Turnout at night in Winter?

[Bobthecob15]

Hi, yard is considering changing from having the horses out in the day and stabled at night in winter to them being brought in during the day and turnout at night. My initial reaction is nope...but that's because I like to think of them being all cosy in stables at night time However I am not a horse and appreciate they might feel differently! We are all full livery.

I can see the positives...horses would spend less time indoors as only stabled say 8hrs compared to 14-16hrs, horses would be stabled ready for us to ride when we come up (assuming people rode in daylight hours as we have no lights) so less trekking to the fields to get them in, avoids having to bring in other horses if you wanted to ride if some cannot be left alone for example (we have several like this) also I think they can regulate temperature better outside?

Yard has said in the really bad weather they would come in at night and obviously need warmer rugs (many are quite fine). And hay in the fields over winter as they currently do. It is definitely advantageous for them too as it means they can get the mucking out etc done once the horses go out early evening.

Does anyone else do this? Does it work?

 

[JBM]

haven’t done this as mine are out all the time but think it sounds like a great idea!

 

[expanding_horizon]

If they have enough hay at night and fields don’t get too muddy it works great IME.

 

[exracehorse]

If they have enough hay at night and fields don’t get too muddy it works great IME.

I’m considering it this winter too. But. Will depend how wet it gets. How many hours they need to get off the land

 

[Cloball]

The mud would be dry to brush off

 

[TheMule]

Very advantageous to the horses. I wouldn’t worry too much about extra rugs so long as the fields have shelter- it's usually colder standing still in a box

 

[Bellaboo18]

I think its a great idea

 

[Bobthecob15]

Fields don't have shelters but do have trees, nice hedges etc...although not much coverage on the trees in winter

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

I would kill for it - more time out the better, assuming they have some sort of shelter in the field, be it man made or natural.

 

[Bobthecob15]

I would kill for it - more time out the better, assuming they have some sort of shelter in the field, be it man made or natural.

No shelters just some trees/hedges x

 

[Crazy_cat_lady]

I wouldn't like it and wouldn't like being told that is the routine I'd need to follow, I'd want the option of whether I did or not. However I was also another who always liked him being tucked up cosy in his rug inside while it tipped it down outside! I kept the same routine of in at night all year round

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I would do it if on livery as long as the set up is good as in hay put out not too muddy, I do it at home as much as I can but I'm restricted to my field getting too wet and I don't have great shelter so I keep in if it's torrential rain.

 

[expanding_horizon]

It does also depend on what horse prefers. As long as warm enough, and enough to eat, mine have always preferred being out at night in winter.

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

No shelters just some trees/hedges x

Shelter enough as long as it's not torrential all night

 

[Bobthecob15]

Shelter enough as long as it's not torrential all night

I think if it was forecast for that they'd have them in anyway

 

[Honey08]

I do it in summer, but swap them over in winter usually. But this year our loan pony has laminitis and needs to be on soaked old hay and be turned out on the hard standing, while my gelding has COPD and needs to be on good hay and out in the field. If I leave the pony on the hard standing while the other is in the field I have visions of him running through the fence. So I’m thinking pony out at night and horse out in the day until the grass has really died off (might be Jan!)

What has made your yard say this?

 

[Bobthecob15]

I do it in summer, but swap them over in winter usually. But this year our loan pony has laminitis and needs to be on soaked old hay and be turned out on the hard standing, while my gelding has COPD and needs to be on good hay and out in the field. If I leave the pony on the hard standing while the other is in the field I have visions of him running through the fence. So I’m thinking pony out at night and horse out in the day until the grass has really died off (might be Jan!)

What has made your yard say this?

I don't actually know! Most of the liveries come up in the morning and ride and it often means that under old system in winter they get turned out at 7am then brought back in for riding...then go back again later on...so tracks to the fields get muddy, legs get washed multiple times. Theory is if they are already in by the time owners arrive it cuts down on trips to the field, plus means they can do mucking out etc at the end of the day when less people around to get in the way
They have apparently also been researching about vest management etc and everything points to horses being out more for physical and mental health

 

[Northern Hare]

My main concern would be that if you most often ride after work, would you then have to turn out after you've ridden, ie. in the dark or would there be a member of staff still around at the yard to turnout for you?

 

[Grassy]

Ours all go out at night all year round from 4* horses to kids ponies, hayed in winter. All perfectly fine & happy & much easier to ride, organise farrier etc as they are already in.

 

[Zoeypxo]

Mine comes in in the morning and goes back out after lunch all year round, works great for riding - i always ride in the morning, farrier/vet visits and she is much happier for it.

 

[Nicnac]

My main concern would be that if you most often ride after work, would you then have to turn out after you've ridden, ie. in the dark or would there be a member of staff still around at the yard to turnout for you?

They can see in the dark and headlamps are great.

Funnily enough I was thinking about this earlier as mine are out 24/7 in the summer but 6am to 6pm in the winter. My concerns would be frosty grass and ensuring they have enough hay; water doesn't freeze; and mud. I'm on clay so it's not the best in the winter. I could make an area with mud-control mats but they are slippery when wet so would be lethal if icy.

 

[lynz88]

I think it depends on the horse but it sounds ideal so long as not riding at night (which it sounds like isnt possible anyways). Mine was fine for summer months but when winter came around he lost a lot of weight and wasn't sleeping and couldn't cope with the weather. Then again, there was no run-in shelter and may have been different if there was. He likes his cozy stable at night though with his arthritis, out and moving is better, especially at night (just has to be one of those difficult ones!)

 

[Surbie]

Wish I could do this. The people I share a field with want theirs in at night though.

eta: though that said, we're having to tape off all the shelter in the fields cos they are oaks.

 

[Bobthecob15]

Yep unfortunately can't ride at night anyway as no floodlights...nobody round our way gets permission for them! Really annoying but what can you do?! We'd still go up and visit after work so they said they'd leave in and we could turn out after...they plan on putting some solar lights along the track

 

[Bobthecob15]

My main concern would be that if you most often ride after work, would you then have to turn out after you've ridden, ie. in the dark or would there be a member of staff still around at the yard to turnout for you?

We can't ride after work in winter as no lights, so we'd either turn out after we'd visited or they would. They live on site x

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

Hi, yard is considering changing from having the horses out in the day and stabled at night in winter to them being brought in during the day and turnout at night. My initial reaction is nope...but that's because I like to think of them being all cosy in stables at night time However I am not a horse and appreciate they might feel differently! We are all full livery.

I can see the positives...horses would spend less time indoors as only stabled say 8hrs compared to 14-16hrs, horses would be stabled ready for us to ride when we come up (assuming people rode in daylight hours as we have no lights) so less trekking to the fields to get them in, avoids having to bring in other horses if you wanted to ride if some cannot be left alone for example (we have several like this) also I think they can regulate temperature better outside?

Yard has said in the really bad weather they would come in at night and obviously need warmer rugs (many are quite fine). And hay in the fields over winter as they currently do. It is definitely advantageous for them too as it means they can get the mucking out etc done once the horses go out early evening.

Does anyone else do this? Does it work?

Nope and never would. My liveries are all waiting at the gate ready to come in at 4, some are full clipped. Sorry I would be finding another yard.

 

[Bobthecob15]

Nope and never would. My livereis are all waiting at the gate ready to come in at 4, some are full clipped. Sorry I would be finding another yard.

So are ours...I think they are hoping they would all adapt? They are all out 24/7 at the moment though and haven't a lot of grass left in fields, waiting to move them to winter paddocks in a few weeks. They are all having hay in the day at the moment for a few hours

 

[toppedoff]

lots at work are in this routine, works well for how the yard works. All tbs rugged, all absolutely fine, they all get ridden between 7am and 1pm and turned and then turned out around 4 or 5pm I think(???) for the night

 

[Bobthecob15]

I'm actually a little surprised at how positive people are about this I thought more would be against it!

 

[toppedoff]

And I guess more convenient too as stated above! Farrier appreciates the set up too