Individual turnout paddocks

Bustalot

Bustalot

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Anybody have this at their yard? Good or bad idea? Pros and cons?

My pro would be can manage your paddock as you see fit.
Con being pony would not be able to mutual groom etc..

Discuss....
 
I personally don't like them as in general the ones I have seen have no shelter. However I keep my horses at home so they arE in a settled herd with good shelter and they are able to pal up. As it is my own land I can manage the fields how I wish. On a busy livery yard with a high turnover I can see why people might like them as it does reduce the risk of injury.

If I ever had to go to a livery with individual turnout I would want my horse to go out with another.
 
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I would prefer to keep my 2 horses together, and do in the summer but they fight over hay (and live out) so are seperated in the winter.

I think on a livery yard it saves alot of arguements (both human and horse) to have them seperated, although I do think its a bit sad for the horses to not be able to interact.

Maybe a compromise is to have post and rail between horses rather than electric fence, then they can still groom each other and kiss!
 
I'm at a yard with individual paddocks and it works really well but I do buddy up with another livery and our boys have paddocks next to each other and always come in together and her's won't go out unless mine is out first. I didn't like the idea at first and in an ideal world would prefer him out with others but he seems to have taken to it really well and he is as settled as I've seen him - he has been in a big group (10-12 horses) and was fine but it was worst in a small group as thats when he got really clingy and difficult.
 
Its not what i would want for my horses as its so un natural, but as the others have said i can understand why some livery yards do it that way. Any livery yeard ive been to however has herd style turnout & managed correctly is the best option for most horses. If it your only option then theirs not much you can do just make sure he gets lots of extra cuddles n scratches from you!!
 
To me the paddocks are usually too small, and whilst we may want to keep our horses safe, they dont even get chance to go for a hooley round to burn off any excess energy. The other thing I dont like is very often they do not have any shelter from the wind, rain or even sun.

I can see the benefits of them though if you have a thug or if you have an omega pony, but I just wish they were bigger - evey book you read says a min of 1 acre for the 1st horse - well I have never been at a yard yet that has a 1 acre individual paddock - they tend to be much much smaller than this.

I feel that they should be a least in pairs so they can swish the flys off each other and have a bit of a groom, however it depends on what type of horse you have, as some love being in a huge herd and some just cant cope.
 
We have individual paddocks where I livery. I have quite a large paddock so asked a friend if she would like to put her horse in with mine. Our paddocks are all next to each other so the horses always have company.
 
At our yard the horses are generally in pairs or threes. I think it's a lot nicer for them to have some company.

This gives the best of both worlds - horse gets some company, but it's consistent and a horse they get on with, and hopefully you share a field with someone who agrees on management.
 
My yard has individual t/o and it works on our yard, they can if requested be put in together if you own 2 maybe?...
one lady does that.

My lad doesn't mind either he has his mates on either side of him, the paddocks are large enough for them all we also have winter grazing as individual paddocks, (rare round my way).
 
It is common practice in my area for yards to have separate paddocks where horses are kept alone or in pairs. Paddocks are very small, usually not rotated or rested and have no shelter from sun or rain. Because the turnout area is such a small size, winter turnout is very restricted and horses sometimes spend weeks stabled 24/7.

For this reason, I eventually found grass livery with herd turnout. Had to give up the posh facilites which I miss very much, but necessity is the mother of invention so we manage.

My horses physical and emotional wellbeing is enhanced by herd turnout and if disaster struck tomorrow with an injury from another horse, I'd still feel the same. A short, good life is preferrable to a long, wrapped in cotton wool life, where the horse never knows the exhilaration of running with a herd, mutual grooming, play fighting and knowing the security of being part of a functional group.
 
My horses live at home and live as a herd, however having had a horse kicked badly on a livery yard with her turnout I would rather have individual turnout.

When one of my horses went on schooling livery I insisted on individual turnout, she coped very well going from a herd to individual turnout, the field was certainly big enough for her to have a hooley and she had a horse turned out next to her. She seemed very settled there and indeed happy.
 
My mare was so attached to her field mate she was dangerous when separated from her, she could see her paddock from the arena so I couldn't ride in it, since having a paddock to herself she's much calmer and happier, she still has friends on three sides, shelter on the fourth side

Guess it depends on your situation and on the horse, she's the first horse I've had this problem with
 
I wouldn't have it any other way. Have had shared TO in the past and had nothing but problems with other owners not poo picking, bully horses guarding the gate, kickers etc etc. I am lucky I have 3 horses and 3 ind. TO paddocks so I can pair up if I want to, which I do during the summer so I can rest and rotate areas. I still have plenty of grass and all mine are good doers so it works for me and mine.
 
I have individual turnout - 2 of mine would not be suited to herd turnout as one is a massive bully and the other tends be bottom of the pile and has been kicked in the past. Some people share their fields, tho most dont. Pros are not having to worry about horses kicking eachother - cons are that is can be tricky to get them to settle when the others start coming in - but each horse is different! Unfortunately at least 2 of mine are born worriers :D
 
I have individual paddocks at my yard, but I don't have an issue with it as I have 2 so they are out together in about an acre.
 
mine goes out on her own with horses next to her.

she grooms her BF over the fence - and im hapy with this as they cannot kick each other....!!

Means i can put hay out without worrying someone is going to eat it on her.... or any fighting...!

any injuries i have no-one to blame etc

I just prefer it allround. She used to be in a herd of 16 and colic'd a lot because of that!
 
Holly Hocks said:
I don't like the idea of individual turnout. I like my horses to be in a herd environment as it's more natural.
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That's all well and good if they get on, and yes, it is preferable, but not if you have a bully, a sex maniac, one that likes their own space, a stallion etc, etc, there are many, many logical, and logistical, reasons for individual turnout.

My horses don't have turnout, they live out 24/7, whatever the weather, they rarely hoon around because they are rarely kept indoors for any period of time. I have paddocks for herds (mares and foals), for colts and geldings, dry lots/sparse grazing for fatties, paddocks with two horses in, paddocks with one horse in. One of my lone horses is a control freak and doesn't want anyone else in his space, he is happy alone (horses to three sides across walkways) and my fences and other horses stay intact. The stallion sometimes lives alone, sometimes he has mares running with him, sometimes yearlings... he's happy too, whether he is alone or not.

Individual turnout isn't so bad. Most of my small paddocks are 1/2 to 3/4 an acre, doesn't sound much, but it is actually quite adequate for a horse to have a hooley believe me.

I decide which horses go where on my farm. Individual/same owner paddocks can be arranged upon request if I have them vacant. I do discuss it with Owners and explain why they go where they go, but as I have a reponsibility to maintain calm and serenity amongst my own, and others horses, I mix and match, or separate as I see fit - and I have that in my contracts. I have to live within eye and ear shot of my paddocks, fighting horses and thundering hooves do not make for peaceful nights I can tell you ;)
 
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Individual turnout paddocks are OK as long as it is not a given but based on real issues that threaten the safety of the horse (or more accurately the other horses in the field!).

So I dont think it should ever be the default/first option and its use is a last resort.

My gelding is very territorial and riggy and will not have anything else in his field, horse, sheep, pheasant, mouse, whatever. He went through every other horse at our old livery yard, and none worked long term being in with him, mares or geldings or singles or groups. Understandably there comes a point where other horse owners get tired of their horse coming in with 'I woz ere' hoof print shaped brands on their backsides or kicks to their legs :-(((

So he has his own field sorry fiefdom!

As we now have the horses at home this means my mare also has to be in her own field. But both are very happy provided they can groom over the fence (which they can).

In summary, I disapprove of yards where indiv turnout is the only option, but I wouldnt be able to keep my gelding at a yard where it wasnt an option at all. But it should only be used where really justified as it isnt ideal.
 
I would only ever be on a yard with individual T/O as I like the fact I can control what goes in and out of my girls, having said that I have 3 horses and 3 1 acre individual paddocks that I rotate and each paddock has access to a 12' x 16' shelter!

This for me is the perfect system as I can feed my horses in the field whenever I like bring them in turn them out without having to worry, ensure the fields are poo picked and the horses get the correct worm treatment.

Horses for courses I suppose!!
 
Ours are all in individual turnout, although mine are all right next to each other. The paddocks are large enough for them to let off steam, they get poo picked daily, get rested and rotated - I much prefer this to herd environments.
 
My horse is on her own at the moment as her field "mate" (using the term loosely) is in a taped off section to restrict her grass intake. My horse couldn't care less that she's on her own, she goes out on her own as I'm up before the other owner and is often left out on her own and she just doesn't care.
Being on her own makes poo picking easier and a much reduced chance of injury. Personally I really don't like herd turnout but that's another matter.
 
I hate them, though I accept that in some circumstances they're a necessary evil. I much prefer the arrangement mine have, a reasonable sized single sex herd in a large field with not too much grass. As long as there's plenty of space & some thought given to the group problems tend to be few & far between.
 
I keep mine at home, and over the years have had various different arrangements, from all out in a herd (when I had all mares), to all in individual paddocks (now I have one mare and two geldings). We are lucky that there are mature hedges and trees all the way around, so each paddock has plenty of natural shelter plus have plenty of room for hooleying around. The paddocks are sectioned with electric fencing but this is turned off during the day and the geldings particularly often mutual groom over the fence.

Having them like this allows me to cater for their individual needs. The pony mare is a good doer and needs a paddock with limited grazing plus she is a bit of a tart and would cause fights between the two boys if they were all out together. One of the geldings has recently arrived and was rather lean, so having him separately means he can have adlib haylage in his paddock to supplement the grazing.

I must say it does make everything a lot easier like this - no crowding and bickering at the gate at coming in time, for example, and when time is short they can all be fed in the field rather than being brought into the stables. Much easier for someone else to care for them when we are away as well, as they can just feed and check them in their paddocks.
 
I prefer horses being in a herd as its natural, on our yard we have the mares and geldings seperate and it works fine. but I dont see a problem with individual turnout if there is a reason behind i.e. maybe resting from injury etc.
 
I can kind of see it from both points of view. Captain is an a*se with other horses, he simply used to have no horse manners at all. (We think it is down to him having been a pro CDE horse and kept individually to avoid injury.) He would bully or be nasty, the only exception was when he baby sat some 2 yr olds.

So individual turn out suited him, he was happy and used to it. However now he is turned out with Fany who is an exceptionally well socialised horse with impeccable horse manners. She has spent all summer showing him how to behave and bar one small incident he has behaved well with her, she told him off when needed, but did not pursue it after he had stopped his bad behaviour and conformed. He now gets very upset if she leaves him, which is very unusual for him.

However, I still would not trust him with other horses. So I do think that there is a place for individual turnout but I don't think it is ideal nor does it suit many horses, as ever it is suiting what you do to the horse in front of you.

FDC
 
The yard that i am at has individual paddocks too. Often more grass is available with the constant rotation of fields and only one horse in them, with one the exception. I personally let my horse groom and have social interaction with horses when ever possible and the fields are very close to each other to horses can talk over the fence! :)
 
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