In or out?

M

Maisy

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Probably like most people, my field now looks more like a lake than a field. There is a ditch by the gateway which has now overflowed and so I have to wade through a welly high river to get in the field!

I have 3 horses, one of whom is rising 3.

Yesterday, I turned them out for an hour and brought them back in again; they all galloped to the gateway when I went back out to get them, so they are obviously happy to come in, but I dont like the thought of them being in for such long periods of time.

Often this winter I have ridden 2 while the youngster goes out, and then brought him back in again, but I cant ride today....

What is everyone else doing? Do you think the horses would prefer to be in a nice dry stable munching, or out in a muddy lake?
 
I think it depends on the horse. I will probably rde and leave mine in. She doesn't "do" rain really
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. She will be alright for an hour or so but then she would prefer to be tucked up in her stable with a big haynet
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I am keeping mine in today, it is soooo wet and miserable, i am managing to get the boy out for a pootle late morning though.
If i was you i would keep them in, it wont hurt for one day
Kate x
 
Dont worry, i'm doing the same thing. I put my boys out at 6am (they begrudgingly go out) then my dad brings them in sometime later in the morning/by middday, depending on how the weather is or if they are waiting by the gate. They prefer to come in and i'm happy with that. I'd rather they be in, dry, warm and happy, than cold wet and miserable and they dont mind the time they are in.
 
We have been able to turn out every day but YO says we're going to have to give them all a few days in. I always think being out is the "default" for horses but they're all different. TBH if a horse is in with company, food to eat, water to drink and a clean bed to lie in, he'll be perfectly happy.
 
At our livery yard they will go out for a bit but usually are brought in mid morning as the field is an utter bog and barely a blade of grass so with 12 geldings it starts to lead to messing about and fighting as they do start to gather at the gate. Also if the day starts with torrential rain they tend not to be turned out. Quite when the weather will improve and the field dry out I despair! They will move to a new field late April/early May and then go to the other extreme...too much grass!
 
Ours are all out all day in a muddy snowy lake at the moment! It's still too icy to ride out round me (and the school is covered in snow) so it's the only way they can stretch their legs. They seem happy enough pottering about munching some hay and only come to the gate at about 4pm (which is approaching their normal coming in time).

We very rarely keep them in - they go out rain, shine or snow
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Fields get trashed over the winter but do come back well after a couple of months rest.
 
I would say depends on the horse. We only have a mini bog by the gate in that it's about an inch of mud on well drained gravel underneath. Ours have the choice of a lovely big mobile field shelter, and I have before now also given the choice for one of them that used to live mostly in with some TO, of a nice stable with all home comforts (the other a NF has never been stabled) but he kicked the door persistently to go back out. They both prefer to stand by the hedge rather than in the dry of the field shelter, which makes me wonder why we bought it!
 
Mine are out 24/7, but my horse will deliberately go and stand in the bog in our field despite the fact there is plenty of drier land as well. He also ignores the 2 field shelters, much to the disgust of the pony who likes the shelters but feels she has to follow the horse everywhere. They have come in a few times this winter, and when it snowed over christmas, Murphy nearly knocked me over trying to get out of the stable at 10pm when he had his 2nd hay - I take this to mean that he will be fine in the field!!
 
Have kept ours all in today - very rare that we do this but the ground is lethally slippy from where the snow has half melted on thawing ground, and as the grazing is sloping don't want to risk any accidents.
Should be back out tomorrow as normal....
 
Poor Zoomy doesn't even have a stable!!! Although on the rare occassions she has been stabled she turns into devil pony so it's for the best.

She loves it when the field is a lake......she is actually a hippo in disguise!
 
Out 24/7.......although I have finally had to put a rug on my yearling as the persistant rain sleet and snow have got to her this week!
 
out, always. Mine has option of nice warm stable to wander into, with hay, straw bed etc, but always stays out.
If you routinely feed horses upon catching them up and bringing in, they will of course seem happy to come in a gallop up to the gate, they associate coming in with being fed.
Some horses love being out, I've never known one that prefers to be in.
 
My lad is out 24/7 in all weathers as he hates being locked in. He is quite happy wandering about eating his hay and picking at the few blades of grass that are left in the field. The area he is in is utterly trashed as he has been on a confined area for much of the winter so it is pretty muddy...but he does not mind and I know it will grow back and recover. To be honest, for me it is a bonus being trashed as it will take longer for the grass to come through, which will make managing his laminitis a bit easier in the spring.
 
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