OK to change routine from day to day?

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goatbabies

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Hi all,

New horse came a couple of days ago, she was stabled for the first couple of nights. She is getting on great with her new field mates who live out 24/7. The weather up here is pretty good, cold but sunny and dry, and I was thinking as long as the torrential rain doesn't start to just leave her out tonight if she is quite happy. I'll bring her in to the stable for dinner just to get her used to coming in and out of her new stable.

Does anyone else leave out or stable depending on what the weather is doing that day? My thought is she will be warmer moving about and grazing all night rather than being stood in her stable, she has a huge winter coat and a big heavyweight rug on too.

Anyone think it's a good or bad thing to chop and change routine? I'm fairly chilled out about routines, just wondering what everyone else's thoughts are!
 
I actually think it is worse to keep a Horse in a strict routine, it causes so many problems, the Horse then starts stressing if it does change. What happens when unavoidable things happen to cause you to be late?

My Horse doesn't have a routine, she fits around my life, not the other way around. For instance, Saturday she was ridden in the morning and kept in during day, Sunday she was turned out all day, today she was turned out in the morning then I got in at 1. She never stresses because she never knows whats shes doing. Shes a very laid back girl because of it.

I would leave your Horse out tonight personally :)
 
Depends on the horse. My in-laws have a couple horses who they keep at home and the horses' routines fit around their lives and the weather. The horses are chilled out and happy as larry. On the other hand, my horse has a nervous breakdown if her routine is changed around and has made it abundantly clear that she won't simply adapt to or put up with such circumstances.

I was feeling rather envious of the in-laws and their thoroughly non-neurotic horses.
 
I disagree with deliberately not having them in a routine to make life easier for us as the humans. Routine is important for their well being and I have a happier horse because of it.

There is a horse at my yard that has no routine what so ever and is constantly at the gate because she doesn't know when she's coming in - some days not at all other days in at night and some times in during day. She's a sweet little thing but is starting to become grumpy with not knowing what the hell is going on.

I also think a lot of it depends on temperament, some take it all in their stride, other stress over it.
 
I fit my 4 horses one being a foal round me because of work i work 12 hour shifts and they could be anything from 5am -5pm to 12pm-12am they dont mind they dont wait at the gate they come to the gate when i call them they live out unless weather is crap then they might come in if its persistant rain or snow
 
I like having a horse in a routine. It's good for them, and it makes life easier for the owner.

However, what you're proposing OP seems entirely reasonable. Give it a go.
 
I suspect horses are all different but mine seem very happy with my complete lack of routine, some morings they are turned out at 5am (if I'm in work early) others it's 8.30 - sometimes in for weeks at night in bad weather then if we get a run of dry they will be out again overnight (even if that's Feb)
 
I'm sorry but I do think it causes problems.

If your Horse is always turned out at 7am, everyday, what happens when 1 day you are caught in traffic, and don't arrive until 7.45am? does your Horse stress for that 45 minutes? or if you don't bring in until 6pm, what happens when you need to get in early for vets appoitment?

The majority of Horse behaviour issues are caused by humans. I believe there are some Horses that need a strict routine, however I think there are only a handful.

There was a lady at my yard who kept her Horse in such a strict routine, she had to run her life by him. She was 20 minutes late to bring in, he jumped out and injured himself. He also got in such a state he had mild colic. Easily avoidable.

I have never seen my Horse wait by the gate just to add.
 
I agree with LaurenBay, and in fact I think keeping them in a routine is a human thing created for our convenience/because we know what the time is, and isn't very good for them, things such as pacing the fence before you arrive, hanging at the gate, banging the door and getting stressed around feed time spring to mind.

I think if horses have previously had a routine in a previous home then they will expect it forever more and find it hard to adapt, but I think most youngsters can be brought up around a loose routine. Obviously being fed at some point (!) and baring in mind the routine of others around them. I don't think it is very fair to have some in a routine and some not. Partly why I don't like stabling especially on big yards and my horse lives out so I don't think she really has much concept of time, she knows that I will be there at some point and I am sure she would be concerned if it got dark and I hadn't been there yet but that's about it!

I think some latch onto routine more easily than others, like people I suppose.
 
LaurenBay said:
I'm sorry but I do think it causes problems.

If your Horse is always turned out at 7am, everyday, what happens when 1 day you are caught in traffic, and don't arrive until 7.45am? does your Horse stress for that 45 minutes? or if you don't bring in until 6pm, what happens when you need to get in early for vets appoitment?

The majority of Horse behaviour issues are caused by humans. I believe there are some Horses that need a strict routine, however I think there are only a handful.

There was a lady at my yard who kept her Horse in such a strict routine, she had to run her life by him. She was 20 minutes late to bring in, he jumped out and injured himself. He also got in such a state he had mild colic. Easily avoidable.

I have never seen my Horse wait by the gate just to add.
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A horse in a routine is a happy, settled horse. And no, none of mine have ever stressed if I'm late either am or pm.

And my horses do run my life, unfortunately. Them first, me and everything else second.
 
I seem to remember us having this debate before AmyMay? (may be wrong though)

Mine is also a happy settled Horse. I just think it would be so stressful for people to have to rush around to see to our Horses. She does fit in around my life, that does not mean she doesn't get seen to however. Its just when its conviniant(sp?) for me to go up.
 
LaurenBay said:
I actually think it is worse to keep a Horse in a strict routine, it causes so many problems, the Horse then starts stressing if it does change. What happens when unavoidable things happen to cause you to be late?

My Horse doesn't have a routine, she fits around my life, not the other way around. For instance, Saturday she was ridden in the morning and kept in during day, Sunday she was turned out all day, today she was turned out in the morning then I got in at 1. She never stresses because she never knows whats shes doing. Shes a very laid back girl because of it.

I would leave your Horse out tonight personally :)
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This ^^

I found that the worst horse we had (ex racer) was far more relaxed when things were all random. The second a feed started going out on the dot and X happening to him, he fell apart when changed. I find it's when horses gate hang and wind up when brought in at the same time each day, same person, same horses in etc.

All ours are expected to come in/feed/work when I want, not when it's X time. None are fussed by it.
I don't do almighty changes in diet/feeding hours/bringing in etc though. All ours are out 24/7. When hayed/haylage it will be twice daily or ad lib and no hard feed. The thing I expect them to be flexible on curently is work. It suits them down to the ground, them always come over and happily work/play and are equally just as happy to play with the herd while I'm playing with others.

If for any reason I had a horse on individual turnout, or in a small herd (2/3) then this would be different as the herd is no longer there. Ours are a field of 15+ currently mixing and matching in two herds which I do think makes a difference on what you choose to do.
 
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scottishmiss said:
Hi all,

New horse came a couple of days ago, she was stabled for the first couple of nights. She is getting on great with her new field mates who live out 24/7. The weather up here is pretty good, cold but sunny and dry, and I was thinking as long as the torrential rain doesn't start to just leave her out tonight if she is quite happy. I'll bring her in to the stable for dinner just to get her used to coming in and out of her new stable.

Does anyone else leave out or stable depending on what the weather is doing that day? My thought is she will be warmer moving about and grazing all night rather than being stood in her stable, she has a huge winter coat and a big heavyweight rug on too.

Anyone think it's a good or bad thing to chop and change routine? I'm fairly chilled out about routines, just wondering what everyone else's thoughts are!
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What you are proposing sounds fine. I think it is sensible to adapt what you do according to the weather as it affects what you do with them whether that be rugging or stabling. Horses out all the time adapt what they do in weather conditions like this. Mine are out 24/7 on decent grazing and with access to field shelters. They definitely spend more time in their shelters when the rain is as torrential as it has been here in the last few days. That said I would be trying to ensure they have a reasonably consistent feed intake, but it sounds as though you will do that.

On the routine point I think a routine is helpful, but that does not mean it cannot be adapted. There are some days when I have to work 14 hours and then they get a very early start and no riding. The majority of the time though they know they get ridden, they will get some sort of feed e.g. grazed in hand or fed haylage depending on time of year and then left to get on with it until evening when they will get checked over and depending on the time of year fed.

However, when I have had to stable them I was far more conscious that I did not want them standing in for hours on end and so they were brought in as late as possible at night and then turned out early in the mornings. That worked out at the same time so far as possible every day. I didn't work such variable hours then though.
 
pegasus1986 said:
I fit my 4 horses one being a foal round me because of work i work 12 hour shifts and they could be anything from 5am -5pm to 12pm-12am they dont mind they dont wait at the gate they come to the gate when i call them they live out unless weather is crap then they might come in if its persistant rain or snow
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I'm the same, I work long shifts as a nurse. Horses mainly live out but do come in if the weather is terrible. They never wait at the gate, seem very happy. They come to the gate when they hear my car.
 
I think if your horses mostly live out, a variable routine is fine. My horses are as laid back as you like-at weekends my horse isn't turned out first thing as he is in the week as I ride first thing-especially in the winter. Sometimes he stays out, sometimes he doesn't-same with the ponies, they are all fine alone as well. They should be able to be happy with the odd day in/out overnight etc without having a nervous breakdown. I have them at home, all their needs are met and then some so yes, partly they have to fit around me and the 2 jobs I work to make sure they have what they have.
I rent out half the yard to another who, IMO, has made a rod for her own back having 3 horses that have to do the same thing day after day and who can't be left alone without shouting the place down and box walking.

(obviously if they are in, you can't just roll up when you want to!)
 
Well another one here for having your horses suit you as much as possible. To be fair mine are happier living out, but its not always practical for all sorts of reasons. Mine also dont stress if I dont turn up at the dot of 6.30 am. Both of miine are well cared for and loved, however, I would be telling porkies if i said I run my life around them. I go up twice a day, whether they are in or out. If they are out I am more flexible with my timings, if they are in I try and arrange it around the other liveries so they are not the last to be fed etc.

I think there has to be a degree of sensibleness in all of this if I am honest.
 
peteralfred said:
I think if your horses mostly live out, a variable routine is fine. My horses are as laid back as you like-at weekends my horse isn't turned out first thing as he is in the week as I ride first thing-especially in the winter. Sometimes he stays out, sometimes he doesn't-same with the ponies, they are all fine alone as well. They should be able to be happy with the odd day in/out overnight etc without having a nervous breakdown.

(obviously if they are in, you can't just roll up when you want to!)
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this:)
mine live out so their routine is very flexible, they hear my car and know that means food so they are by the gate when i get to the field but i can see them as i come down the main track and they're not gate waiting. at the moment they're on stable rotation (1 stable, 4 horses) just to give their legs a break from the mud, when one is in I make sure i am there first thing in the morning to turn him/her out but the afternoon time varies according to work, after school clubs etc:)
 
I agree with LaurenBay too. The most stressed yards I saw were ones that were run on a strict timetable. Naturally not all the horses were affected to the same degree. Some took it in their stride, but there were typically a few that became het up at mealtimes through anticipation of being fed, presumably they were conditioned to the preceding parts of a fixed routine - i.e. certain sights, sounds and smells were cues to let them know that they would be fed in x minutes and these were repeated every single day without fail. So for a period of time they were on high alert. Some even showed stereotypies like box walking and weaving specifically at mealtimes.

In contrast, on yards where feeding (and other activities) were carried out on a varying, 'lackadaisical' basis (e.g. DIY livery), the horses generally seemed less hyper. That is just my personal impression and it's certainly not scientific. I wouldn't be surprised if one of the colleges have looked more rigorously into this matter; and if they haven't, they probably should!
 
I like some sort of routine and so do my animals. When you have a hectic lifestyle with lots of animals and a family you have to have some sort of routine.
 
fburton said:
I agree with LaurenBay too. The most stressed yards I saw were ones that were run on a strict timetable. Naturally not all the horses were affected to the same degree. Some took it in their stride, but there were typically a few that became het up at mealtimes through anticipation of being fed, presumably they were conditioned to the preceding parts of a fixed routine - i.e. certain sights, sounds and smells were cues to let them know that they would be fed in x minutes and these were repeated every single day without fail. So for a period of time they were on high alert. Some even showed stereotypies like box walking and weaving specifically at mealtimes.

In contrast, on yards where feeding (and other activities) were carried out on a varying, 'lackadaisical' basis (e.g. DIY livery), the horses generally seemed less hyper. That is just my personal impression and it's certainly not scientific. I wouldn't be surprised if one of the colleges have looked more rigorously into this matter; and if they haven't, they probably should!
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I used to be at an Equine college. They would get so stressy around feed time, that many would weave,boxwalk,kick out at the others. The students would have to go round and turn the feed mangers round and then the Horses would know they would soon be fed. Unfourtantly there were so many and it was done in the same order everynight. By the time we got to the last ones they were so worked up, bless them :(
 
fizzer said:
I like some sort of routine and so do my animals. When you have a hectic lifestyle with lots of animals and a family you have to have some sort of routine.
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I think that's absolutely fine if your animals cope or even thrive on it - and by the sound of it they do. All I'm saying is that some horses appear to suffer from routines that are too fixed and predictable, and those ones may actually benefit from not learning to anticipate feeding at certain times and because of certain cues. I don't think it's wise to generalize and state that all horses like routine when clearly that isn't the case.
 
For people whose horses are stabled, of course you end up in a routine. You have to be a job at a certain time, finish at a certain time and so the horse is done ... at a certain time. When I was on DIY, I would do mine and a friends horses in the morning, they would bring in at night and feed Sat am. Turning in or out never seemed to bother them at at the weekend as long as they were fed at the time they were expecting. Interesting point about horses stressing in large yards but honestly? I cannot see a way around it. Mine are stabled overnight and the feeding times are strict at my yard but nothing else would work!
 
fburton said:
Point to ponder: Do horses "in the wild" have fixed mealtimes?
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I don't think you can use this as an argument due to the sheer number of hours horses spend grazing and they don't have anyone to give them a "meal"...

Anyway, I think we'll agree to disagree on this one. We all know what works best for our own horses more than anyone else and as long as the horse is happy that is all that matters.
 
Luci07 said:
For people whose horses are stabled, of course you end up in a routine. You have to be a job at a certain time, finish at a certain time and so the horse is done ... at a certain time. When I was on DIY, I would do mine and a friends horses in the morning, they would bring in at night and feed Sat am. Turning in or out never seemed to bother them at at the weekend as long as they were fed at the time they were expecting. Interesting point about horses stressing in large yards but honestly? I cannot see a way around it. Mine are stabled overnight and the feeding times are strict at my yard but nothing else would work!
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Mines stabled and not in a routine.

I get up anytime between 8am-9.30am, sometimes she goes straight out, other times she stays in, other times ridden and turned out etc. Its never the same. Sometimes she is turned out and half way through day I get in. She gets fed when I get there. If I know I am coming up later I give more hay the evening before to make up for it.
 
LaurenBay said:
I seem to remember us having this debate before AmyMay? (may be wrong though)
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Probably :D

Mine is also a happy settled Horse. I just think it would be so stressful for people to have to rush around to see to our Horses. She does fit in around my life, that does not mean she doesn't get seen to however. Its just when its conviniant(sp?) for me to go up.
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If it works for you - great. However, I don't like the attitude of I'll do my horse when it's convenient for me.

But each to their own.
 
fburton said:
Point to ponder: Do horses "in the wild" have fixed mealtimes?
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Not a valid point really - they are feeding constantly in the wild and not shut in a stable...

Ours have a rough routine, but it can vary by an hour or so sometimes. On days that I'm home they get done at 8am, whereas if I'm away they get done at 7-7.30. They come in at 5.30 when I'm home, but it may be 6.30-7 when I'm away as hubby does them after work. They get haylage nets that last them, so are not stood around with nothing. Times that I ride vary depending on what else I have on that day.

I wouldn't want to swop them around from being in all the time to living out. Obviously if the weather is very bad thats fine, but otherwise they should be left to the system they are on. I think you can be a bit flexible within the system you are on, but not change it completely too often.. I think its more changing the feeing routine that is dangerous - ie, out on grass one day, in all day the next, then back out - you're messing with the dygestive system a bit then.
 
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amymay said:
Probably :D



If it works for you - great. However, I don't like the attitude of I'll do my horse when it's convenient for me.

But each to their own.
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I don't think the majority of people who don't have or like a routine as in my case, actually have 'an attitude' of doing it at their own convenience. That sounds like they'll only look after their horse when they can be bothered. I visit my horses at least twice a day but as they tend to live out I don't have a strict feeding or riding time and I certainly wouldn't want to live by the clock. I think studies have been done about routine and animal behaviour and it definitely causes problems if the routine is broken. I never walk my dog at exactly the same time everyday as they can be a pain when they expect it.
Still everyone to their own and if you are on a yard with a routine then you have to go with it - thankfully I'm not and I can do my own thing. Never had a horse with any behavioural issues/vices and that convinces me all is well.
 
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