No turnout in winter - thoughts?

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TwinnyOlive

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Hi all

I moved to a yard recently which is perfect aside from that with all the wet weather recently (fields don't seem to drain well at all), there is now no turnout until the spring and horses all in 24/7. I've never had this before and really struggling to get used to it, although my horse seems happy enough living in & it is convenient for competing etc.. I was just wondering if anyone had any tips/experiences on keeping their horse in all the time and what other peoples routines are? I ride 6 days a week & we have access to a walker as well as compete regularly so there is some variety for her but still struggling with not turning out.

TIA!
 
Personal view, but I think horses need to go out as much as possible and need to interact with each other, including when they are inside (e.g. half height partitions). Sorry, this doesn't answer your question re how to cope, but if it is at all possible I think you should be looking to move ASAP to a yard that has enough land to allow turn out, at least for a few hours each day.
 
Did you know before you moved that this was likely? Anything in writing saying you needed winter turnout that you could throw back at the YO?

Very little advice to give I'm afraid. If any of your fellow liveries are up at odd times of the day could you pay them to pop your horse on the walker for 30 mins? I'm not sure how you'll manage with fitness if they aren't out and moving either, but that will take some time to materialise. Just be careful because I have seen horses explode on the lunge when they've been in for days on end and apart from your own safety it isn't great for their legs.
 
Can the horse be put on the walker half way through the day if so that what I would do.
I would try to work am and pm every day you can .
I would stop the day off .
 
I have moved from yards because they did not offer the choice of daily turnout in winter. I don't mind the odd day in during extreme weather, but otherwise I find it unacceptable for the quality of life I want my horses to enjoy. Even a morning out in the field, socialising, grazing and moving freely is better than being confined to a stable.
A horse that is exercised for two to three hours a day probably fares better, but even so, the freedom of movement enjoyed during turnout cannot be mimicked.
 
Petalpoos said:
Personal view, but I think horses need to go out as much as possible and need to interact with each other, including when they are inside (e.g. half height partitions). Sorry, this doesn't answer your question re how to cope, but if it is at all possible I think you should be looking to move ASAP to a yard that has enough land to allow turn out, at least for a few hours each day.
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it's not just a personal view, it is well documented that horses who live in stables without a good level of regular physical contact with other horses have significant levels of stress. Another recent study showed that bone density in stabled horses can decrease. Of course some horses cope for short periods but keeping in until spring is a welfare issue IMO

Sorry OP but your yard has put you and your horse in an unacceptable position and I would be looking elsewhere at somewhere with hardstanding turnout at the very minimum
 
TwinnyOlive said:
Hi all

I moved to a yard recently which is perfect aside from that with all the wet weather recently (fields don't seem to drain well at all), there is now no turnout until the spring and horses all in 24/7. I've never had this before and really struggling to get used to it, although my horse seems happy enough living in & it is convenient for competing etc.. I was just wondering if anyone had any tips/experiences on keeping their horse in all the time and what other peoples routines are? I ride 6 days a week & we have access to a walker as well as compete regularly so there is some variety for her but still struggling with not turning out.

TIA!
Click to expand...
Quite a lot of yards have this problem especially if they are on clay or peat. The fields are too wet to facilitate horses going out. One of the yards I was at had a 'sandpit' split in two and a pair would go out for 2 hours a day. We were only a small yard of horses and the racehorses weren't included in the turnout regime so all the liveries went out. To my surprise it really suited my horse - at the time she was recovering from a tendon injury and the benefits of having dry rugs/legs/no mud fever, made a refreshing change.

If you are on assisted DIY maybe the staff can put your horse on the walker in the morning for 20 mins - it might break up her day. Maybe fill up a couple of tubs of hay and get the staff to throw them over the door. Buy a snackaball and fill it up, and maybe get a stable toy or make some with veg dangling on a string. You have to dangle anything away from the edges of the walls though, otherwise they just push things against the wall and they are gone in seconds lol. You could also leave a radio on, on a classical station or talk station, low volume, so you don't annoy others. Batteries these days are cheap enough from places like the pound shops so you could leave a radio on all day long and not worry about it costing an arm and a leg!
 
Ours are at home and have open access to their stable, hardstanding and fields. Even in the worst weather and the muddiest conditions they chose to be out in it most of the time, they only seem to come in for an afternoon snooze, and for a change, but most of the time they want their fields. No turnout at all for months seems harsh.
 
I have done similar with a yard I was at, but they did have 4 hrs out twice a week (trash paddock that was rotated).

In the morning they went on the walker for 20-30 mins whilst the bed was sorted. In the evening they were worked. Weekends was hacking to get them out in straight lines.

I think they also need provision (all weather turnout paddock) for if they are ill (such as throwing a splint) and can't do circles. Either that or you would have to move at short notice.

I once knew a horse who was in a metal framed building all winter. It had stables down one side and an arena over a 4ft wall. The horse never left the building all winter. It was ridden and/or turned on the arena whilst mucked out. Occasionally it was out for longer in a pair in the arena. It did not experience sunny daylight or have breezy fresh air. The building was light and not unpleasant, but unsurprisingly when she did eventually venture out, she was rather naughty.
 
my old stallion had 24/7 turnout with an open stable for shelter (which I could close him in for safety if we were doing anything with the mares close by) from when the weather turned until spring he would 'stable' himself. He would come out to 'go to the bathroom', but apart from that he was not for coming out (god forbid he get is feet muddy). So I think stabling might work for some, Caddi would probably of loved it. but its not something I would be happy with for more than a few days at a time.

I like the idea of limited turn out in winter from a convenience point of view. ie horses turned out til lunchtime then come in to a haynet, stand in for a few hours to dry off and are dry ready for owner to ride in the evening.

When my parents ran a livery/stud back in the 90's the stallions would have turnout in the indoor school or in a paddock for an hour before the liveries went out. The only time anything had to stay in for a whole 24 hour period was if the yard was 2 icy/slippy to safely bring them out of the stables. If this happened they would all have a constant supply of hay and feeds would be split over 4 instead of 2. They all had big straw beds (which some chose to eat) and would be skipped out several times a day.

I'm glad I'm a southern softy now - winter in the peak district was long and hard!
 
I don't like it, and have moved from yards that tried to pull that one on me. It's like boxrest with extra work (exercising), and nobody likes boxrest as it is.
 
Firstly I would be looking at moving yards - it isn’t ideal considering you’ve only just moved but better than no turnout imo. Horses need social interaction and time to be horses. It is tricky to get that if they’re in all the time.
If you can’t move, then I would be most worried about boredom and exercise. Possibly joints too? Can’t imagine it’s good on their legs to be standing all day, naturally they move as they graze. So I would have a big bed and rubber matting if possible, plus walker as well as being ridden.
If your horse likes stable toys, you could try those to help with boredom - likit do different types (very sugary though so do watch their intake), treat balls, and hay balls - though I think they would mess up a shavings bed. Could she be turned out in the arena with a friend at some point during the day? Depends on how busy your arena is but it is a chance to stretch legs and say hello to another horse.
Do you have much hacking where you are? Could you go on long hacks for a bit of variety and to help with fitness? Hope this helps a little, personally I could not keep a horse without turnout but if you can’t move then it is a case of doing the best you can for your horse.
 
I've been on a yard that only turned out in pairs in the indoor school over winter whilst staff mucked them out, so maybe 45 minutes a day. I was a child (with non-horsey parents) and thought 'putting him to bed in his PJs' was nice. I rode every day, and put all my struggles with my horse's behaviour down to his young age and me being little, but now I can see the blindingly obvious - he was absolutely bored witless and frustrated. I'd never do it again to any horse - I honestly believe now with hindsight that it's just cruel. What other animal would you put in a box that small for that long?

Sorry, OP - I can imagine you're feeling really stressed about this and emotive replies probably don't help, but it is quite an emotive topic. I hope you can find somewhere lovely that suits both you and your horse.
 
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OP Just be careful when you move. WHen I moved from the yard I was at to the first yard there was no turn out if it was raining. It was a SJ yard and the girl renting it at the time didn't like the paddocks chopped up when wet! Even if it were drizzling they stayed in which I wasn't happy about. Their answer was to stick them on the walker twice a day for an hour at a time, no good for my horse with a tendon injury.

So when I moved to the next yard I deliberately asked them if they did winter turnout. I was told yes. But then it turned out that winter turnout was 2 hours a day in a sandpit. I never thought I would be conned like that but like I said before it worked really well.
 
Unfortunately this seems to be very common at a lot of yards - I've definitely found it with yards for competition horses. At my last one the horses went out for 2 hours just twice a week max. The rest of the time they were on the walker or being ridden and they often didn't go out for days at a time if something was being done in the field etc. It's so tricky as it seems so common and often the people running the yards don't think it's an issue - which makes the liveries not think it's an issue either!

I put up with it for a short amount of time but it sends the horses loopy especially when it's cold and I just felt so awful putting them back in their boxes after they'd done some good work! They are now moved and as soon as they're worked they go straight out into the field for a roll and a play and they'll stay out.

While I did put up with it at the time, I do think it's cruel and people who say it's not are just trying to ease their guilt.
 
Had to do it a year or so ago. Horses were unridden and no school to work in. They became almost unmanageable when leading anywhere. It would probably have been different if we could have worked them.
 
Another one who wouldnt do it. Ours will stay in the odd day, maybe 5 in a whole winter. I think robin would become and unexploaded bomb even being ridden every day.
 
I wouldn’t stay on a hard like this, nor would I rely on a horse walker which must be almost as boring as standing in a stable. Swap the word “stable” for “cage” and it seems worse, but it is the same thing. Most people would be horrified to see a dog kept in a crate 24/7 with little interaction yet some do it routinely with horses.
 
Horses on the continent often live like this. I personally wouldn’t have an issue with it if I had a horse that dealt with it mentally, the horse was on a walker and also being ridden every day.

It wouldn’t work for every horse but actually for mine it would probably be fine, despite him being hot.

I wouldn’t consider it for a horse that wasn’t in full, hard work.

Edited - basically cross posted with Cortez.

Re it being similar to a dog being crated all day, what about working dogs? They are often kennelled except for when working/exercising. Is that cruel?
 
Just one hour of turnout a day makes a huge difference compared to no turnout at all. The horse can have a roll, a buck and a fart, and then some grazing. I successfully kept a horse like this for three years before we moved here. He was also hacked or schooled for at least an hour a day on 6 or 7 days a week, plus it was a yard where there was always something happening, so the horses didn’t get bored. They were chilled and relaxed.
 
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