Keeping horses in

[Penny Less]

Why do people who have access to winter turnout not turn their horses out even on nice days? Not competition horses or being exercised otherwise. Genuinely puzzled by this.

 

[Cortez]

Why do people who have access to winter turnout not turn their horses out even on nice days? Not competition horses or being exercised otherwise. Genuinely puzzled by this.

Why don't you ask them?

 

[paddy555]

because often they are their own fields and they have a responsibility not to wreck them when they are sodden and to try and preserve them to give the horses grazing later on.

 

[Follysmum]

I asked a friend why she didn’t turn her hunt horses out. Her answer was that she couldn’t be bothered to keep cleaning them when they came in from the field so it was easier to keep them in from Oct-March and just ride them each for an hour a day and hunt them once a week.

 

[Michen]

My horse is in today. A few reasons, a) his immediate field neighbour is out hunting and so no direct contact/play time over the fence which keeps him amused b) it’s raining and he will spend all day stood in the corner waiting to come in c) he’s lean, needs all the calories he can get and has a busy month ahead so I’d rather he was in eating haylage than not eating much in the field.

He goes out most days for around 8 hours, and yes I am usually in the camp of turn out whatever the weather but my priority with him at the moment is that he eats as much as possible, and I know he won’t settle in the field with current weather/lack of his favourite neighbour

Edited to say he’s been ridden for an hour today, and will be hunting tomorrow, if he wasn’t properly working then I’d likely have turned him out regardless

 

[MyBoyChe]

A bit the same as Michen really, mine goes out every day Mon-Fri and comes in at night. He has had an hour out today but is now back in because his immediate neighbours are in, his field is pretty sparse now and we are on clay. All he will do is hover by the gate and stomp up and down whenever he sees anyone on the off chance they will bring him in. He'll be ridden tomorrow and will then be out every day next week. I much prefer him to be out as he doesnt get enough exercise really but on the odd occasion he is better left in, due to the state of ground and my attempts to preserve it from the worst of his enormous hooves!!

 

[windand rain]

Your guess is as good as mine I would not own a horse If it couldn't be turned out at least 8 and preferably 12 hours a day if stabled or better still out 24/7. 24/7 has been the saviour of my fields they mosey around and dont charge about eat the hay and grass as they want it. They are happier warmer and healthier for it too. They used to be stabled over night but always had 12 hours out so will stand in the stable but they hated it. Dont use shelters either

 

[Twohorses]

My horses are on my own property. They come in every night. I might hold them back a few hours due to weather, injuries and one is insulin resistant, but they get turned out every day.

My greatest joy and therapy in this life is grooming them. If they get too muddied up, I drag out the shop vac. Even when I was a single mom working large amounts of overtime, I found the time to groom my horses -- it brought me peace and kept things in perspective

In my situation, I would only keep a horse in under the vet's orders - that has never happened as I have a 24' X 100' paddock/run in on one side of the barn and a 1/4 - 1/2 acre barnyard on the other side of the barn. Both allow a horse direct access into the barn and a stall. Any injuries my horses have sustained, the vet has allowed them to walk about in the paddock or barnyard at Liberty, as long as they were by themselves

 

[sjdress]

I use to be very pro turnout until my current horse. He doesn’t enjoy beingg out and will just stand by the gate or tear round and pull shoes. I tried to put h8m out today but he was so unsettled that he came back in as I don’t want injuries or him loosing weight. My other horse however is out 24/7 so I think it depends on the horse !

 

[windand rain]

My horses are on my own property. They come in every night. I might hold them back a few hours due to weather, injuries and one is insulin resistant, but they get turned out every day.

My greatest joy and therapy in this life is grooming them. If they get too muddied up, I drag out the shop vac. Even when I was a single mom working large amounts of overtime, I found the time to groom my horses -- it brought me peace and kept things in perspective

In my situation, I would only keep a horse in under the vet's orders - that has never happened as I have a 24' X 100' paddock/run in on one side of the barn and a 1/4 - 1/2 acre barnyard on the other side of the barn. Both allow a horse direct access into the barn and a stall. Any injuries my horses have sustained, the vet has allowed them to walk about in the paddock or barnyard at Liberty, as long as they were by themselves

Sounds perfect

 

[Goldenstar]

A hunter going out hunting twice a week and getting turn out on the days after hunting is perfectly happy .
My horses work and get turnout almost days but for example H has been out to the beach this morning but I have not turned him out he’s keeping H company as he’s on box rest he’s perfectly happy eating and sleeping .
What I never do is have horses standing in with no exercise that’s just not on unless there’s a health issue .
In winter my horses don’t get long out when it’s not fully light until quite late and dark early theres not much time so it’s either the morning out and then caught to ride about midday or it’s ridden at nine and then out to two or three ,

 

[Carrottom]

My horses are out 24/7 atm as we are all having a little rest and my preference is to have them out at night and in during the day so they are handy when I want to ride.
If they can't go out nearly every day I am happier to keep them stabled and exercised as irregular turnout out usually leads to galloping about, skidding and slipping on winter ground, lost shoes and sometimes kick injuries. I don't have a school so exercise is hacking for at least an hour, usually more. Separately they have a 15 min in hand walk for a pick of grass. I would only do this for the worst few weeks of winter, when days are shortest.

 

[SpringArising]

I used to think 24/7 was the best there was but over the last year or so (due to a yard change) I've seen the value in bringing in/keeping in occasionally, especially if the fields are boggy.

I don't think many horses want to be standing around in knee-deep mud. My horse gets about five hours of herd T/O a day. No matter what time it is, he always walks over to me and shoves his head in his head-collar and happily marches to the yard. He doesn't get a feed either so it's not as if he's looking forward to food coming in.

I think it's nice for horses to have a period of proper rest, not on watch mode, looking out for danger. When I do late night checks he's often laying down asleep, and it's nice to know he can do so on a clean, warm bed rather than out in the wind and mud!

 

[Equi]

Some decide to stay in like my three wusses. They get a choice - door gets opened, they can go out or they can stay in. Two went out and stayed out, one went out and turned straight back in to the stable and didn’t move again, two went out and 15mins later brought themselves back in. Forced them out today though, I’m not pandering to them I’ve got a life to lead 😂

 

[Mrs. Jingle]

It is over 15 years since I last kept a horse in, apart from the odd time for illness or other necessity. But I am very fortunate to have them at home, with stabling if I need it, but thank goodness this has rarely happened.

It used to be imperative to rotate and graze the 14 acres very carefully when I kept a few horses but even then I kept them out 24/7, to my mind far more natural, they can still be kept very fit if you are also careful about exercise routine, clipping if necessary and rugging those in harder work, those in light work are just fine left to get hairy and unrugged. And also of course to mind the land didnt get over poached and muddy in winter or bare and rock hard in summer.

These days I have far more grass than I need and could do with a couple of grass liveries but that will not happen, I am far to antisocial and set in my ways to tolerate other horse owners under my feet!

However, if others choose to keep their horse's in for most of the winter or a combination of in and turnout then that is their prerogative, if they don't come and knock on my door criticizing how I keep my horses I will do my best not to criticize them either

 

[SusieT]

Because they are already being poor animal welfare carers by not allowing even a small amount of turnout daily and it is far more improtant that there are no hoofprints in the green than that the living breathing animal shave more than a small cage to walk around.

 

[scats]

People often have yard restrictions or want to save their grazing on particularly bad days. We have fantastic grazing and land here, and no mud, but we look after it to keep it that way. In horrendous weather, particularly if there’s been several days of it, I might just turn out for 4 hours that day rather than 8.
For instance, in the beast from the east last year, the girls just had a morning or an afternoon out. That was enough for them. That’s a rare occasion for us though, it usually happens once or twice a winter that we bring in early due to weather.
We are extremely lucky though, many yards local to us have to go on strict no turnout when it’s wet as their land is so poor.
We are careful to manage it, rotate it and we only turn out in pairs or threes so land doesn’t get poached or overgrazed.

I do know people on other yards who can’t be bothered with mud, particularly if they plan to ride, so they might swerve turnout on a day they plan to work the horse. Not the way I would work but each to their own.

 

[Cortez]

People who manage horses also generally have to manage land. Perhaps the majority of horse keepers are not also farmers? Depending on your soil type, most people will have to restrict access to grazing over very wet weather. Cattle are generally kept off the land over winter where I live (not this year, so far!), and horses - which are much more destructive - even more so. Horses which are kept in must be exercised; if they are not this is poor horse keeping.

 

[Lintel]

Why don't you ask them?

OP is?

I have 24/7 turnout and my hard standing. Sometimes I keep my boys in at night because I like mucking out... I find it therapeutic. How silly I know!

 

[Goldenstar]

It’s perfectly possible to keep horses well fit at a perfect weight on a no turn out system but it’s hard work to do well in fact it’s slog seven days a week
That’s why given we are a wet temperate island the combined system is so good here
24/7 turnout can be done very very badly with fat horses standing in knee deep mud scoffing and rarely moving from a large bale something I see often as I go out and about.
But it is easy I know how much less work it to have them out as I have two out this winter
I feel the most important thing to concentrate all your energy into doing your own horses as well as possible
Many things will drive peoples decisions Having said that keeping horses in with no exercise (unless Ill or injured )is unacceptable and good all day turnout is essential for the retired and the young pre work horses
It’s also essential to train all horses to understand and accept stabling so your horse does not have to die if it’s injured and needs box rest
Look to your own horse is something the Germans are fond of saying when riding it fits well in this area as well

 

[Red-1]

Why do people who have access to winter turnout not turn their horses out even on nice days? Not competition horses or being exercised otherwise. Genuinely puzzled by this.

Do you mean not exercised at all? As in not ridden?

I would not do that, my horses have always done something, in winter when the whole area was frozen and the driveway impassable we still cleared an area of yard, gritted it and did a lesson on how to place a specific hoof on a mat or some such game to make the horse think and have a change of scene. I think that has only happened twice in the 20 years we have lived here.

Other than that, we are on clay and choose to do arena turnout in winter. The arena is 30m X 30m, so not ideal, and they are out 6.30am to 2.30 whereupon they do some form of exercise and go back to bed. They have a shelter on the school and ad lib hay.

I have seen horses locked in their box for 5 days during the week, only coming out at the weekend. That is awful. But, I do think it is good practice that horses can cope with being in, out, in company and alone.

I don't get excited about how people manage their horses as long as they get out at some point and do some work (which could be turnout or could be ridden - but not days of just lungeing or walkering).

 

[Lammy]

Because they are already being poor animal welfare carers by not allowing even a small amount of turnout daily and it is far more improtant that there are no hoofprints in the green than that the living breathing animal shave more than a small cage to walk around.

Or maybe it’s because their shitbag of a horse escaped yesterday and now the loving owner has to spend half a day in the cold fixing the fencing 🤷🏽‍♀️
The fields here are clay and there’s no grass, after 5 hours he’d had enough and came in on his own accord, so today he can stay in and eat whilst I clean up after him.

 

[windand rain]

Circumstance dictates how horses are kept Contrary to some belief it is much harder work, more expensive, and generally much more difficult to keep horses out 24/7 or for long hours as the ground maintainance, mucking out and balancing the forage takes a great deal more time money and effort than leaving in 24/7. A quick skip out and chuck some hay and walk a way to chat to others doing the same. Especially those using rubber matting as bed without much bedding. So I can see the attraction but as I said before I personally would not have a horse at all if it couldnt spend at least all day and preferably more outside and not with big bale hay but with grazing or if necessary a clean track sysem with various forage stations, Or just a dry area with a lot of forage stations spread as far as humanly possible so they have to walk between them. All should be poo picked daily unless the field is huge and dry and on a rotation system. I hate to see horses in small pens full of poo in fact I am OCD about it and even in big fields have to poo pick daily

 

[Penny Less]

No not ridden. Other horses on the yard are seen out daily so does nt appear to be ground conditions.

I suppose Im a give everything freedom freak,(within reason obviously) cant stand dogs not being allowed exercise, cant stand caged birds, even my guinea pigs had a humongous hutch and vast run!