New yard, no winter turnout. Shall I or not???

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Mary Poppins

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Not been happy at my yard for some time and really want to move my horses - Warmblood, Thoroughbred and Mini Shetland. The Warmblood is just used as a happy hacker as he has arthritis in his knees and doesn't like being turned out in the rain/wind/cold so he goes out for a couple of hours in the morning while I muck out then comes back in. The Thoroughbred is a rescue mare who cannot be ridden but goes out all day every day and the Shetland has a little paddock for herself as she gets lami.

However, I have been offered stables at another yard but they shut their fields for two months, December and January. I am worried how the horses would cope being in for 2 months with no turnout especially as the Thoroughbred cannot be ridden and I don't think walking in hand would be enough for her. Also the shetland wouldn't have a paddock.

Although I want to move to the yard, this is really concerning me. If I don't think the horses would be happy, I won't go. I would appreciate hearing what other people think.

Sorry for the essay. x
 
Sounds like hell to me, but then mine live out 24/7, and I would rather forego stables than turnout. If you have the time then I suppose you could graze them all in hand, but is there enough grass to do that, and realistically that is every horse teice a day for say 30 minutes each? It does sound like you're not totally convinced that it'll work for your horses either.
 
Personally I wouldn't. With arthritis it is usually better for them to be able to walk around as much as possible (though it must be difficult for a horse that doesn't like the rain).

For the vast, vast majority of horses it is healthier (physically and mentally) for them to have turnout.

I know how difficult it is to find a good yard though, so you have my sympathies :)
 
personally, i would NEVER move to a yard with that sort of turnout - my veteran & arthritic mare now lives out 24/7 [ well rugged & with ad-lib hay] - she is so much more sound & comfortable:)
i feel very strongly that horses need turnout for mobility & general sanity, so i wouldnt even consider it - sorry
 
I've always thought that having arthritis was dealt with better by being able to move about when needed, certainly turned the old boy around who we took on a few years ago...and the mini one, he won't see much over the stable door!

I wouldnt be happy to not have them going out for 2 months.

Good luck in making your choice!
 
Personally I wouldn't, I was looking to move some time age and found several great places facilities wise but all let down by turnout - which once I knew became far more important than anything else.

Plus, yards are rarely totally honest when you visit (my experience anyway) an I would worry that two months could be extended if bad weather hit.
 
Thanks for the quick replies!

I was umming and aahing whether to or not. At the new yard there is a outdoor school but unsure whether they let you turn out for a while in it.

Think you've made my mind up - I can't go if the horses won't be happy and I hadn't thought about bad weather extending the shut fields!

If this seems like a quick decision, it's really not. Been thinking about this for weeks and didn't know who else to ask as I don't really want the people at my yard knowing I am thinking of leaving!

Thanks guys. x
 
I wouldn't do it ..... horses need to eat grass occasionally and you'll be asking for gastric ulcers plus behaviour problems if they can't get out for two whole months. I can understand why the yard does it but surely they could have one field for turnout and then rotate it so horses got say some turnout every other day, or even once a week would be better than nothing.
 
i used to be on a yard with no turnout october-april :eek: we were allowed to turn out in the school but for a 'supervised play' so limited time. i have to say i honestly don't think that the horses minded- however, had to be very careful to ride/lunge or walk in hand every day which was (in retrospect) a pain. i now have full winter turnout (well, in at night but out all day if i want) and i have to say i prefer it- partly because my 5 year old would NOT cope being cooped up and it helps with my TB because i don't have the time/inclination to ride him everyday as well. i have to say with arthritic types i probably wouldn't risk it- different with horses that you can ride imo...
 
Dear God! No, the horses don't seem to mind??? Of course they mind, and if winter turnout not there, why, are there more horses than available fieldspace, I would run a flipping mile!!
 
ours get out in personal hard stand areas all day with bit nets rather than stand in stables. They get out when it is frosty and the gorund is hard. Mine (tb) is fine and will actually leave the field to go to her hard stand when she has had enough, either that or stand by the gate staring at me til i go and get her. It took a bit of time to get used to but it works for us. if she was in a muddy field all day she would be miserable and have mud fever up to her bum.
stabled at night obviously.
 
diggerbez said:
i used to be on a yard with no turnout october-april :eek: we were allowed to turn out in the school but for a 'supervised play' so limited time. i have to say i honestly don't think that the horses minded- however, had to be very careful to ride/lunge or walk in hand every day which was (in retrospect) a pain. i now have full winter turnout (well, in at night but out all day if i want) and i have to say i prefer it- partly because my 5 year old would NOT cope being cooped up and it helps with my TB because i don't have the time/inclination to ride him everyday as well. i have to say with arthritic types i probably wouldn't risk it- different with horses that you can ride imo...
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I too have been in a yard like this & if in April weather still not great, it has been extended until JUNE!!

Never ever again would I do it. I had a fantastic horse who went on to develop navicular (the old fashioned type where the bone crumbles) I was told by the veterinary hospital & my own vets that standing in a stable for 23 hours a day could actually CAUSE navicular due to the lack of blood circulation in the feet.

He may still have got it but I can never forgive myself that I could have contributed to the risk :(

Now in a yard with all year turnout, would never go back to no turnout. When the weather is horrendous, my lad is quite happy to have a couple of hours out & then wants to come in again. I am happy to bring him in again rather than see him standing miserable at the gate (he only does this if weather particularly bad)

But the big difference is I have the choice to turn out even if for a short time. It is NOT the same to turnout in a sandschool for a play, I know from experience sadly
 
Iwouldn'tmove, butwouldkeep looking for now.
Your arthritic horse won't benefit from prolonged standing in, he needs to keep his joints bending to stop it getting worse.
Shetland probably wouldn't mind but it won't do her any good either as you need to keep her moving to avoid more attacks.
I can't understand the yards who do this, even a small paddock you have to rest should be available for a couple of hours a day for every horse. Yes, it takes some time to recover but it will.
 
I certainly wouldn't move to a yard with no winter turnout and as others have said the period could be extended if the weather is particularly bad. I know some professional yards keep horses inside all the time but they can exercise every day.
It sounds to me as though this yard has too many horses for the available land. There are far too many people trying to make money out of desperate horse-owners IMO.
 
I think you have definitely made the right decision in not moving there OP. No turnout is an absolute no no for me and the horses.
 
Been there, done that and NEVER again.
My mare was horrible to me after being kept in for 5 weeks.
Winter is expensive enough anyway, so the amount you pay for their bedding and hay gets ridiculous.
 
Interesting to read the replies. At my yard we do have year round 24/7 turnout if wanted, we have stables to use if necc but my lad and a few others are out 24/7 anyway. Bought in a couple of hours before being ridden to have feed and hay. BUT alot of the 'precious' type owners have their horses in for most of the winter...well cos you never know they might slip or get wet apparently!!! :rolleyes: In effect because alot of them are not ridden much either (we all know the type of horse owner I mean!) the horses are in 24/7 for 3 or in some cases up to 6 months of the year!! I'll admit I was shocked by this but as it was 2 or 3 different owners that did this I assumed maybe I had missed something in the 'how to keep a frigile horse safe' manual. ;)
 
Another who wouldn't go where they restricted turnout for that period of time. Did it once years ago and it was a real struggle to keep my TB happy. We sometimes aren't allowed out in the fields but we are talking real weather extremes such as when it was snowing heavily when they weren't allowed out - and in that instance it was because the YO deemed it was going to be too dangerous to try to walk all the horses out (and having fallen over umpteen times I did agree!) - but as soon as it settled a bit, everything got booted up and chucked up!
 
Personally I feel it's cruel to keep a horse in 24/7, especially for the arthritic boy, as it is really important that he keeps mobile.
 
BuBbleMooJim said:
Dear God! No, the horses don't seem to mind??? Of course they mind, and if winter turnout not there, why, are there more horses than available fieldspace, I would run a flipping mile!!
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honestly they were fine! i stayed there for 5 years! i think in the case of my TB though- he was never turned out in the winter when he was racing- in fact i don't think he was ever turned out much so he didn't really know what to do with himself!
having said that...i wouldn't go back to it now i have to say- the TB has practically gone feral :D
i think it does sometimes depend upon whereabouts in the country that you live. i'm in lancashire which is wet all of the time and there are probably more yards with no turnout/very limited turnout than there are with full turnout- took me ages to find one!
 
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