Out at night or day?

[chaps89]

I have a full track system in place around an acre and a half. It's not a square/rectangle track as it goes around where the brambles were growing around the edges so it meanders.
Currently madam comes in about 7pm and goes out between 8 and 10am depending on whether I ride etc etc, and is muzzled whilst out.
So between 11 and 9 hours out.
So if she goes out at night instead it would be similar timings so 12 to 14 hours out (I won't be down any later than 9am to bring in and obviously riding will then just happen during being in time rather than during out time)
So better to be out for a bit longer but overnight when there should be less sugar in the grass or out for a bit less time but when the sugar levels are higher?
(Stable is nice and cool in the day, even during the warmer weather we've had)

 

[HelenBack]

I'm interested in this too. I generally prefer to turnout overnight in the summer but worry about the longer hours. From what I can gather the sugar levels are highest between about 4pm and 8pm and then drop again overnight but I don't know how quickly they drop off. Also the days recently when the laminitis app was really high it seemed to just stay up 24/7.

I would think in your situation with both a track and a muzzle you'd be fine either way as you've got all bases covered really.

I am also slightly nervous about muzzling overnight though in case they got stuck on a fence post or something and nobody sees them to help them out. I have muzzled overnight in the past though and didn't have a problem.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

I have found with those prone to getting laminitis or chubby etc that being in at night and then out in the heat works better than in at day, but that's just my findings
I find they move more when there are flies etc...... sorry!

 

[sherry90]

I’m having the same issue deciding at the moment. Horse is out in the day with one other from 8-3ish muzzled and then gets exercised early evening. He has soaked hay overnight. A lot of our yard switches to overnight turnout in May, some do still come in so he’d have company when stabled, but those that go out overnight include his field friends ? so if I stick to bringing him in overnight he won’t have any company in the day (there are other horses out but not in his field). The laminitis app is continuously high here so I don’t think there is any real difference other than he’d be muzzled for longer (and he’s not a huge fan of the muzzle) and there is the risk he’d get stuck and not be found til morning....

 

[PurBee]

Mine usually are out day and in night all year round, except past 2 yrs, out at night in the summer when flies are bad, and the days hot. They prefer the shade, coolness and fly-free zone of their barn.

Their figure and feet have been better with them being out at night in the summer. The gelding who would have an annual summer abscess stopped having them. Not sure if coincidence or not tbh!

The sugars are highest in the grass at late in the day at midsummer...9pm...and drop gradually overnight, while the sugars convert to protein and growth. Whereas sugars are formed via photosynthesis which in midsummer starts really early.,,and will be highish even at 4pm....so i think that mine did better due to having less high sugar grass being out at night. Mine arent muzzled and are 2 horses on roughly 4-5 acres of medium quality pasture. Out times were around 9pm - 10am. Low sugar hay when in during day or haylage. One horse is half welsh d and prone to fattiness and these past 2 yrs on this new night grazing summer regime she’s looked better than ever....its surprised me.

So even though they go out when sugar is high in the grass, theyre grazing over the hours when the sugars are lowering....rather than out grazing in the day while sugar levels are increasing.

Plant growth happens mainly at night, the storage for growth happens during the day.

You could try switching to night just to see how yours gets on. I thought mine would get insanely fat, and shocked when they actually were better on it!

During the day if the flies are insane where you are, like where i am, midges and horse flies, they drive my horses nuts and theyre very stressed, which increases cortisol levels which increases propensity to put on weight. Without the raised stress hormones of grazing at night fly-free also played a part in why they metabolised nutrients better and held a healthier weight.

 

[PurBee]

Forgot to mention....mine have free choice to be in or out as i now have tracks from field to stable, previous yrs i decided for them, past 2 yrs when i let them choose, they chose night grazing....some days would wander out in the day to move around but mostly stayed in the cool shade during the day, with heavy grazing at night.
They obviously know better than me what’s best for them ?

 

[Nudibranch]

Personally I would want more hours out moving on the track, and overnight sugars are lower. So out at night.
Mine are happy to come in during the day for 5-6 hours when it's hot. They have a part covered yard so can get out of the heat and flies, and they just snooze most of the time. I put out a trug of Topchop Zero for them to browse if they feel hungry. They seem to prefer in during the day rather than overnight. I suspect because it's less hours!

 

[meleeka]

Forgot to mention....mine have free choice to be in or out as i now have tracks from field to stable, previous yrs i decided for them, past 2 yrs when i let them choose, they chose night grazing....some days would wander out in the day to move around but mostly stayed in the cool shade during the day, with heavy grazing at night.
They obviously know better than me what’s best for them ?

Same here. Mine can choose and they normally snooze all afternoon .

OP if your track is only small and well eaten down I don’t think the sugars make too much difference. Personally I prefer to keep mine out because you don’t get the spikes in sugar and the grass doesn’t get the chance to shoot up while they are off it.

 

[The Jokers Girl]

Mine is on restricted turnout due to laminitis and if I turn her out overnight her weight stays stable and she doesn't suffer any ill effects. If out in day she balloons and suffers with painful feet. Speaking to professionals and doing some of my own research the reasoning for this seems to be that horses move through various feeding and resting cycles throughout a 24 hour period and they are naturally inclined to rest more and eat less over night, although they do small amounts of resting in daylight. As their period of resting is higher at night and the sugars lower she eats less and ingests less sugars. I also don't think they have their REM sleep when are out overnight so when she comes in during day she only picks at her hay as she will mostly lay down in her stable and snore her head off.
I also feed her before she goes out as a horse will stuff its face when they 1st go onto grass if they are hungry/their belly is empty, so by having her tied up for an hour with her bucket feed and some soaked hay before she goes out she is already mostly full and will pick at the grass rather than going on a mission to eat until she pops.

 

[chaps89]

Thanks everyone, always helpful to bounce ideas about.
Seems like it might be worth a try swapping her round.
I still have alot of grass at the moment (field had been empty for some time before they moved on in March) although with the heat it is burning off quite well and tbh, I've always found she is better on longer grass muzzled than short without so I'm quite hoping not to graze it too bare tbh, I'm not opposed to feeding soaked hay in the field if needsbe (she's adept enough to eat it through her muzzle), though I suspect at the moment it would be ignored.
Thankfully despite being metabolic she has so far (touch wood) not had any pulses/hot feet which I'm very relieved about given as she's not getting any hard work given the travel restrictions (No school on site and only road work hacking, we usually box out twice a week)