The rise of individual turnout musings

[dougpeg]

I’ve had horses for over 30 years and over the last 5 - 10, individual turnout seems to have become a thing. There are multiple yards near me, and I’d say only around 5% of these offer group turnout, or even pairs. Small paddocks without any form of shelter seem quite normal too.

I’ve had my horse since a yearling and she is 17 now. I’ve moved around over the years and due to this she has been on a variety of different setups. She is a horse who needs company to thrive. Sometimes this has shown itself loudly; resulting in a very stressy horse, other times much more subtle; a little quiet in demeanor, overly pleased to see me, even presenting as itchy - the one year she was so itchy she had a course of Dectomax and antihistamine. Neither stopped the itch but giving her friends did.

Maybe she an old-fashioned horse living in a modern world, maybe she shouts out her needs that bit louder, maybe I’ve had her so long I’m simply attuned to her and understand her language.

I accept some horses need individual turnout. I am however incredibly sad it’s become normalised – the standard approach to keeping a herd animal. I can’t help wondering how many behaviours, subtle or otherwise stem from this. I know there are risks to group turnout, mine has been injured in the past, yet surely mental health matters just as much? From a yard owner / owner perspective I get it, I really do, but it begs the question; whose needs are we meeting?

 

[shortstuff99]

I keep mine with only my horses or I would keep on own with next door company if I only had 1 horse. I have had over £40,000 worth of veterinary bills caused by other peoples horses, I will never share a field with anyone else's horses ever again. I can see why it is popular.

It also stops the constant arguing about poo picking, or gate issues or your horse did this or that so can see why some livery yard owners prefer it too.

 

[PSD]

I couldn’t be on a yard with individual turnout, my boy loves company. He loves to play and groom. I can see why it’s popular though, herd turnout can be carnage on larger yards.

 

[Jambarissa]

I had no idea it'd become such a big thing until recently.

I've been on my current yard over 20 years, had about 5 previous yards although I never stayed that long. None had individual turnout. I've been looking for a new yard for a while but none have large pasture turnouts.

My current yard is large herds, up to 15 horses, on 40+ acres of pretty poor grazing with hills, trees and hedges. Agree gates can be a nightmare. No one can agree on putting hay out in winter and only half of owners poo pick or ragwort.

It's not ideal from an owners perspective but for the horses they have company, a huge varied terrain to roam in, encouragement to really move - there's always one that'll start a group charge

I can't really see how i could keep my lami pony happy and healthy in a small paddock, in our current set up she doesn't even need a grazing muzzle because they cover so much ground.

 

[meleeka]

I wouldn’t choose herd turnout if it wasn’t very well managed, ie, horses being introduced carefully. I wouldn’t choose individual turnout either so I think the happy medium is small groups/pairs.

 

[LEC]

I am on a private yard and now have Shetlands for the sport horses. It’s a reasonable compromise except this year has been a bit of a nightmare with summer weather. We built a special Shetland paddock to aid this. It’s all wooden post and rail with single electric at Shetland height so can touch and chat without the Shetland breaking free. In winter it’s not such an issue as Shetland can go out with sportshorse normally.
I like pairs or 3s max as find it usually works well. Herd turnout is for when they have no shoes, don’t need to come in and large enough fields.

 

[gallopingby]

It seems to me that keeping ‘your’ horse with another horse not yours can only lead to problems. if Sharing who decides which horse is staying out/ coming
in and how does this affect herd dynamics?

 

[Abacus]

I also feel sad when I see little patches of fields with one horse in each. At the moment we have 3 fields in use with 2 horses in each, normally we’d have more together but we need to cater for different grazing needs at the moment. I’d never keep them individually except for short periods. Watching them they are always together in their pairs, and often are all together in the corner where the fields meet. They play and groom, flick away flies and clearly choose to be side by side the vast majority of the time. Whatever the human needs are, it doesn’t seem fair to deprive them. I accept the risk of injury as part of that.

 

[SEL]

It was always herd turnout when I was young. Sometimes large herds, sometimes 5-6 horses but individual was the sick paddock

I was looking at photos from Cannock chase trekking centre on Instagram - 40 odd horses all out together. Mares, geldings, all ages. Very happy horses.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

With the racehorses they have individual turnout next to others whilst in work. Some go out with an old companion.

On their holidays its shoes off and out in in single gender herds of up to 15 horses.

 

[gryff]

I don't think I've seen anywhere around here (South West Wales) with individual turnout. My horses were always, when on livery, out on about 15 acres in a big herd of about 17. Groupings were purely based on height; we had rhe horses' field and the ponies' field. We never had "major" issues, due to reasonably careful introductions and just general contentment of the horses really. However, since moving them home and just having the two of them, I have to deal with far fewer minor knicks and cuts. Neither of mine are rug wreckers, so there's been no damage to those either. I thought they'd miss the company of a big herd, but they are very content with just each other.

 

[Barton Bounty]

Im individual turnout and I would never have it any other way. My first horse after having my second son , ended up being kicking in the field by the herd bully , a really bad one. £3500 in vet bills. Did everything I could but weipers couldnt save him. I was absolutely distraught.. never ever again will I have shared turnout, not even if I get a second horse.

 

[Identityincrisis]

Here in the NE it’s still very rare, i think I’ve seen it advertised as an option once. I would be very hard pushed to consider it, my horse is a very social animal, he is in a herd of 10 and flits from sub group to sub group throughout the day but they’re all pretty close.

He can be tricky to catch and for a while I put him in a field with 1 other, they both became very stressed and dangerous, went back to normal as soon as they went back to their herd.

I would prefer if back shoes were removed but thinking about it, most of ours don’t have them anyway

There are some things I’m willing to compromise on to keep my horse on livery but herd turnout is a must

 

[smolmaus]

I couldn't do individual unless I absolutely had to, my pony spent years never getting to touch noses with another horse, she deserves friends to groom and snooze with even if it comes with risks. Group turnout (3-6 horses) in big fields is a big reason I am where I am (in the summer anyway, winter is less idyllic but they still have their friends). Not many of the horses have back shoes and touch wood we've only had one unlucky kick this summer that wasn't serious, we think just two gelding ponies playing too hard.

My friend moved to where they are pairs-only and is having a nightmare of a time finding the right company when they can't choose their own. Her YO is excellent and really trying but its been very stressful.

 

[Hormonal Filly]

Our yard is group turnout, and introduction is non existent. It’s a big yard (40+) and herds are around 8+ per group. Big fields but there are always injuries.. mine has been in a paddock on her own this summer and actually dreading putting her out with the rest for winter.

I would love her to have a couple of friends or a single friend, that’s the ‘ideal’ but not possible for a lot of liveries.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

My 2 have been together most of the summer but I've had to bring in early to feed. They will eat together fine but it's the anticipation of food that starts them being silly. I've separated them again so they can stay out longer and be fed safely. I would live to put them back together for winter but I think the gate might be an issue so they will unfortunately probably stay separated.

 

[Lexi 123]

In most yards in my area group turnout in the winter but not in the summer due to risk of laminitis. My horse loves it but something that does worry me the amount of horse that are bullies in group turnout that really shouldn’t be in a herd and the separation anxiety it’s causes when they go back together for the winter.

 

[stangs]

I wouldn’t turnout with horses shod behind (even though I’ve ridden at several yards where there were no problems).

If you don’t have any space for the initial tussles, or time to carefully introduce, space can admittedly be an issue. However, I’ve also seen 4+ horses turned out in a 20x40 with no issues, once they knew each other well. (Not that I’m advocating for that.) I think the issue is that people don’t always choose yards with the herd in mind. A healthy, happy, and well-socialised herd with space is not going to cause major issues. A good routine prevents horses congregating by the gate, or getting so stressed that you can’t send them away from the gate.

I would never put a horse on individual turnout. Horse was on it for a period, before I bought him, and he’s never fully recovered in terms of his separation anxiety. People confused his learned helplessness with being fine with it. In his current herd, he gets the occasional bite, but that’s it, and only when something’s triggered a change in herd dynamic. The occasional bite is a fair price to pay for getting to graze next to his friends, groom, play fight, or play Mr Stallion when something spooks the mares and they all rush over to him.

The tragedy is that the more people use individual turnout - especially with horses under 4 - the worse group turnout will become. Horses won’t learn how to socialise, which results in bigger injuries, or they develop separation anxiety which makes everyone’s life difficult if they’re not living out.

Unfortunately, individual/pairs turnout is very common down here in the SE, especially when yards have more horses than acres. The expensive yards in particular do it.

 

[scats]

I had several career ending injuries done to horses in large group turnout. I’m now on a private yard with just my girls together. I love the idea of herd turnout, but it can be a nightmare if it’s not managed properly or there are horses shod behind in the herd.

 

[Tiddlypom]

It's not just that it is individual turnout, it's all these fully electric fenced tiny rectangles with no shelter or shade that you see horses imprisoned in. I would never keep a horse in one of those.

Well managed and fenced individual turnout with shelter is IMHO fine as an option. Poorly managed group turnout is a nightmare.

 

[SantaVera]

I keep mine at home and I now have only two,a pony and a horse, they are in individual paddocks but can see each other and touch over the fence if they want. It happened by chance as the old pony needs more grass than the horse and the horse is quite aggressive to him around buckets. Its massively easier, easier to control who is eating what, no kicking and biting, easy to take horse out for a hack,the pony just gets on with life and doesn't run around neighing, easier to catch pony and bring him in for a groom. So much better than when I had them together.

 

[awelshandawarmblood]

I hate individual turnout with a passion! I've been on yards where they've changed to this & I've swiftly left. My lads are both so sociable & seeing each of them alone in a square with a water bucket broke my heart, no playing, no grooming, no assisted fly swatting.
I personally could not deal with seeing my horses rotated between a box & a square grazing patch for their lives - as seems to slowly becoming the norm around here, with many yards having restricted turnout & using individual turnout as a selling point!
I agree, large herds can cause issues especially mixed or if not done right - also something I'm not fond of. BUT small groups based on age, size, dietary requirements & temperament I have NEVER had an issue with & in 19 years of having my older lad, he has never sustained more than a few scuffs & bites - something I see as a fair trade for him being out with buddies & being allowed to be a horse. I'd rather a calculated risk like that than the alternative of being stuck alone, after all, they're a horse not a machine with thoughts & feelings.

 

[follysienna]

I found it interesting to witness with mine. I have always had a pair together, then I bought a 3rd and they now all live together. My original pair seem happier and more settled as a group of three. Not that they seemed unhappy before, but I've definitely noticed a change in them. They often like to hang out over the fence with the horses next door too, so there is an even bigger group. I'd never keep mine individually unless for health/emergency reasons.

 

[daydreamer]

Most livery yards around here are individual turn out only. I have always tried to get mine out with at least one other. I think there is maybe only one yard that I know of locally that does actual herd turn out. I worry that more and more horses will not known how to behave in company and it will become more rare. I'm lucky that mine is barefoot all around and good with other horses. At my current yard we are supposed to do our own poo picking but I found one person I shared with did none and the next one said she could do it just one day a week so to leave it for a few days before but then she did a really bad job of it. I confess it is pretty tiring and annoying to poo pick after 2 every day when no-one else is doing it so I can sort of see how that would put people off.

 

[Ahrena]

I much prefer company.

I’ve only ever really shared with my own horses for the most part.

I now have 3 at home. When the new one came, she was next to the boys for a few weeks as they had only recently been gelded. She seemed fine on her own. Once enough time had passed, I put them out together and I did shit myself for 5 minutes when they were galloping around like lunatics but then they settled.

They’re almost always together. Often catch them all lying down in a group and lots of mutual grooming.
Yes there is an element of risk but there is with anything - my last horse broke her leg kicking a 5 bar gate. You can’t protect them from everything.

 

[MurphysMinder]

It's not just that it is individual turnout, it's all these fully electric fenced tiny rectangles with no shelter or shade that you see horses imprisoned in. I would never keep a horse in one of those.

Well managed and fenced individual turnout with shelter is IMHO fine as an option. Poorly managed group turnout is a nightmare.

There used to be a livery yard local to me (you may have seen it) with each horse/pony in an electric fenced square, no shelter from elements and it was quite an exposed spot. Whenever I went past there seemed to be more horses standing looking miserable than there were grazing. Luckily they discovered glamping was easier and presumably more profitable than liveries.
I've had the other extreme , where our pony was kicked by another while out on loan and suffered a fracture, it did end her show jumping career but thankfully she recovered. I would always do very slow introductions but still prefer to see horses live in groups, or at least pairs.

 

[poiuytrewq]

I hate individual turnout. When I have been on yards I’ve been lucky enough to have found other liveries twice who felt the same so we shared our fields.
At one yard when that livery left and I was faced with individual again I spoke to my yo and said I’d be leaving so she let me turnout daily in a field if youngsters that lived out 24/7 which was absolutely perfect!
I’ve half considered it at home as my horse and ponies have different needs but I know they might get used to it but they wouldn’t be happy.

 

[SDMabel]

I've had my mare in both, she is always lowest of the pecking order which means she would come in with bite marks and kicks. If she wasn't such a whimp then shared turnout was ideal but actually she never really benefited from it as would distance herself from the others.

Current yard is individual turnout but they can groom one another over the fence which seems to work well for the whimpy mare.

I also find it easier to control her grazing, keep on top of poo picking and haven't had the issues of trashed rugs.

 

[Widgeon]

It's not just that it is individual turnout, it's all these fully electric fenced tiny rectangles with no shelter or shade that you see horses imprisoned in. I would never keep a horse in one of those.

Well managed and fenced individual turnout with shelter is IMHO fine as an option. Poorly managed group turnout is a nightmare.

Yes I agree, there are nuances. Ours are all on individual TO but it's well drained, they they talk and groom over the fence, run up and down together, and all have hedges for shelter. It's not perfect but they're all very settled and seem contented. I have been on one yard with (to my mind) very small square paddocks, incredibly muddy, no shelter, and to get to the back ones you had to go through two other horses who would inevitably go berserk. I thoroughly disliked it and some of the horses seemed bored.

So I think that while individual TO isn't ideal, it isn't necessarily the worst setup for a riding horse that's in work.

 

[eahotson]

I’ve had horses for over 30 years and over the last 5 - 10, individual turnout seems to have become a thing. There are multiple yards near me, and I’d say only around 5% of these offer group turnout, or even pairs. Small paddocks without any form of shelter seem quite normal too.

I’ve had my horse since a yearling and she is 17 now. I’ve moved around over the years and due to this she has been on a variety of different setups. She is a horse who needs company to thrive. Sometimes this has shown itself loudly; resulting in a very stressy horse, other times much more subtle; a little quiet in demeanor, overly pleased to see me, even presenting as itchy - the one year she was so itchy she had a course of Dectomax and antihistamine. Neither stopped the itch but giving her friends did.

Maybe she an old-fashioned horse living in a modern world, maybe she shouts out her needs that bit louder, maybe I’ve had her so long I’m simply attuned to her and understand her language.

I accept some horses need individual turnout. I am however incredibly sad it’s become normalised – the standard approach to keeping a herd animal. I can’t help wondering how many behaviours, subtle or otherwise stem from this. I know there are risks to group turnout, mine has been injured in the past, yet surely mental health matters just as much? From a yard owner / owner perspective I get it, I really do, but it begs the question; whose needs are we meeting?

Agree.