Please can someone help me understand? *no nasty comments allowed*

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HaffiesRock

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I don’t want this to be a bitch fest or anything, it’s a genuine question that I am struggling to get my head around, although I am also struggling to word it in a manner that doesn’t sound like my way is best!

I have a Haflinger gelding, out 24/7 naked. Holds his weight very well! He lives with my friend’s gypsy cob, but the cob comes in at night while mine stays out.

Overnight my pony gets a third of a bale of hay, spread around his 2 acre field in approximately 10 piles, I also sprinkle some carrots around too. I do this to keep him moving around and not stood cold and stiff/in mud for a long period of time. Plus he loves looking for his next pile! He has access to water at all times, a woodland for shelter and space to move around if he gets cold. Once his hay has gone he can graze and forage on what bit of grass there is left.

My friends horse (I am just using her as an example and the same can apply to any stabled horse I’d guess) gets put in her stable with a pile of hay. She stands there all night unable to move around much, when she runs out of hay she has nothing to do. By morning, her stable is a wet, smelly bed covered in poo that she has trodden into her feet and feathers, her water bucket is empty and she comes out stiff. (Friend wont feed ad lib hay so horse will always run out)

I completely understand that stabling is a personal preference, but what I want to know is, what are the benefits of stabling overnight and what are the cons of living out overnight? Friend’s horse is a fat cob, currently in a heavyweight rug, mane down to her knees and in perfect health. She lived out naked all last year without a problem.

So using my horse and my friends horse, what are the pros and cons of both in or out?
Reading it back it still sounds bitchy, which it isn’t meant to be, it’s a real question I would like peoples opinions on as I honestly cannot see any benefit to stabling a fit healthy horse when there is food, water and shelter in the field.

Thank you in advance to any genuine replies, and anyone with anything nasty to say can take their comments elsewhere :D
 
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I think with enough hay and bedding being in overnight allows the horse to stand out the wind and in the dry over night. I do think horses can stay warmer outside as they can move around if cold where as indoor they cant so much so I always rug up more indoors to stop them walking due to being cold. :)
 
Mine are all out naked 24/7 and is my absolute preference.

Stabling - I'd do for medical (horse) or if fields would be destroyed and compromise summer turnout (though first choice would be better turnout...).

That would be it. I don't ride competitively though so can't comment on that aspect.
 
No bitchy comments from me, don't worry!

Personally, unless there are particular reasons why a horse should come in at night (and there are plenty of reasons why this might be the case), I would always rather they were left out. I think it is better for them physically and mentally. You seem to be managing it perfectly. If a horse is thin-skinned and feels the cold, or there is little shelter in a field when it is wet and/or windy or there is a bigger security risk, then I can understand them being brought in. In the case of a horse able to tolerate the weather conditions, who is fit and healthy, rugged if necessary and has plenty of forage (most important) I have no doubt that living out is preferable - don't change a thing!!
 
I would love my big lad to stay out at night but because of his Lami episode it is not possible due to the possibility of there being a frost or him eating too much..The other two come in aswel just because it is company for him..
 
Our unclipped happy hacker/retired horses come in overnight simply because there isn't adequate shelter available to them in our extremely exposed location and the land is too wet to stand up to them being on it 24/7. it also helps us to monitor carefully what they are eating. If it was feasible, they would live out.
 
That makes sense, but the horse in question (and others I know so a generalization really) are kept cheaply so bedding is quite sparse and ad lib hay isnt given.

I understand them coming in off of mud but our woodland bit isn't muddy.

My friend tucks her up for the night in her cosy stable, but by morning its horrible in there and in our situation I cannot understand why.

Maybe its just me, maybe I am a mean horsey mum! x
 
badgermyers said:
I think with enough hay and bedding being in overnight allows the horse to stand out the wind and in the dry over night. I do think horses can stay warmer outside as they can move around if cold where as indoor they cant so much so I always rug up more indoors to stop them walking due to being cold. :)
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A good sheltered field allows for this too.

One of the reasons I don't like stabling long term (apart from confining and removing herd) is that when I used to much out last mare, the stable was colder than outside!

Loose in the field ours have shelter from all angles and over head. I've never had them not toasty in winter.

When I was stabling though mare would always have hay left the next morning before turnout. Pet hate not having enough hay to see through continually.
 
I think that a horse has enough sense to keep warm if it's left out unrugged.. Maybe not delicate types with no winter coat, but breeds such as your's and your friend's should be absolutely fine. I don't understand the need to rug horses up without exception.
 
If the paddocks won't cope, ie too wet, or the horse is lami prone (frost) or a lack of shelter.
However, some horse like the routine, and feel safer indoors, and rest more. Personally mine all live out.
 
I have 4 tbs and a newly acquired Irish boy.. 2 of the tbs live happily out in cold/dry weather.. Hay and rugged of course but come a bit of rain an ld they are literally breaking the gate down to come in so I stable them over night thru winter and in bad weather thru summer. One tb won't drink or eat in cold weather when out, so he is in at night as I don't want a colic bill! The other hates being out, it literally foes out in morning trots twice around paddock then stands at gate! I don't even bother turning him out in bad weather! The Irish boy loves his field and will come in only for bad weather and to be ridden/ fed etc. Though he has stayed in a few nights if it's really cold but is keen to go out first thing.. All my horses are very well rugged and have access to alot of hay 24/7 so it's nit even like they have no hay in there fields!!
Guess what I'm trying to say is alot depends on individual horses. I would prefer a 10 acre field with a few shelters and a little store but grot bag horses don't allow there mothers dream lol!
 
Well I bring mine in because she gets mud fever where she is now. Plus there is absolutely no shelter in her paddock (a ring of electric fencing in the middle of a larger field). At least bringing mine in during the nights means she can get out of the mud, be dried off daily and have pig oil slavered onto clean, dry legs plus have hay to eat (we're not permitted to put hay out into the field's where we are as it makes the place look "untidy" apparently :rolleyes:)

However, I have kept this WBxTB mare out all winter but in another field during a colder, drier winter. MF wasn't an issue that year, and the field had a high hedge along 2 sides and plenty of winter grass (was at same yard so still no hay permitted in the fields). I had to feed her a hard feed once a day, but in those conditions - I prefered having her out. I think I only brought her in a couple of nights when the weather was exceptionally windy and wet - hurricane weather.

For me, the choice of whether to stable at night during the winter or during the day in summer ultimately depends upon how the horse is coping at any given time.
 
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I only really stable for a few months in winter to protect my fields, if I had suitable ground (like your woodland) they wouldn't come in at all. Last year when it was so dry they were out almost all of the winter (more time in in April when the rain started than in Jan)
Finer horses really feel the cold/ wind so I guess a stable works for them, also to keep them clean (owner benefit not horses!)
 
We have ideal living out conditions at our yard. Hill fields so the tops are dry and not muddy, woodland for shelter, plenty of hay.

So how many people on here stable because others do? And I don't mean for company, I mean someone else does so you choose to when you horse could live out?

My friends horse was out 24/7, naked last year (in fact she was bibbed clipped from January) but we have since both moved to the yard we are at now. YO keeps all of hers in (cobs) and rugs them heavily so my friend has followed suit.

Again each to their own, I am not bitching at all I just find it a very odd! All the extra time, effort and cost involved for no reason? x
 
I'm the only one on our yard who's ponies stay out 24/7 and its a huge yard. They have hay etc in field. I prefer them out as I think they enjoy it better.

When I have asked fowlks why they prefer theirs in a lot of the time its because they feel guilty if their horse/pony is out in the bad weather. Also we have an indoor school and they think its a hassle to walk to the fields in the pitch black/rain/snow/mud what have you, after they have ridden.

I personally think its healthier for my guys to be out. They don't get stiff, have filled legs, need haynets, risk getting cast, run out of water etc.
 
I want my horses in overnight during the winter, because that's how it suits me to keep them.

My horses have hay left in the morning, their stables are not wet or mashed up and the horse is as as warm as toast.
 
Polos Mum: I have a fine coated WBxTB and when she was living out I kept her spik and span for riding by applying lots of pig oil to her legs and tail, using a snuggy hood when it was muddy and used full-neck combo turnout rugs. Mine was always the cleanest, shiniest horse on the yard - even better than the stabled ones! A clean outdoor kept horse can be acheieved. :D
 
Personally I can't stand horses standing around in mud 24/7 and its evil cousin, frozen mud. I do do adlib forage and what's left in the morning goes out to the field. I worry about lami on frozen grass too. I don't have any horses out of water either. And I give big beds and while they do need mucked out properly everyday, they are not standing in muck.

But having said all that I saw my dream set up a couple of years ago at a farm I worked. A big shed divided in 4. On one side were 2 big shelters that opened up onto a woodchip pen each. 4 big horses were more than comfy. Shed was bedded with deep straw with shavings underneath. Once every 2 weeks it was all taken out and redone. It was always clean. Round feeder for hay. During the day they went out to the field and came into that at night. That was the best of both worlds really. I want something like that and a few stables one day!

Terri
 
Spyda said:
plus have hay to eat (we're not permitted to put hay out into the field's where we are as it makes the place look "untidy" apparently :rolleyes:)
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I had this at first yard. Apparently the grass below stopped growing.:confused:

Makes me wonder how much hay had been chucked out previously and what the quality was like if this was true (as my lot certainly wouldn't waste good stuff) and when as when it snows I don't see hay doing any more damage than that!
 
Equilibrium Ireland said:
But having said all that I saw my dream set up a couple of years ago at a farm I worked. A big shed divided in 4. On one side were 2 big shelters that opened up onto a woodchip pen each. 4 big horses were more than comfy. Shed was bedded with deep straw with shavings underneath. Once every 2 weeks it was all taken out and redone. It was always clean. Round feeder for hay. During the day they went out to the field and came into that at night. That was the best of both worlds really. I want something like that and a few stables one day!

Terri
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I like that. Would be a happy compromise for me if land wouldn't suit horses or medical reasons meant off the grass.
 
Is it also true that turning a horse out onto frost grass can cause colic? Specially if there is nothing in the stomach before they go out. How does this work with horses out 24/7? x
 
Guess we must be very lucky or unlucky as our stables are way warmer and drier than being outside. The horses are safe, warm and dry. Ours get plenty of hay, are on rubber mats and shavings beds that are deep enought to not be wet on top in the morning though, but that sounds like a different husbandry issue if your friend's horse is not getting enough. Mine lived out for the first 8 years of his life, but when he discovered stables hed told me in no uncertain terms where he wanted to be, the place where it doesn't rain thanks. He would not get on sharing a shelter with another horse either!
 
My mare would be such a misery if she was out 24/7 in the winter. She is very happy to be stabled, is warm and dry so doesn't drop weight. She has ad lib hay and haylage and her bed is lovely and thick and clean.
 
my mare is on box rest at the minute so i cant really comment now! but last year she was in over night as our fields are a mess and YO only allows us in one field when he has 2 perfectly good ones but theyre for hay :(
She is clydesdaleXwelshd so should be fairly hardy but she's 27 so she needs a rest and she also prefers to be stabled than out as she gets grumpy when she is cold/wet.
I think it's just based on the type of horse and owners personal preferance really x
 
Mine come in due to the lack of grazing iv got to save my grazing a bit for summer but I would perfer mine to live out but I just can't do it but given the choice I would
 
Its a shame we cant all swap round. There are plenty of people who cant have their horses out but would love too and others who could easily leave them out but choose not too.

Its a funny place this horse world :D
 
Mine are all out 24/7. I would never have thought about having my hunter out 24/7 unless I'd been pressured to by lack of time, I've always assumed they need to come in at night. But it works perfectly! Much better all round.

As I see it, now, the only reason I wouldn't keep them out 24/7 is if I didn't have enough paddock space. I have 5 acres and fortunately 3 of them are real fatties, so only need a starvation paddock in the summer, and the other two have the rest.
 
Haffy yourself a merry Christmas said:
Is it also true that turning a horse out onto frost grass can cause colic? Specially if there is nothing in the stomach before they go out. How does this work with horses out 24/7? x
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I looked into this as I turn out early in the morning often while frosty & one of ours has had colic a few times (not related to cold/frost) & I found that it's not the frost because if you think about it once the horse has chewed the grass the frost has melted but it's that they are eating and as it's cold often don;t drink enough or their water is frozen.
 
My 3 are out 24/7 and I wouldn't have it any other way. Only reason they would come in would be if the fields were water logged and they needed a few hours respite from the wet. I much prefer the fact they have freedom to move and socialise with each other, forage for food (I give additional hay too!) access water and display natural behaviours. I understand stables have their place and I wouldn't like to be without mine but they definitely don't get used on a daily basis!

I too can settle better when I know they are out and have each other for company....they are social creatures like us and we shouldn't deprive them of company. Mentally it can be very damaging....never mind physically!
 
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