Keeping Youngsters

[honetpot]

I feel quite strongly about this.

Out as much as possible. Never stabled individually. Always have friends, including other youngsters.

My ideal is an open barn system that links to the grazing but appreciate thats not possible for everyone (or me!).

I have no issue with the odd couple of days in with mates in extreme weather. At a push I can live with short periods of group barning.

But fundamentally they need outdoor access all year round that is not a bog, has some shelter and have similar aged friends. The only caveat on that is weanlings that can need a little more thought/tlc

I agree with this, but I often buddy them up with an older pony, even if the foal is and is going to be much larger than the pony. This way a lot of the basic handling is basically self taught, and they have a mate to defend them when they go out in a larger group.
Mine are out as much as possible, with access to a barn, in winter they have round bale hay and straw.

 

[HBB]

My native weanlings and youngsters used to be kept out 24/7 with free access to a large field shelter with straw bedding and adlib hay but after the nonstop mild wet muddy winters, waterlogged fields, bog burn, mud fever and rain rot, my management has changed. All will now be in a routine of being brought into stables at night to dry out their coats/feet and turned out everyday once the weather changes about Dec/Jan, they will still have access to their field shelter too. There is nothing "natural" about keeping domesticated livestock, they don't have access to miles and miles of woodland and pasture to graze or seek out shelter in the worst of winter, so why do we allow them a miserable existence in unnatural environments? Being stabled part of the day is beneficial all round to set them up for good management and handling.

 

[Tiddlypom]

My youngsters (all my horses in fact) lived out but came in twice a day to their own stable to be fed. Pre weaning I start to feed mum and foal in adjacent stables as a prelude to weaning - no drama.

Any or all of them love to be stabled overnight on occasion for any reason. They’ve learned early on that stables are happy places to be in.

 

[TheMule]

My native weanlings and youngsters used to be kept out 24/7 with free access to a large field shelter with straw bedding and adlib hay but after the nonstop mild wet muddy winters, waterlogged fields, bog burn, mud fever and rain rot, my management has changed. All will now be in a routine of being brought into stables at night to dry out their coats/feet and turned out everyday once the weather changes about Dec/Jan, they will still have access to their field shelter too. There is nothing "natural" about keeping domesticated livestock, they don't have access to miles and miles of woodland and pasture to graze or seek out shelter in the worst of winter, so why do we allow them a miserable existence in unnatural environments? Being stabled part of the day is beneficial all round to set them up for good management and handling.

I really don’t think mine live a miserable existence. There’s a mid point between miles to roam and a muddy bog and most people who keep youngsters understand the value of that. It's not cheap to provide or maintain, but I firmly believe that young bones and soft tissue structures need to be properly conditioned and 14 hours in a stable a day (assuming 5pm-7am which is pretty standard for most set ups) is not allowing that.
My winter field for the babies is 9 acres on a slope which gradually gets steeper with woodland at the top, natural hedges on all sides and hard standing at the bottom to feed Haylage on when needed. No mud, no mud fever, no rain scald, just happy, healthy, well adjusted young horses.

 

[DressageCob]

My two yearlings live out in a herd with two older boys. They are out 24/7. I am intending bring them in for a couple of days next week just to have a proper once over and do a little extra handling of my smaller one. The big one is pretty easy (other than leading in from the field) but the little one is still quite reluctant to be handled. Obviously I have ages to do that work and am not pushing it for now. They were naked last winter but this year I have bought them a couple of rugs each just in case. I don't think they are going to get quite as hairy as they were as proper babies. They were like yetis last winter.

They like living out, and their field is next to a quiet road, which has allowed them to see cars, tractors and trailers, so I'm hoping that's good for desensitisation. They also have another herd next door and lots of natural shelter. My bigger one enjoys chasing the pheasants that now gather there because they've got wise to my feeding regime. I feed mainly for nutrients/growth. The little one is going to be a very good doer and is going into winter a bit porkier than is ideal. The big one looks good.

 

[rhino]

I deliberately bought a native x so it would be tough and hardy and live out without needing rugs. Turns out he much prefers to come in at night over the worst of the winter, wear a rug at the first sign of rain and generally be rather spoiled.

He is out in a big mixed age herd in a huge hilly field. He comes galloping down to me in the morning and I can check and change rugs, apply fly spray, pick out feet etc with him loose. In the evening he leads into the yard (few minutes walk) for his balancer + chaff. He loves a good groom and as much attention from everyone as possible. He loves to explore the estate and will mooch along covering any sort of ground or obstacles. He is generally far more bombproof than a yearling has any right to be.

He is a happy confident chap in the field, but completely unbothered about leaving his friends and being on his own. This has meant that he has coped with different situations; going to a big county show, being rushed to the vet school in the middle of the night (never having been in a trailer before), leading his field mates past lots of scary roadworks on a VERY narrow lane, all without raising an eyebrow. Every professional who has dealt with him has commented on how beautifully mannered and well handled he is.

I’m sure he’s the type of horse that would be easy to do at any age, but as he loves people and attention so much he may as well get used to lots of things now.

 

[HBB]

I really don’t think mine live a miserable existence. There’s a mid point between miles to roam and a muddy bog and most people who keep youngsters understand the value of that. It's not cheap to provide or maintain, but I firmly believe that young bones and soft tissue structures need to be properly conditioned and 14 hours in a stable a day (assuming 5pm-7am which is pretty standard for most set ups) is not allowing that.

But sadly some do, you just have to look at the Horses Living Out FB page to see the awful welfare issues that some poor souls have to endure by being kept out 24/7 all year around.
Even the most hardy native weanling/youngster once soaked through to the skin after endless days of heavy rain needs some respite indoors to allow their thick coats to dry out fully.
I am lucky enough to have great facilities where I have large field shelters, hard standing dry off areas and plenty of acreage but the last 2 years of unprecedented wet weather has had a negative impact where the local drainage burns have flooded onto them. Mine are out 24/7 most of the year as I said above but once the relentless rain starts around January they come in over night 8pm - 6am and to be honest they mostly sleep flat out all night. They are lucky enough to have a large foaling box each, so lots of room for a fell youngster to move about, even most of the Fell pony hill breeders keep their weanlings in small cattle courts over winter.