Keeping horses out 24/7 - questions...

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Chumsmum

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Might sound a daft question but if you don't have access to a field shelter would it be okay to stable them when the weather is bad? Or would I be a bad mother by not giving them a comfy, dry bed every night
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I'm guessing I will have to assess when weather is bad enough to warrant them coming in
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I have three ponies - one 14hh native type and two mini shetlands. The 14hh has just been diagnosed with Bone Spavin so ideally needs to be out 24/7 but the farm I'm interested in keeping them at this winter has loads of stables available but no field shelters and doesn't seem to keen on me putting my own up plus I'm trying to save money to buy my own land.

There is some natural shelter in the field but not enough if weather was very bad IMO.

Shetlands always live out anyway, but this would be the first year that pony will be. They all seem happy enough to be out ATM but this bad rain seemed to drag them down a bit but ad-lib hay under the trees and small feeds seem to perk them up.

Any advice / suggestions?
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Thanks.
 
Yes we will bring ours in if the weather is really bad and they don't seem to mind. generally though if we are worried we will leave the stables open and the field gate open and they can come and go as they please. Quite handy really
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That sounds ideal - the set up I want when I get my own land
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But I don't think it would be possible to do this at this farm.

Why do I have the feeling I'm going to be going down there in the middle of the night to let them in if it is pelting down..
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Can anyone recommend an accurate weather forecast?
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Mine live out all year round without a shelter and have done for years. One suffers from sweet itch so can't have access to any form of shelter except over hanging trees, so the other have to do the same. I find the hot weather bothers them more tbh.
 
Mine are out 24/7 and have been for years now
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So long as I had the grazing I would *always* rather keep them this way - much better for their legs and breathing and sanity. I have stables, but can't remember the last time I used them for more than a couple of hours or keeping a new arrival in for worming.

All the pros - physio, dentist, farrier, vet etc that I use keep there's out 24/7
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Yeah - i have to say though ours would only come in properly in really nasty weather. If they are wintered out properly and have good rugs if they need them they should cope perfectly well most of the time. I sometimes look out the window at night at the nasty weather and feel a bit guilty but the horses are always absolutely fine and happy. They do have two sides of the field sheltered by trees so that helps a bit.

We are thinking of stabling at night this winter though to try and save the fields a bit - will take it as it comes though
 
try metcheck.com for a decent weather forecast.

Can you put a rug on the pony on very wet days/nights so that he has some protection from the wether?
otherwise i think you'd be doing the best thing possible for him, and there's no reason why he shouldn't be able to stay out apart from on the worst days!
 
I *think* my pony is happier out - he likes the access to grass even if there is not much (good doer). Also, he had to stay in for 24hrs when he had his steroid injection - this wouldn't have bothered him last year when he was stabled at night but he was really fed up by this - hardly ate anything which is not like him at all
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However, he does like to have a good roll on a clean bed and looked fed up in the rain and mud the other day though I'm guessing this recent weather has been unusual. I think the rain has got me panicing a bit
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Thanks for replies everyone - I think this farm might be okay then, just hope they want US
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What tips do you have for wintering out? My boy will have to have some kind of clip - he gets a really thick coat but sweats very easily. Vet is coming today to check on progress today so will know later how much I can expect to do with him over the winter. He had a rainsheet on (no fill) when we had the bad rain.
 
Thanks for reply
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Have been looking a metcheck recently and it does seem pretty accurate so will keep an eye on this.

I've have a whole wardrobe of rugs and he will have to have something on as he will have some sort of clip - look out for the 'What clip for your horse out 24/7?' post soon
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Ours live out all year and have little natural shelter/no man made shelters. We even winter out thoroughbreds - fine thoroughbreds at that. It bothers me more than them. They have ad-lib hay/oat straw
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Very old fashioned me.
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They all do get rugged even the shetlands to keep them dry. The thoroughbreds get well rugged with neck covers also.
We have been at the same place two years and they have all wintered well. People have actually commented on how well they are through winter. They are happy and helthy.
We will be moveing and have an open fronted barn for next year
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I have kept my three (and my friend keeps her boy) out 24/7 all year for the past 4 or 5 years.
They don't have a field shelter, but do have a field with natural shelter in the form of a mature tree belt on one side, and a hollow at the bottom, so can get out of the wind.
Mine are a 19yr old Tb, a 4yo Shire x Tb, and a 3yo Tb x Bavarian, and they all do fine.
I do rug mine well though, especially the Tb as she likes to be warm, and I feed them twice a day, with hay and haylage.
My tip would be to make sure you have spare turnout rugs in case they do get wet inside.
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Great tips everyone!

I noticed how might lot perked up with the ad-lib hay during this bad weather (normally restricted) so will def be keeping them warm from the inside too. Pony has lots of rugs but can always add to the pile
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Don't have any rugs for the shetlands so will have a think about that. One of mine had quite a bad chest infection once that coincided with sleet/snow. The vet told me that the weather hadn't caused it and not to rug but I've never been 100% sure. I did buy one once but this was the result...
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Great picture...beautifully fitted rug.
Tbh, I would leave Shelties out without rugs - they grow very dense coats and will do better (be less prone to laminitis) if you leave them unrugged to burn off calories.
I'd only rug them if they are very elderly, or have health problems.
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[ QUOTE ]
Great tips everyone!

I noticed how might lot perked up with the ad-lib hay during this bad weather (normally restricted) so will def be keeping them warm from the inside too. Pony has lots of rugs but can always add to the pile
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Don't have any rugs for the shetlands so will have a think about that. One of mine had quite a bad chest infection once that coincided with sleet/snow. The vet told me that the weather hadn't caused it and not to rug but I've never been 100% sure. I did buy one once but this was the result...
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lol thats ace. Shetlands don't realy need rugging but we do it to keep people happy. We are on a main road and i got sick of comments about the shetlands not being cared for. Just look at where Shetlands come from. They are built for the worst of weathers.
I love the look on the ponies face. lol.
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Well all I'd suggest is to make sure the horse is used to being out at night before the really bad weather comes and if they are clipped to use an appropriate weight rug.

Ours at the moment come in for a few hours in the morning for breakfast - this also gives them a chance to have a snooze / lay down or have a roll with their rugs off. Seems to suit them
 
My lot only ever use their shelters in the summer. They never use them in the winter. They are unrugged and out 24/7.
Natural shelter is what they choose to use in bad weather.
By all means go and check them but I think you will find that they will be happy chappies
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It's us humans that are wet farts about a bit of bad weather.
 
Mine live out 24/7 without a field shelter now.When they had a field shelter where I kept them before I never saw them in it and the bedding was always clean and pretty much untouched! They went in it only for shade in summer, couldn't care less in winter though.We forget how mild our climate really is...when I lived in Sacandinavia horses and ponies lived out 24/7 where it is regularly minus 12 to 25 in winter.Look at Icelandic ponies,you won't see rugs on them in Iceland at minus 30!

They are very adaptable animals and much more hardy than we think they are here. There are always exceptions of course but most natives will be fine out 24/7 rugged (or not in the case of shetlands as they evolved to live in the worst British weather after all). My mini shetland has had 3 rugs now, hates wearing them and makes sure they get shredded good and proper in a few days! So I get the message, he is happier without a rug on.

Chumsmum your little shetland looks like he's wearing a tea cosy in that pic bless him lol, brill pic!
 
Mine live out no matter what the weather. They have good quality rugs on and they havent dissolved in the rain yet!

Btw last winter I wintered out Moon, who's a tbxtrakhner and a little tb who was just out of racing. They needed feeding but they came through very well.
 
Its just worth a mention that its not the temperature that bothers horses in general ie they can cope easily with cold, its the getting persistently wet that is the only time mine look mildly bothered. I have to pay particular attention to my shetties and Welshie in the wet as they are soooo hairy that they take forever to dry out if saturated and can therefore get a bit cold...
Nothing plenty of ad lib hay can't sort tho..
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Yes it's true we have a damp climate not a cold one,I rug mine (except the rug hating shetland who is very clever and shelters under my big cobs' belly) with lightweight rugs when it's damp...so that's probably 10 months of the year eh lol
 
Thanks for replies
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Agree on the wet rather than cold - the worst I've seen my shetlands shivering was in that rain last Friday so I think that's what worried me. Hopefully that was freak weather! And they soon stopped shivering after a little feed - they took full advantage of the ad-lib hay
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Thanks again everyone for information - much appreciated!
 
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