Stabling to 24/7 Turnout

H

Horsemad 123

Active Member
Joined
14 September 2013
Messages
41
Visit site
I'm considering turning my Welsh section C out. She'll be 15 this year but has been stabled during the day in summer and in at night in winter for the three years I've had her. I love the advantages of a ménage and use this a lot. I'm also struggling with costs which seem to have crept up and up over the last year. She has also started to become difficult for the 2 sharers I have and I'd love to do her myself everyday but this would be impossible time and money wise if she was stabled. They're having to stay in 2 days a week at the moment which I find quite stressful as like to graze her in hand, ride and lunge when this happens.

What are the benefits and disadvantages of such a move?

I can easily see the benefits in the summer but am worried about mud, weather and light in the winter.

My most concern is her. She is prone to weight gain and am also worried about when the weather is vile and she's stuck out in it!! I just wish she could speak so I could ask her!!
 
The main things I've found are:

Is she clipped? Because although some people get away with wintering out a full clipped pony, lots don't cope with anything more than a trace clip, they lose too much weight;

Is she prone to weight loss in winter? If so, are you able to feed ad lib hay in the field and/or feed hard feed 3 or 4 times per day? Good do-ers are a lot easier to manage than poor do-ers living out in winter;

How fussy are you about a clean horse? Because she'll need the natural oils and grease in her coat, which realistically means only grooming with a curry comb daily and no bathing, this includes summer if it rains a lot where you are;

Is she prone to mud fever or rain scald? I find these types just aren't suited to living out in winter, it makes it too hard to keep in top of the condition and you spend all the dry days checking for scabs instead of riding;

What are your fields like? You do need somewhere dry enough that she'll lay down, if not you'll find her dopey to ride because she's tired;

What are your plans for injury or illness? You need to have a plan, even if it means PTS or moving yards for a stable;

Are you willing to be flexible about riding? Eg days when the girth area, back or face is wet and muddy, rainy days where if you ride you'd then have to put the rug back on a wet horse, only doing low level work ie hardly any canter because you can't full clip or cool off a sweaty horse after riding;

If you plan to rug do you have enough for spares and different weather conditions? Where will you keep them?

Basically its do-able but on most yards I don't find wintering out much easier than part stabling.
 
I'd just like to say that most horses that live out 24/7 don't suffer from mud fever - it tends to be a stabled horse issue. As long as the legs aren't clipped and washed they usually don't have an issue.

The best thing about 24/7 turnout is not worrying about having to be up at the yard at the crack of dawn so they don't run out of hay...
 
EQUIDAE said:
I'd just like to say that most horses that live out 24/7 don't suffer from mud fever - it tends to be a stabled horse issue. As long as the legs aren't clipped and washed they usually don't have an issue.

..
Click to expand...

That's not my experience. I find some horses are prone to it and others not. The ones prone to it I find do better part stabled so they get a chance to dry out, rather than standing in wet muddy field all day. Maybe with well drained fields and enough land its less of an issue? My experience of yards though is that the 24/7 turnout fields are often trashed and overcrowded.
 
My mud rash prone horse lives out no problem. If your fields aren't too wet it shouldn't be a problem.

Tbh, I have more trouble with 24/7 turnout in the summer as I have to be very careful abotu restricting grazing since mine is a lami risk. I find 24/7 turnout in winter mostly stress free.
 
She keeps weight on very well and I would describe her a a very good-doer. She doesn't suffer from mud rash, only mite scabs on the back of her knees (malanders). I would probably clip but not full like she is now. There are two basic stables where I'm considering if she was ill. HashRouge, are you every sat at home worrying if they're okay when it's lashing it down with rain? Do you rug?
 
My pony has been out every night this winter, she was hunter clipped in December and has been in a heavyweight combo rug since then. She is in a good sized field with decent grass for the time of year and surrounded by thick hedges and is always dry and warm in the morning whether it has been raining or snowing. So no I don't worry about her in those circumstances.

It sounds like you are moving to a new yard so I would check out the soil type, drainage and size of the field carefully as this can make a huge difference to how easy it is to keep them healthy and happy out 24/7. A small field on poorly drained heavy clay is likely to prove a nightmare!
 
Personally I'vre always kept my horses out (no matter what breed / competition level etc.). I think if your horse is becoming difficult to handle then that's her telling you she's fed up. I find field kept horses calm and able to keep their fitness better as they're obviously far more active. The only issues I ever have are that I dont have a school so can only ride when the ground is ok, but I'd always choose this problem over stabling my horses any day. Just make sure the field has a decent shelter, I have a stable block with the doors kept open directly into the field so the horses can come and go as they want.
 
All 9 in our yard live out all year - including warmbloods, TBs and cobs. Most are rugged as appropriate - one mare has never been rugged and is a fat woolly mammoth, old cob (Welsh) is pathetic in heavy rain and is rugged - but doing rather too well. Young cob only has a lightweight rug on so he is dry and cleaner for me to ride. Son's horse is fully clipped so in a medium/heavy weight. At the moment one mega-bale of hay is lasting 6 of them 4-5 days. This group are in a 4.5 acre field that slopes to the south, with lots of natural shelter. The group of 3 are in a smaller paddock with some hardstanding and two old stables. The ground is getting muddy so it is difficult to get anything really clean at the moment which can be frustrating if we are going out anywhere, but we don't have any issues with mud fever etc. They bunch up with their bums in the hedge if the weather is really bad, but mostly eat, sleep, mooch around and have a hooley from time to time - just enjoying living in their herd and never seem too bored or fed up.
 
My pony lived out for 6 years {now on part livery and stabled at night} winters tended to be fine as he was well rugged and there was plenty of grass but summers were a nightmare as he used to get far too fat and ended up being muzzled a lot. If you have a good doer and there is no restricted grazing in the summer then you may find weight management harder than if they are part stabled.
 
My boys used to be on a very restrictive yard with limited (and poor quality) turnout in the winter. I moved them to rented fields for 24/7 turnout, mainly to benefit my arthritic oldie.

Summers were fine, and they both thrived. The first winter was exceptionally wet, rather like this one, but the field survived due to being on a hill, and it drained well.

However, at the end of the second winter, I could see my old boy was struggling a bit, and the hill wasn't his friend. He maintained a good weight, but he didn't look happy and I made the decision to move him to a small yard with good turnout, but a cosy stable for winter's nights. He's much happier.

So it works for some, not others. Neither of mine have had mud fever, both kept their weight, both were toasty in good rugs, but my younger one tore his ddft and had 2 stints of box rest (local farm accommodated him.)

He's ok now, but I've caved and he's moving to the yard soon. I've had enough of (me) being constantly filthy in the winter. It's flexible, but seriously hard work, I think harder than mucking stables. Obviously it's cheaper, but the work isn't less - poo picking, fence maintenance, no hard standing, being 100% reliant on daylight hours, wet horse to ride, etc.

Think carefully about your commitment. Summer is fine, winter can be brutal and quite soul destroying if you want a life!
 
I moved my TB to 24/7 turnout last year this being our second winter. I love it and the change in his behaviour has been unrecognisable his utterly chilled. I do have have a field shelter and the option to stable too! The couple of times I decided he should stay in because of the weather he was not a happy boy and absolute desperate to go back out the next day! It can be done you just need the right set up! Our field drains well even with constant rain it has higher ground which isn't wet, we have automatic water into the field, we use hay feeders.. Causes a mess around them but u don't waste so much hay, we have hard core around the gates so not do muddy and grass mates around the shelter.
 
Tatts is in his second winter out it was his choice to become an outdoor horse .
It's horrible carrying haylege and bedding through knee deep mud to the shed going across in the dark to feed last thing trying to clean up a mud up to the ears in work horse for hunting .
The feeding costs easily outweigh out the saving in bedding (eight bales a week to two).
He eats more than three times the hard food of the inside horses and that's costs a lot he also has to eat mix and balancer than straights as he went off straights just after he went out so that's expensive and not great for his tummy .
He looks well has never been cold and is fit and happy .
I wish I had a huge shed at the edge of the yard with a big hardstanding that would be magic .
 
Mine have a field shelter and never use it - occasionally they may go in it in the summer to escape flies, but when you would expect they would, they don't. Bizarrely though - the time mine use theirs is the time most stabled horses are finally turned out, usually with no shelter...
 
I much prefer horses out 24/7 but it can get tedious when it's very wet and muddy like it is now.
I personally find it alot less stressful having them out and truthfully I think the horses prefer it. Ours do have a very large field shelter which they definitely like to use.
 
I find as long as you have hard standing, and somewhere under cover to tack up and dry off its so much better. My lot also need a lot less food since being out 24/7, as they stressed the weight off when inside. I find it easier with them clipped out, as they dry off quicker.
 
I moved my horse from being stabled overnight in winter to living out - I was struggling for time to ride him and wanted to save a bit of money and turn him away for a bit.

I do still have a stable if I need it and he does come in for a few hours a couple of days a week to have some hay, let his feet and legs dry out.

I wasn't sure how he'd cope - even though he's a good dooer, he's always been keen to come in at night in winter - he loves it. He's in a 22 acre field with a herd of about 7 horses. He's never near the gate - doesn't come to call so is clearly content.

We did struggle with a bit of rain scald but managed to treat that without having to stable him overnight. Also manage to treat his mud fever on the days when he's in for a bit - it's no worse this year than when he was stabled at night.

On the handful of times I've stabled him overnight he's been desperate to get back out and actually barged passed me one time and ran back to the field - I take that to mean he's happy.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top