Stabling during the winter thoughts?

[[131452]]

You must all be lucky to have well draining soil. We are on heavy clay here and it is horrible. Fields get so wet in the winter that you can't even walk on them let alone put a horse on it and expect it to not be up to its knees in mud.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Our horses have at least 7-10 hours out every day, no matter what. We do also recently have the use of a sand turnout pen, for those who don’t want to turn out in bad weather. It doesn’t get much use for this reason though ?we’re in Cheshire ?

The land in Cheshire is very variable - ours is loam so doesn’t ever get too boggy, barring last winter which was insanely wet. Literally over the road they have clay, and it gets so deep when wet that they can’t even keep their own feet to lead the horses across the fields in places.

One of the yards I posted about above is also Cheshire - daily turnout for 12 horses on 12 acres with individually fenced clay mud pits. I went to put hay out for mine - she was supposed to stand out there in a bog for half a day with no grass whatsoever, surrounded by electric fence and no shelter, and I was told off. YO didn't like the mess that hay makes . Brought mare home very soon after. Wasn’t a cheap place either.

 

[[131452]]

The land in Cheshire is very variable - ours is loam so doesn’t ever get too boggy, barring last winter which was insanely wet. Literally over the road they have clay, and it gets so deep when wet that they can’t even keep their own feet to lead the horses across the fields in places.

One of the yards I posted about above is also Cheshire - daily turnout for 12 horses on 12 acres with individually fenced clay mud pits. I went to put hay out for mine - she was supposed to stand out there in a bog for half a day with no grass whatsoever, surrounded by electric fence and no shelter, and I was told off. YO didn't like the mess that hay makes . Brought mare home very soon after. Wasn’t a cheap place either.

Yes all fields here are just deep mud if you put horses in there in the winter. Even if you have acres of turn out, within a week or two any new paddock would be made unusable and unsafe.
One yard I was at the mud was so deep people regularly lost their wellies in it. My horse refused to go out in that.
There are pockets of sand soil dotted around and the turn out on that soil is fantastic in the winter.
I can't even grow anything in the garden unless it's in pots or raised beds with proper soil in there.
Otherwise plants literally drown in the winter as the ground is so waterlogged.

 

[Gingerwitch]

You must all be lucky to have well draining soil. We are on heavy clay here and it is horrible. Fields get so wet in the winter that you can't even walk on them let alone put a horse on it and expect it to not be up to its knees in mud.

Not lucky, I travel a large distance and pay a lot of money to keep my horses in a situation that is acceptable to me and the animals I own. I always remember that my horses have to live their lives where I chose so I chose the most suitable place for them and I will make do with a reasonable amount of compromise for myself

 

[chocolategirl]

But you have a large indoor barn where she can walk and even trot around if she wants. She may not be so keen to be in if she was shut in a 12 x 12 stable?

I think some horses except and cope better than others bring stabled but personally for me, keeping a horse in for 23 hours with only one hours exercise would not be acceptable.

I think sadly some horses just become conditioned to this way of life? for me personally, it’s just not the way I think horses should be kept, it’s unnatural. I agree the last few winters have possibly changed things slightly, however, we made an all weather turnout area for this very reason. Yo’s should adapt, and I say this as a YO myself of some 24 years ?‍

 

[jnb]

I have grass 365 days of the year, cob out 24/7 with a 2 sided huge shelter. Small mud patch where he comes in & out if the shelter, I’ve MudControl matted it et voila, no mud patch.
I wouldn’t go back to a yard for all the tea in China.

 

[laura_nash]

Who in here has year round turn out on grass? And I mean grass, not mud.
And where in the country are you?

I do.

Like Paddi22 I am not lucky. I made it happen, moved to a new country where I knew no one with no job lined up, bought a wreck and had no bathroom or kitchen for nearly two years etc.

Although it wasn't the only reason, a big part of it was I wanted to be able to keep my horse out full time. Its a bit different in my situation as he had developed a dust allergy which makes stabling very difficult, and the livery yard I was on previously (in Somerset) actually had very adequate turnout of 7-8 hours a day in winter that always had non-muddy parts (though it got muddy around the gates).

p.s. I also kept my cows out full-time all last winter and despite how ridiculously wet it was both they and the land were fine with careful management. We have constructed a well-drained area to feed on. IMO farmers keep their cows in over winter because they have too many cows for the land, because of the type of cow they have, and because they need to squeeze the maximum amount out of their grass. All of which they have to do if they want to make any money, but I don't believe animal welfare is the primary driver for it. The cows in the sheds around here don't seem all that happy to be in full time to me, and when given the option ours chose to stay out and shelter behind a wall rather than go into the open access shelter even in hail.