Turning Horses out in the snow and ice

jaspejoo

jaspejoo

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This is gonna sound like an odd one, but what is everybody doing about turn out in the cold weather?

Im in two minds as to if its worth turning out with the ground so cold and frosted....plus my horse's field has hardly any grass after all the frost

When i turn my pony out he seems to just stand and sulk by the gate untill someone brings him in!

I just don't know if leaving him in where he is super happy with a big pile of hay is better than him being turned out and standing miserable all day?

What does everybody else think?
 
Mine's happy out, as are his 16 field mates. Those on our yard that are in at night, are now in 24/7 due to the weather. I find that those that are in at night, tend to bomb around when turned out whilst those that are out 24/7 seem alot more sedate!
 
mine have stayed in due to not being able to get to the field safely but im lucky to be able to get them to a paddock but can only go out for 20mins a day they seem fine with it.iv never really turned horses out in this weather only for about 1hour or so for a stretch but its down to you :) x
 
Mine have free run of the fields, yard and stables during this weather. They actually choose to be outside and I've only seen any of them in once - and that was in the dutch barn where they were stealing straw to eat :rolleyes:
 
normally better to turn out if they normally go out as this ground doesnt look like its going to soften up anytime soon !!! And the longer they stay in (if they are used to going out) the sillier they will be when you do put them out which means more risk of injury !!! Put some hay out in the field and let them play :D
 
I agree with LaurenM about horses that are in at night running around the most! I would love to be able to turn Galaxy out all the time but i think he would hate me forever! I just feel like i'm being such a bad mum by not turning out when others are, but i have to say, he doesn't exactly seem too traumatised about being in!!
 
LaurenM said:
Mine's happy out, as are his 16 field mates. Those on our yard that are in at night, are now in 24/7 due to the weather. I find that those that are in at night, tend to bomb around when turned out whilst those that are out 24/7 seem alot more sedate!
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Yip, my idiots run like mad, if they are caged for any few days. Now, I know why I should have left them out 24/7. 2 weeks caged, but i made sure it had thawed before I left em out, 5 days of out during the day, now back to caged again, big sheet of ice outside stables, and ground like cement, the joys of them ploughing the fields when it's soft!!!!
 
Mine live 24/7 as there's no 'in' to be 'out' from. They live in a herd of 6 and have a bale of hay to eat from ad lib. They spend about 60% of their time eating, 20% playing or grooming and 20% of their time just dozing and standing next to their special friend.

If he's not got any friends or anything to eat in the field of course he's going to be bored and stand at the gate wanting in!

Give him a pile of hay and make sure he's got friends to play with and he'll be perfectly happy outside. Horses cope far far better with the cold than we give them credit for - it's the wat they really don't like.
 
Agree with Kallibear and the others. Horses should be out - mine live out, though get brought into the barn in the morning for a feed and a haynet or two. To test whether your horse is truly happier in his stable you should put him in his stable but leave the door wide open. If he's happy to stay inside he'll stay put but I'll eat my sealskin gloves if he doesn't head out the doorway after he's munched on his net for a bit.
 
He's turned out with about 10 other horses and we aren't allowed to put hay in the fields so im kindov stuck with that one...he also stands by the gate when it rains, when the grass is up to his knees...i think he just has a vendetta against english weather...crazy really to say that my horse LIKES being inside!
 
mrdarcy said:
Agree with Kallibear and the others. Horses should be out - mine live out, though get brought into the barn in the morning for a feed and a haynet or two. To test whether your horse is truly happier in his stable you should put him in his stable but leave the door wide open. If he's happy to stay inside he'll stay put but I'll eat my sealskin gloves if he doesn't head out the doorway after he's munched on his net for a bit.
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Hehe...he does stay in. lol..he always has done when he has some hay in there...obviously when there is no food he wont stay and just walks onto the lawn we have in the centre of the yard..but other than that he just stands there looking out!
 
jaspejoo said:
He's turned out with about 10 other horses and we aren't allowed to put hay in the fields so im kindov stuck with that one..
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That'll be your problem then. After a bit of socilaising his thoughts will turn to food, which means his stable if there's nothing outside to eat.

Some horses will choose food over friends - outside with friends but no food or inside with food but no friends - your horse is obviously one of the latter.
 
If it is safe to do so then i'd definately go with turning them out for a few hours a day, I have a 4 year old and if she was kept in 24/7 so would do me a serious injury when she finally was put out! says a lot about the horse really doesn't it, why i bought a youngster in the winter wasn't one of my better ideas!
 
jaspejoo said:
He's turned out with about 10 other horses and we aren't allowed to put hay in the fields so im kindov stuck with that one...he also stands by the gate when it rains, when the grass is up to his knees...i think he just has a vendetta against english weather...crazy really to say that my horse LIKES being inside!
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I wouldn't be happy turning him out in the snow with no hay tbh.... but on the other hand horse should be out. Maybe just turn him out for a few hours each day just so he gets the chance to move about if and when he wants to
 
mine live out 24/7 - they have a stable/shelter should they wish to use it but only seem to as an inside toilet! they seem happy - making sure they've got hay and hard feed but to be honest they want to be nuzzling the snow and eating the grass they can find:):eek:
 
mines miserable being out - she loves her stable lol!

she does go out for an hour a day (i feel mean shes forced to be out!) only with her best mate though as they rarely run together

i wont put out in the herd in this as they just flat out gallop :o constantly!....

im riding or lunging daily though too and walking her round lots - she isnt bored or grumpy so im happy with swhat im doing :)

eta - they arnt allowed hay in the fields too! so thats why she loves her stable soo much :D
 
Ours are going out every day ATM (they had a few days in when it was bad a couple of weeks ago but because we couldn't get them to the field). We dug the snow up from the path to the field on Saturday and gritted. Yesterday the path was OK and the grit had done its job, despite it getting to -17C at the yard overnight.

Mine will happily stay in for a couple of days but any longer and he gets very grumpy. He is arthritic so it's better for him to go out if possible. We do have a walker but not an ideal solution for my creaky horse. Our lot seem happy enough out during the day. They are still able to get to the bit of grass we have left and spend a lot of time playing and generally letting off steam, so are then happy to come back in after a few hours. We kept them in a couple of weeks ago because the fields had been very boggy and the deep ruts froze, so it was dangerous. This time around we had so much snow that it filled the ruts then froze, so our fields are pretty flat again now.

OP - are you sure your horse spends all day standing at the gate, or is it just when he spots you? Mine likes to pretend he can't possibly stay out while I'm there but is fine once I've gone and he realises he isn't coming in.
 
Charlie went out today for about 2 hours, he was fine, didn't hooly around...even when another horse started, I think he realised that he was unlikely to stay on his feet if he joined in.
He was so ready to come in though!!
 
noodle_ said:
mines miserable being out - she loves her stable lol!

she does go out for an hour a day (i feel mean shes forced to be out!) only with her best mate though as they rarely run together

i wont put out in the herd in this as they just flat out gallop :o constantly!....

im riding or lunging daily though too and walking her round lots - she isnt bored or grumpy so im happy with swhat im doing :)

eta - they arnt allowed hay in the fields too! so thats why she loves her stable soo much :D
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Yeah this is what i've been doing with Galaxy...i'd like for him to be turned out, but he's been going out for a bit in the morning then being ridden most days and put on the walker...i took him out for a walk in hand this morning and found some grass that only had a bit of snow on it and he was just completely confused by the whole concept of moving the snow out of the way to eat the grass!! although he doesn't seem to be going to crazy with being in...as long as he has his licks and his hay he's pretty chilled surprisingly!
 
DipseyDeb said:
Charlie went out today for about 2 hours, he was fine, didn't hooly around...even when another horse started, I think he realised that he was unlikely to stay on his feet if he joined in.
He was so ready to come in though!!
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Agree with this also!! Galaxy stands and watches them all while screaming at me while i'm walking away feeling incredibly guilty!...luckily my Y/O has been turning him out in the mornings so i dont have to see his sad face!!
 
chestnut cob said:
OP - are you sure your horse spends all day standing at the gate, or is it just when he spots you? Mine likes to pretend he can't possibly stay out while I'm there but is fine once I've gone and he realises he isn't coming in.
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well he deffinatley stands there for a while...our fields are a lot like you were saying yours were with big frozen ruts which makes me worry more...the boys have no realised that if they stand at the gate which is half way down the field, the mares are there and they tend to stand near that gate, so if he isn't at the gate we use, he's at that one! He probably doesn't mind going out as much as he makes out but im just so in two minds about what to do, because i know he should go out, but is it worth it in a rutted up frozen field with no grass?
 
Mine has been going out from about 10am - 4pm with no hay to eat in the field (another one who's frustratingly not allowed). I don't like leaving him without food but it is important for him to get some turnout and playtime. he comes in to more than enough hay than he can eat and a nice dinner and also has a decent breakfast with plenty of speedi-beet and a much on his haynet for an hour before he goes out in the morning....
 
If at all possible I clear the snow, when it is just that- snow- not ice. Then grit, and it keeps it safe to turnout- try not to keep em in for anything, yes the ground is hard, but no harder than a very dry summer, we are lucky tho in that we can hay the fields.
 
lexiedhb said:
If at all possible I clear the snow, when it is just that- snow- not ice. Then grit, and it keeps it safe to turnout- try not to keep em in for anything, yes the ground is hard, but no harder than a very dry summer, we are lucky tho in that we can hay the fields.
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Yeah i know what you mean about the ground being as hard as summer, but Galaxy stayed in for some time at night through the summer because he has lots of lameness problems when the ground gets hard, so i have to be super careful!! stupid pony...who'd have em'!
 
Mine are out in their winter paddocks which are on the yard, no grass in them at all, they have hay, it is alot smaller than the field but they get a change on scenery. I would have put them out in the field but have to get them across a road which would have been fine this morning but i don't fancy bringing them in in the dark after work and not being able to see any slippy patches.
 
jaspejoo said:
Yeah this is what i've been doing with Galaxy...i'd like for him to be turned out, but he's been going out for a bit in the morning then being ridden most days and put on the walker...i took him out for a walk in hand this morning and found some grass that only had a bit of snow on it and he was just completely confused by the whole concept of moving the snow out of the way to eat the grass!! although he doesn't seem to be going to crazy with being in...as long as he has his licks and his hay he's pretty chilled surprisingly!
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yeah as long as they are doing something tbh i dont think (most)! are tthat bothered about being in,

mine was in for a week not so long ago...shes 4 and i thought she would freak - but i rode her and walked her in hand daily and she didnt put a hoof wrong.

(im still waiting for this horse to do something bad but 4 months on she hasnt...)!
 
jaspejoo said:
Yeah i know what you mean about the ground being as hard as summer, but Galaxy stayed in for some time at night through the summer because he has lots of lameness problems when the ground gets hard, so i have to be super careful!! stupid pony...who'd have em'!
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Ahhh having a hoss prone to going lame is a slightly different matter then! :)
 
Mine have been out every day whether snowy or frosty. I believe that horses were naturally designed to be out and moving around and it does their system no good to be confined 24/7 unless it is imperative for medical or safety reasons.

There was an interesting article in the Horse & Hound about the rise in impaction colics during the recent cold weather and lack of exercise was one reason cited for it:

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/397/304340.html
 
Ours have also been going out in the weather....bit hairy getting them up the icy lane - had a few bambi moments this morning! But all seem to be happy going out - they have a good roll, a play and whilst we dont give any hay/haylage there are hedgerows/trees etc they can pick at. Mine in particular seems to love it!
 
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