TheMule
Well-Known Member
But that’s because that’s the routine they're in? So if all stay on overnight turnout, they don’t wait to come in in the evenings
Turnout at night in Winter?
- Thread starter Bobthecob15
- Start date
But that’s because that’s the routine they're in? So if all stay on overnight turnout, they don’t wait to come in in the evenings
Honey08
Waffled a lot!
They would adapt. Mine swap from going out at night to going out in the day and visa versa twice a year. They very quickly adapt. They stand at the gate because it’s feed time, not because it’s going dark..
dottylottie
Well-Known Member
this is what i’m planning to do with mine - they get longer to play out, and i don’t have to get up as eye wateringly early in a morning to feed and put them out
Bobthecob15
Well-Known Member
Yes I can see that would be a massive advantage!!this is what i’m planning to do with mine - they get longer to play out, and i don’t have to get up as eye wateringly early in a morning to feed and put them out
Lucky Snowball
Well-Known Member
Mine also come in first thing. Ready for me to ride, vet visit etc. Go out when I’m finished. If it’s wet I can ride as soon as it stops.
expanding_horizon
Well-Known Member
I’ve been on an expensive livery yard, where 2 horses were allowed out at night all year round (and in during the day). They were fully clipped, well rugged and had hay snd did very well out at night. I waited 6 months for a night time space to come up!
Do your horses that are keen to come in at 4pm in winter have hay to eat in the fields?
Honey08
Waffled a lot!
this is what i’m planning to do with mine - they get longer to play out, and i don’t have to get up as eye wateringly early in a morning to feed and put them out
Yes I always love that aspect of night turnout - if you’re late to the yard and they’re stood in a stable with empty water buckets and haynets it’s a big deal, but if you’re late and they’re in the field they really don’t notice!
Pebble101
Well-Known Member
My two horses are currently out in heavy rain and much happier than when it is hot with flies. Mine come in all day during the summer but when there aren't any flies around they come in for about 4 hours in the morning when I ride. When I was competing my horse lived out clipped (I left legs, half head and ears) during the winter. I would have no problem with what they are proposing.
SadKen
Well-Known Member
Would do this in a heartbeat, and I think if it was more the norm we would have fewer fat horses. Mine is presently fatter than I’d like due to enforced time off, and I will be using winter to strip some of the flab off her. I think she would love this and I wouldn’t rug unless very cold either.
Mind you I sleep with the window open unless it’s well below freezing, and tucked up in a rug in a stable doesn’t hit me in the feels!
Mind you I sleep with the window open unless it’s well below freezing, and tucked up in a rug in a stable doesn’t hit me in the feels!
Bobthecob15
Well-Known Member
Haha I'm clearly too soft!
SEL
Well-Known Member
It's just traditional really isn't it? Mine are out 24:7 these days unless we have one of those weeks where we get horrendous rain and my field turns into a lake. Even then my patience with mucking out hasn't made it past 2 weeks.
Mine will wait by the gate for tea but once they've had a snack, checked over, rugs changed etc they're happy to go back out. Horses like routine and yours will be fine out overnight
Mine will wait by the gate for tea but once they've had a snack, checked over, rugs changed etc they're happy to go back out. Horses like routine and yours will be fine out overnight
Bellaboo18
Well-Known Member
If you turned them out at 5, they wouldn't be standing at the gate at 4. Problem solved.
Anna Clara
Well-Known Member
This is my favourite type of routine alongside out 24/7. They get to come in, dry off, have a sleep in their own safe comfy space if needed but also spend the majority of time outside.
You can hose legs in the morning to be all clean and dry for whatever you want to do with them. Ideal. I might do this over winter if I feel out 24/7isnt working for them.
You can hose legs in the morning to be all clean and dry for whatever you want to do with them. Ideal. I might do this over winter if I feel out 24/7isnt working for them.
Hackback
Well-Known Member
For those who ride in the mornings when their horses have been out all night - are your horses not tired? I have been considering night turnout myself as it would make my life easier but everyone I know who does this says their horses enjoy a good sleep in their stable after a night out.
Goldenstar
Well-Known Member
Yes I have done this for two years this winter is the third .
I don’t put forage in the field through the winter at the moment they are still and I am about to turn them out they came at before eight this morning .
It works well
I don’t put forage in the field through the winter at the moment they are still and I am about to turn them out they came at before eight this morning .
It works well
Goldenstar
Well-Known Member
No they don’t I think they need sometimes to get used to the new regime, mine come in get a small feed ( good doers ) then a small wait and then we ride .
When we get back they get classic fm put on and they all rest sometimes they get a small amount of forage sometimes I leave it a while it’s depends what time it is they get another two or three small forage based snacks over the day before they go out ( mine have just gone out now ).
As the winter goes on I can turn them out earlier as they can have longer on the grass , the shortest time they are in will be around three hours a day .
They where in one night last winter , three the year before .
Northern Hare
Well-Known Member
I think I read that Carl Hester has some / all of his horses turned out overnight and they come in for riding.
I had my horse on full livery at an event rider's yard, and they were in at night and out during the day in the winter/spring. I was puzzled why my horse's legs were wet as if they'd been hosed when I went to ride on the moorings sometimes..... It turned out that when they were heading off early to competitions the livery horses spent the night in the field and a groom brought them in for breakfast, which meant the stables didn't need mucking out in the mornings. The horses were all fine and seemed to adapt ok, it would just have been nice to have been asked if that was ok!
I had my horse on full livery at an event rider's yard, and they were in at night and out during the day in the winter/spring. I was puzzled why my horse's legs were wet as if they'd been hosed when I went to ride on the moorings sometimes..... It turned out that when they were heading off early to competitions the livery horses spent the night in the field and a groom brought them in for breakfast, which meant the stables didn't need mucking out in the mornings. The horses were all fine and seemed to adapt ok, it would just have been nice to have been asked if that was ok!
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Birker2020
Well-Known Member
Me too.
Since Lari has been retired I see horses out for longer (or out 24/7 in his case) as a definite plus.
I think I'd like to try it with my next one, at least during the summer if the grazing/company in other paddocks allowed it.
SussexbytheXmasTree
Well-Known Member
The only thing I don’t like about being in during the day in winter is that on lovely sunny days they don’t get to have the pleasure of basking in the sunshine and the days are a lot shorter to appreciate it. I can see the other benefits though.
ycbm
Einstein would be proud of my Insanity...
I don't like the idea of the constant change of routine if the yard owner decides that the weather is too bad for them to stay out that night. What will "too bad" mean? If they are in all night will they then be in all day until they go out that evening? Or will they go out in the morning and then be out for 24 hours?
Like SbtS I also don't like the idea of them losing winter sunshine and daylight, especially if the stable is in a barn.
Like SbtS I also don't like the idea of them losing winter sunshine and daylight, especially if the stable is in a barn.
PinkvSantaboots
Well-Known Member
Mine are clipped in winter and go out at night unless it's really bad they are fine, horses only get conditioned to coming in at certain times because we make them like that, mine have no set routine they come in at random times and get hay in the field so they are not bothered about coming in.
PinkvSantaboots
Well-Known Member
They are to start with but they get used to it after a short while and mine come in most days for a lie down and sleep.
Lexi 123
Well-Known Member
I don’t think it’s a good idea as most yard owners won’t put hay in the field so the horse are standing in mud all night and most horses won’t lie down . It doesn’t help with weight loss because horses will be getting more hay during the day. I would be careful as I feel like some yards owner would do this to stop feeding hay so horse would be standing in with nothing.
ycbm
Einstein would be proud of my Insanity...
So will this only work in a yard which has a lot of grass (and a horse where grass is enough) or which hays the fields, otherwise the horse is too busy working or sleeping to eat enough during the time that it's in?
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Goldenstar
Well-Known Member
It depends on the conditions that you keep the horse in .
I never put forage in the field I am restricting intake all year .
The horses don’t have forage all the time when inside they are in unless they are hunting a lot and look like they need it it’s very easy to manage here the horses are good doers and we have space for them.
They get much more turnout this way realistically you struggle to get horses out 12 hours a day if you stable them at night and are riding them.
I have got these horses so relaxed about life if they need to stay in they can they are perfectly content in the stable and two out of the three arrived not what I would call great at being in stables .
You do need a good place to keep them and I am perfectly relaxed to swop in say February if the weather is terrible .
I don’t think it saves much money it tends to switch the costs elsewhere .
It also just switches the labour to other times and places however I don’t miss going out to the yard at half eleven all winter .
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SantaVera
Well-Known Member
Mine are clipped and rugged and out at night in winter,come in for me to ride in the morning, sometimes put straight back out after riding sometimes stay in until about 4pmish depending on what I want to do in the afternoon. Done this for years, happy healthy horses.
TheMule
Well-Known Member
But that’s just bad land management…. It's perfectly possible to manage your land properly so that horses can spend more hours outside
ihatework
Well-Known Member
As long as the ground is good and they aren’t in a muddy quagmire, I think it’s a brilliant system!
Ali27
Well-Known Member
Mine were out 24/7 last winter apart from a few wet weeks when they came in during the day to give them a rest from the mud/ wet. I preferred them being in at day and stables were much cleaner. All three didn’t seem to mind either!
Bobthecob15
Well-Known Member
Thanks all, am feeling very positive about the potential change after reading all your comments 
I think I am just conditioned to having them in at night in winter, they are all out 24/7 from about May to October anyway, so hopefully not too big of a change for them. I'll just have to stop fretting!
I think I am just conditioned to having them in at night in winter, they are all out 24/7 from about May to October anyway, so hopefully not too big of a change for them. I'll just have to stop fretting!