turn out 24/7 or stable at night! Help please!

emmanash

emmanash

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Hi everyone, i'm having a dilema at the minute and not sure what to do for the best, here's my problem.........

My horse has been out 24/7 for 2yrs now, with natural shelter in the field and ad lib haylage in winter plus her 2 feeds. We moved to a new yard 6mths ago and it's great there or it was until the winters set in and we've been moved to a field away from the yard, about 5mins walk up a little lane. There's plenty of grass up there but not good quality grazing and lots of shelter but we've been told that we can't feed haylage in the field.
This is causing a problem because my mare needs something extra this time of year and the suggestion of bringing her down every morning to give her a haynet is ok some days but i've got 2 children and time is precious and scarce some days so this isn't ideal having to hang around for an hour so she can fill up.
I have been told that I can have a stable if I want for extra money so this could be a solution to bring her in at night so she can have her food. Then i've got the extra hassle of a stable but I guess I can muck out whilst she has her morning feed so I won't be just hanging around!

I do have most mornings free to spend up the yard it's just not every morning guarenteed so it's not really fair to give her hay one day then nothing the next

Any thoughts or suggestions gratefully recieved, there may be a totally obvious answer staring me in the face but my mind has gone to mush thinking about it too much!!

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Why can't you feed hay/haylage in the field? Sounds like a weird rule! Maybe you can discuss it with the YO and find a way round this? (e.g. hay feeder so it's not on the ground)
 
I agree with Booboos - Id speak to the YO about the no-haylage in the field rule. Perhaps you could even just tie a haynet in different places (off trees etc. if you have them) so it wouldnt get boggy with the horses concregating round one area which is why I assume she doesnt allow it.

I definately would try and keep the horse out 24/7 if possible as thats what shes used to.
 
I actually don't think it is the end of the world if she normally has hay and then misses a day. In your shoes, I'd keep her out 24/7, give her hay as often as you can, and if you miss a day, as long as she is holding her weight then in the grand scheme of things I don't think it is a massive problem. I'm not sure how bringing her in at night will solve it - after all you'll have to muck out every single day, no skipping that, which is time she could be eating....and if you don't have time to let her have a net for even half an hour a day then you certainly won't have time to muck out on the occasions that you can't hang around.

It would be ideal to put it in the field really, but lots of yards won't allow it. Can you see if it is possible to put it in a tub trug so there is less wastage? The trouble is if hay lies on the ground it kills the grass, so I can see the YOs point. I only feed hay on the hardstanding in the gate of my field.
 
If you are wanting to keep her out I would replace the hay/haylage with a hay replacer such as a big trug of chaff / soaked hi fi nites / grass or lucerne nuts and unmollassed sugar beet. She could 'graze' on this throughout the day

What you spend in the extra feed would be saved by not needing to pay for haylage / stable / bedding
 
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I actually don't think it is the end of the world if she normally has hay and then misses a day. In your shoes, I'd keep her out 24/7, give her hay as often as you can, and if you miss a day, as long as she is holding her weight then in the grand scheme of things I don't think it is a massive problem. I'm not sure how bringing her in at night will solve it - after all you'll have to muck out every single day, no skipping that, which is time she could be eating....and if you don't have time to let her have a net for even half an hour a day then you certainly won't have time to muck out on the occasions that you can't hang around.


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Ditto this.
 
We weren't allowed to put hay in the fields at our old yard either, I know how frustrating that is.

If she is getting enough fibre then keep her out as she is, you can feed her conditioning feeds morning and night. But if she isn't get enough fibre either then definitely go for the stable so that you know she will be getting adequate fibre for her hindgut etc.
 
No grass is of any quality at this time of the year, but as long as she has something to munch on and she is gaining nutrients and holding weight with her hard feed I would keep her out.
 
"The trouble is if hay lies on the ground it kills the grass,"

I must admit i've never heard of that and it doesn't kill off my bowling green field?

My farmer doesn't like 'feed in the field' as he calls it but i do feed hay out there, i just make sure that i rotate where they eat it, never put too much out and clear up anything left behind so it is always tidy and he hasn't anything to moan about.

There are a lot of yards that won't allow it and i really don't know why unless people don't clear up behind them or put it in continually poached areas.
 
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