''My little pony'' yards.....a growing trend? Discuss.....

Mine are out as much as possible in all sorts of weather however sometimes i will bring in early if they have stood for hours.
I keep mine at home so i can't comment on yards.

As for mud yes i have loads in places, however Snuggy T/O hoods are the best things ever invented. I watch my boys rolling in mud with glee now lol.
 
Ours get turned out daily, if the weather is extreme then they might only get 3 hours after lunch before coming back in, but for the morning one horse will have the run of the yard, the other has a dis-used cow pen, so they're still not cooped up.
And the reason they're in? Because they're both idiotic numpties who hooney round once theyv'e decided they'd had enough- one tends to injure herself then, the other just tears the ground up, and when you've not got a huge amount of grazing you do have to be careful with it.
Would much rather they went out at lunch to break their day up and just got their heads down to eat than went out in the morning, were bored by lunch and made nuisance of themselves till they came in.
And so long as they're clean where the tack goes, what's the problem with a dirty horse? I'm sure the horse would rather be going out and about than looking clean and pretty!
I don't understand YO's who say no turnout in winter etc unless the ground gets really bad, but even then why not just sacrifice one field for the sake of winter turnout ?
Personally I couldn't do the whole 'no turnout in winter' lark to my boy, guess we're lucky to have our own space now really!
 
I agree, my boy (never buy a coloured if you don't like mud highlights) had a btah on saturday night before a show sunday, put neck cover & stable bandages on in the stable to reduce the amount of muck he could get on him - hey presto one horse the next morning with poo UNDER his rug! & UNDER his bandages... how?? Should have trned him out, he'd have been clenaer
 
I have to say my horse has very little turnout as our fields can just not cope with the bad weather we have in Manchester so he goes out about twice a week for a couple of hours! I would love to have so much more turnout! Having said that he always wants to come in espc if raining!
 
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I have to say I don't always buy the 'my horse hates being out in the rain'. I'm sure sometimes you get a horse who really wants to be in but I think alot of the time they are conditioned that way. Horses like a routine and they will be very upset if this routine is changed.

I reckon sometimes, they don't want to go out simply because they are so used to being in. Monty was like this when I first got him and chucked him out but it only lasted a week or two. Now he likes being at one with his inner hippo!

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I have only met one who really hated being out in the rain.
He was fine out when dry,but would pace at the gate and get himself seriously worked up if it started to rain-even a light shower
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and it wasnt unusual for him to pi55 off out of the arena and head back to his stable if it rained while he was being ridden,lmao!
The second he was in he settled.

But that is the ONLY horse who obviously diddnt like being out in the 20 years since I started riding....
 
Can't say it's something I've noticed. Certainly at my yard, and at other places where I have friends, all horses get as much turn out as possible. There quite a few at our place that are still out 24/7, and some that live out all year round (and it's a nice yard with good facilities so not lacking in options for stabling etc).
 
Totally agree that horses should just be horses......Mine, and all the horses at my yard (although it's not livery yard just me and my friend) go out every day, even at the weekend with the gales they were out. October-april ish they are in at night, mainly to save the grass, but they stay out all day til its nearly dark. My mare is a warmblood but frequently comes in caked head to toe in mud, i like to see it, as someone else said it shoes they've had fun! If she didnt want to get wet and muddy she wouldnt roll would she??!
 
Mine stay out 24/7 for as long as possible - this year they went out at the end of Feb and they are still out now
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- hoping to get to Christmas!
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We have year round turnout so even when they are in they go out every day - only day they stayed in last year was the first day of the blizzard. Mine are grey and piebald so are always as minging as possible but its only mud and it comes off. One of mine came from a competition yard so was in pretty much 24/7 and as a result windsucker and cribs and has ulcers - not surprising is hugely improved in the year he has been here and shows no sign of melting.......
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poor horses, i like mine out as much as possible. horses are supposed to be muddy, they aren't china dolls!
at the moment mine are turned out all day in a mud patch and a small all-weather, and will be all winter. when it gets really wet they'll have 1/2 a day in the all-weather, which is still too much time in the stable for my liking, but i can't have all my fields trashed!
 
We have our own yard, but mine are all out 24/7 and will stay that way until after Christmas, if possible!!

They get muddy, sometimes disgustingly so, but they are horses!!! They won't shrink in the rain, and the mud won't kill them!!!
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Find it madness, I am on a yard with 40+ horses, currently there is Pickle in at night (mainly for convinicence admitedly) and 2 in on box rest (one normally would come in at night.) Pickle went out today and his rug broke, they took it off to change it for another and he refused, so the silly bugger has been out for the day rugless! he probably enjoyed it though. He goes out everyday 8-4:30 ish most days
 
All at our yard go out every day without fail, and I wouldn't move to any yard where this was not the case. I don't see the big deal personally, if you have a horse that charges around and really will not settle, fair enough. Otherwise turn the bloomin things out, I've found they don't act any different to when it is bright sunshine, heads down and grazing!
 
I have to say it annoys me somewhat too. Unfortunately I have a horse who will not be out alone and all these "my little pony" owners as they seem to be dubbed, are forcing me to keep mine in on days I'd rather have her out.

That said I do sometimes have to keep her in when I work funny hours - but that is because other owners would leave her out alone with out telling me!

Oh the joys of DIY livery.
 
I agree with what you say about the 'My little pony' gang, they are a common phenomenon around here too.
Our two are kept on DIY livery, they are happiest out, and I'll only bring them in if vet/farrier are expected or they have been out in the wet & mud and their legs need to dry off.
The horrified look on their faces is funny when I shut the stable door and yell "Bye bye!!!" They'd rather be out in the pouring rain than cooped up all night.
Our grey, cannot tolerate prolonged rain so she's ok to go out with her rug on..she is pristine under the rug with dappled mud/grass/who knows all over her neck and head
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'my little pony' owners, never heard the before - good one!

We are a bit like that at our yard I guess, some of us obv not all, there are horses that 'dont' do rain so stay in alot.

I suppose my pony is a bit princessfied, but I have become uber-paranoid about mud fever after her having it badly, but I am getting better and have put her out in snow and rain, but if its hammering down she looks out the barn and says No! and i think well fair enough! but anything other than gale force downpours then she goes out usually, thats what i spent hundreds on rugs for!!
 
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