Summer 24/7 - are yours in at night yet?

[Orangehorse]

Mine were getting fed up with the rain in August, but because I was going to WEG (and had arranged for someone to come in once a day to feed and check over) I hardened my heart and left them out 24/7, since when it hasn't rained! So they are still out.

But the nights are getting longer, and the paddock is pretty well grazed down and despite being fed hay in the field at night I am getting vibes from my horse that he would rather like to go into his stable at night.

It is more work for me though, to muck out two stables AND the paddock, instead of just the paddock, so I am ignoring him at the moment. If there was suddenly more rain then I would bring them in - he is such a wuzz. Am I being really mean?

How about yours?

 

[chestnut cob]

Mine won't come in until the clocks change in October, and they usually go out in early April 24/7. I am making the most of 24/7 turnout. Even stabling for just those 5 months is a long hard slog. I hate winter, I hate mucking out, I hate restricted turnout, rain, mud, cold, wet rugs, pulling off shoes in muddy gateways or losing my welly and falling over in it, seemingly constant darkness, the massive cost of winter (shavings, hay, feed). I just hate all of it so I want him out as late as possible! The only way he will come in before the clocks change is if we have a sudden continuous monsoon between now and then, and YO says we have to bring in.

Lucky here though as we have loads of grass and the fields are looking great. He has been hunter clipped for 2 weeks and is rarely rugged, would put one on if it rains. He couldn't care less about rain, he has plenty of natural shelter in the field and always stands under the huge tree in the middle of the field.

 

[Bay TB]

No - hopefully will stay out 24/7 until November like last year. Will just be dependant on the weather and state of the fields but they are lovely and dry with plenty of grass left at the moment.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Ours will stay out as long as possible!
They had to be in this time last year, because it was so horrendously wet but we are making the most of the dry weather and the growing grass, this year, although they did come in on some occasional night in /August as we are so exposed to the weather.
We usually bring them in just before Bonfire Night, if not sooner, although I do remember that one yr they stayed out until 18th Dec. Ours come in for a feed/check every evening and one of them is telling us that she would rather stay in, tough! She can go out with the rest until the weather turns.

 

[ihatework]

I had been planning on leaving mine out overnight for a bit longer but I have a big competition coming up early October and we were advised not to make any changes to routine/management/feeding within the month prior, so I switched her over earlier than normal. She actually seems quite happy about coming in overnight now tbh

 

[PorkChop]

Mine are still out at night, though they come into their stables daytime to stop them getting porky!

I usually change them over when the flies have gone and they are ready to be clipped.

 

[MerrySherryRider]

Mine stay out as long as they have company in the fields. One has to be in during the day to reduce his grass intake but otherwise they prefer being out no matter what the weather is like.
Perhaps if they were on individual paddocks with limited space and company, they'd be happier to come in, but living with a herd and on huge meadows, the stable is not such an attractive option.

 

[Mrs G]

Unfotunately mine is now in overnight - he is very clear in telling me when the grass starts growing in Spring and won't be caught without a treat and then again in Autumn when the grass is starting to loose its appeal and he will run himself ragged wanting to come in even if he has company. I wish he would stay out longer - I really feel he's better off out and looking at it there is still plenty of grass in the field but he won't be reasoned with and I'm not risking an injury!

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

Mine will stay out till:
a. I get fed up of dragging a barrow in pitch dark & sluicing rain
b. Fireworks have finished
c. There is a lack of grass in the fields

As I have 4 paddocks of foggage, they are not going to run out of grass..... fireworks end in mid Nov... so its most likely to be the weather that makes the decision - usually I've had enough by December & bring them in then.

CF will be fine even when clipped - he's got good rugs - and field shelters

 

[thatsmygirl]

Mine will be out until the field tells me otherwise. They won't dissolve in a bit of rain like some seem to think and mine are far better out plus 5 stables less to much out

 

[Solstar]

Mine came in on Saturday night, they've been coming in through the day all summer so it's no extra work for me really. I've fenced the field so a third can rest until Christmas, and will divide the remainder up so I can rotate as necessary.

 

[Darremi]

You are anthropomorphizing that animal!

Horses are happier in the field. I get that people need to do paddock/grass management. But really some people just molly coddle their horses and treat them like humans these days!

 

[amandaco2]

Mine stay out. Used to bring in but they are happy provided theyhave grass and enough space...plus having 14 well drained acres for 4 horseshelps!

 

[Moomin1]

Mine is out until November. She tends not to worry about getting her hair wet!

 

[MissJessica]

Stay out until it gets wet....they can cope with the cold and their rugs but as soon as mud becomes an issue, they're in!!

 

[Darkwater]

Mine will start coming in over night as soon as the clocks change.. that's a yard rule though, i'd rather they were out but we just don't have enough grazing to do that. They will then probably stay in the field they're in until December, providing it doesn't too get too wet, and then either in 24/7 or possibly move over to a winter turnout field depending on how many YO allows to go in it this year. If it gets really wet before December I will be told I have to bring them in. It's this time of year I remember how much I really don't like my yard in winter!

 

[Claire-R]

Mine has started giving me hints that she wants to come in but no one else is bringing them in yet at my LY so I will wait for the others! lol Plus its still not too bad outside where we are

 

[Midlifecrisis]

Out unrugged until weather gets horribly wet or cold or both....then in...Im crossing fingers for a drier winter than last year.

 

[NellRosk]

I'm leaving my 2 out AS LONG AS POSSIBLE!! At my old yard last year I had to bring them in at the beginning of September and last winter was just hell on earth if I'm honest. At the new yard, liveries said they didn't bring in til Bonfire Night last year so I'm hoping it's that long this year!!

 

[Polos Mum]

They will (and have) come in the odd night when it's been raining but forecast is great and apparently Sept has been driest and warmest for 100 years so mine are all happily out - when it gets cold they'll have rugs on it'll be the mud that brings them in.

 

[Maddie4]

Ours didn't go out til late this year, was June so leaving him out as long as possible, he is coming in daily now for a haynet and feed but won't be in at night until early Nov time. He isn't one to complain so he's happy out for now lol

 

[Queenbee]

Gawd no October November for Ben too, unless he dictates otherwise, if it's too cold and he is too miserable he will take to wrecking his electric fencing, this year they all went onto their summer schedule together and he had to be swapped back to the winter schedule for an extra month or so as the weather wasn't to his liking

 

[JennBags]

You are anthropomorphizing that animal!

Horses are happier in the field. I get that people need to do paddock/grass management. But really some people just molly coddle their horses and treat them like humans these days!

Sorry but I completely disagree with this. My old boy, and the one I have now, both told/tell me when they want to come in. My old boy was really quite vociferous about it. Some horses are happy being out 24/7, others aren't.

I started bringing mine in at night last week, but we are having a lot of work done at the yard, they are digging up outside his stable so I've left him out again this week as all the activity and noise will worry him. We haven't got a shred of grass left in our field, I am haying twice a day but they are very hungry. I'd rather he was in at night to get more forage into him; and I have noticed him being much grumpier in the last couple of days since he's been back out 24/7 again.

 

[Charlie007]

Mine have started coming in at night now. They are waiting to come in and tuck into their hay as soon as they come in. I love having them in at night!!

 

[paulineh]

Mine all live out 24/7 365 days a year. Still have plenty of grass , are fed once a day but will start to feed twice once the grass has gone. They have plenty of shelter both natural and man made.

They will be rugged accordingly and once they come back into full work (January 2nd each year) they will be fully clipped. They have been more healthy since I started doing this. Once I start to feed Hay they will get Adlib amount.

The only time they come in over night is if they are going to a show and I want them really clean. The stable doors are left open and they can chose to come in if they want. The stables and field shelters are bedded down with straw.

 

[Queenbee]

You are anthropomorphizing that animal!

Horses are happier in the field. I get that people need to do paddock/grass management. But really some people just molly coddle their horses and treat them like humans these days!

I'm sorry but it's this kind of generalisation that kind of ticks me off, horses are individuals just like humans. Whether or not that is an anthropomorphism is irrelevant, it is still true... You can't lump all horses into one type...

When the weather is mild, Ben is happy to chill in his field, but when it isn't, he causes a ruckus, wrecks fencing stands, at the gate to come in etc... Now on the odd occasion he can be popped out early in the day (say lunch time) and remain out until early morning, but try doing this everyday and again you wake up to trashed fencing. It matters not a damn to him that all the other horses are out at the same time, he would rather be in his stable. So early this year when all other horses were out at night, he was the lone horse in his stable, and he was very happy for it. If you think that this is pampering and something I am prone to you are sorely mistaken, my old mare was the antichrist of Ben, so I would happily rug her up and leave her out all winter, because this was best for her. No one likes fixing fencing everyday, so yes it does preserve the field in that sense, it also preserves my horse... A horse constantly wrecking fencing is going to give itself a nasty injury at some point, but first and foremost it's about managing your horse in a way that keeps it happy and healthy, I'm not going to leave my horse out just because naturally they are supposed to be out and "horses are happier out" when clearly he is not.

 

[Enfys]

No, not being mean. Being 'mean' by leaving out, in my opinion, is more often with horses in a hot summer, stamping on rock hard ground, being plagued by flies. I would rather bring a horse in for the day in summer than the night in winter.

Does your paddock get boggy, waterlogged?
Mud up to ankles in paddocks is the only reason I would stable my horses at night .
Obviously if your Yard has a stabling policy then the question doesn't arise.

As long as he has company, shelter of some sort and forage then, unless you want to bring him in, he probably won't mind being out. You know him best.

I leave my poor beasts to live out in -30C and 3 foot of snow.

 

[applecart14]

Hoping they stay out until at least mid October but I will have to go with the flow. It depends on the weather with rain/cold but I did hear that we have a nice couple of weeks in October to look forward to apparently. Think it was on the long range forecast.