Liveries: No winter turn out.

Rachel_M

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If you have your horse at livery, that does not offer winter turnout, what do you do in the winter time?

Toys in the stable, hand grazing, rent your own field, etc?
 

DiablosGold

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He goes out in a little paddock (dry surface, crushed shells) for 2 hours am and another hour pm. Has ad-lib hay, 2 buckets of hi-fi lite, a likit and a snack ball with fibre cubes. Also ride every day.

This is from end of Dec to the beginning of March, and is do-able as long as they have a good routine and daily exercise.
 

Christmas_Kate

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I'm not on livery, but the field I use has to be well looked after as it does M over the winter and spring, then is rested, then the bigger horses when they start coming back into work(she'll be moved to a bigger summer field). In an ideal world we'd have 24/7 turnout, but the world isnt ideal, and grazing has to be well looked after or it won't be any use next year.

She's taken for long walks on especially bad days, or has half day turnout. Her stable is like a toy factory lol. She's seen to three times a day regardless.

We do have the option of another field about a mile or so away which I can use 24/7, but it's a long walk (and very close to the gypsy camps).
 

lilpinkdonkey4

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My mare is stabled at winter... some days 24/7 but goes on the walker. She does get a few hours turnout other days (owner is very precious of her fields), however its on rotation of the 4 horses that get turnout... i agree some people would move and i would if she had a problem with it... (my post below isnt related!!!). She is a happy girl, it does suit some horses, she has her decahedron ball and seems quite content with life. If she wasnt id move. At my previous yard she was out all day and got mudfever and wasnt very happy with this. I think shes happier being in for more hours than stood it a muddy field with too many horses and mud fever (she prefers human company to horses)
 

Tierra

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Ours are all in and cope fine, but they're worked.

Theyre all on the horse walker for about an hour in the morning, 7 days a week. The liveries are then responsible for working them in addition.

I pay a groom extra to kick mine out in the indoor school and hes out for a blast in there most days. Hes then worked for around an hour in the afternoon. Said groom also walks him out in hand for grass when she has time and so do i. (I usually let him go in the small indoor after riding also so he can have another roll and a play).

They're all fine. They're used to it
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Most have stable toys yes but im not sure how much some bother with them tbh.

Its very uncommon over here to have horses out on grass and the country's horses seem to continue perfectly fine without
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EllieBeast

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i have to say i have always been in the 'all horses should have as much turnout as possible' camp, and still am really. but my mare who was used to living out 24/7 all year round is now on enforced 24 hour stabling due to only having 3 wheels working. and is coping far better than i ever thought she would. and that is without the option of exercise. in an ideal world it would be great for her to be out again as much as poss, as she loves to be out, but i dont think 24 hr stabling is 'cruel' as long as the horse has a temperament to suit. im sure beasty will start getting fed up at some point in the future, but at the mo i think she is enjoying not having to take more than 3 steps to get to her ready supply of food!
sorry, there really wasn't much point to that post! but im meant to be revising and am bored, so have forced my imput upon you!
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Tierra

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Most brits are very much in the "max turnout" camp. However, many horses bred in mainland europe just arent used to it (and many who have imported will undoubtedly testify to this). Its just not common over here to turn out.

I wasnt sure how mine would cope with it really but ive had zero issues at all. We're buying out own place in 2008 and he'll have turnout once hes at home, but i doubt he'll be out as much as he was in the UK.

Ours have a very strict daily routine and "do" a lot more than horses on most UK yards do. I was suspicious about how mine would cope at first but hes settled so well that im perfectly happy with the arrangement now
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Im also quite used to people accusing me of being cruel and so on (not saying you are btw, but others on this forum have), they're all more than welcome to come and visit and see our horses and judge for themselves as to whether theyre happy or not
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Super_Kat

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[ QUOTE ]
Surely you wouldn't stable your horse 24/7 ?!

[/ QUOTE ]

Er...Yeah.
I have 2 in 24/7. They get exercised, walked out in hand either first thing in the morning or in the evening (depending on when they're being ridden). If I get turnout they go out but it's very rare and they get taken out fr a pick of grass inhand occasionally and I have access to a horse walker. Also although I'm not supposed to, I will let them have a good run in the indoor school as and when nobody is about to bollock me.
 

Ravenwood

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Horses soon get used to staying in 24/7. Mine have to if the fields are wet - which was a lot this year! They seem perfectly happy and get exercised once a day. They don't have any toys but mine has a mineral rock thing she plays with, the other ignores hers and spends all afternoon asleep!

Its a bummer having to ride in all weathers though but to be perfectly honest if I do turn the horses out in foul weather they just stand by the gate wanting to come back in again anyway!
 

Tierra

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To answer a bit more specifically, try and arrange for your horse to have as busy a schedule as possible.

Ours are given hard feed and haylage in the morning. They're turfed out on the horse walker in groups of 5 for an hour. When brought in, they have feet done and are strapped (and i really mean strapped) which lasts about an hour. They're then back in their stables which generally takes us upto lunch time when they're fed again.

Mine then goes out for a run round after his lunch usually. It depends what time i show up to ride. Hes then in, feet done again and sometimes taken for a walk in hand with his pals. Most days hes then in the solarium for 20 mins or so while having dust from the school flicked off him.

Hes then ridden for about an hour by me, usually schooled. Sometimes jumped or lunged over jumps. I then groom him when im done and he has his carrots or apples.

His groom tries to walk him out again in hand just before it gets dark (which is sadly like 3:30 atm).

Dinner is then at about 9:30 pm when he has hard feed and haylage again and evening stables are done.

It varies a little in summer but *gasp* we're the terrible people who dont turn out much in summer either. Again, partly because its just not done over here but secondly because we have evil evil flies here that bite like hell and are generally pretty immune to most fly sprays. My boy tends to go out for a couple of hours in the evening in summer when the flies have calmed a bit and after ive already ridden.

Some horses are ridden or worked more than once a day as the yard staff are happy to ride or lunge anything that needs additional work. I personally find that being on the lunge and ridden is plenty for mine so hes not worked twice.
 

Tierra

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So do ours
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Even over summer he spent most of his time at the gate yelling to come in or getting really grumpy about the stupid awful flies (they bite and then hang off them and making them let go is really hard!)

We're on a really small island and its a particular kind of fly that isnt horse friendly at all
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Ravenwood

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Exactly - mine hate the flies too and in summer they come in first thing in the morning and go out in the evening. They are total wimps.

However - few of us the facilities and the time to put into our horses that you do - lucky thing!
 

Tierra

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We're very lucky yes, our yard is absolutly excellent and while they firmly believe turnout isnt necessary, they also believe that horses shouldnt just be stood around doing nothing all day.

My livery yard works a bit differently than most and, as i mentioned, we pay one of the grooms extra per month to turn him out in the indoor school and take him for walks when she has time. It costs us 50 pounds a month and she kicks him into the school daily and walks him as and when she has time.

The liveries themselves are much more disciplined in general though. They ride daily regardless of how they feel.

I think its just different ways of keeping them. In the UK, theres a lot of turning horses out for 12 hours a day but not bothering to ride as much. Over here theres very little turnout but a lot of riding and working them.
 

LCobby

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[ QUOTE ]
try and arrange for your horse to have as busy a schedule as possible.

[/ QUOTE ]
We have one who would be fine on this, if on a yard with good staff and Full Livery
Obe woudl not, even with dust free bedding and haylage and would be destructive.
One could not, as is a yearling, the other is a non=irdden companion pony

Howver, with four on DIY, we are lucky to have sufficient grazing to rotate paddocks, with field shelters, and they come in at night in winter.
 

SouthWestWhippet

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My mare is stabled at a yard with no winter turn out although we do have use of a very small 'turnout paddock' as long as there is nothing going on in the school (it backs onto the indoor school and a horse charging round the turnout paddock is a risk to the riding school lesson as it could upset the ponies).

I ride or lunge my horse everyday, hack out on weekends, turn her out for a few hours a couple of times a week and make sure she has plenty of haylage when in the stable. She has a likit, plenty of fresh vegatables, a horslyx and a salt lick but to be honest she is happy enough as long as she has plenty of haylage.

We have a horsewalker as well although I rarely use it. It is a pain not having turn out but horses are very adaptable and my yard is geared up around the fact that winter turn out is very very limited so there are plenty of facilities on site to make it easier - amaerican barn so horses can see and touch each other, floodlit outdoor school, indoor school etc etc
 

Stoxx

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We have no winter turnout. My horse gets fed (hard feed and hay) at 8 then mucked out around 9ish, lunged by the grooms 10ish, lunch 11.30ish (hard feed, hay and ball), then skipped out, rugged and fed at 3ish. Then about 5.30 he is given his night hay. Either during the afternoon or evening he is ridden as well. (or on the occasions he is ridden in the morning he gets walked out in the afternoon)
At weekends I hand graze him and he has a little chat to a field buddy for some companionship.
 

Baggybreeches

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I keep my 3!!! at home and have no grass turnout during the winter (sept/oct-mar/apr) I do turn out in my sand menage, with haynets, and usually they get at least 4 hours out.But in all honesty apart from the big lad (he box walks) the others arent really that fussed, as long as they have hay they are fine. As Tierra says on the continent horses are kept in 24/7 and worked daily. Just get a good routine and stick to it, they will be fine.
 

lucylemon

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[ QUOTE ]
Surely you wouldn't stable your horse 24/7 ?!

[/ QUOTE ]

our DIY-ers are 24/7 stabled as the "owners" of the DIY field (2 of the DIY-ers mums) will not let horses be turned out because the field is boggy and needs to recover. its sensible really as the filed is very muddy and slippery and the fields on a hill, and the gateways are dangerous
frown.gif
 

Hollycat

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I think its horses for courses really! Some will be happy some won't. I had a pony that I suppose you could call claustrophobic. Even when there was a few feet of snow and he was shivering with cold and wet (we didn't have the fancy NZ rugs we have these days - remember the canvas ones!) he would drag all of his hay out of his field shelter/stable to eat it outside. Shut him in and he'd boxwalk and not eat or drink. Very extreme case though!

My horse I got from Holland Hated being outside for the first month. He would stand at the gate calling to everyone in the hope someone would take pity on him and bring him in. Now he loves it and its a joy to watch him galloping and playing with his friends, grooming each other and eating hay from the same pile. He would have been happy enough had he nerver had the experience of being out, but when he had to stay in 24/7 last year for a week (I was too ill to ride) he started cribbing and boxwalking. Could just have been change of routiene as oppposed to the fact of being in though. Thankfully has never cribbed again but wouldn't like to take the chance by not giving him daily turnout.

If they are in 24/7 I think the key as has already been pointed out is lots of activity and stimulation - not hours and hours spent with no forage stareing at a blank wall.
 

Honeypots

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my preference would be out..I think horses wait by the gate because they associate their stables with food. My lot will wait by the gate each day when I start feeding them in winter. They live out all year round and know they're not coming in. They're just waiting for some food/attention.. I've stood out with mine in a storm (I got caught out). Only when it was hailing horizonally (I was in the gorse) did they stop grazing, turn away from the wind and wait for it to stop. As well as hail it was gale force winds and rain. We are VERY exposed and they have no rugs but rarely run for shelter(gorse)..
That said, one of my ponies, who has lived like this for the past 5 yrs with me, is now on loan and is stabled when the weather is bad..she seems to be coping perfectly well with it so just goes to show how well they adapt...
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elsielouise

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Have to agree. One of the reasons I rent my own field is turnout. Both mine lived out as babies and always prefer to be out.

Stabling them would be a cruelty and I wouldn't keep them at a yard with no winter turnout. Ever.

Just IMO
 
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