Need to decide - is it right to keep my horses at home in the winter with minimal turn out?

[Wishfilly]

Hi, I would be happy to sacrifice a trashed area for winter turn out but the field is so wet that it would soon be deep mud, eg, I would be sinking half way up my wellies so they would be in deep mud. This is what happened the first year we were here and did not realise how the field would be.

What if you let them out there even for a short period every other day so they could have a bit of a roll, maybe a bit of a run around if they wanted it? I only say this because my pony would be miserable without the chance to roll relatively regularly, and I would worry about him doing this on concrete etc.

If you could give them a space where they can roll etc, then I think it would be fine!

 

[Clodagh]

Keep them at home! Your set up sounds a million times better than what many have. Stop overthinking. This forum would at times lead you to believe all horses should live in settled herds on 20 acres with access to spotless bedding and hand twined forage all winter. They don’t!

 

[PoniesRock]

Your winter yard sounds ideal. Room to stretch their legs without being stood in mud - from a mud fever pony owning person, this sounds ideal! Mine quite often, more so this winter… have refused to go out. They are very much content in with a pile of hay out of the weather. Mine would be miserable being made to go out every single day all winter. Horses for courses, but I would stick with what you’ve got!

 

[Honey08]

Mine spend a lot of the winter on my yard and the hard standing surrounding it. It’s not enormous but it’s enough that they stretch their legs, socialise, get to see what’s going on etc. I find they miss rolling more than anything- if you could add a sandpit or wood hip area they’d love it. I put haynets at various areas of the yard, so they wander from one to the other. I put water buckets in the middle (in a line) to make them walk round rather than across. I do put the odd rubber mat on the yard. The older horses seem to prefer standing on it. If there is any likelihood of frost I don’t sweep the yards, I’ve even been known to sprinkle bits of straw on the yard the evening before- it stops slipping. As my hard standing is road planings I put most nets on that if frosty. I try to get them in the field every three or four days - they really appreciate it.

 

[nikkimariet]

Sounds great to me

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Keep them at home! Your set up sounds a million times better than what many have. Stop overthinking. This forum would at times lead you to believe all horses should live in settled herds on 20 acres with access to spotless bedding and hand twined forage all winter. They don’t!

Indeed! I'd much rather horses had facilities like this than being inside 23 hours per day, with a couple of hours turnout every other day.

 

[Esyllt]

Jumped on to say I've done something similar this year. They have turn out for 8hrs + a day (we are also clay, and they have a sacrifice paddock of 1.5acres) and they come into a shed (about a stable and a half size, with bedding in) and a concrete yard space to mooch around in at night or on really awful days. They are both non ridden too, and are doing ok. Next winter I'm hoping to have mud mats galore out there, just waiting for a house sale to complete so I can buy a load!

 

[Landcruiser]

We are similar, heavy clay. Mine spend the winters in the concrete and agregate yard with open access stables. Straight off the yard is a 20 x 20 turnout, which is muddy when wet but not deep. Previous occupants put a load of rubble down followed by gritty sand, way back in the depths of time - when we moved in it looked like a grass paddock. We later extended a track off it by adding more builders rubble, straight on top of the grass, followed by road planings, followed by finer stuff. We did it over a couple of years and got rubble from a local landscaper (it was mostly old drives and outbuildings, picked through carefully and laid by hand, a real labour of love but £ free). We hired a mini digger a few times too, probably cost us about £1000 for 100m of useable track over the whole time. More recently we splashed out on an arena which is also off the turnout, so they can go in there for a roll even if the rest is really wet. But even with all that, this has been the hardest winter in 10 years of having them at home (first time I've had 4 here rather than 3, doesn't help)

 

[Apercrumbie]

Your setup sounds good but I would be looking at your schedule to see if you can up their work. I think you'll be surprised how unfit they will be coming out of winter too so make sure that's factored in to your summer plans (not sure if you compete or something similar so thought I'd mention)