thoughts on 24/7 stabling in winter... no choice but to?

Maddie2412

Maddie2412

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so went to look round hartpury uni and loved it! definitely want to go and take the ponio BUT althought there is turn out in summer there is no turnout in winter. This worried me as tbh i want him on campus if possible as with such amazing facilities it really is one of the bonuses. however he is a pretty fiery tb who need constant exercise as it is and if in for seriously prolonged periods of time his legs fill. I would exercise him everyday except one and he would go on the horse-walker everyday as well but i worry about him going stir crazy!

what are your thoughts and experiences on the matter? i think i would definitely exercise him enough but i just dont know how he will react although i assume he is used to being in for fairly long periods of time as a racey boy.
Also its going to be expensive, hes hardly the cleanest horse and i think he would go through a ridiculous amount of bedding which worries me...
 
Aside from the horse turning into a nutter, I liken the idea of 24/7 stabling to being locked up in your bathroom all day and night. I just wouldn't to it to a horse.
 
Could you find a nearby livery yard with grazing? Sorry, I don't know Hartpury at all, and I guess maybe that would defeat the object of having all the facilities available to you.

When I went to uni I took my horse up for the last year and during the winter they were only allowed in the field at weekends. It sent her mad - she was not a happy horse and I really regretted it. Sorry, that's not very helpful...
 
no thank you guys that what i thought!! I think i would be so obsessed with not having him standing in his own muck i would be standing there all day waiting to clean up after him!! I just wanted opinions of possibilities because they just have the MOST AMAZING facilities and would mean we could really progress but certainly wouldnt consider that above his welfare... :) thank you both!
 
I think that for any animal who's base instinct is to graze and has a body who's organs and blood stream depends on the movement of the feet i.e through the frog acting as a pump to push blood up the legs back to the heart, really deserves to have at least part of the day out at grass for his own mental health and welfare. I know you will ride him each day and i don't think for a moment that you wouldn't put his welfare above all else , but it would be awful , especially if your horse has been used to having time out already.
 
Personally, I'm very surprised that a place like Hartbury is happy to have all their horses in 24/7 during winter. Most people understand these days that horses benefit from some form of liberty a day, and a spell on the horse-walker just aint it!
 
That was one of the reason why I did not go to Hartpury. But I do know that there are a number of local livery yards that people from there use. A number of my friends went to Hartpury but none of them stabled their horses there. Also as it is so busy, you might not get to use the facilities as you would as first imagine.....
 
Spyda said:
Personally, I'm very surprised that a place like Hartbury is happy to have all their horses in 24/7 during winter. Most people understand these days that horses benefit from some form of liberty a day, and a spell on the horse-walker just aint it!
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ditto this!! i thought the same and asked the woman especilly with so much on horses and studying it and she said "simple the girls who dont like it keep their horses elsewhere!" thought this was a tad blunt!!
 
lydia_markwick said:
ditto this!! i thought the same and asked the woman especilly with so much on horses and studying it and she said "simple the girls who dont like it keep their horses elsewhere!" thought this was a tad blunt!!
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Jeeze, yes. For a college TEACHING equine courses you'd think equine welfare would be higher up on their agenda. Obviously not! Would put me right off if I was given an answer like that from a college staff member. Eeeek :eek:

Also agree with poster who said facilities availability might be limited for liveries: if you did consider going there to use them, I'd check the liveries rota carefully before deciding!
 
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No-one should condemn people who have no choice but to stable 24/7 in the winter. Not everyone lives in open countryside and many of you would be amazed how many horses are kept within 5 miles of major city centres - land is at such a premium turnout is obviously going to be restricted. I used to keep my girl on a yard with only daytime summer turnout and she was absolutely fine as she had plenty to eat, plenty to see and was ridden every single day including 3 hour hacks at weekends. In the mornings I would let her loose in the indoor arena to eat her breakfast and have a roll, or she could clop about around the yard to visit her friends. She is naturally highly strung and often a bit stressy, but she did absolutely fine on this regimen.
 
lydia_markwick said:
ditto this!! i thought the same and asked the woman especilly with so much on horses and studying it and she said "simple the girls who dont like it keep their horses elsewhere!" thought this was a tad blunt!!
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Be careful what you put on a forum, you don't know who's reading, and you don't want to put people's backs up before you get there!

There are lots of yards near Hartpury aren't there? Can you still use the facilities as a student, and hack there or something?
 
I moved to a yard years ago that was less than truthfull about winter turnout! The horses had to stay in when ground was wet & we often had to keep in for weeks at a time. I was amazed how well my highly strung TB coped with it. He was well exercised 6 days a week & I think because everything else was stabled as well he wasn't fretting about staying in. There was a woodchip turn out area but tbh they didn't really like it in there so we just used to put them out in pairs on there day off. However I do prefer them out in the day in winter so I didn't stay for another winter(there was also very little I liked about the yard in general anyway!). The annoying thing was that it was on a massive farm with acres & acres of land & they were always promising to sort us more fields out but never did. I occasionally drive by now & it all looks same set up eg not enough grazing for the liveries!
 
fatpiggy said:
No-one should condemn people who have no choice but to stable 24/7 in the winter. Not everyone lives in open countryside and many of you would be amazed how many horses are kept within 5 miles of major city centres - land is at such a premium turnout is obviously going to be restricted. I used to keep my girl on a yard with only daytime summer turnout and she was absolutely fine as she had plenty to eat, plenty to see and was ridden every single day including 3 hour hacks at weekends. In the mornings I would let her loose in the indoor arena to eat her breakfast and have a roll, or she could clop about around the yard to visit her friends. She is naturally highly strung and often a bit stressy, but she did absolutely fine on this regimen.
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Hey, I'm not condemning anyone for 24/7 stabling!, and I've lived most of my life in outer London; I've done it myself in the past (back in the 70's when it was more accepted), but I think you'd have to agree that it IS better for all equines to have some form of liberty and socialisation time each day and most people TRY to find somewhere that offers at least a bit of turnout? I'm just surprised that an establishment that is supposed to be advocating up-to-date equine management finds it's acceptable to offer NO turnout whatsoever during the winter months. Even an hour per day would be better than nothing.
 
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Would never stable a horse 24/7 unless it was injured!
Have seen horses cooped up in stables or pens, even when turnout was available.
It is cruel, no better a word for it really.
You look into their eyes and the life just drains away.
If people thought that much about their horses they would think again.
 
It does make you wonder that if Uni's are charging alot of fees these days that some where like Hartpury who specializes in teaching equine welfare and management , couldn't fund all weather turnout such as they have on arena surfaces or astroturf type stuff , they don't need to provide grazing as such, as hay hutches etc could be installed, just some good old fashioned leg stretch would be good!
 
I kept my horse in 24/7 for about 9 months when I kept him at a yard where I was working at the time. He was only there because the lady who owned the yard was helping me resolve some issues we had (ie I daren't get on him because he would spin and rear etc), so it's not the way I would normally keep him. However, he was ridden every day and went on the walker every day, and he coped perfectly well.

I did get an opportunity to turn him out a couple of times but he wanted to come back in again after an hour or so anyway. I don't think it's ideal, but I wouldn't rule it out as an option if the pros outweight the cons, iyswim.
 
Wouldn't do it - even though my horse is currently on a box rest/restricted turnout regime. I really don't think its fair and am fairly disgusted that somewhere that markets itself so prominently cannot get this basic need for their horses?
 
We were on a yard once that stopped doing proper winter t/o & started just letting us turn out in like a 'sick paddock' for 2 hours per day, my tb coped & was fine with it, my mum's tb was off her head, rearing in the stable & all sorts..you know your horsey best, but personally i couldn't do no t/o..
 
Stencilface said:
Wouldn't do it - even though my horse is currently on a box rest/restricted turnout regime. I really don't think its fair and am fairly disgusted that somewhere that markets itself so prominently cannot get this basic need for their horses?
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It's not just them though, it's fairly common practice at equine unis. Even in summer turnout is usually restricted.

I wouldn't have a horse if I could not keep it somewhere with guaranteed daily turnout (apart from in very extreme conditions). My horse would probably cope just fine, as he is doing on box rest at the moment, but I don't think coping is enough justification for keeping a large, sociable grazing animal in a stable with only a run/roll in a school and exercise.
 
jumpthemoon said:
I kept my horse in 24/7 for about 9 months when I kept him at a yard where I was working at the time. He was only there because the lady who owned the yard was helping me resolve some issues we had (ie I daren't get on him because he would spin and rear etc), so it's not the way I would normally keep him. However, he was ridden every day and went on the walker every day, and he coped perfectly well.

I did get an opportunity to turn him out a couple of times but he wanted to come back in again after an hour or so anyway. I don't think it's ideal, but I wouldn't rule it out as an option if the pros outweight the cons, iyswim.
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... Completely irrelevant, but it just took me AGES to work out what that meant!! haha! :rolleyes:

On a note more relevant to the subject... I moved to a yard because they had the most amazing facilities, however had no winter turnout (not even a play pen or sand paddock you could turn out loose into!! :eek: I didn't realise this until I had moved!!). He got out every day in winter, either ridden, on the walker, lunged or just in hand, and although my lad was actually very well behaved and coped really well, the reason I moved to the yard I am at now was because of the turnout situation. We had fantastic facilities, but I couldn't bare to see him in for another winter.

So have moved to a yard with "Limited" winter turnout, but they can go loose in the large outdoor sand paddock or indoor school.

So I would think carefully about it! I loved the facilities, but winter was unfair for him. If you can turn them out loose every day in one of the arena's, then that should be ok, but just check!! :)
 
Twiglet said:
Be careful what you put on a forum, you don't know who's reading, and you don't want to put people's backs up before you get there!

I think it is entirely appropriate to air this on a public forum. If the college really believes it is a suitable way to keep horses it can say so. If it doesn't or gains a poor reputation because of it then it should encourage the college to change. The OP is quite right to raise this and should never be afraid to question management techniques it is how we learn and improve.
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the only reason i would consider it would be because he would still be able to go out in summer and because their reasons are to do with the clay land i think local places would be no help. I also think as someone mentioned earlier if they are all in maybe he wont feel so bad but its just not ideal...!
 
Cocorules said:
Twiglet said:
Be careful what you put on a forum, you don't know who's reading, and you don't want to put people's backs up before you get there!

I think it is entirely appropriate to air this on a public forum. If the college really believes it is a suitable way to keep horses it can say so. If it doesn't or gains a poor reputation because of it then it should encourage the college to change. The OP is quite right to raise this and should never be afraid to question management techniques it is how we learn and improve.
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I meant nothing to do with the turnout subject, but that the OP directly quoting someone who may or may not be her tutor/principal/trainer further down the line and creating an awkward situation for herself. I don't have any issues with lack of winter turnout being discussed.
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lydia_markwick said:
the only reason i would consider it would be because he would still be able to go out in summer and because their reasons are to do with the clay land i think local places would be no help. I also think as someone mentioned earlier if they are all in maybe he wont feel so bad but its just not ideal...!
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Even in the summer though it's not unlimited. 2-4 hours out a day, if they nit used in the school, if they are they don't go out and no turn out over night.

May have changed though that was 3 years ago, but it's defo not unlimited summer turnout at all.
 
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