 24/7 currently but may have some duvet days later in the year to protect the ground! Moved from a yard that had all day turnout that you had to manage yourself, previous yards have been half days mostly
 
I’ve been on all sorts of systems over the years. What works best generally depends on the horse in question, the state of the fields, the type of livery or services offered etc.

Through the worst of the winter I have no issue with half day, or even just 2-3 hours, turnout every day. I’d prefer that every day than chopping and changing the routine. All my horses would adapt to that easily and they just get cold/wet/bored if in fairly typical overstocked livery paddocks.

However it is on the proviso that the yard offers services (BI/TO) for working DIY owners and also has good enough facilities to allow owners to exercise the horses daily around work.
 
We manage our own fields, but we are sensible. I mostly give mine full days, but I will bring in just after lunch if the weather is very wet. On a rare occasion, I will leave them in for the day. This is usually due to high winds (I have trees around my fields and several have come down in recent years) or ice/frozen ground.
 
Heavy clay here. Mine are off all grass but have 24 hour access to a sacrifice mud area and a barn which is where the hay and water is.

I find that they rotate where they are according to the time of day preferring to stand out to snooze and come in to eat. There are three stables which are open and bedded in the barn area and one horse will lie down in a stable but the other two prefer to lie down outside.
 
I turn out at 7am, and bring in about 6.30pm some times 7pm depending on traffic, haven't had to close fields of as of yet, although if its to icy to safely get them to the field they become closed
 
I also have my own place, when wet the horses are in at night (from about 6pm to about 7am). Otherwise they're out 24/7.
I'd prefer daily turnout to being in on odd days, as IME when they've been in for a full day, they're more likely to be idiots when they do go out. If their routine is out for 1/2 a day. they get settled into it pretty easily.
 
Mine are out, however, in torrential rain they’re in, because otherwise they stand in the gateways making them bigger mud pits then normal!
 
Mine are coming in tonight it’s now very very wet , ( might leave two out as Tatts chooses want he wants )
Assuming they all come in Fatty who is retired will go out first thing and stay out until seven pm .
The others I work on four hours unless they are on a day off when they get all day .
Of course some days they might get longer or none for instance if they do a full hunting day they don’t go out .
They never ever stand in without work and only miss turn out if the weather is appalling unless their work schedule prevents it .
 
out 24/7 on sand over clay we get lying water but not mud as such. Personally I wouldnt own a horse if it didnt get at least 8 hours out a day especially if not in hard work. Horses in hard daily work might get away with half days
 
Mine are at home so I have a lot of flexibility and tend to turn them out about 6:45 and they come in around 3. However if they are hanging around the gate in bad weather I will get them in early. I do have the very odd day when I don't turn out if the fields are too icy.

In answer to your question, I would prefer option 2 where they get to of out for half a day every day. I was once on a DIY yard that had year round turnout and then it changed to mares out one day and geldings out the next day and nothing out at the weekend. I find that if they are going out daily even if only for a short time they are less likely to have a hooley.
 
The ones in work ( plus one 2 yo) are out at night and in during the day. They come in between 8-10am depending on weather, and go back out at around 5pm. The old broodmare and the 2 foals are in at night and out during the day. Ideally they'd be out 24/7 but ive had some handling to do and worming etc. Once we've got over bonfire night the broodie and the foals will be introduced to the 2yo,and all being well will then go out 24/7. The ridden ones will stay out at night until the fields dictate otherwise, then they will switch to in at night and out during the day. Mine only stay in during the worst weather.
 
I started bringing mine in overnight last Saturday when the torrential rain flooded the field. Its still got a lot of standing water. They are going out around 7am and back in at about 4 and I'm hoping to keep to broadly this pattern all winter. If its really vile then I'll bring them in earlier (although my gelding then forgets it is raining because he is stabled in a barn and asks to go out again 20 mins later).

If we have a dry spell and the field can take it then I'll go back to 24:7 turnout for the sake of their joints - but that's being a bit optimistic on clay soil!

My YO does not over-use her land and just wants us to be sensible really. I have 2 heavyweights so if they were out 24:7 with that amount of water on the field it would be a bog in a short space of time.
 
I think I must be lucky! They're out all day, with the odd day in when the fields are particularly bad. Last winter, I think there were maybe three or four days when they stayed in. However, our fields are a lot wetter than they were this time last year, so I suspect we'll have more days in this year.
 
We have allocated paddocks we can manage as we wish. Mine are out 24hrs in the summer mostly. In winter it depends on the weather. This year they’re in at night early as it’s been so wet. Still out from about 7.30am to about 5.30pm unless doing something with them.

Of the two scenarios you describe I’d go for daily turn out even if it’s only half a day or a few hours provided there is assistance to bring in during the middle of the day. The horses always seem calmer if they’ve been out as expect even if it’s for a few hours before they then come in again.
 
Very very lucky on our yard which is a TB stud - has acres and acres of amazing turnout.

Very good well maintained land - post and rail fenced - mains water - tall hedges and lots of trees and field shelters.

24/7 available from April/May to end of October.

Out from 8am - 6pm atm.

Extreme weather conditions are the only time ours don't go out.
 
windand rain said:
out 24/7 on sand over clay we get lying water but not mud as such. Personally I wouldnt own a horse if it didnt get at least 8 hours out a day especially if not in hard work. Horses in hard daily work might get away with half days
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It’s very difficult to use a horse in winter and get it eight hours turnout .
I like to hack out when the light is at its best , I aim to get my horse to a trainer at least once a week When you have horses hunting the next day they need bathing ( well ours do because they are grey ) and you don’t want to be bathing them a night .
And of course on a hunting day they often return in the dark .
Our land is shallow top soil and then red clay you need to ration it’s use for the winter field if the winter field is last till the end of March .
My horses are busy in winter and once they are hunting they rest a lot in their stables as they are tired so half day turnout works just fine .
 
We go out generally every day, from around 7am until 3.30pm/4pm during the winter and overnight during the summer. If the fields are really wet we tend to keep in for a day or two. Longest I have kept in was 24 hours.
 
Some interesting replies here and now I'm jealous of those of you who have your own places or can self-manage on your livery yards! This used to be the case for me before we moved to this area so I think this is why I find it difficult nowadays on yards that tell you when you can and can't turn out.

It is the case generally that those where they go out all day or not at all are more the DIY yards whereas those where they go out every day but for shorter times are the part and full livery yards. All tend to have facilities to a greater or lesser extent so at least you can do something with them outside of work. I think on the DIY yards though it's stressful when the weather gets bad wondering if you're going told you can't turn out or not, as seemingly the decision can be quite random!

I'm going to keep looking for now to see if I can find the elusive yard that does all day turnout every day. My next post might be along the lines of how far would you be prepared to travel to find that!
 
My last place was full DIY where the YO would decide on a whim in the morning what the arrangements would be. But never until after I had already seen to my horses and left for work. There would be a message on the group whatsapp saying they had to come in after an hour. :rolleyes:
Current place is mainly a full livery yard but those of us on assisted DIY get ours turned out and brought in as part of the deal.
 
milliepops said:
My last place was full DIY where the YO would decide on a whim in the morning what the arrangements would be. But never until after I had already seen to my horses and left for work. There would be a message on the group whatsapp saying they had to come in after an hour. :rolleyes:
Current place is mainly a full livery yard but those of us on assisted DIY get ours turned out and brought in as part of the deal.
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That would really annoy me, you at least need to know the night before so you can make plans. I think a lot of yard owners don't realise we actually have other things we need to do with our days!
 
Mine are out most of the time but bring them in at some point in the day whilst I poo pick and ride etc. I have the field gate open so they have access to the barn and sand area but if it's forecast heavy rain all night I shut the two mares in stables as they can get niggly with each other and the old boy has access to his stable but the door is open so he can still go where he pleases.
 
it was the pits, and why although current place isn't perfect, it's a relief not having surprises dumped on you every day ;)
 
On full livery yards the work all has to be done during the core of a working day when the staff are there .
That makes it almost inevitable that it’s going to be a short day out as they will need depending on the size of the yard to be bringing everything in and sorting the yard by three o’clock .
The days where staff are still on the yard at nine pm are for the most part over .
 
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