Out in the day or night?

[muddybay]

I have a bad doer so he's in in the night and out in the day! I was wondering what's the difference between out in the night or out in the day do they rest better in the stables in the night?

 

[Tash88]

I think that a lot of people do daytime turnout in the winter and overnight turnout in the summer - generally this means that in the winter the horses get less hours out, which is preferable with the shorter days and bad weather. In the summer, being stabled during the day means that they have shelter during the hottest part of the day and are less bothered by flies. This also coincides with having more grass to eat.

I don't think it makes much difference in terms of rest, but I do think that horses are more relaxed in their stables when the yard is quiet, so that would generally be nighttime. Before I moved my horse at the beginning of December he was out overnight and he used to come in at 6am and go straight to sleep, and would also lie down in the afternoon when the yard was quiet and so he still got a decent amount of rest. He is now in overnight and I can see what he's doing as I have a stable camera. He tends to sleep standing up, lie down for a little while, eat his hay, and repeat throughout the evening, so follows a similar routine I think. In the summer he may well go back to overnight turnout, I haven't decided yet though.

In terms of whether your horse is a good or bad doer, it shouldn't make much of a difference, but I would want my horse to be eating plenty of forage when stabled as the grass isn't the best quality at the moment.

 

[SussexbytheXmasTree]

Generally they’re in longer overnight. In the worst of winter mine are in around 4pm and out about 7.30-8am. There’s less grass so especially with a poor doer you’ve got more opportunity to feed more forage with less wastage and competition if in a herd type situation.

I also prefer mine out during the day so they get the light and on good days the sun. Seems a shame for them to be in on a nice day especially. In summer they’re either out at night or 24hrs weather dependent. On very hot or when flies are bad they’re happy to come in for a snooze during the day.

 

[MuffettMischief]

I find my horses and fields are better for having the out at night and in during the day and one I had who was a bit poor, looked better for it too. When they go out at night they just mooch about quietly and come in chilled. If In at night they go out and tit about because they have more energy and therefore trash the fields more! I only keep in on nights where it’s going to rain constantly!

 

[Red-1]

Usually mine are in at night and out in the day year round. This is so I can keep an eye on them, I don't feel safe leaving them out at night as a rule, in case of intruders.

However, Charlie Horse was out at night and in during the day, as he had sweet itch. We just used the paddock furthest from the road. I also used that when we had a pair where one was too attached to the other, they rotated until they got a grip of their sensibilities and became less attached. The stabled one could see the other out the back window.

I think Rigsby will be out at night come summer too, as he has EMS and can't have grass. The arena is great to turn out on, but seems a lot hotter than the field in summer. So I will have to risk him being out at night for his comfort, so he can be in during the hot days. However, it is only 20m from our bedroom window and in summer I can have that open to listen out.

 

[milliepops]

I also prefer mine out during the day so they get the light and on good days the sun. Seems a shame for them to be in on a nice day especially. In summer they’re either out at night or 24hrs weather dependent. On very hot or when flies are bad they’re happy to come in for a snooze during the day.

Yeah agreed, I try to keep mine out during the day until it gets too hot/too many flies.

 

[muddybay]

Usually mine are in at night and out in the day year round. This is so I can keep an eye on them, I don't feel safe leaving them out at night as a rule, in case of intruders.

However, Charlie Horse was out at night and in during the day, as he had sweet itch. We just used the paddock furthest from the road. I also used that when we had a pair where one was too attached to the other, they rotated until they got a grip of their sensibilities and became less attached. The stabled one could see the other out the back window.

I think Rigsby will be out at night come summer too, as he has EMS and can't have grass. The arena is great to turn out on, but seems a lot hotter than the field in summer. So I will have to risk him being out at night for his comfort, so he can be in during the hot days. However, it is only 20m from our bedroom window and in summer I can have that open to listen out.

Security worries me as we did just have rugs taken from the backs of horses at night on a really cold night! As we're next to an A road security does worry me at night as there's no way of seeing them! If some people want to take rugs off the back of them I don't really know what the worlds come to!

 

[AUB]

I prefer out in the day.

IF something should happen and the horses run through the fence or something, it’s definitely easier to find them when there’s daylight. Also cars can easier see them. There are more people that could catch them. Etc.

Also, horses need vitamin D too, and get it from sunlight as humans do. So especially during wintertime it’s important that they’re out when there’s daylight.

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

I have mine out overnight and in during the day. This is because the grazing quality is rubbish due to an unrested field and horses being out 24/7 when nothing much is growing, but as I am in a herd there is nothing much I can do about it. So I figure that he will have a full belly when I ride in the PM and he can eat as much as he wants when he is in for 8 hours as he truly has ad-lib.

As it happens I have just lost the stable so I am now a grass livery for a (hopefully)short while. I have used a fenced off section next to the field to have him in on his own, not ideal but means I can make sure he has 24/7 ad-lib hay.

 

[wiglet]

Mine is out during the day and in at night, all year round. The whole yard is on this routine and the horses are all relaxed on it.
I used to have 24/7 turnout in summer (on a previous yard) but, my horse used to pile on weight, especially in the spring. Bringing in all year round keeps her weight stable.
Also, a footpath runs past our fields so, from a security point of view, I do feel it's safer to have the horses in at night - there's all sorts of unsavoury people milling around these days!

 

[Goldenstar]

In at night in winter
Out at night in summer

 

[Xmasha]

I prefer out in the day.


Also, horses need vitamin D too, and get it from sunlight as humans do. So especially during wintertime it’s important that they’re out when there’s daylight.

i just dont get that, unless your horses are unrugged. Surely a rugged horse outdoors versus indoor horse with head popping over stable door / daylight streaming in through windows etc isnt much different ?

Mine are out at night and in during the day in summer. At the moment they are in at night. Purely because the fields are wet, and i have one in foal so like to keep an extra eye on her. If it was dry they would be out at night. For me,i like them to have has much turnout as possible, but still come in for a feed / out of way of flies / snooze etc etc Plus it keeps the oldies moving more.

 

[oldie48]

I'd have a poor doer in at night during the winter and out 24/7 in the summer if my grazing was good and there was shelter. I've never had a poor doer though and we get lots of lies so mine used to be in at night in the winter and in during the hottest part of the day in Summer. The only thing I found about having them out at night when there was plenty of grass, was that they were often a bit full and sleepy when I wanted to ride.

 

[AUB]

i just dont get that, unless your horses are unrugged. Surely a rugged horse outdoors versus indoor horse with head popping over stable door / daylight streaming in through windows etc isnt much different ?

UVB doesn’t go through glass, so daylight streaming through windows won’t help the horse make vitamin D.

Of course if the horse is rugged and can stick the head and neck out the window or over a door to the outside it would be more or less the same as being turned out, if the horse actually spends the same amount of time with the head out as it would if turned out. But that’s assuming all stables have big windows or doors that open directly to the outside. Mine doesn’t.

 

[Xmasha]

UVB doesn’t go through glass, so daylight streaming through windows won’t help the horse make vitamin D.

Of course if the horse is rugged and can stick the head and neck out the window or over a door to the outside it would be more or less the same as being turned out, if the horse actually spends the same amount of time with the head out as it would if turned out. But that’s assuming all stables have big windows or doors that open directly to the outside. Mine doesn’t.

do stables have glass windows ?. Mine tend to stand with there heads outside dozing.
Frank is demonstrating ?