Is it warm enough yet??

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marinitagsd

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Sorry if this has been talked about recently but has anyone started to leave their horses out 24/7 yet?
My girls, Emma and Pheobe normally come in every night year round as they seem to prefer it that way but considering whats happened with my health this year thought I may start getting them used to living out during the summer months but I'm worried incase they get upset or feel the cold! I can't really tell if its warm enough due to my condition as I always seem cold. They currently have lightweight rugs on day/night. Your thoughts please. Thanks
x
 
technically if no health issues for the horses, rugged appropriately and with good forage then they should be able to live out all year. My arab share and the other 4 thin skinned arabs have been living out for over a month and now only have rain sheets on at night (they even lived out in the snow for part of winter). They were out nekkid in the drizzle the other day and were plenty warm enough. As long as there is shelter then they will be fine living out now as long as you put on the right rug for the weather, and take them off if the sun blazes out again.
 
Depends on the weather ;) mine is still in at night but that's to keep her off the grass - all but 2 are out 24/7 on my yard, with rainsheets on if the forecast is cool/wet. They will be fine :)

FWIW - I am so OCD about rugging correctly for the weather, I went and bought a cheap outdoor thermometer for the yard last winter! I could never tell what the temp is like when I'm busy and wrapped up in my hat and coat so that was really useful :D Although everyone else thought I was nuts. :cool:
 
I would say 80% of our yard are now out 24/7 some rugged and some naked.

It's been a really cold start to the year and the coldest May since 1996 but it's meant to warm up as from next week...fingers crossed.

My youngster is still in at night but when we had those two weeks of nice weather in April (might have been our summer!!!) he stayed out at night with a rug.

Once it gets a bit warmer and it will stay dry or won't drop down to -0 he'll be out naked 24/7 but he still gets a breakfast and tea.

I did it gradually. He goes out at 7am every morning but as the nights got lighter he stayed out longer until it turns warmer.

I'm sure your horses will be fine staying out with the right rugs and feed.
 
Mine have been out for a few weeks!

My 5 yr old Sports Horse is out unrugged even at night. She doing very well on hardly any grass (and she did spend the first 4 years of her life on Dartmoor unrugged, she probably finds it tropical over here!)

My friends 12 yr old Hann x tb isn't a the best doer and the grass hasn't really come through yet, he's rugged at night and on 2 feed a day and in for some hay while we're up the yard. He's not all that bothered about the hay and hasn't dropped off much at all. He was a little too well before he went out!
 
Thanks for your replies, it really helps. Would you put thicker rugs on at night? I will still give them hard feed twice a day. 1 is full TB and the other an ISH but mainly TB. Not much shelter but my field is about 3 acres and lined with trees on one side.
x
 
Personally I think they'd be fine in lightweight turnouts overnight. :) My mostly TB and my ISH are out 24/7 naked. If it is really cold or wet then they have a lightweight on overnight. They do have shelter available but they only go in if it's really pouring. Hope this helps!
 
Mine have been out for a few weeks 24/7
They do have a shelter and I did rug them overnight when forecast said cold but they are now naked unless it is rainy then they have LWs on.
 
Why do you think its too cold to leave your horses out 24/7? I'm really shocked that so many people seem to think horses will drop dead if it rains or something! Our UK temps are nothing for a horse, especially in May!! Yes, chuck them out. Mine remained out all winter including during the horrendous snow we had which lasted 2 months (and down to -18 degrees some nights) and that includes my TB x competition horse...
 
Mine are all out 24/7 all year, and i only rug the woosy arab in the winter, he has'nt had a rug on for about two months now!! Having said that the others are tougher, and have a good covering off flesh.
 
My anglo-arab out all the time. he feels the cold if it's wet, but I just make sure he has his thin turnout on at night to keep of wind and rain and he's fine!

Hope this helps
 
Teddy who is a Hanoverian - very good doer is out 24/7 at the mo with no rug unless its wet and miserable then he has his rainsheet on. he is well covered and is fed once a day very small meal of equilibrium by winergy - just to have his supplements and he will remain on that all summer but if he does get a little bit too chubby ill change the feed to hi fi light or happy hoof or something - its only to give his garlic and other supps. xx
 
Ours have been out 24/7 for weeks now. We do chuck lightweights on our TB and the Dumblood. They are all on 2 feeds a day and looking fairly well covered.

They will be quite alright out. The temperatures are and have been fine.

Hope this helps. :) x
 
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Mine is out 24/7 at the weekends and comes in during the day in the week, out overnight. He had a rug on a couple of nights last week as the weather was vile but tonight he's unrugged. I don't rug up unless really needed though as I've got a fattie and rugs just make him fatter!
 
MagicMelon said:
Why do you think its too cold to leave your horses out 24/7? I'm really shocked that so many people seem to think horses will drop dead if it rains or something! Our UK temps are nothing for a horse, especially in May!! Yes, chuck them out. Mine remained out all winter including during the horrendous snow we had which lasted 2 months (and down to -18 degrees some nights) and that includes my TB x competition horse...
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Totally agree, my mare lives out all year round 24/7, comes in ocassionally, with forage and appropriate rugs they are just fine out.
My girl is mostly naked, rug went on tonight as we are due alot of rain overnight and she is 20yrs old and now feels the cold a bit more if windy and raining.
When she was younger she was simply not rugged at all and lived in the depths of wales and survived for many years prior! :D
 
MagicMelon said:
Why do you think its too cold to leave your horses out 24/7? I'm really shocked that so many people seem to think horses will drop dead if it rains or something! Our UK temps are nothing for a horse, especially in May!! Yes, chuck them out. Mine remained out all winter including during the horrendous snow we had which lasted 2 months (and down to -18 degrees some nights) and that includes my TB x competition horse...
Click to expand...

Completely agree! It is going to be cold whether your horse is in it's stable or in the field. If anything I would rather turn out so your horse can be walking around it's field and generating some heat, rather than stood still in a cold stable. Mine has been out naked since the end of March, light weight on when there has been heavy rain such as during the Badminton weekend. Horses can thermo-regulate between 5 and 25 degrees! Just rug up sensibly and chuck them out :)
 
My tb is out 24/7 no rug because he looks like he is about to give birth :) Gets one meal a day and a munch on a haynet when he comes in for a check over. He has gone from something that I couldn't keep an ounce of weight on to a fatty :) My 3 year old came to me looking like he had eaten himself and fully clipped so he has a little rug on (6 oz I think) and one meal a day
 
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