Is individual turnout the new norm?

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Sophstar

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I'm genuinely interested as I have always had my horses out amongst a herd, 1 as big as 18 horses all the way down to 5. I've just bought a 2 year old clydie and have had to tackle the impossible task of finding somewhere in my area that did 24/7 turnout or at least through the summer and preferably group turnout. After considering a number of yards, I've had to settle for the one where he will live out with a huge field shelter and share a 4 acre field that is strip grazed with one other horse who will be kept separate through the winter (for feeding reasons).
There's other horses surrounding with identical setups.

I know it's the right place for us both for the winter as there's ample grazing and can it will be easy to manage as I'm training in a new job, but I'm just slightly disheartened no where in our area really offers group turnout.

So is individual turnout now the new norm to be offered at yards and is this due to demand from owners (in addition to some horses just genuinely not being safe etc to be out in a group)?
 
I quite like individual turnout I have to say although when I kept my horses at home (pre divorce) they were all in groups. Stable groups however which generally isn't the case on most livery yards. My chap seems happy enough and is able to groom his neighbour over the fence. It certainly makes bringing him in and out, feeding him in the field etc much less risky. I know it's not a natural state of affairs but then restriction of any sort is not a natural state of affairs and I would rather not risk him, or me, being kicked. They still have group jollies but with a couple of dividing fences! Also makes poo picking/worm counts etc a little easier. I think he will be with his 'nephew' when they move to the winter paddocks but they are much bigger with room to avoid each other if necessary. I have to say I used to like my youngsters turned out in a mixed group as they learnt some manners from the older, bolshier members of the herd which was no bad thing!
 
Seems to be, mostly beocause the weather is so wet the fields get effed up so fast so the horses are either in, or in a smaller area together and then they fight. So the solution is have someone have there "own" area and manage it how they will. But it is never a acre n a half like a HORSE should have.

My horse is out 24/7 ina 4 herd group over summer, in winter he is in a tourout paddock with two others and its generally okay.
 
Its the norm in this area in most places and I hate it! I found somewhere with a settled gelding herd of 10 and my boy is so happy. Hes still a bit institutionalised after years of being entire, but he happily goes out between 12 and 16 hours a day in the summer and in daylight hours in the winter. He gets the odd break of 24/7 turnout as well, but hes a funny little horse and likes to come in for at least part of everyday no matter what I do.
 
Individual turnout has never sat right with me, although it does seem to be becoming increasingly common. Mine are in a herd of eight. Although my mare and foal are seperated, they'll all be together once the baby is older, and even now, they have always been kept in adjoining fields where they can touch and groom each other over the fence. I don't think I'd ever go anywhere where company wasn't an option for them.
 
Sadly it does seem to be the norm around here.
I've come to accept it but only for working horses.
Youngstock/retired its still a major 'no' for me.
 
Not the norm here.

I can understand it though if it's a big yard with lots of transitioning liveries and changes of horses as people don't want injuries for competing horses.

We introduce new horses into a herd situation here and introduce them in a systematic way, over stables, riding together then eventually turnout and there's a bit of running about for a grand total of three minutes until all the greedygutsies realise grass is there and then it's peaceful. There's always the "don't you go near my fwiend" prancing but that's about it. I think you do need plenty of acres for space and plenty of grass for distraction. Not always possible on commercial yards.
 
I dislike it, but can see why in this litigeous (spelling?) age. I lost my horse of a lifetime to a kick in the field and it was awful, but she would have hated being out alone.
I would never do it with anything younger than an adult or anything that was not in full work, they would never live alone. I can only see the point in a fit, shod horse that is out daytimes only so will hooley.
 
It was only when I moved away from riding schools to livery yards that I learned of this.
The first livery yard the horses were turned out in small groups but four since then are all individual although I've had the option to put my horses in with my friends etc so we could make our own little groups. It's one of the reasons I have two horses as I dislike keeping one in a paddock on its own.
I've gotten used to and enjoy my own paddock now as it means I can manage them how I feel suits them best - poo picking done every day, grass management and can get them in and out without a crowd of horses at gate.
 
I dont like, but is necessary. People go nuts if their horse kicked and try to blame other liveries and sue people etc. For most yard owners its just not worth the hassle.
My own horses get on and turn out together, though one did come in with a myatery injury, that could of been caused by a kick. Speaking to a friend their first repsone was... "and it was turned out with other horses?! How irresponsible!". She is only a 3 year old and knows the horses she is out with. Keeping them in solirirty confinement their whole life can't be good.
 
Sadly I think so and it has a knock-on effect - I run a herd and to be honest it's actually getting hard to find suitable new liveries when old ones move on because most horses now seem to never have learnt to live in a herd or with more than one companion and in my experience I am not willing to risk my existing herd by putting a horse out there that's never been properly socialized. Sad really.
 
I have some individual paddocks of various sizes which I use for horses that have a special need for a while , but prefer the horses out together but even in a settled private yard like this it's dangerous so I completely understand why liverys do individual turnout .
It makes the management of the yard less fraught all round .
But for me it's a complete no no for very young and horses not in work ( unless theres a reason that makes it necessary) .
 
Mine's on individual turn-out he was previously in a fairly big herd of around 10 and then a smaller one of 3. It was the one thing I wasn't keen on when I moved to this yard but it was perfect in every other way.

I have to say the majority of horses here appear very settled and happy. Mine grooms his next door buddy over the fence when the electric is off.

Things that don't happen when you have individual turn-out:-

-Nobody rips your horse or its rugs.
-Nobody kicks your horse. And you don't worry about what's happening at the field gate at bringing in time if you're a bit late.
-You don't have arguments about poo-picking, ragworting or any other field maintenance.
-They get less churned up.
-You can put hay out without fights.

I've been there 7 years and touch wood no significant field injuries to any of the horses there.

I don't think livery herds are particularly natural in any case unless you have tonnes of land. In the wild they'd form particular groups and have a much larger range. You can't control who goes in them and nobody really can do a gradual intro it's usually chuck them in and hope for the best. Seen many a catastrophic injury unfortunately.

Edited to say mine has two large paddocks so plenty of room to run around and lots of grass.
 
It always amazes me that most people seem to think that keeping a horse in a stable without turnout is unacceptable yet they think that keeping it in a tiny square of electric fenced grass/mud with no shade/shelter on its own is desirable. I think the stable is a much better compromise.
I breed and keep top level competition horses - they do not go out in the winter but they are all exercised 6 days out of 7, go on the walker 7 days/week and most days go out in a sand corrale for 20 minutes or so to have a roll if they wish. In the summer they get turned out for a half day in pairs or maybe three if they have known each other since youngster days.
My young horses live out as a multi age (ie 1 - 4 years old)multi sex group in one large field. None are shod. They are out from say mid April, and usually come in on 2nd January (when everyone is over Christmas & New Year!) The actual dates vary each year depending on weather, grass growth, field maintenance etc. Once they are in they get turn out if it is not too wet and a rota in the sand areas.
As regards your two year old, could you find a small stud/breeder in your area who might be willing to take your horse? It would be a much better solution for him than being in an electric fenced pen! His needs take priority over your own convenience. Remember you have chosen to buy a young horse he has not chosen to live with you and it is up to you to find the correct facility for him to grow up in!
 
It's not the norm in my area - in fact very few places offer it. Mine are out in a group of 7 on 7 acres for the winter and 14 on 20 acres in the summer, the other 7 are smaller and have about 5 acres for the winter. It all works really well, they're settled happy and there are remarkably few disagreements, mainly as they have space to keep themselves to themselves if they want to. I agree it's a solution to a lack of space / overgrazing but not one I'm particularly fond of. One of mine is a bit of a loner but even he likes a groom with one particular buddy if all conditions are correct. The other is Mr Sociable and would hate being on his own. With their current set up M can take himself away if he wants to be alone but A is always surrounded by mates, win-win!
 
Mine are now kept at home but I've been at a couple of livery yards and viewed many more. I saw a yard which had amazing facilities including the best off road hacking (200 acres with permissive bridleways) but turnout was a tiny strip. I couldn't get it and whilst it was the extreme most places I saw were variations of the same theme. I eventually found a place where they offered about 8-10 hours of turnout and my mare was allowed to go out with the YO other two. Everyone was, by choice, on individual turnout. I think so many owners want their horses turned out individually - it's what the market demands. It's v sad. My new horse, bought 6 months ago, was introduced v slowly to my other two so was on individual turnout for the first few months. The first introduction resulted in a small injury after a few days so split again. They have been reintroduced (my winter grazing is one big field plus an adjoining smaller field) and have been together for over a month now with no issues.
 
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I think of the five livery yards near me, three do individual turnout, one does herd turnout by sex and the last does individual or groups of two depending on the horse owners preference. I rent fields on a farm and mine are turned out all together (five of them) and then the other three who belong to the other liveries are turned out together in the other fields.

I like mine living as a herd but admit I would be more wary if the had to live with the other horses as one of the other geldings is very handy with his teeth and hooves towards other horses especially over the winter when there is less grass and he wants all the hay. Mine have also been taught to respect me and not to try and rush through the gate when it is opened but a couple of the other horses are very bargy and I know I would struggle trying to get any of mine out the gate.
 
I hate the idea of individual turnout and wouldn't keep my horses like that but can understand why people do it. I have six horses, three horses and three minis at home with about 15 acres and love seeing them aa a herd. They live as natural a life as is possible to give them and I know they are happy and mostly healthy. There is a yard not far from me that has the same amount of land as me and has 35 liveries on it, madness.
 
My horse has always been the one who gets picked on in a herd so I like individual turnout. Just after I bought him he was kicked on the hock and ended up in Horsepital with a £2000 bill. At another yard he was found in the road by a member of the public having jumped 3 fences to get away from a bully (with rug in shreds)

The yard I am at now has very big individual turnout (some places are very small I agree) but he is now out with my daughter's youngster. But because of this, youngster has had one of his front teeth removed because it was broken - we think oldie (mine) booted him as he was nipping oldie's back legs.
 
Mine is out in a mixed herd of 6 on about 18 acres, which I absolutely love. It's the main reason I'm at the yard!

Saying that however, I was in a bit of a nasty situation yesterday when I was turning my mare out after a ride. Four of the others were hanging about by the gate and a relatively new mare turned and gave us both barrels! My mare caught a hoof, and so did the gate. I ended up with a bloody nose (I think my mare kindly 'pushed' me out of the danger zone). My mare then jumped the broken gate and ran off down the road. All fine in the end - horse caught again and all happily grazing in the field within 5 mins. Gate a bit worse for wear, and I got an absolute fright. Won't be bringing in/turning out by myself again!

As for the OP's original question... individual turn out is looking quite appealing to me just now...!
 
I always used to have mine on herd turnout, but over the years I have ended up with them mostly on individual turnout and I can really understand the benefits, especially on a livery yard, where horses come and go and where different owners want different things. It is not just the risk of injury, but the advantages of being able to feed them in the field, and to be able to put hay out and/or restrict grazing according to whether they are good doers or not. Individual turnout does not have to be flat postage-stamp squares with no shelter - our paddocks are undulating, with lots of natural shelter from the adjoining woodland and high, thick hedges. I have two out in one paddock, and the two others have their own individual paddocks which all adjoin, so they all stand together and mutual groom or play if they so wish.
 
It's a mix where I am. The over wintering polo ponies are in mixed herds 10 to a field, a field being about 30 acres. The brood mares are in a group of 6 on about 10 acres, the dressage horses are on individual turnout or in groups of two but booted and wrapped up in cotton wool. The main yard liveries are either in small herds or individual paddocks and us oiks on DIY have a little group of 4 geldings in one field and a mixture of hunter, mini and 3 donkeys in another. There are 300 acres in total so nobody goes without turnout unless they want to keep their horse in for any reason and there is always plenty of grass.
 
It's not the norm here and I wish it was. Then I could move yards. My horse doesn't play nice with others so has to be on individual turnout, for her and others' safety, whether I like it or not. There are things about my yard I don't like but I've yet to find a viable alternative within 30 miles due to the individual turnout thing.
 
It is becoming popular and there is a market for it but it's something I would avoid for mine as whenever I've had to do it through injury they've never truly settled.

If there was a horse next door, he wore a trench pacing up and down alongside his neighbour. If anyone rode past he went crazy running up and down alongside. The same horse in group turnout, didn't even raise his head from grazing on saturday when I took my other one out who he is bonded with and had a jumping lesson in the school which the field borders.
 
It's a mix in my area, though at my yard we are individual or paired turn out.

Pairs work well for me - since I have two, and they go out together - as I only have one field to maintain. Both of mine though, would be OK in a bigger herd - once Tartine got her place established lol. B is very passive, and has been paired with other geldings in the past without any issues.

The yard I came from stopped herd turnout after they lost their third horse to a field accident, it took a good couple of years before they had any turnout at all, and now they have tiny little individual paddocks, barely bigger than a stable.

The yard across the road to my current one does a complete mix of individual turnout/box-paddock and herd; the herd - which I think has about 10 horses has a lovely 4 acre field - and while that may seem like a very small space to people in the UK, here in Alsace, that is a *really big* field!
 
I'm on a yard that only offers herd turnout - no option of individual. I'm much happier for him to be kept this way, horses will be horses and come in with nicks & scrapes (hopefully nothing more), but I'd rather he got to interact.
 
I am so grateful I have my own place. I have 3 Horses, 2 mares and a gelding.
They all go out together, although one of them sometimes has daytime in a starvation area due to past laminitis.
I don’t think I would want to keep Horses if they couldn’t be turned out together.
 
It's a mix here. If a horse is better on his own then they are kept in a paddock and able to talk over the fence to others. Some horses are better kept like this.
 
I have done it in the past when at livery but tbh that was the main reason for then renting land and getting a companion-meant I didnt have many luxuries (electric, running water in some places but most commonly a lack of school) but they could have company without me having to deal with other horses owners. Its cheaper too. I know a few horses might be better off kept that way but they are in a minority.
 
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