No winter turnout how does everyone survive??

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polly123

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Hi, I have just moved onto a livery yard that does not allow winter turnout and am finding it difficult for my horse and myself adjusting. Any suggestions to make life easier for us both would be greatly appreciated. (BTW I had no choice but to move to the yard as we lost our grazing and this was only yard with spaces.)
 
it's difficult... ours are heavily restricted but are usually allowed the mornings out in the field at the moment, but we have had periods of a week or 2 when they haven't been able to go out at all.

TBH, the horses have coped with it well. Provided they have company, plenty of forage and are given a decent amount of exercise daily mine are fairly content, though I hate it and it's a lot of work - I try to get them both out of their boxes twice a day then.

I feed lots of hay and they have grass nuts in treat balls when they are stood in.

I have, many moons ago, been on a yard with no winter turnout at all and the whole yard was settled and happy in their routine so it can be done, but the horses could be quite cheerful on exercise.

Lots of people will say they would never go on a yard like that, but I know sometimes you just get backed into a corner and there's no way round it. :rolleyes:
 
Ours are mostly in over winter. They are fine and happy, excercised once a day, and worked once a day - so out twice EVERY day. Horses are adaptable creatures and as long as they are fed according to their work, and are worked, they are absolutely 100%.
 
Ours is restricted at the moment - more bog than field.

We have a horse walker though and pretty much everything uses it (apart from the odd horse that causes chaos by refusing to move). Horses tend to go on in shifts when they are being mucked out and it just gives them a leg stretch.
 
Very easily. Routine is the key - horses soon settle into the new way of things when they start living in, as long as they have clear expectations.

When old pony had to stay in with foot problems, we took him to hand graze occasionally. Had to stop that, because he got bargey in the stable trying to get out to graze. As soon as we swapped to just keeping him in/tied up outside, he calmed down - because he knew that everything else was off the table.

We're lucky in that the yard has a horse walker and sand pens in which they can roll - I have found that enabling them to roll goes a long way to keeping them happy when in.
 
We also have a walker so mine goes on the walker and then I exercise her at night. We have one who we never see the owner and he goes on the walker 2x per day. I used to be on a yard with limited t/o and no walker and the horses were all pretty settled, but as owners you have to be pretty dedicated in not missing a days exercise!
 
Mine has no winter turnout as the yard owner hates seeing the fields trashed over winter (its very wet over here in the winter...). There are sandpits which he goes out in for an hour or so (longer at the weekends if the pits free) with another horse or two whilst I do chores and then he is normally ridden for an hour on top of that. He gets plenty of haylage and a treat ball along with turnips hung up on string to keep him occupied in the stable (though still doesnt stop him pulling his rugs down to play with :rolleyes:).

He spent ages 3-8 in this routine then I moved him to England where he had 3 days a week all day turnout in the winter so when we moved back over I expected him to throw a tantrum about having to be in so much again over winter but he has slotted right back into the old routine much to my relief. Ideally I'd rather he was out in the winter but unfortunately it just isn't possible at our yard.

I think it depends on the horse really how they handle it. Some cope fine, others go a bit crazy. I'm lucky mine is so laid back and as long as I don't give him too many days off in the week we don't have many mad moments when riding!
 
We don't have to keep ours in all the time but it will be restricted if the weather's really bad. Last year they were in for a fortnight straight at one point and the main way I got through it was by telling myself that soon it would be over. We do have a school but everybody fights to get in it at peak times, and we don't have a walker or turnout pens so we can't get them to self-exercise whilst doing our jobs. I find it very time consuming on top of a full time job when they are in.

My only suggestions are that if they are in I do all my jobs properly in the morning and in the evening it will be a quick lift out of the poos and top up of hay and water to try and save that being a full on chore at both ends of the day. I try and do a proper ride in the morning, even if only a quickie to stretch his legs, and then in the evening I just wander around with him in hand for a while. Grooming gets very functional too to save some time there. Stable toys can help with your horse's boredom and lots and lots of hay/haylage. You could do things like hide carrots and apples in his hay for him to find too. If there are other horses around and they are settled that should be a bonus as well.

My only other suggestion is can you go on a waitlist for somewhere that does allow turnout so at least you don't have to put up with it forever or is this your only option?
 
It is really hard and not good for the horse in my opinion.
I'm moving :)

Love the yard but too difficult seeing horses in during the winter even when the weather is good. We are off to out own place next month :)
 
I used to be at livery on a moorside, no turn out from October to April, the horse just seemed to know that was it. I brought him home one winter to a stable converted in our garage, as it seemed pointless paying for livery and I did not drive. He seemed quite content
 
That's stupid! Who the hell has a yard, but no turn out!

I was on a DIY yard, and YES in that bad winter when everywhere was flooding, we were on'lock down' for 13 weeks! . .

But I have never experienced a yard that has limited turn out . .i just would not pay for such a service!

I've recently moved yard and on livery . . Although I'm a little concerned about the limited time of turn out in the field . . I've put it down to it being the hours the grooms work . . . So yard starts at 7.30, and horses go out I reckon for 8.30, 9 . .and start coming back in at 14.30. First out first in . . . I can cope with this (for now) . .

But anyone having no turn out . . .MOVE! . . I could not stayed locked up in a stable . . It would be like a prison, without parole . .and only let out for yard exercise . . I would start having health and behaviour issues myself! . . .

And, im sorry if I've upset the apple cart . .but no way would I have my animal in that situation, unless it is temporarily purposes only . .not months on end! . .

Also, I must add, when we had that situation of 'lock down' in that bad year of weather . .the owner DID greatly reduce our rents! . . .
 
A touch OTT there I think JJF.

How far would you like people to move? we're on clay in my area.... so, should i upsticks and move house to somewhere with, say, chalk, so that I can access yards with different winter regimes? I better change my job too, while I'm at it, lol.
How are all the yards with well draining turnout going to cope with the influx of horses and owners who need to move in from places with poor draining land I wonder ?!
 
jumping.jack_flash said:
That's stupid! Who the hell has a yard, but no turn out!

I was on a DIY yard, and YES in that bad winter when everywhere was flooding, we were on'lock down' for 13 weeks! . .


But I have never experienced a yard that has limited turn out . .i just would not pay for such a service!

I've recently moved yard and on livery . . Although I'm a little concerned about the limited time of turn out in the field . . I've put it down to it being the hours the grooms work . . . So yard starts at 7.30, and horses go out I reckon for 8.30, 9 . .and start coming back in at 14.30. First out first in . . . I can cope with this (for now) . .

But anyone having no turn out . . .MOVE! . . I could not stayed locked up in a stable . . It would be like a prison, without parole . .and only let out for yard exercise . . I would start having health and behaviour issues myself! . . .

And, im sorry if I've upset the apple cart . .but no way would I have my animal in that situation, unless it is temporarily purposes only . .not months on end! . .

Also, I must add, when we had that situation of 'lock down' in that bad year of weather . .the owner DID greatly reduce our rents! . . .
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Is it because people are running yards with too many horses on too little acreage? I am on ghastly heavy clay that goes to welly-sucking bog in the winter. I have winter sacrifice paddocks, each invested with 10 x 20 metre hard standing at great expense so the horses can get out of the mud.
 
I find posts like this terribly depressing I'm afraid. IMHO I don't see why all yards can't have a 'sacrifice' paddock so that all horses get a least a couple of hours out every day. Our paddocks look horrific by the end of the winter but we have a yard full of happy, SANE and healthy horses and yes, it's not cheap to resow and dress them etc after they move to summer paddocks, but frankly if I couldn't provide daily turnout all year round I would not be operating as a livery yard. It's no wonder there are so many 'badly' behaved horses up and down the country!
 
The cost of land round here stands at in excess of £10,000 an acre. It costs a fortune to build and maintain stables, fencing etc. Yet the price people are prepared to pay for livery remains low. No wonder yard owners cram them on.
 
I did many years with restricted winter turnout, but they still got a few hours a day, but I would never go back to that.

We are so lucky that we have brilliant land and we don't overgraze, horses are paired and we have more fields than horses so we rotate. We have absolutely zero mud now and the horses get full days every day.
 
chocolategirl said:
I find posts like this terribly depressing I'm afraid. IMHO I don't see why all yards can't have a 'sacrifice' paddock so that all horses get a least a couple of hours out every day. Our paddocks look horrific by the end of the winter but we have a yard full of happy, SANE and healthy horses and yes, it's not cheap to resow and dress them etc after they move to summer paddocks, but frankly if I couldn't provide daily turnout all year round I would not be operating as a livery yard. It's no wonder there are so many 'badly' behaved horses up and down the country!
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there have been a lot of threads on here about badly behaved horses... I don't think a lack of winter turnout is the cause in most cases tbh. My horses are well behaved whether they are in or out, it's about training, appropriate feeding and exercise. We'd all love 24/7 turnout on top of that, but the reality is quite different for a lot of people and wishing it was different doesn't change the price of land.
 
Yes, a sacrificed paddock . .or restricted turnout, minimum half days . . . It's just not fair for the horses, or the owners . .. Regardless, It's stressful all round.

I didn't wan to be harsh . .but I WOULD do whatever I can to keep my animal mobile and happy.

As someone has also said . . Yards are squeezing as many horses in as possible, forgetting about the winter months . . and then wonder why people get upset when turn out is stopped.

It's just is not good business savy! . .happy horses = happy owners, which = profit and good productivity with excellent clients, who WILL pay more in the long term for an excellent service! . . .
 
Its a difficult one, Ive been on a yard with turnout, basically turned to mud and they trashed it even more as they played, ran round, ripped rugs and risked injury if not from running around, from wanting food., soon stood at the gate wanting in. Putting out piles of hay/hayledge works for small herds but can be difficult or not allowed on livery yards. I moved to a yard that had no turnont, suprisingly it worked great, all the horses were in, no coming and going and they were all/ or seemed happy. This year we got turnout, but its been so hard, Ive been backwards and forwards 3 times a day to the yard to make sure she got out as we were told we had to respect the fields. Those that havent have horses up to their knees in mud and stood after a short while getting up to no good wanting to come in. Ive been lucky as a change of job made it possible to get my horse out for a short time but those horses that didnt get out for whatever reason seem as happy and chilled as they were previously. In an ideal world winter turnout is great, lovely flat green fields but land is now at a premium and lots of yards just dont have enough to allow it to be wrecked. I think routine is the key and providing they get sufficient exercise, although not ideal no turnout can work.
 
I have a winter paddock, my horses go out everyday, whatever the weather. I'm a teacher and work a good way from home, so am unable to go back and forth getting horses in and out, over the course of the day. The go out, they eat their round bale and come in of an evening. I don't worry what the paddock looks like, it will grow back over the course of the summer. The horses are happy to go out and happy to come in for tea. They have yet to be dissolved by the mud or melted by the rain. Although we try to do our best for our horses, at times they have to fit into our life styles, I simply could not manage on a yard on restricted turnout and I would not want to keep my horses in all the time, as I personally think it's unfair on them. Riding them about is not the same as them having time in the paddock with their mates.
 
milliepops said:
A touch OTT there I think JJF.

How far would you like people to move? we're on clay in my area.... so, should i upsticks and move house to somewhere with, say, chalk, so that I can access yards with different winter regimes? I better change my job too, while I'm at it, lol.
How are all the yards with well draining turnout going to cope with the influx of horses and owners who need to move in from places with poor draining land I wonder ?!
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In the end horse ownership is not a basic human right for all people. If you cannot access suitable facilities in your area within your budget then you move or don't have a horse, its not complicated. I'm not saying this is your situation, but I do get sick of people saying they "have" to keep their horse permanently in this or that situation, because NO you don't. You could move, you could keep your horse on full / grass livery elsewhere and not see it as often or you could sell / rehome it.

Personally I moved to another country, taking a big risk by not having a new job lined up first, and a big factor in that decision was being able to afford land so I could keep my horse at home and living out. That was my decision and I understand people might have different priorities or ties that make it impossible. But moving and changing job is not some mad, impossible thing that no-one can ever or will ever do.

The only horses I have known that have seemed truly happy in full time were at the college I attended many years ago and were working hard around 2-3 hours every day, plus usually around 2 hours of handling in practical classes. They were all older retired competition horses.
 
It's not how I would want to keep my horse. However providing you can give a couple of hours exercise a day then the horse will probably be fine.
 
I have worked with horses all over the world and have kept horses in many different systems, horses are adaptable. Perhaps the only reason you "have" to turn out is if you are not capable of providing adequate exercise? Horses are only "stuck in" if you don't take them out, and riding, lunging or other active work is a lot more effective than hours standing around in a bog looking miserable......
 
Horses are herd animals. . . Even when the DIY yard was,on lock down for those bad weeks of weather one winter, I and others hired a broom to pop up and turn our horses out in the indoor school in pairs, whilst the stables were skipped back out, so the horses were not standing in their crap . .water topped up a d hay.

Our horses could groom and touch there field friend . . Yes it got expensive to hire someone . . but I would of done anything to keep my horse sane, and as comfortable as,possible,.

Must add, during lock down, I got up even earlier to share the indoor school with walking the horses around in hand (no horse walker) . .just to stretch their overnight legs . . and then popping them back in the stable until the lunch time groom could turn up. Then in the evening, sharing the indoor school with everyone walking in hand . .some did ride . . and trying to hand graze in the dark! . .

I would never move to a yard that has no winter grazing! . . .

Moving a horse and paying the extra in the LNG term for winter turn out, is more beneficial, than getting a vet for those stiff puffy joints, sore stiff backs . . .
 
jumping.jack_flash said:
Horses are herd animals. . . Even when the DIY yard was,on lock down for those bad weeks of weather one winter, I and others hired a broom to pop up and turn our horses out in the indoor school in pairs, whilst the stables were skipped back out, so the horses were not standing in their crap . .water topped up a d hay.

Our horses could groom and touch there field friend . . Yes it got expensive to hire someone . . but I would of done anything to keep my horse sane, and as comfortable as,possible,.

Must add, during lock down, I got up even earlier to share the indoor school with walking the horses around in hand (no horse walker) . .just to stretch their overnight legs . . and then popping them back in the stable until the lunch time groom could turn up. Then in the evening, sharing the indoor school with everyone walking in hand . .some did ride . . and trying to hand graze in the dark! . .

I would never move to a yard that has no winter grazing! . . .

Moving a horse and paying the extra in the LNG term for winter turn out, is more beneficial, than getting a vet for those stiff puffy joints, sore stiff backs . . .
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But if you actually RODE THE HORSE and exercised it properly then they wouldn't be getting the puffy joints, etc. etc...........
 
Cortez said:
Perhaps the only reason you "have" to turn out is if you are not capable of providing adequate exercise?
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Agreed. Personally I could never provide mine with what I would consider adequate exercise every day. Its much more manageable if the horse is working hard, but not that many private leisure horses do work hard in winter.
 
I love the way everyone thinks their horses love being out in a filthy wet, muddy turnout field in the tipping rain and searing east wind.

I have two mares - one is 26 and the other is retired and in foal. They are the only horses in this yard that go out during the wet winter months. This last week the old mare has managed nearly an hour before coming back to the gate and whinnying to attract attention. If you ignore her she starts to rattle the gate until she is brought in. Today was sunny and she stayed put for 3 hours. The in foal mare, an ex sport horse, is not much different. They hate being left out too long and I listen to them.
 
yards need to adapt to cope with the muddier situations that seem to be arising now in winter. personally i think it is intensely cruel to leave a horse stables 24/7 unless it gets out to do proper work, not just a half hour schooling session a day. it is no life at all for them to not be able to play, canter and socialise. I know ground type etc makes a massive difference, but they are simple things yards can do to think of the horses welfare.

I keep mine at home, but if i had to do livery and didn't have the time even something similar to the attached stable design in the link below would be a step up in the horses welfare. at least they have the choice of being in the sun or grooming over the fence. was at that yard recently for a show and thought it was a lovely solution to let stabled horses have a better quality of life. The stables have a small section outdoors that they horses can wander in and out of and interact with their neighbours

http://redhills-stud.ie/index.php/gallery/
 
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