Leaving out at night in this cold??

Unless elderly but if they are out 24/7 and nicely covered(I mean own fur) and have plenty of hay to munch on and water I would leave out. Mine loved being out and I would find frozen whiskers with bum against hedge(despite the fact barn and stables to go to hemcore bedding...not on your nelly)!
 
I've just been out to check my 3, put a few buckets of hot water in the trough and give them a mountain of hay. 21yr old TB has a MW with liner and was very toasty, the other two are naked and felt warm under their elbows and between hind legs. They seem happy enough so I don't feel too bad leaving them out at night.
 
I'm making the most of this cold dry weather and leaving my two out!
They come in at night if its windy/rainy and as its neither, out they've gone!
Adlib haylage, rugs, 2 bucket feeds a day - two happy horses, and a happy me taking a break from mucking out! :-)
 
Have not read all other replies but if they are used to living out and have sufficient forage , are not ill or in need of tlc I would leave out.
If the horse is rapidly loosing weight or suffering as in severe mud fever or hates being out I would possibly bring in.
Some of ours live in some out, I bring all in when it is wind and driving rain, cold does not bother them as much as lot's of rain or wind and rain.

Cold dry weather as long as they have plenty to eat is not really a problem.
 
Mine are out 24/7 now the ground has dried up - much easier & also better for them :)
Either wearing own furry coat or rugged as necessary, they are happy & are able to move about much more.

When temps really drop (currently it was minus 4 on being driven home 30 mins ago) I prefer mine out.

Another aspect is that 'if' snow etc falls, then as I do not live at the yard, there are no grumpy/stressed animals waiting to be fed if I or Lovely Livery got held up in getting there, they can move around to keep warm - we just up the hay being fed when v cold so they can keep warm by scoffing :)
 
Out, Rugged, Haylege, checked daily - can't come up to the yard as tracks are too frozen - don't want to risk him doing a Bambi - but he's happy enough and has company.
 
Same as the rest. Leave them out. Horses cope wonderfully well with cold, especially if there is no wind. Yours sounds well rugged and well fed. Outside they can move around, choose a place that suits them and settle down. If they are in a stable with a draught, or the wind screaming in the half door, there's no refuge.

The only time I feel very sorry for ours is when there's a cold wind and heavy rain - but the stupid fools have two barns they can go into - and do they? No!
 
At my yard/RS the horses come in at night, the ponies (anything under 15hh) stay out with rugs. YO reckons the ponies get stir-crazy if brought in as she found once in very snowy conditions; now they are used to being out. My boy, exRS/ part time RS is a native x, chaser clip and has a 300g turnout with thin under rug. I think most of the ponies are usually overrugged but am not brave enough to go against the grain and strip him of what he's used to, and now we're getting temps of -10C. He hasn't appeared too cold/too warm so far. My biggest concern is the lack of shelter, although a line of trees parallel to the fence provides a bit of a windbreak, he probably needs a rug against rain/snow and wind.
 
Eight neds out 24/7 - TB, DWB, NFs, cobs, foal - all fine :D

They have a bark standing area, which has a round of hay, and a still flowing brook. They have to walk to the brook across the frozen field but none are footy.

Checked twice a day.

Hard feed twice a day.

All rugged now apart from one cob, as shelter is limited where the hay is, but we can't get it to where the better shelter is.

So far all are fine :D

Had my four out in the very cold winter a couple of years ago. Same system. All put weight in and were bright eyed and bushy tailed, apart from the arthritic old lad that we had then, but he hated bring in for more than a day and seized up when in anyway.
 
Both my cobs are out, naked and hairy with ad-lib hay.........however i rugged the big cob last night as she refused to move over the hard rutted ground and got cold - she was shivering, stuck a LW on her but going in a min to change into her MW and may pop a rug on the welsh too. Its going to go mega cold here and forecast snow from tonight through till monday!! don't like the thought of them standing in the field shivering cold :( there normally the hardy types too and am normally the kind who doesn't rug!!!
 
MrsMozart said:
Eight neds out 24/7 - TB, DWB, NFs, cobs, foal - all fine :D

They have a bark standing area, which has a round of hay, and a still flowing brook. They have to walk to the brook across the frozen field but none are footy.

Checked twice a day.

Hard feed twice a day.

All rugged now apart from one cob, as shelter is limited where the hay is, but we can't get it to where the better shelter is.

So far all are fine :D

Had my four out in the very cold winter a couple of years ago. Same system. All put weight in and were bright eyed and bushy tailed, apart from the arthritic old lad that we had then, but he hated bring in for more than a day and seized up when in anyway.
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my vet reckons it more important for the arthritic ones to be out than the others due to seizing up
 
I would leave my sec D out if I could as he would prefer it. But I have to stable him at night to give him a rest from eating grass and help prevent laminitis. He is out in the day and in at night with no rug on and does just fine, always warm at the base of his easr and under his hair at skin level.
I think yours will be fine out as they can move around more to keep warm than if stabled.
 
Shall we go and round up all the exmoor, dartmoor and shetlands too? It would be terribly selfish JUST to bring ours in...
 
Aberdeenshire, was -12 night before last but that's nothing for here.

All out - WB mares and foals (naked), ID x TB youngstock - all naked.

Have shelter and ad-lib good haylage. I have done this for last 3 years and none ever sick or sorry. I also wouldn't dare to post pics on here because of their rather portly condition (although vet has said they are in good condition appropriate for climate and regime).

The ONLY time I ever worried was a spell where it was down in the -20's for quite a while but also not getting above -10 during the day. That was tough for them but my yard sheet ice at the time so bringing in wasn't an option.

However I thank my lucky stars every day that I have running burns in all my fields which have never yet frozen as quite fast flowing. I sometimes need to get farmer to carve a path in snow for them though :D:D
 
Iv got a highland pony yearling out naked, a nf yearling in a rain sheet and a cob in a rain sheet out all year round with Adlib hay. I don't worry about them being cold I worry more when it rains for long stretches x
 
Another vote here for leaving them out. They can move round to keep warm. And if (God forbid) the weather prevented you from getting to the yard for any reason, then they're far better off in the field where they can forage until you/someone gets there than being left trapped in the stable with (potentially) no food or water.
 
I leave them out, they scoff all the hay in 5 mins and stand for hours with nothing to eat in a stable (regardless of how much I give them!) so they just stay in fields with hay spread all over the place to replace the poor grazing. They have a running water source which has never frozen over even in -13 so I can sleep knowing they will not go thirsty!

I will bring them in when it is heavy rain or high winds . My horses will stand there at the gate until I let them in when it rains!
 
travelmad said:
Ponies are on grass livery and have lived out all winter until now (apart from being in if ill/ lame). I do have 2 stables, but they like being out and I'm happy for them to be out 24/7. They are well rugged, unclipped - both super hairy - mare is very heavy built and stocky and I'm not afraid of leaving her out - just added a layer so she's in 320g rug. Gelding is full tb, hairy, and in 450g.

Wondering should I bring them in if it gets colder? -2 predicted tonight... And to be fair it's prob not going much lower around where we live... According to met office - But everyone else at yard has brought in.... Peer pressure!!!

It's hard for me to get to yard to check them for warmth at odd hours of night, but I'm pretty certain with those kind of rugs they are fine...

Would you give in to peer pressure and bring them in? Or should I suck it up and leave them out?! Feel vaguely cruel either way, they don't like being in, but I feel bad for leaving them out.

No snow here yet.
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As long as they have shelter of some sorts and hey - they will prob be happier ;-)

That subjected to the field having a dry area to stand and eat hey and not a mud bath!!
 
Mine all live out 24/7/365, some rugged some not. They are all fit, well and happy, and aged between 12 months and 22 years. from 10hh - 17.2hh.Would not have it any other way, only stabled if illness and vet sugests stabling.
 
Out out out. Mine upgraded to a medium-lite this week (with a bit of help from me) & whilst he had icicle on his ear fluff & mane, he was warm to the touch! He can move in a field but not in a stable plus when u turn out onto frosty/snowy grass its not good, let alone walking across an icy yard).
 
My clipped TB is out in her field, lots of hayledge, water, fed pure feeds and linseed. She's actually managed to put on weight and is certainly toasty warm under her Bucas rug. I'd rather her out than in
 
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