how much turnout do yours have?

I have 2 Dartmoor Hill ponies, 1 TB, 2 WB and all live out 24/7 365 days a year. I have 6 acres with good shelter from hedges and trees. The only one who is rugged is the TB and only in the worst of weather, they all grow a great winter coat as that is what they are used to. This summer I have fertilized my field so they are all on restricted grazing. Only 2 are ridden, the ponies are too young and the other one has bone spavin. In the winter they get extra ad lib hay and none of them need any hard feed. If it is possible (which I know it always isn't) give them as much space as you can, let them live in a herd and feed them as much forage as possible before resorting to hard feeds. They are happy, healthy and relaxed. The more natural a life you can give them the better. We have friends with a prize winning QH stud in the states - they live out 24/7 365 days a year, in 100 degrees plus in the summer and 5 ft of snow in the winter - no rugs. However, don't just turn a horse who has been stabled most of its life straight out and expect it to adjust straight away!
 
My two get about 8 hours a day between oct til march, then out 24/7 rest of year! They're out everyday, snow, rain etc. Only exception is if it's too icy, although I tend to grit as would rather them out, otherwise the next day they hoon around and are then more likely to injure themselves! Horses need regular turnout in my opinion, good for their mental state!!
 
bumblelion said:
My two get about 8 hours a day between oct til march, then out 24/7 rest of year! They're out everyday, snow, rain etc. Only exception is if it's too icy, although I tend to grit as would rather them out, otherwise the next day they hoon around and are then more likely to injure themselves! Horses need regular turnout in my opinion, good for their mental state!!
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this - i read of horses beign kept in and feel so sorry for them - let them have fun with their friends!
 
24/7/365 I would not consider keeping my horses somewhere where they restricted turnout to less than 8 hours a day in the winter and didn't offer 24/7 in the summer.

Horses are meant to live outside.
 
My 4 (1 veteran, 1 cob, 2 shetlands) are brought IN at about 8am (winter) or 10am (summer), have 5 or 6 hours in and then are turned back OUT somewhere between 2pm and 4pm. The stable time allows them to have a hay net, 1 or 2 feeds, long snooze, dry out, escape from flies etc. Also, it means they are always in for riding, vet, farrier etc and mucking out their deep litter day beds takes max 10 mins per stable. Happy, happy horses. In the middle of last winter's dreadful weather, we only had to flip them round to in overnight on TWO days. To my mind, this is the gold standard for horse care.
 
Mine get 24/7 through summer spring and most of autumn. In all winter and kept cosy all year as both very sensitive souls that look at a raindrop and drop a stone :/

I think that girl is cruel. Imagine ebing locked in your bedroom all day with nothing but a window to look out of and a pack of crisps to munch. Ick id die of boredom. I try and spice up my horses lives though. i regularly look for new hacking routes and even in summer i bring them in for their dinner to change the scenery and ride the boy in some shape or form and walk the mare somewhere.

I think its important to keep their brains ticking as much as you can!! Im hating this new trend in dressage to keep your horses in. Theyre huge powerful animals built for speed. It defies nature to look them in a tiny box :(
 
Oh god I know - I heard of a dressage yard around us where they go out for an hour a day but if they are seen to do more than walk they are brought straight back in! Insane!!

When I first got our boy he was out 24/7 but was advised by instructor to bring him in at night as he was stuffing his face & then couldn't be ar**d to compete, hence him in on a night now & restricted also cos of weight - fatty!:(
 
Would be out 24/7 but grass is too rich and the other people bring their horses in so she goes nuts if left out alone ! comes in between 7-9pm out at 9am. personally hate it and would love 24/7 turnout but she gets too fat on the grass and got colic last week from it. (tried muzzle but left rub marks where she was itching)
She seems to love coming in with her routine- means i can restrict her to the low cal soaked hay over night as well but i don't like it !
 
Both of mine are out pretty much 24/7 all year round....couldn't stand it any other way. I have lovely brand new stables for them for severe winter weather but apart from that I prefer them out as much as possible. One of mine is a yearling and the other is ridden approx 3 times a week for 45 mins. Sometimes longer at weekends.
 
wow, i didnt realise how little some people turn their horses out. 1 hour a week :|.

My TB is out from 9am till 4pm in the winter and from april-november is out 24/7 unless he injures himself (sometime accident prone :( ) when he wasnt lame he was ridden 4-5 times a week or more.
 
I would have my horse out 24/7 if it was safe to but he is a laminitis risk so there has to be a compromise to keep him safe from laminitis. But even so, he is out every single day come rain, hail, flys or 3 foot of snow for 13 hours....he is a happy horsey!
 
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