Is field shelter necessary?

[Winters100]

He would be on sort of part livery (they’re going to feed and rug in the mornings as yard is 30+ minutes away and on a main road) so hopefully they’ll have the intuition to change rugs if need be! I’d be down at least once a day and twice a day on weekends too but I‘d probably still be worrying haha.

I would not rely on the yard too much. My yard changes rugs morning and night, but if the weather suddenly changes during the day they are generally not making an extra change. I think you need to know in advance how many rug changes they will do, because if it is only mornings then it is quite difficult to pick a rug for 24 hours. Also when they change the rug do they have proper drying facilities, because what happens if it rains for a week? Of course it depends on the horse, but I would want to know in advance how this would work.

 

[maya2008]

I haven’t had a shelter for mine at any yard or in any field - ever. I rug as needed and they use hedges/trees as appropriate. One TB (now 22, been living out without a shelter most of her life), plus a variety of natives. Rug check/change once a day, aiming towards keeping dry rather than adding too much warmth and extra feed if cold. I don’t clip in winter beyond bib/belly and buy new rugs as needed, so they are always completely waterproof and never leak. They stand up to weeks of heavy rain if needed.

The last time I had to do major rugs was in the really cold winter - 2010 I think - when it was minus something silly. TB had a duvet on under a heavy weight with neck it was that cold!! Natives had…nothing and when it snowed it didn’t even melt on their backs! Gave them rain sheets in the end so they could keep dry when they laid down, then had to whip them off as soon as the snow melted before they over heated!

I do buy fly rugs too…so they get a break from the flies that way.

 

[SatansLittleHelper]

is there shelter in other forms such as trees or hedges?
My gang don't really use the shelter in bad weather, they are more often found in there when it's hot and sunny.

Same here, I rarely see them in the shelter except for this time of year when it's hot and there are lots of flies around.

 

[moon_and_spoon]

I haven’t had a shelter for mine at any yard or in any field - ever. I rug as needed and they use hedges/trees as appropriate. One TB (now 22, been living out without a shelter most of her life), plus a variety of natives. Rug check/change once a day, aiming towards keeping dry rather than adding too much warmth and extra feed if cold. I don’t clip in winter beyond bib/belly and buy new rugs as needed, so they are always completely waterproof and never leak. They stand up to weeks of heavy rain if needed.

The last time I had to do major rugs was in the really cold winter - 2010 I think - when it was minus something silly. TB had a duvet on under a heavy weight with neck it was that cold!! Natives had…nothing and when it snowed it didn’t even melt on their backs! Gave them rain sheets in the end so they could keep dry when they laid down, then had to whip them off as soon as the snow melted before they over heated!

I do buy fly rugs too…so they get a break from the flies that way.

Interesting, thank you! Maybe he’ll be alright then.

 

[moon_and_spoon]

I would not rely on the yard too much. My yard changes rugs morning and night, but if the weather suddenly changes during the day they are generally not making an extra change. I think you need to know in advance how many rug changes they will do, because if it is only mornings then it is quite difficult to pick a rug for 24 hours. Also when they change the rug do they have proper drying facilities, because what happens if it rains for a week? Of course it depends on the horse, but I would want to know in advance how this would work.

My boy has multiples of every one of his rugs, and they do have a rug drying rack, so should be ok. I have an ad hoc arrangement with the yard owner, he changes rugs as need be and I pay a fixed amount per rug change, plus I‘ll be there every evening.

 

[sunnyone]

Imo field shelter is an essential. I hate to see horses out in paddocks in the burning heat with little or no sun shelter. Most can cope with the cold, wind, rain and snow with rugs but sun? They can and do get sunburnt as well as attracting a large variety of flies and other insects.
Personally I'd reject any yard that didn't provide it as part of basic turnout.

 

[moon_and_spoon]

Imo field shelter is an essential. I hate to see horses out in paddocks in the burning heat with little or no sun shelter. Most can cope with the cold, wind, rain and snow with rugs but sun? They can and do get sunburnt as well as attracting a large variety of flies and other insects.
Personally I'd reject any yard that didn't provide it as part of basic turnout.

Yes this is one of my biggest concerns! Do you think a fly rug with UV protection would help a little? And natural shelter with a man made metal ‘canopy’ to make some shade? Otherwise will just have to hope that we get a stable by next summer, wouldn’t be moving until september
this year anyway.

 

[sunnyone]

I'm sorry I've never had to use fly rugs, the most I personally have used are fly masks, and the one who needed it most soon learned how to remove each of the 3 varieties I tried!!!

 

[motherof2beasts!]

I think it’s essential , had my horse at a yard briefly with no shade natural or man made , I asked to buy a shelter and was told they don’t use it or fight over it ! He was bloody miserable so quickly moved to field with a lot of natural shelter and a man made shelter. He didn’t use it much in winter unless torrential but used the hedges as wind breakers, but spring summer he is in the shade pretty much all of the time during the day, comes out for a quick bite then back in till suns gone .

don’t think it’s fair for them to roast with no source of shade.

 

[Julie Ole Girl]

When I was at Grass Livery I put my own shelter up and paid a Peppercorn rent for it (now living at home in the lap of luxury with shelter and stable). There are those pods that are like tents/tunnels that are not too expensive that you could ask to put up, as you can take them away.

 

[irishdraft]

My horses live out 24/7 and have never had a field shelter but I do have access to stables for bad weather . As they are wooden stables they become too hot for summer use but I have trees they can stand under but rarely do but I also have a pretty constant breeze blowing across so keeps them cool .

 

[Cocorules]

Mine live out 24/7/365 and have both man made shelters and natural shelter. They opt for the shelters summer and winter. They particularly use them during wet weather when the trees have lost their leaves or the rain has broken through the tree canopy.

I would have man made shelters personally.

 

[Petalpoos]

I think that horses need a shelter - more for the summer than in winter. Mine used to pretty much stay in their shelter all day during hot weather when the flies were buzzing about.

 

[Annagain]

Ours have lots of natural shelter, high hedges all round and a whole long hedge line bordered by a wood with many trees overhanging the field so about 100 to choose from. They never bother in bad weather but when it's hot, all 6 of them will cram together under the one tree on the opposite side of the field .

I've seen the canitlevered patio umbrellas (here, to give you an idea https://www.wowcher.co.uk/deal/shop...MIouGD4eX98AIVSdPtCh2aEQpPEAQYASABEgK0mvD_BwE ) used as sun shades in fields with no shelter - as the support is at one side, it can be placed outside the field or even secured to the fence so the horses can't knock it over.

 

[freckles22uk]

Mine didn’t have one and his field is very open to the wind and there is no natural shelter. He was ok in winter as I rugged accordingly. Summer on the hot and sunny days I would put him in with my daughters so he could share their shelter. But before this winter just gone, my partner eventually got round to building Harley’s shelter. He had his hay box in there and was hardly ever out of it. And the good thing is, he never poo’s in there. It will be interesting to see how he uses it in the summer. But for me it’s peace of mind knowing that if the weather is awful it really hot he’s now got the choice to be in or out.

 

[moon_and_spoon]

Ours have lots of natural shelter, high hedges all round and a whole long hedge line bordered by a wood with many trees overhanging the field so about 100 to choose from. They never bother in bad weather but when it's hot, all 6 of them will cram together under the one tree on the opposite side of the field .

I've seen the canitlevered patio umbrellas (here, to give you an idea https://www.wowcher.co.uk/deal/shop...MIouGD4eX98AIVSdPtCh2aEQpPEAQYASABEgK0mvD_BwE ) used as sun shades in fields with no shelter - as the support is at one side, it can be placed outside the field or even secured to the fence so the horses can't knock it over.

Thank you, that's a brilliant idea!! Never thought of that before- if all else fails will definitely get one.

 

[myheartinahoofbeat]

I have had my horses at livery yards without field shelters and not much in the way of natural shelter either. Now that I have my horses at home, I rented a shelter and am surprised how much they use it. They do have a hedge alongside the field as well but the shelter definitely gets used. The plan was for two of them to live out in winter but the land is so wet they had to be stabled. Having said that, if everything else at the livery yard is great, I would see how you get on without a shelter. Would there be a stable available if the weather gets very bad in winter?