Livery and individual grazing paddocks

[Northern]

My three are out together during the day, but I have had mine on individual turnout with no issues. I always make sure they have friends next door and they've always been happy and well settled.

Like many, I will try to avoid putting mine in with horses other than my own in a herd setting. It just gets too disruptive when horses come and go regularly and the herd dynamics are always in flux. At least with mine I can keep an eye on how they interact and I can easily sort out any major scuffles. Lucky mine are all very happy together! I would give it a try with Sox, if it isn't working out you can always ask whether YO is happy to bring in a few more people into this field?

 

[Bonnie Allie]

Taking a step back for a minute.............

The basis of livery is service offerings. There are a standard set you are signing up for In your agreement. In this case individual paddocks are a standard offering.

When you want to have offerings customised to meet your needs, you pay extra. In your case your friend has offered you part of her field/share arrangement with her horse.......for a fee.

Whether we agree or disagree about individual turnout vs herd turnout is semi-interesting.

In your case you have options thanks to your friends offer. That would get you to where you want to be but legitimately, you will need to pay.

 

[Caol Ila]

Individual turnout is like gold dust around here. In theory, I am not a fan, but in reality, I had to be, because Gypsum has some interesting behaviours when she's in a herd (yeah, I've tried), like choosing a horse as "hers," herding it around all day, and beating the living crap out of any other horse that goes near it. It's cute. After years of having her all on her own, we've given her a friend, a seven/eightish year old mare. She thinks she owns the mare, and even at 27, she doesn't let her friend talk to the pair on the other side of the fence. But her buddy, like abused wives everywhere, just quiescently goes with it.

The big mare herd at the yard always seems pretty peaceful. All going well with the vetting, the PRE will run with them, because she actually has social skills.

 

[scats]

Having had two horses with career ending injuries from hooleying around in a large herd, I prefer very small groups or paired turnout. My girls do enjoy a good scratch together and I think this is important to them, which is why I wouldn’t really want individual turnout.

 

[SadKen]

When I was growing up there was only herd livery. The horses liked it and I was surprised when I came back to riding that it had moved to individual or small group turnout.

I now have the world's most dominant mare who genuinely isn't safe to be turned out with others, nor does she wish to be. She would happily live entirely alone and prefers people to horses. I am extremely grateful for individual turnout for this reason, but it is certainly not something I've ever encountered before.

I think the turnout change is the result of the litigious world we live in now, and also perhaps the difficulty that inexperienced people have in catching horses that are turned out in a herd. I've done it forever and it doesn't phase me at all, but I've seen a number of people nervous and ineffective in a group setting.

 

[Lady2021]

Herd turnout can be a a disaster when a livery yard offers it. They won’t give the horse time meet each other. I have seen yard just fire new horses out in the field and all hell breaks lose. I have also seen unsuitable horse turned out together . It all causes injuries. Individual turnout it makes it easier to control a horse weight as well.

 

[cblover]

I understand the practicalities of grazing alone can be easier and safer for us humans (and some horses) but I’m not at peace with it just being better for me. I need Sox to be fulfilled too and happy with the set up. I won’t know until I try I suppose, I’m not entirely looking forward to it though.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I understand the practicalities of grazing alone can be easier and safer for us humans (and some horses) but I’m not at peace with it just being better for me. I need Sox to be fulfilled too and happy with the set up. I won’t know until I try I suppose, I’m not entirely looking forward to it though.

Could you suggest to the other livery that you share both fields? That wouldn't cost either of you any extra and you would have access to just as much grazing but the horses would have accessible company.

 

[cblover]

I have suggested that to be honest, but she says her horse likes the field he’s in and doesn’t settle further down the lane where the field is I’ve been offered. I may be able to ask someone else as time goes by. It’s been 12 years since I was last on the yard and there are new faces. It’ll take me some time to work out who owns which horse and forge some friendships.

 

[Slightlyconfused]

It's nothing at all to do with H&S, it's ridiculous paranoid owners who really don't want their horses to behave like horses. I would not take my horse to anywhere that has individual turnout, only.

Not necessarily. Ours offers turnout in groups, pairs or individual.

I have my two together, spotty could go in with a group if we lose the big one.
The big one however is an arse to other horses, charges them around the feild and then will block the owners of those he considers "His" from taking them out the field. Which is why I have my two together. So he would have to be on his own if we lost spotty.

Sometimes it for the horse as well.
I wouldn't chose it just because but there is a need for it in circumstances.

 

[milliepops]

Not necessarily. Ours offers turnout in groups, pairs or individual.

I have my two together, spotty could go in with a group if we lose the big one.
The big one however is an arse to other horses, charges them around the feild and then will block the owners of those he considers "His" from taking them out the field. Which is why I have my two together. So he would have to be on his own if we lost spotty.

Sometimes it for the horse as well.
I wouldn't chose it just because but there is a need for it in circumstances.

Yeah my mare who starts fights will be a bit of a challenge if/when she retires, because although she gets really really attached to a couple of my oldies she also kicks the living daylights out of them given the opportunity. I've tried her in with them before and had to step in to prevent an accident. She has no social skills having been kept on her own for several years so I'm already worried about putting them together again :/ and those are all MY horses, in my control, be a disaster in herd turnout in YO's control!

 

[cblover]

I’ve been back up to the stables this afternoon with hubby to show him what’s on offer. I always feel better having his input.
All is well and I can see how I’ll fit in a bit better and where my horsey stuff will go. I’m trying to be positive...can you tell .

My field is lovely compared to the state of some that haven’t been looked after too well and we’ve decided how big to make the electric fence to enable Sox to have the most interaction with other horses. She’ll still graze alone for now but I’ll work on changing that. I’m looking to move her 3 weeks today.

 

[Lipglosspukka]

I don't like it. What I hate the most is when you see native types on tiny starvation paddocks all on their own.

What a sorry existence it must be.

 

[cblover]

I’ve got the use of 4 acres but will graze an acre at a time and move the fence as and when.

 

[Bambelina]

I can see why people prefer individual and why people prefer group turnout for their horses.
They are naturally herd animals and so lots of them do better in a herd, but not all, and I think individual owners can recognise signs of distress in their own horses. When my mare came she just wanted to be out. I was assigned a small paddock for her and she could groom other horses over the fence etc. She was happy enough, but when the horse next to her paddock was moved she became stressed and so I put her in with my friends two. Well she’s never been happier.
For me she was easier to catch on individual turnout, and it was easier getting her out of the gate without worrying the other two would follow (they often did). But right now she is happy in a herd and that matters more to me than saving a few minutes catching her.
I would rather individual turnout over none at all though. I do wonder if sometimes they are stuck in for too long then turned out together, if that is more likely to cause an injury with them larking about..!?

 

[Deleted member 150717]

My horse lives in a herd and loves it!! He may be at the bottom of the pecking order but he loves to play with the rest of the horses!

 

[lottiemoo]

Although I like my horses to go out in pairs or threes, I have seen two people (on separate occasions) try to bring in their own horse from a shared field at a livery yard and suffer serious injuries at the gate when the other horses started acting up. Therefore now, I only turn out in groups when I know I will have another person help me to bring them in. This is something I check with the livery yard before I move my horses there. For me, if the livery yard owner can't guarantee assistance, I would prefer individual turnout for my own safety

 

[Caol Ila]

When I've had horses in herds, I used a combination of angry energy and the occasional snaking lead rope to warn everything else that it wasn't to get near me. They soon learned. If you're walking down a New York City street at 2am with an attitude of 'don't fcuk with me,' you generally won't be fkuced with. Or I never was. It works pretty well in groups of horses too.

 

[cblover]

I’ve been thinking non stop about this situation and I just can’t do it. I can’t have Sox alone. It’s not fair and it’s not right.

it’s either two in the field I’ve been allocated on the yard or it’s non.

 

[Michen]

I would just move and then work it out. Try not to panic about it now. She will be absolutely fine I'm sure, and long term you can get to know other liveries and another solution may pop up.

Mine was on individual for 3 years, he now has a friend but only because I bought another horse. However as much as I wouldn't want to if I had to go back to one horse, I'd have individual for various reasons.

 

[Michen]

I don't like it. What I hate the most is when you see native types on tiny starvation paddocks all on their own.

What a sorry existence it must be.

Better than getting laminitis where they'd be confined to a stable for many months, IMO

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

I’ve been thinking non stop about this situation and I just can’t do it. I can’t have Sox alone. It’s not fair and it’s not right.

it’s either two in the field I’ve been allocated on the yard or it’s non.

Think of the 1st 2 weeks as isolation, which happens in many yards, at least she wont be shut in for 24/7

 

[Sussexbythesea]

When I've had horses in herds, I used a combination of angry energy and the occasional snaking lead rope to warn everything else that it wasn't to get near me. They soon learned. If you're walking down a New York City street at 2am with an attitude of 'don't fcuk with me,' you generally won't be fkuced with. Or I never was. It works pretty well in groups of horses too.

Doesn’t always work. Tried that once when helping a friend try to get her mare out of a paddock (she’d come back from the field in tears) and the mare who was causing the issues came at me and when I ducked under the fence she tried to come over the fence at me. Never seen such an aggressive horse. The YO knew there was and issue but it took a lot of complaints and near misses before finally the owner was given notice. Know several people injured badly getting horses in.

 

[Sussexbythesea]

I’ve been thinking non stop about this situation and I just can’t do it. I can’t have Sox alone. It’s not fair and it’s not right.

it’s either two in the field I’ve been allocated on the yard or it’s non.

TBH If you have two horses together unless they’re both your own you’ll be having to manage the other horse too and be confident the other owner won’t leave you’re horse going ballistic whilst they ride if they’re on a different routine to you.

 

[Tarragon]

All these problems go away when you have your own little herd of two, or you partner up with a fellow livery and put your two horses together. Personally, I wouldn't like a huge herd of random horses in a massive field and I also wouldn't like a single horse on a postage stamp of a field made from electric fencing. I have lost a pony to a field kick that broke her leg, so I am wary of not having control over what is turned out with what, and I think that a completely featureless little square of a field is little better than a stable for enrichment.

 

[Annagain]

Could you take her current pal with you to begin with and then see how it goes - either making friends with someone at the yard who would be happy to share or, split the field, have another livery over the fence and once you can see she's comfortable on her own with other horses around her, let the current pal go back to its owner. I assume pal is on loan or you have some sort of livery for companionship deal going?

 

[JoannaC]

Couldn't you pal up with someone and use your field for Winter turnout and their one for Summer or vice versa and have them in together? Will they always come in at night or is it up to you? A good solution would be to have them out at night, in during the day and then it wouldn't matter if you came up at different times as the horses would be in when you want to ride etc and noone would be left alone in the field.

 

[samleigh]

Mine is on individual thru winter, horses all around, but once she goes back to 24/7 shares with another non clingy mare, both are happy to be left alone, leave one another etc.
I've always been happy with herd turnout, its the other owners who don't pull their weight with poo picking & field maintenance that makes individual turnout such a stress free option.

 

[cblover]

Yes her current companion is part owned by me and a friend. She’s going back to my friend soon to start her ridden education then she’ll be for sale. She’s a real gem bless her. I’m thinking of taking her with me to start with for a month then swapping to another pony Sox knows that my friend owns. She’s said I can borrow him no problem. I’ve asked 5 liveries today alive if they’d like to share but it’s a no go for various reasons. A companion pony is the best option I think.

 

[Bernster]

As a general observation, livery yards around me anyway, do seem to be moving to more individual or small group turnout. I understand some of the why (owner preference, YO concerns, risk of injury, disruption with changing herds etc) but I prefer horses to have company and don’t really like individual turnout. That said, one of mine is in a pair, and one is currently on solo waiting for a well behaved companion.