Those with horses out 24/7....what is your daily routine ?

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jgmbng

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As in the title really.....I'm interested as I hope to do this with mine. At the moment they come in for around 4 hours a day just for a break from the sun/grass. I will not have a field shelter this winter and there is very little natural shelter do you think this would be a problem for 2 natives ?
 
Mines been living out alone 24/7 since oct last year (native x) massive field but not alot of shelter. There are other horses next to her that come in every night, but she prefers to shun them and stand on opposite side of field lol. I go up check her over and make sure automatic water is OK, no leaks etc, probably have a stroll round and check fence. Its near where live so if I drive past will swing car in and have a look aswell. I ride every other day so those days she comes in has a very thorough groom, check for fly bites, scrapes etc and put something on them if needed. Completely douse in fly spray and go for my ride. After hose off and more fly spray, then leave her in field with token feed as a treat. I used to have trouble catching her but since shes been out all the time no problems, no cough, no stiffness from being in stable, best thing I ever did for her.
 
We don't have horses atm but when we did they were out 24/7.

In summer I'd swing by on the way to work to check them quickly, make sure water was ok and to make sure fly masks etc. were still where they should be. Then I'd go up after work, ride out, check water again, field check, etc. etc. I'd poo pick twice a week and Mum did a few barrow loads once or twice a week for me.

Winter was a bit trickier due to less light, mud, etc. Mum would normally go up first thing to feed/hay them, sort out ice on water trough and check rugs, etc. Then I'd go up after work to feed/hay them again, rug check, field check, etc. They weren't generally ridden during the week in winter and would have a shot gentle hack at weekends to keep them ticking over.
 
If you haven't got anywhere to bring them in for certain periods of time ie at night time, then I think leaving them out 24/7 with little shelter all winter is too much tbh. They need somewhere to spend some time to dry off and get out of the wind and rain for a certain amount of time.
 
I also have a native out on his own 24/7. He copes much better on his own. He has fields of other horses on two sides of him. He has lot of natural shelter, but doesn't use it!!

My summer routine is up before work (around 7.15 am) to fly spray, put on fly mask and poo pick the field. Then back again after work (around 5 pm) to take off fly mask and fly spray.

My winter routine is up before work (around 7.15 am) to give a feed and hay (if needed), change liner under rug, if necessary, poo pick field. Then back again after work (around 5 pm) to give hay, change rug liner (if necessary).

Obviously, each time I go I check the water trough and the fencing and give him a good scratch, groom, cuddle, as needed.

When riding, I just take him down to the yard (a bit of a walk) and then bring back up to field when finished.

Luckily, I can drive and park near the field.
 
No problem if you look after them well they need to be well fed with hay and straw in winter and the grass needs to be controlled in summer. If shelter is an issue then a medium weight rug will protect them from the worst of the wind rain and snow Shade is a bit harder but mine stand in the mid day sun in the middle of the field but the option of a bit of hedge is probably better The biggest problem is keeping up with the water so if you have no tap it can be hard work
Routine wise they are ridden fed and poo picked in the morning and checked and water refilled in the afternoon
 
And mine lives out 24/7 with access to his stable and yard 24/7 also; currently he spends the day time in the yard or stable in the shade (and there is lots of shade in the field, he just prefers to be In his stable or yard) and at night he would spend more time in the field.

Routine wise he is fed in morning, and Then I ride, in evenings he gets fed. I am giving him a couple of slices of hay during the day as if he decides he is going to stand in I want him to have food available.. Otherwise I just fill up the water when needed, pick his feet out before riding and again at pm feeds and general check and brush. Buttercup stains are hard to get out!

He is a very low maintenance horse though to be fair :)

For your natives though a rug isn't enough - yes it will keep them dry but the ponies themselves need somewhere dry to stand and shelter under the worst of the weather.
 
Amymay.......can I ask why if they will be fed and rugged accordingly ? I have 3 stables on my land in need of renovation, a project for next year, when they will be turned into a field shelter. I also have stables (with water and electric) along a track from the field but not attached . I am a great believer that horses should be out as much as possible but maybe its better to have the field shelter first.
 
jgmbng said:
As in the title really.....I'm interested as I hope to do this with mine. At the moment they come in for around 4 hours a day just for a break from the sun/grass. I will not have a field shelter this winter and there is very little natural shelter do you think this would be a problem for 2 natives ?
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Sorry, yes, In the wild horses/ponies have acres/miles of land to travel. They choose their summer/winter grazing accordingly. If they are kept in a relatively small area, and what we offer is usually small compared to natural living, then they should have shelter, whether it be man made or natural.
 
twiggy2 said:
so if you had torrential rain for days on end you could pop them in for a few hours to dry off?
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Yes......I would just rather have them out as much as possible. I have them on about an acre split into 3 at the mo with another 10 acres to go at ! Just pondering on what to do in winter.
 
jgmbng said:
Amymay.......can I ask why if they will be fed and rugged accordingly ? I have 3 stables on my land in need of renovation, a project for next year, when they will be turned into a field shelter. I also have stables (with water and electric) along a track from the field but not attached . I am a great believer that horses should be out as much as possible but maybe its better to have the field shelter first.
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Well imo, you can rug and feed as much as you like, but unless you provide some sort of shelter to protect from the worst of the weather horses will suffer.
 
I think without any sort of natural shelter there will be an issue in the summer if it is very hot - natives cope better in the winter and you can rug and give hay but if there is no shade then in the summer it is hard for them.

If you just have a post and rail square exposed to elements it is not ideal for any horse really. Even the feral ones living out on the moors have some access to natural shelter

My pony lives out he does not have a field shelter but he has natural shelter lots of hedges and they also have shaded areas such as a wooded area. He was out in all the storms and wet weather last year without any problems, he was rugged as he gets rainscald if he gets very wet but lots of his field mates were not and they were all fine and happy.

In the summer I ride in the evenings after work in the winter I do not.

Routine is YO does morning checks and I do evening checks after work in the winter I have a big torch as it is very dark. Other liveries who do not work go up during the day. We do have lots of grass but if they need hay in the winter YO puts hay in the field. My pony is fed every day but other who are not in work eg young or old are not. We have a nice group of liveries and communal spirit so try and help each other out eg put fly masks and muzzles back on if they have come off or do up rug straps if they have come undone etc.
 
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mine live out 24/7, I do have stables but my mare won't come in, it stresses her out soo much!

she has lived out for 12yrs, from the age of 17, now 29, until 2 winters ago she never had a field shelter, she's always had adlib hay and lots of decent rugs, at least 2 of each weight in case one gets wet! she was always totally fine, a good weight, healthy and well to have made it to 29, it can't had done her any harm!

last winter I had moved to a new yard and have a massive barn, so I had round bales of hay delivered into that, which would last my 2 and a mini, 2 weeks at a time, they spent most of their time in there eating hay!

winter: I go up in the mornings and feed and muckout, back up in the evening to feed again, if they need 2 feeds a day and make sure they are still standing!
regardless I always go up a mini of 2 times a day!

summer: up in the morning to give meds to the 29yr old, muck out! back up in the evenings, to check and to ride my 4yr old!

I would suggest lots of decent rugs, don't buy cheap, they don't do so well when its wet! I have 12yr old weatherbeetas and mark todds! the cheaper rugs just don't last and get really soaked though! if money is an issue! I try to start buying during the summer, one a month, ready for the winter!
had my 4yr old for just over 2 yrs and he's gone from a 6 foot to a 6'9 rug, so have been buying lots for him! now he's hopefully as long as he will get I can start getting him decent rugs!
 
well mine have lived out 24/7 for the past 20 years and have never had any issue with not much in the way of shelter We did at one time have a field shelter but they never went in it even if I put hay in there they preferred to be out in the middle of the field wind wet snow ice and every other kind of weather they do have rugs if we have long spells of wet and cold together but normally are unclipped and rugless never seen one shiver never had mud fever or rain scald and keep a good weight year round dropping a bit in winter and gaining it back in summer. This is the first year I have had to restrict grazing as the grass has gone mad but normally they have short bowling green fields by putting all 4 ponies on an acre and a half in summer and all four acres in the winter. Works really well and none of them would thank you for a stable they would and have jumped out and gone back to their field when I have attempted to be nice we no longer have stables and they never go inside and are quite happy thank you
 
Mines out 24/7 from May - October. Usually Shes just left to her own devices, checked on twice a day (not fed), rode once a day.

She's recently been dignosed with ulcers though so Ive had to change plans slightly. She's on a paddock with 3 others overnight so I go down at 9am, feed her gastroguard & feed with suppliments in, fly spray & move her onto her own paddock with better grazing. Go back about 6pm, feed her/fly spray again, poo pick then put her back into the night field. If she's being ridden its usually on an evening x
 
mine have access to their stables and they often use them for a lie down or escape out of the weather when needed and sometimes I need to bring them in to save my grazing in the winter. They are usually out 24/7 all year when possible.

Is there anyway that you could create some shelter in the field before the winter even something like a line of big bales or a mercedes wind break? I would use your stables along the track when necessary as long as you have something that you could use if the need arose. Then you could make safe the stables in the field for next year
 
Mine live out 24/7 and like most NZ horses, have done so all of their lives. No shelters in the paddock (and no stables), but good shelter from hedges and trees. In winter they are rugged accordingly if needed, hay is fed ad-lib and I hard feed all year around.

Horses in NZ do generally live out all year around and as long as they are fed and cared for as required they cope just fine. As far as a routine goes, I see them every day after work and of course at the weekends can quite happily spend hours just pottering.
 
My TB lives out all year, and up until this year it was in a big open field with no real shelter other than a small drystone dyke on the side of a hill in NE Scotland.

He was well rugged (although didn't need as much rugging as I was prepared for), and had a constant ad lib haylage to keep him warm, as well as racking up a decent feed bill... But he was very happy and looked not too bad.

I am also one of those awful owners who only goes up once a day - he gets his field checked/water/hay done, ridden, fed and turned out again. However there are people going about during the day who do check on him for me too.

I do have a stable, so he can come in out if the worst of the weather, hot and cold, but tbh in winter he prefers to be out and will a weave and box walk, whilst in the summer heat like now he is happy to be in...
 
Mine live out full time with man made shelters and good hedging however I have no fixed routine whatsoever. I think routines need to be routine and can become a rod for your own back so in my case it is better to have none at all. I do see them every day but it could be early, middle or late depending on my other work. In that way they don't stand by the gate metaphorically looking at their watches. Same with the other two people who keep their horses with mine.
 
They don't need a shelter with a roof, just somewhere to get away from the prevailing wind in bad weather. Ours have a piece of wall they like to sleep near and have no problems. If you have no hedges a row 2 or 3 big bales of straw will make them enough of a windbreak to get behind if they need to.
 
I have 2 that stay out in the field 24/7 and 1 that comes into a bare paddock with hay fenced off his half of the field shelter overnight.

Depending on what shift I am on, I either do mornings or evenings.

If I'm doing mornings I go down and feed my 3 and my friends 3, put everyone's rugs/masks/fly repellant on. Put grazing muzzle on my one and let him out of his bare paddock. Check all the waters and do all my poo picking.

Then I make up my feed for the evening and get the hay ready.

If I'm riding I come back after a coffee and do it before work.

If I'm on early shift I go up after work to ride and poo pick. Then feed etc later on in the evening.

Mine have hedges for shelter and a huge tree. But they still choose to spend a lot of time in the field shelter. Hardly ever in the wind and rain but a lot in the summer.
 
Gloi said:
They don't need a shelter with a roof, just somewhere to get away from the prevailing wind in bad weather. Ours have a piece of wall they like to sleep near and have no problems. If you have no hedges a row 2 or 3 big bales of straw will make them enough of a windbreak to get behind if they need to.
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This ^ Natives are pretty tough, a good rug in winter will be ok but bales or windbreak netting might help.
In summer I'm coming to the conclusion they don't seek out shade; we have 5 at home in a 7 acre paddock with loads of natural shelter and the sheep all head to the shade of the trees when the sun's out but the horses are happy to snooze in the sun.
I don't have much routine, things get done when I have time, but I can see them from most of the windows in my house so if I see something amiss I can go straight out. However if I'm away I'm happy with a once a day check.
 
OP, you don't say where you are or what breed of native ponies you have so any answer is going to be of the "how long is a piece of string?" variety.

I have Highland ponies and they are out 24/7. I do have a 12'x30' field shelter and two 12'x12' stables, also good natural shelter in some fields, but not all. Due to an infertile stallion (not mine!) one year, I put my supposedly pregnant mares in with my own stallion. So I got some foals born outside in the middle of one of the worst winters for years. I'm in the Scottish Highlands (80 miles south of John O'Groats) but at sea level. The foals were all born without problems and were fine. They actually seemed to enjoy the snow and had hot drinks on demand. ALL the ponies grow their own rugs (even the foals which looked like little fur balls!) and their coats have natural oil which makes them almost waterproof.

Except in extreme weather, most native ponies will cope well with our winters IF THEY ARE ADEQUATELY FED. Sorry to shout but that is so important. Fat is a good insulator and a layer under the skin with a good thick natural coat will keep them healthy in most conditions. The worse weather is rain/sleet with a strong wind and my lot will not use the field shelter except in those conditions or to escape flies. They are also out grazing in this hot weather BUT I have just modified things so that mares and foals can get into the stables if they want. Both were in yesterday which was a hot day but others, with shade in the fields, stayed out in the sun grazing most of the day. If you are down south, your situation may be different.

I poo pick some fields (machine) and harrow others (heavy chain harrows behind the tractor). The ponies get looked at at least once a day and hard feed is a rare luxury, mostly their diet is good grass, hay, or haylage with a Red Rocky salt block. I am intending to put up new field shelters this year and I am always planting trees if I find I have a disused corner. One last thing, animals get used to their conditions and adjust to cope. Changing their routine with the idea that you are doing them a kindness can be the opposite.

Edited to say the only time a pony is rugged here is to keep it clean for a show. It is not a kindness to rug a native in my opinion as they will (or should) naturally grow a coat to suit the conditions. I have been told that a rug will rob the natural oils, but as I don't rug, I don't know. But on the other hand, I would never leave a pony in a field bare of cover. They need some shelter, even if it is a few bushes or a wall.
 
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At the yard I am on only two horses come in in winter and 23 live out. Many, my mare included, are clipped. My mare comes in for a few hours for hay and food( simple systems so no hard food) but is out overnight. The yard owner does not usually put hay in the fields unless there is snow. At the moment in this heat she comes out of the sun as she is driven mad by flies.

Horse are rugged if needed in winter and live in a huge field with plenty of grass. It usually lasts most of the winter. There is a hedge in the mares field on one side but the geldings live on a hill. The hill gives some shelter but they are rarely found in it. I have never seen a yard with healthier, happier horses. Many of them are in their 20 s and three are in their 30s. Quite a few are TB ex racehorses. The yo competes BD and BE from the field.
As long as they are well fed and rugged if needed I think most, if not all horses could live out. It depends whether the grazing is suitable though. I hate to see them standing in mud. Because ours live out they never hang round at the gate. they just graze or stand in their preferred resting places. A friend moved her warm blood to the yard. At her previous yard she was hard to keep weight on and was quite stressy. She was in 20 hours a day all year round. Now she is so laid back, calm and round. The staff at the last yard said she couldn't live out but she is so much happier. My mare is healthier and happier out. She is 23 but doesn't act or look it.

I think people get a bit precious about horses needing stables or man made shelters. With modern rugs they can be warm and dry in the most awful weather. When I was a child most horses and ponies lived out unless they were hunters and hardly any wore rugs. Standing for long periods of time in a stable is unnatural and not good for older horses in particular. I am not against any one keeping their horses however they see fit as long as they are healthy and not neglected but I do find a lot of prejudice against keeping horses out.
Our vet thinks our yard has it right and always says it is the healthiest yard he goes to.
 
It all depends on your facilities, location and type I would think. The saddest sight is horses within 4 strands of sagging electric tape in my view.

I have everything out at the moment but they all have very differing needs. The precious ex show horse who is a walking weather forecast, will put himself to bed 5 minutes before it rains, he has a large shelter, bedded with straw one end and shavings the other. On warm days he parks under the oak on roasting days he goes to bed again. He makes us laugh because if he marches off his paddock to his house we know it is about to rain. He has always been a bit 'special needs', on a pleasant day he will produce an 80% test, on a wet and windy day he refuses to go past A and has been known to reverse to his lorry.

My youngstock, stoutly bred types with RID/Cob and Shire in them stand under the oaks in this weather and graze over night. The two clyde x are not bothered by any nasty weather but seek shelter from the flies. I have some ancient oaks which throw big areas of shade, the horses follow the shade as the day goes on.

Routine wise, I walk the stocked fields at 6ish every morning, if I am feeling sprightly I ride for an hour before reluctantly leaving for work. Another check in the evening. At least at this time of the year it is easy.
 
We have Natives and Native x's who all live out in a large field 24/7. In the summer they are in smaller sectioned off areas of the field to avoid too much consumption of grass and have natural shelter there.
In the winter, they have the whole field with access to a large barn where they can come and go as they please. Only the older guys wear MW rugs.

AM check all ok, poo pick, fill water, hay when necessary, fly masks on, rugs when necc.

PM bring into stables for 3 hours, haynets filled and soaked, ride, poo pick, fill water, sweep and tidy up yard, turn out.

None of our Natives are over groomed, but checked daily for lumps and bumps.
 
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