Thoughts on oldies and 24/7 winter turnout vs. night time stabling

[Flowerofthefen]

My oldie, 28, only goes out for 6 hours or so in winter. When the weather is better he goes out all day then through the summer hopefully out 24/7. He is stiff in the morning after being in but by the time we have got to the field he has loosend off. I really don't think he would like being out at night in winter.

 

[poiuytrewq]

I do like mine to come in. He has always been out over night though which sounds a little backwards I know but he has cushings and Is prone to laminitis so he's fine out on grass that freezes and then he comes in before it starts to thaw which is the danger time for laminitics. If i had him in over night some days he wouldn't be able to go out til gone lunch time or later.
I want him in for a chunk of time though to dry out, have a rug change and some respite form the weather. He's always happy to go back out well rugged later in the day.

 

[Abacus]

As others have said it depends on the horse and if they are happy in and don't seize up. In general for horses and especially older ones I do believe constant gentle movement is best, not just for arthritis but for their entire circulation and digestion. Obviously it's hard to find 24/7 turnout with no mud and shelters, and there are compromises. I leave my old boy (27) out, even though there is mud and only natural shelter. He gets genuinely furious in a stable for more than an hour or so, I have tried it often to give him a change to rest but he rests far less inside. He's a herd leader and I think gets stressy shut away from the others, even if they are in the stable next to him. I just have to be guided by what he tells me, despite the mud and cold. He's definitely less stiff than he used to be when stabled, and is still on fabulous form for his age, so I guess it works. Although next year I plan to make a Mud Mat area with a proper shelter to solve the mud problem. If he chooses to go wandering off in the mud then oh well, it's up to him..

 

[conkers]

Mine is in a little herd, all in their 20s and retired, and they have acres open to them all the time (fewer in the spring and summer), a very large barn which is also open all the time so they can choose where to be. The fields have extremely high native hedging which hasn't been cut for at least 20 years so they have outside shelter areas too. A stable is available if needed. Very hard to find and this is pretty much a private yard. I have found a three of these over the years, all by word of mouth.

This is exactly how my old boy is kept. He is kept in a large, flat field with hedges for shelter and with access to a barn that is bedded down with straw and lots of Haylage to eat. I am very lucky where he is as they take looking after the oldies seriously and keep the slightly livelier retirees separate from those who just want a quiet life.
I could not find this locally. He is an hour away which means I can't see him every day. But the alternative was to have him PTS as being stabled for even part of the day would not suit him due to medical issues with his legs.

 

[Esmae]

My old lady (31) comes in at night in winter. It lets her dry off and rest peacefully. It does depend on the horse though. If I had one that was really arthritic and got stiff overnight I would rethink that. Open fronted shelter, well bedded with hay inside and free access to grazing would be the ideal in that case.

 

[94lunagem]

I think, as others have said, it depends on the horse.

I currently have two who live out, neither of which stand at the gate looking like they want to come in and only really come over when called or I go out with breakfast. BUT, I am lucky to have a decent amount of land v horses and while it is wet and I'm utterly fed up of the weather (everything is relative!) I only have mud immediately inside gateways, so they are not wading through mud all the time, they are good doers and there is plenty for them to eat. They have wintered out, coming in for the odd 12-24 hours when the farrier or vet has been due or if it's been particularly horrific. My little oldie does struggle on the stones when his feet are soft, so I avoid bringing him over the yard unnecessarily. But my farrier actually came last week and I was surprised by how well he said their feet were doing.

While I have an oldie and another now, I had two previous oldies who both lived out to a greater extent. I generally work on the basis that my land is on a gentle slope and its good for them to be moving, and as I say I'm not knee deep in mud. My current little oldie also tends to develop a cough when in, regardless of quality of hay (soaked) and bedding. So there is a balance there in terms of the lesser of two evils. I'm also lucky to have mature hedges round all sides, and field shelters, so they can get out of the worst of the weather if they choose to (albeit usually when its bad and I look out the window, they are happily grazing away from any shelter at the top of the hill!). I can also tell from the state of them and the floors in the shelters that they lie down.

If I had thick, welly sucking mud and/or skinny minnies who struggle with the wet and cold, I would be approaching turnout very differently.

 

[Ricedance]

Mine (24 arthritic) comes in at night in winter and in during the day in summer as I need to be careful due to cushings and EMS, in an ideal world he would be out at night now but it’s still too wet. One day the dream is that I have a full track (part grass part standing) set up with a big open barn that I *can* shut the door on if the weather is awful but ensuring he has his proper bed in there too

 

[Ricedance]

Mine (24 arthritic) comes in at night in winter and in during the day in summer as I need to be careful due to cushings and EMS, in an ideal world he would be out at night now but it’s still too wet. One day the dream is that I have a full track (part grass part standing) set up with a big open barn that I *can* shut the door on if the weather is awful but ensuring he has his proper bed in there too

I will add though, he spends 11-13 hours a day turned out depending on my work schedule and not just a few hours a day

 

[Tarragon]

My oldie is field-kept, but is brought in everyday for a check up and feed, and to have his prascend tablet. We bring them all in, and he stays in while I ride, then they all get turned back out, and so he may be stabled for a few hours. He is the first one at the gate to come in, and will have his fill at the haynet and then just snooze. If there is enough grass, he hardly bothers with his hay net before snoozing, if there isn't much, he will eat for about half an hour before snoozing. The amount of time they get before being turned back out is up to us, and we decide based on the weather, the grass, and our availability.
I think that he really enjoys his stable time, and that he benefits from the break. In the summer it is a break from flies and heat, and in the winter it is a break from the weather (and mud!)
If I had a spacious field shelter that he felt safe enough to snooze in, then he could probably live out 100%, but we don't.

 

[meleeka]

My oldie has always had the option of her stable open. She’s the equine equivalent of me I think, she likes her peace and quiet . For years I’ve shut her door but not bolted it, so she’s free to come out when she wants. Shes only ever done that if I’ve been a bit late in the morning, so she’s well aware that she’s not actually shut in. Shes Welsh too, so should be happy out, but sadly not.

 

[blitznbobs]

my experience is horses like to come in in the winter and prefer to stay out in the summer… this morning I literally had to drag some of them to the field but in the evenings they are in their stables if I just open the gate… to me it’s a fallacy that horses want to be out 24/7 cos not one of mine does in sh*tty weather

 

[SpotsandBays]

My livery has an elderly mare with arthritis. She enjoys coming in out of the yuck weather but does walk out stiff in the morning. She can’t be in for more than either one day or one night because of it.

 

[spotty_pony2]

It really depends on the individual. I’m not a fan of horses being pampered in their younger years and just thrown out to grass 24/7 in their retirement when they often need the extra help. My old mare lived in at night during her last couple of winters (aged 27-29) but was happy out until then. My boy (25) has never had a full winter out since I’ve know him aged 4 so and he hates the wind and rain so is in at night in the winter. I did leave him out a bit more last winter but I have to say he seems more than happy to come in to a nice bed and lots of hay. He’s always covered in shavings in the morning so obviously has a good rest and gets proper sleep.

 

[Orangina]

I don't have any really old ponies but 2 of mine are in their early 20s and both retired.
One of them won't lie down in a stable for some reason- I know his history from around 5 years old and he has always been like this apparently, tried all different bedding types! So I like him to be out if it is dry but in overnight when it it wet. He has hock arthritis but being in doesnt make him any stiffer, he really feels the cold though despite being a native so is rugged heavier than the warmblood!The other one is a bit hardier, he lives out rugged most of the time but just now bringing him in at night to rest from the rain to sleep! Definitely need to do it on an individual horse basis here!