The question of sporadic overnight stabling

Mine don't have a routine - if asked I would say they live out but I had them in Friday night and for a chunk of today. My stables are always ready for me to chuck them in - whether it's to ride, get them away from flies or just to try and keep a check on their grass intake. They both come to call to come in and both are happy there or out. Both were in livery for 3 months at the start of the year and my older more dominant one was a proper madam for some of the yard workers (reared etc to be brought in or generally difficult to catch) - I've tried to mix things up, it keeps her on her toes and she's very well behaved. I've never had an issue re colic.
 
I'm a routine girl through and through. However if the weather is particularly rubbish then I've got no problem bringing them in overnight during the summer. Never had a problem.
 
Another with no rigid routine, mine are in at night now, but I might bring in at 6pm, it might be 9.30pm, by torch light or in the dark. Sometimes I ride first thing, sometimes last thing, sometimes my husband lunges at lunch!

I have a serial door basher, and am experimenting with a new way of stopping her getting worked up,.. I have decided to not feed in the stable, at all. So now, I feed out in the field, or in the hard standing, and completely at random, no set times. So far, my door hammerer is quiet.t
 
People (used to) say exactly the same thing about rugs - once they're on, they're on for the winter.

I don't see the harm in varying rugs or stabling as required by circumstance ( although convenience will always be a grey area) just as we'd vary any other element of care if we needed to.

Routine is all very well, but trying to cope with a very stressed unhappy horse when injury forces a sudden change to routine is horrible for all concerned. I like them able to cope with a bit of change without it becoming a major drama.
 
I have just rented a field for the last 8 years, but prior to that I was on a livery yard. When I was on a yard, they were mainly out all the time, but would come in if the weather was bad. I never had a problem. Sometimes I would keep them in at night for a few weeks if the fields were bad, then they would decide they didn't want to come in. I think horses should be adaptable if possible. I was surprised recently by one of them who is very sharp, who had to be stabled over night on a strange yard following a joint injection. She was fine, when I had thought she would be very stressed, which just goes to show they can cope better than people think.
 
Interesting question OP. I'd always been taught the same as you - keep the horse in a routine and stick to it.
But my experience now (and looking at most of the replies on this thread) is that many horses benefit from no routine as it seems to help them cope and adapt. My mare falls into this group, and has a varied routine and is much more confident now than when I got her.
My gelding has always lived out. He gets stressed in a stable. He's now 20 so I don't think will change. When he went for an op at the vet hospital the head vet said to keep him in that night. When I explained that he was never in, he said that the sudden change and resulting stress *may* increase the risk of colic. We agreed to leave him out.
 
I was taught the same as OP. It comes from the days back when the seasons were clearer, so there wasn't quite so much of this changeable weather. The rugs were more basic too so your choices were: rug on or rug off, with blankets underneath if necessary in the stable, but not the field. Working horses who needed more than a trace clip were stabled with little to no turnout in winter (because they'd have been too cold out and lost weight) and plenty of people turned out 24/7 in summer, so there was quite a drastic change of diet from almost all hay/hard feed in winter to decent grazing in summer. People didn't really do starvation paddocks, track systems or strip grazing etc and feeding hay instead as a way of managing weight. I don't think grazing muzzles were invented either. Ponies were either working quite a lot or those who weren't got fat, if they got laminitis they were either box rested and recovered or they were PTS. There wasn't the emphasis on weight management that there is now. I remember reading books where the focus was more about getting weight off the horse who'd been out of work with lungeing, so that the saddle would fit again and you could start riding. Laminitis was seen as an unfortunate accident eg as a result of breaking into the feed room, or as a result of bad management, not as something linked to cushings disease or EMS and preventable by managing those conditions. So the feeding of hay in summer, restricted grazing, stabling for weight management wasn't usual.

Regarding shows and full neck turnout rugs - those hadn't been invented, neither had lightweight turnout rugs. So if you bathed your horse the day before for a show next day with an early start, and wanted it to stay clean, that did mean stabling it overnight.

OP I was also taught to make the change from stabled to turned out and vice versa a gradual thing done over a few weeks, increasing/decreasing turnout time as applicable, so the diet is changed gradually. I expect you could find it written somewhere but it would be an old horse care book not a modern one.
 
only thing I never do is go from a wet diet ie grass to a dry diet ie hay as that can cause colic they have a mix of each or in an emergency they get soaked hay if they have to be in. Only horse I have ever had colic was a mare brought in from the field to wean her foal and I gave her dry hay not thinking and on advice from a stud manager as she said it would dry her milk up. Never done it again never would. They are out 24/7 year round so I am careful if they ned to come in to use soaked or wet hay and sloppy feed gradually drying it out over the next few days or weeks
 
We tend to turnout 24/7 all summer and then in at night in the winter, but if I needed to I wouldn't have a problem bringing the mares in overnight in summer if the weather was bad. Thankfully we've had a relatively good summer so that hasn't been necessary. .

Fiona
 
I have 4 ponies soon to be 5 they don't have a routine regarding stabling and turn out . They are all native breeds live out 24/7 unless really bad weather or if I'm going to ride and it's wet . I don't rug as don't want to ruin the winter coat. They are all kept at home and just seem to go along with anything really
 
I dont bring in during the summer and just rug appropriately during winter. But if there's a really extreme storm with torrential rain and gales I do bring them into the barn overnight. I also only feed hay when needed -there are 9 acres between two in the winter field - and have never had an issue in 30 odd years.
 
Another where we have no routine. Going to shows /hunting changes their routines anyway, plus most horses don't get ridden everyday so again no routin . I roughly fed mine between 7-9 in the morning and 5 and 8 in the evening when they are out, sometimes I bring them in to feed them sometimes I chuck their buckets over the fence for them, sometimes ride in the morning, sometimes in afternoon. Sometimes they come in during the day for a few hours, sometimes over night. Sometimes they come in for their tea and I turn them back out much later when it's dark - never had any problems at all and in fact they are very laid back, I don't have any door banging, fence walking, box walking, no tantrums and they are fine at shows. I guess it was the traditional way to do things to have a routin and maybe necessary if you have a yard of liveries to think about
 
scats said:
I'm a stickler for routine. Mine are out overnight in the summer, whatever the weather and then in overnight in the winter (and out in the day).

I know of two people who randomly leave in one night if it's going to rain and then leave out for 2 nights and then maybe in again- they basically take it day at a time. ).
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This, I'm old school, fields permitting we try to have them out when clocks change in spring and they don't come in at night until clocks change in Oct, during the summer if there's a few very wet/stormy days i'll bring them in for shelter for a few hours but TBH this is only if they are at the gate looking miserable and they rarely are.

I've never had a horse who I could leave in for a night during summer, they would be very unsettled, all the others in their block are out in the fields, they wouldn't eat and would trash their beds.

if I have a show, I bath the day before, put a rainsheet on and hope that the following morning I only have legs/face to clean up (I have a grey!)

there are a few at the yard that will stable overnight for weather/shows, and some that seem to just randomly have horses out for days and then stabled for days.
 
Interesting range of what people do, thanks all. Might be an interesting exercise to correlate with the answers to where/how everyone was taught stable management.
 
Mine regularly come in for some hay as their grazing is restricted anyway, or have hay in the field so no drastic diet change to worry about if they do need to come in. Plenty of situations when they do need to come in sporadically (fireworks, injuries, for us recently steroid treatments :p) that it is better if it is something they are use to IMO. Both ours love their stables for the most part though, as shown by the amount of time Mum's mare spends in it when she had free access, and since Frank moved back home a week ago and has gone from in during the day to out 24/7 how he has to be dragged back out after tea!
 
Ours are generally in at night in the winter and out 24/7 in the summer. However, I have no problem with them coming in at random intervals during the summer if necessary, particularly as I think it helps if they suddenly need to come in for box rest as happened to my horse this summer. Ours don't get forage in the summer so the only thing I do differently to when they are in their normal routine is to feed wet hay if they come in for any reason during the summer. This is to ensure they stay hydrated as my horse drinks far less when in than out.

This works for our horses and mine certainly didn't stress at all apart from mildly on the first day when he suddenly went from out 24/7 to in 24/7.

We also work it to suit different horses. The YO's horses will come in when the clocks change but mine will stay out 24/7 until after Bonfire Night as he copes far better with noises he can "see", rather than things he can't.
 
I have done a mixture over the years, mainly dependant on the yard I was on at the time. When I first had my mare (nearly 20yrs ago!) she was stabled, and would be in at night in the winter/out in day and in during the day in summer/out at night, since she retired she has lived out 24/7 and has only come in for a couple of short periods of box rest.
My gelding (owned for 14yrs now) has done a mixture of things over the years, he has been in at night/out during day all year, out 24/7 in summer/in at night in winter, but has been out 24/7 (bar box rest!) for the last 8yrs. Although this winter I am intending him to come in at night for a few months.
They both have a loose routine of being fed AM and PM all year round, but that's it. I ride 5-6 times a week, usually AM. Sometimes my boy will come in for the day, e.g. vet/farrier, but mostly he stays out, don't ever bring in due bad weather. Haven't been to a comp for over a year due to injury but when I did (and will do in future), then he stays out the night before and gets cleaned in the morning - which isn't always easy due to him being grey!
I learnt from some old school people yonks ago, and have done my BHS stages (3) but times change, and I do what suits me and my horses, within the limits of the yard (e.g. can't stable at all if you don't have one to use, or some don't allow 24/7 turnout).
 
I really, really need 24:7 turnout 365 days a year because both my horses need to move around or they get incredibly stiff. It has limited the yards I can take them to in this area because there are some that reserve the right to have zero turnout if the weather is bad.

I do bring them in for the odd night if it is particularly miserable - but it has to be very cold and wet. Neither of them seem to mind being out and my mare will be in the middle of the field eating in the most atrocious weather and even when the rest of the herd are tucked in tight against the hedgerow.
 
JillA said:
Interesting range of what people do, thanks all. Might be an interesting exercise to correlate with the answers to where/how everyone was taught stable management.
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as a WP in the 80s-by a very old school instructor. Everyone knows there is a risk if you bring in a horse from 24/7 TO to 24/7 in for box rest for example, you run a colic risk. But for 10-12 hours overnight or during the day with turnout shouldnt be a problem.
 
JillA said:
Interesting range of what people do, thanks all. Might be an interesting exercise to correlate with the answers to where/how everyone was taught stable management.
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Why don't you resurrect your poll of recent weeks?
 
Well I was taught the old school way. However over many years of keeping horses I have come to accept that the old ways and beliefs are not always correct.

My horses have a rough routine of in during the day and out at night in the summer although the bring in and turn out time is not rigid and then this is reversed in the winter. As long as the fields are holding up I don't see any reason to bring a healthy horse in for the night during the summer if it is raining but each to their own. There have been some particularly wet winters where the horses have had the odd day in to save the ground but they will always get out of their stable for a leg stretch twice a day (usually once to be exercised and once turned out in the school).

I certainly keep one of my horses in overnight if he has a competition the following day as it suits him better than leaving him out overnight.

Hand on heart I have never had a problem with colic with not sticking to a set routine.
 
Cant really give an experienced view myself because I've always been on livery yards and so dictated to as to what, when and where with turnout but this year, at home for our first winter I will have the yard and his stable open where i will feed hay and the post and rail round the yard is on slip rails so i can pick and choose entrances so as not to rough the ground up too much but if it gets really wet i will confine him to the yard and stable for a few hours but with the emphasis on as much turnout as possible.

It's always tempting to want to 'shelter' him from the worst weather but because he will have the option to choose i will get my confidence from him having his own mind and being able to choose himself where he wants to be.
 
I would prefer a set routine too. Leaving a horse in overnight because you have a show isn't fair on the horse unless you have a very early start the next day. So even if I am on very early I would try to keep my horse out overnight in the summer.
 
eggs said:
Well I was taught the old school way. However over many years of keeping horses I have come to accept that the old ways and beliefs are not always correct.

.
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This ^.
BHS all the way in the late 70's and early 80's.

I choose to do what is best for me and what Fuzzies I have.

We no longer (often!) use the same saddle on all, we don't (often) turn away for leg problems but go down nerve block, x-ray and other investigating work.

Most don't worm twice a year as routine, nor does bran mashes get fed once a week on the whole.

Loads of other things I was taught and put into practice yrs ago, that I wouldn't do now :)
 
My boy is stabled at night all year round now and has been for 8 years. Prior to that, he's wintered in 24/7 (not through choice!), been out 24/7 all year round with open access to stables, stabled only before a show or box rested when lame, and then we've had winter day-turnout and summer 24/7 turnout.

Honestly he's at his happiest on his current yard for a number of reasons BUT he did seem to cope with the changes in routine. Funnily enough, now that he's retired and I've been considering the future, not upsetting that routine is one of the factors I'm taking into consideration!
 
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