Glitterandrainbows
Well-Known Member
Mine is at livery in a herd of 8, touch wood no injuries to date and all the horses have been there for a while there nice and settled and she absolutely loves it been out with her friends
Individual turnout
- Thread starter Birker2020
- Start date
saddlesore
Well-Known Member
Out in a mixed herd of 11 in a huge field. They are all very settled and I just love it for his wellbeing
humblepie
Well-Known Member
Individual turn out. Yard does individual and pairs. If there was someone else who I trusted with a suitable horse would do pairs but most of the pairs are people with two of their own. He can socialise over the fence and when stabled as have bars not full stable walls.
Melody Grey
Well-Known Member
Mine are out all together as a small herd on a livery yard. I wouldn’t want the hassle of other peoples horses, both from liability of injury and also poo picking- been exploited before!
GinaGeo
Well-Known Member
My boys are at home and live as a small herd. It is a stable herd, introductions carefully managed and any new additions are carefully considered and chosen for their suitability. I know this is a luxury I would not have on livery, but I do spend more time doing land maintenance than I do riding 
And it’s expensive to boot 
When on livery my preference was either a carefully matched pair, or a small and stable herd.
I wouldn’t choose individual turnout if at all possible. I know mine are really social, and their interactions through the day are numerous.
And it’s expensive to boot When on livery my preference was either a carefully matched pair, or a small and stable herd.
I wouldn’t choose individual turnout if at all possible. I know mine are really social, and their interactions through the day are numerous.
BallyRoanBaubles
Buys real biscuits
I selected herd but in reality there’s only 2 together, on a small livery yard.
visa_bot
Well-Known Member
I have 4 on my own land, a mare, a gelding and 2 stallions. The mare would kick, and the stallions would bite so I have no choice but to keep them separately if I don’t want vet bills. That doesn‘t really fit with any option.
Pearlsacarolsinger
Up in the clouds
I know someone whose horse was on the family farm, in a field by herself. My friend went out one morning to find the mare had sustained a broken shoulder overnight. No idea how it happened but, of course , the mare was pts.
Dave's Mam
Well-Known Member
Same.
Laurac13
Well-Known Member
My 2 boys are in a livery paddock separated as the elderly Shetland has EMS and Cushings so has a pen area in there as he needs a small area with less grass but they used to be in together before this. They are out 24/7 in the summer and out everyday 7am to 3pm winter , My gelding has companions either side of the paddock and lots of play takes place his neighbour gelding has totally eaten his fly rug and destroyed his fly mask the first day he wore it so although separated there is lots of social interaction over the fence and trashing of my fly rugs and fly masks 
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SEL
Well-Known Member
I was on a yard a few years back where a mare slipped just after she'd been turned out, landed on her shoulder and broke it. All witnessed by the lady who had just turned her out. No other horses involved - just a very sad freak accident
myheartinahoofbeat
Well-Known Member
I'm building my herd. I've got six geldings. At the moment four are in together. One is unfortunately on his own because he has cushings and is on restricted grazing( only in summer) and the other is in a pen because he has a suspensory injury. However these two are next to the others so they can all interact over the fence
SEL
Well-Known Member
My Appy was kept on her own when she came to me. She was hand reared and her "horse" skills are poor and back then her behaviour to humans was nasty. Then the Ardennes came onto the yard and went into the diet fields with her and they quickly became inseparable. So I bought him and they stayed as a twosome in the various livery yards we went to.
It took me longer than I expected to settle the microcob in with them. My gentle giant of an Ardennes was vile to her. So when baby cob came last year I took ages before I put them all in together but fortunately because he was 4 he was so far down the pecking order he didn't protest when he was told off by the others.
It took me longer than I expected to settle the microcob in with them. My gentle giant of an Ardennes was vile to her. So when baby cob came last year I took ages before I put them all in together but fortunately because he was 4 he was so far down the pecking order he didn't protest when he was told off by the others.
Snow Falcon
Hoping for drier days
I have a mare and foal out on the forest in a large herd. 2 youngsters in a field together. One mare on individual restricted grazing, she's used to all kinds!
My old boy lived mostly in his own field. Woe betide any interlopers unless you were a foal. No-one invaded his space. Happy to have neighbours but no-one shared his grass!!!
My old boy lived mostly in his own field. Woe betide any interlopers unless you were a foal. No-one invaded his space. Happy to have neighbours but no-one shared his grass!!!
ponynutz
Well-Known Member
I've ticked the first and the last because we only have the two - I have previously done individual turnout because pony kept bullying everyone so she was put in solitary confinement. As long as she could see other horses I was pretty happy with that set up.
fruit_fly
Member
Individual with groomable neighbours. We only have 4 on the yard, tried all the combos. The gelding and her seem inclined to have struggle cuddles, her fellow livery is similar size/age etc and although they're friends kicking was getting messy and the other one has shoes on. The pony was fine company but her job is to be in with the gelding. I would love to have her in a proper herd.
SO1
Well-Known Member
Bert went out into the gelding herd yesterday. There are 6 of them including him. 4 big horses and two ponies. The big horses are all in their teens and Bert and the other pony who is a connemara are both 5.
He was chased a bit yesterday as two of the big horses are quite bonded and one won't let other horses near his friend. He looked like he might be trying to make friends with the connemara as at one point I saw him grazing nose to nose with him.
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One of the big horses is on not in the field at the moment as is on individual turnout temporarily for health reasons but due to come back into the herd soon.
Bert was on individual turnout with his previous owner and has been on individual turnout for almost 3 weeks with me to keep him in the same routine whilst new on the yard and during the 14 day insurance policy dates. However I prefer herd turnout even though there is a risk of injury and Homey did get kicked once and had a broken splint bone thankfully he made a full recovery.
Bert is a friendly pony and has been calling and whickering to the others whilst on individual turnout when they go past his stable so I think he might enjoy herd turnout.
I can totally see why people choose individual turnout especially on yards where there are a lot of new horses coming into the herds. With paired turnout it can be difficult if you want to take one out and leave the other on its own.
He was chased a bit yesterday as two of the big horses are quite bonded and one won't let other horses near his friend. He looked like he might be trying to make friends with the connemara as at one point I saw him grazing nose to nose with him.
. One of the big horses is on not in the field at the moment as is on individual turnout temporarily for health reasons but due to come back into the herd soon.
Bert was on individual turnout with his previous owner and has been on individual turnout for almost 3 weeks with me to keep him in the same routine whilst new on the yard and during the 14 day insurance policy dates. However I prefer herd turnout even though there is a risk of injury and Homey did get kicked once and had a broken splint bone thankfully he made a full recovery.
Bert is a friendly pony and has been calling and whickering to the others whilst on individual turnout when they go past his stable so I think he might enjoy herd turnout.
I can totally see why people choose individual turnout especially on yards where there are a lot of new horses coming into the herds. With paired turnout it can be difficult if you want to take one out and leave the other on its own.
Roasted Chestnuts
Well-Known Member
Faran is out on his own due to the fact that nobody wants to share my field as they either have multiple of their own or that they don’t want their horse in with another.
He can groom, play bitey face and sleep next to other horses so other than chasing and playing I don’t think he’s missing out on anything too much. I’d love him to be in with others but you can’t control what others do.
He can groom, play bitey face and sleep next to other horses so other than chasing and playing I don’t think he’s missing out on anything too much. I’d love him to be in with others but you can’t control what others do.
ycbm
Einstein would be proud of my Insanity...
Having your own land is great for the control you have, but horses still hurt each other, sometimes badly, sometimes enough to end their working career and sometimes resulting in death.
I'm not sure it makes sense to call individual turnout (provided that the horse seems to be content with that management and the paddock is big enough for a good speed of canter if they choose) wrong without including the downside of group turnout to the horse in the balance.
How do you compare the ill effects of a settled solo grazer with the horse going under GA and lengthy box rest to fix a broken splint bone?
This is so dependant on the individual horse, it helps nobody to claim that all horses need turnout where they are in the same enclosure as others, or that group turnout is some kind of nirvana for either horse or human, it's just not true.
I'm not sure it makes sense to call individual turnout (provided that the horse seems to be content with that management and the paddock is big enough for a good speed of canter if they choose) wrong without including the downside of group turnout to the horse in the balance.
How do you compare the ill effects of a settled solo grazer with the horse going under GA and lengthy box rest to fix a broken splint bone?
This is so dependant on the individual horse, it helps nobody to claim that all horses need turnout where they are in the same enclosure as others, or that group turnout is some kind of nirvana for either horse or human, it's just not true.
poiuytrewq
Well-Known Member
Mini herd of 3. Which works very well for me.
Peglo
Well-Known Member
Totally agree @ycbm. Mine are all grazed together because it works for us. The same as stabling. There was a thread where it was stated open barns was “the only decent way” to stable horses and in an ideal set up it would be best. But my old TB would be a terror in this set up and my old pony would spend the whole time out in the wind, rain and cold which she hated as she would be too scared to come in. It was more beneficial for her to have her own stall than suffer the wild weather.
Gallop_Away
Well-Known Member
Of course there will be horses who do not suit group turnout or simply do not enjoy the company of others. But it is not incorrect to say that horses are naturally herd animals and are usually very socialable.
Accidents can happen just as easily on individual turnout. Unless you intend to bubble wrap a horse and confine it to a padded stable 24/7, you cannot ever prevent accidents happening in a field.
There is much that we do with horses for our own convenience, but to what extent we restrict their natural behaviour and mental wellbeing to suit ourselves is difficult and I personally wouldn't feel comfortable restricting turnout to suit my own convenience, especially as my 3 clearly enjoy being turned out in a group.
Accidents can happen just as easily on individual turnout. Unless you intend to bubble wrap a horse and confine it to a padded stable 24/7, you cannot ever prevent accidents happening in a field.
There is much that we do with horses for our own convenience, but to what extent we restrict their natural behaviour and mental wellbeing to suit ourselves is difficult and I personally wouldn't feel comfortable restricting turnout to suit my own convenience, especially as my 3 clearly enjoy being turned out in a group.
equinerebel
Well-Known Member
I selected herd on livery but it's two of them on a private set up. It's only two because there aren't any other horses there right now. I only own one of them and it's not a livery yard.
MNMyShiningStars
Well-Known Member
Mine are out in 2 herds, one field mixed and one field boys who can't be trusted in the main herd 
I put 'I have my own land', but it is rented land, sole use x
I put 'I have my own land', but it is rented land, sole use x
ycbm
Einstein would be proud of my Insanity...
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No, they can't. There is a specific range of injuries that are caused only when horses are in the same enclosure. These are ADDITIONAL to the ordinary risks of turnout.
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No, they can't. There is a specific range of injuries that are caused only when horses are in the same enclosure. These are ADDITIONAL to the ordinary risks of turnout.
Gallop_Away
Well-Known Member
Sorry but I completely disagree. The fact remains that accidents can happen regardless of whether a horse is on individual or group turnout. So as I say, unless you intend to keep your horse confined to a stable 24/7 then you will never illiminate the risks completely and to what extent are you prepared to restrict a horse's mental wellbeing for your own convenience?
FestiveG
Over the hill and far awa
Risk exists for all animals, for horses there are risks to physical health from turnout, from stabling, from leisure riding, from competition, from being on roads etc. To compromise mental well being by essentially forcing a social animal into solitary confinement is a step too far imo.
ycbm
Einstein would be proud of my Insanity...
NOBODY said there was no risk to turnout individual paddocks. There are. And ALL those risks are also present in group turnout. Group turnout carries ADDITIONAL risks over and above those of single turnout.
If you don't agree with this, can you please explain how one horse can break another horse's leg when they are in different paddocks?
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Errin Paddywack
Well-Known Member
A friend of mine found her two year old in his stable with a broken leg. No disturbed bedding, nothing to indicate how he did it. Freak things can happen anywhere.
eggs
Well-Known Member
Friend's horse didn't have a broken leg but did sustain a ridden career ending injury following a kerfuffle with a post and rail fence between them.
We can only do our best to keep our horses safe despite their best endeavours. Over the years I have had three horses manage to injure themselves pretty badly in their stable but fortunately all three made a good and full recovery.