Turning out 24/7, what do you wait for?

F

Flowerofthefen

Well-Known Member
Joined
22 August 2020
Messages
4,270
Visit site
Do you wait for a dry field, a long spell of dry weather or the weather warming up? After having my boys out all last summer, from the end of March through to end of September, I am keen to get them out as soon as possible again!! They moved fields yesterday on to one that has been rested since last October. There is a nice covering of grass but not loads. The field is currently dry. The weather looks to be getting better though there is still rain forecast. What do you wait for?
 
The biggest things for me would be:

Whether you're fields will handle it - as in whether they're still wet and would get trashed and if so, if that's planned in to your field management and you've got other fields to move them on to when you need to rest the trashed one or whether the field would get so trashed that it would be miserable for the horses.

Whether you need to hay in the field and if that's possible.

Whether they have adequate shelter for bad and cold weather.

Don't forget you can turn them out 24/7 if you get a good spell and then change them back again if you get bad weather.
 
It really depends on so many things.

Mine are out 24/7 anyway, but I have hardstanding and accept their winter field is essentially trashed, needs resting through the summer and when they are in the winter field they always need supplemental hay.

So my question is when do I open up the summer field. And that is when it’s warmed up, the ground is dry and the grass actively growing well. No where near close to that yet. It’s likely to be April/May
 
For mine the ground needs to harden up and be dry enough that their hooves would dry out if there wasn’t rain. I’m far from that scenario right now.

It usually gets to a point it’s so nice overnight I feel bad taking them in so that’s when I make the call but it won’t be for over a month yet.
 
Ours are in/out depending on the weather, but when I say "in" I mean up in the big open barn with access to an area of hardstanding approx 20m x 30m and a round bale. "Out" is a 6 acre gently sloping field that really is only a quagmire around the hay bar and the gates.
They were in last week as it was so wet but we turfed them back down the field yesterday as the forecast for this week, looks drier and windier which should hopefully dry the field up a little, plus they're not really being ridden this week so can just mooch around getting filthy being horses.
 
Mine are out anyway but they won't switch to the rested summer field until the weather is a bit more 'predictable' i.e. I know we won't get a 2 week deluge of rain that will wet the ground enough for them to start churning it up and wreck the grass. I like the field to be pretty firm underfoot and a good covering of grass, at the moment the grass is trying but I'd like a bit more, if I pop them on their now they'll have eaten it down in a week. It's usually end of March/early April for me, gives me a good 3 months to let the winter field rest and regrow, then they switch back around June onto the winter field for 3 months and then back on the bottom field in September for as long as it will survive in winter before I put them back on the hill to see out winter.
 
Turn out doesn't need to be "all or nothing" If this is mainly about managing the ground and you start with a few hours you can monitor how it's holding up and dial back if the field is deteriorating/weather changes. For me, and those with vulnerable ponies, the biggest considerations are metabolic/laminitis risk rather than my ground. It's been a bad winter for the laminitis-prone, more grass growth, less winter weight loss and for some, hay shortage/high prices. But I think that's probably not the point of your thread.
 
I try not to think about it until the end of March, after that it depends on the grass growth and how wet underfoot it is.
By the looks of things this year it will be more like May. Grass is growing a tiny bit but not anything like enough.
 
They will go onto their 8 acre "summer field" when it is consistently drier, warmer, the ground is firm as its very sloping and the grass is actively growing. Last year it was when coblet moved up there in early April. The field is currently very green and lush but far too soft underfoot and it would get trashed easily and be like a slip and slide especially for the endurance Arab's who like a hoon about!
 
I don't, I will switch back to out over night and in during the day but I've not turned out 24/7 for many years. A combo of small ponies that can't handle 24 hours of grass or being muzzled, the other pony who needs big bucket feeds through out the day and needs to be seperateable for that to happen, head shaker horse is happier indoors out of flies and stuff so I just stopped.
They will switch again as soon as possible, I guess ground improving and weather being a little more stable.
 
It's raining here and my fields look green but I know as soon as I turn them out they will be a knee deep bog, I'm hoping we get a dry spell so by the end of March they can go out, at the moment they are on hard standing and are as fed up as I am!
 
ASAP!! Mine are usually out 24:7 but the underground stream has flowed overground with intent this past month so they have been in overnight.

I fully accept my winter field is trashed and they will be off it mid March if the field they rotate into has dried up enough. If they went into it now it would be destroyed in 24 hours.

Looking at this week's forecast I'm hopeful they will be back out overnight from Wed but with a pile of hay. There are green nibbles but mainly mud in the winter field.
 
I dont have a lot of grazing so wait until the grass is actively growing. If I'm having the fields sprayed it very much depends on when the maintenance guy comes to spray and then I have to wait 3 weeks. Even if I don’t get them sprayed I will have them tillaged so will need to wait a little while after that. You have just reminded me I need to get booked in, so thank you!
 
Dry field! I am on heavy clay so I go and poke it every day. (Obviously not yet as we are still full swamp atm.) Even b/f, mine would trash my paddocks if I turned them out too soon. When it tips over from modelling clay towards concrete, that's the sweet spot. I turn them out a day too early every year, & every year I promise myself that I won't make the same mistake next year...!
 
Up until Xmas my boys were out all day. After Xmas, when the rain started, they came in between 1 and 2. They are still coming in at that time as just changed fields. Hoping to leave all day again from this weekend then really hoping they will be out all the time shortly after! It's interesting reading all the different scenarios in the replies, thank you.
 
Ours goes from sloppy to really sticky very quickly (chalk) but although the field is good and very green there isn’t much grass at all. Ours are out 24/7 anyway for us it will be about stopping feeding hay and straw. No signs of it being warm enough for a while yet. Highland still rugged!
 
Mine will continue to come in overnight but with longer days out, until it is much drier under foot. My older boy likes to have a good lie down and he won't do that in the wet. Last year they went out on the 10th March, they will be lucky to be out by April this year.
 
The forecast here is dry until Friday, so I chucked everyone out yesterday. They will probably come back in again at the weekend and next Tuesday at the latest because Pippin is being gelded. By in, I mean they have the run of three stables opened into one big one, my front yard and a small section of mud controlled field. I can also let them into the field a bit if the weather's good. But unfortunately, the field attached to the stables is one of my smallest and all other fields involve quite a walk through the village, so when they're in one of the other fields, they stay out 24/7, though I sometimes bring them in 2 nights a week for a sleep on some dry straw if it's wet but not waterlogged.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top