Turnout at night in Winter?

[ownedbyaconnie]

Mine is out 24/7 anyway but she’s definitely warmer mooching around a field then standing still in a stable!

 

[Bobthecob15]

Mine is out 24/7 anyway but she’s definitely warmer mooching around a field then standing still in a stable!

This is good to hear, makes sense

 

[Bobthecob15]

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!

Yes I've just seen an article about this, so lovely!

 

[Peglo]

I’m up north where temperatures aren’t as cold as south but the wind and rain is pretty relentless. It usually gets worse once it’s dark too so stabling at night works best for us. Mine come in at 8 and put out at 6 so they are out longer than they’re in. (that all gets done in the dark of course) But mine are at home so have that control. It is a nice feeling when the wind is howling knowing they are in and dry but because winters are so different here to south the new routine might suit you better.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

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

Possibly but, I personally would not want mine out at night, and its bad enough now when they pace up and down to come in without them doing it all night. +the laminitics horses cannot go out overnight so would not work here, also at least in the day you can check them but at night if something goes wrong you don't find out till morning. Like a livery here who was a colic candidate we often found her with episode, she did move from here to grass livery, 2 months later, one of the liveries phoned "A" said you must come to yard, and owner said what's up and livery said " oh I am sorry" pony had died over night.

I have had my late mare on grass when I first got her, but now I would not do it, I want them in when I can do late checks, it's personal choice. Plenty of yards around if this is what a potential livery wan't, you go to the yard that offers it. We don't offer that and I must say none of our liveries over the past 27 years we have been here never been asked as our routine is clear but in the summer some do like to change over.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

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?

1. No we don't hay our fields,
2. some of these that want to come in are diy
3. makes a mess of the field
4. we don't need to as with the field management we have grass to eat 99% of the year, even now the Dec Jan and Feb time the field they will move onto still has long grass.
5. The ones who want to come in do so sometimes only 1 hr after they go out, they would rather bee in having hay/haylage than being out. All it does is force them to stand in the rain and churn fields up.
   
   
   I suppose if its a big yard with large fields then you can offer that but we never have. Its what the liveries want at the end of the day

 

[bubsqueaks]

Yes ours are out at night in during the day all year & wouldnt change back.
So many benefits -
More turnout time
More herd time
Less bedding required
Always in for vet, farrier, riding
Actually easier for them to control body temperature if out walking about - its colder in a stable
Love this system as do the ponies.

 

[millitiger]

Mine are in this system and it works wonderfully and is much better for their health.

They are at home and if the weather looks particularly awful overnight, I have the option to swap over for the day- last winter they spent a total of 3 nights in.

My older horse was a terrible fence walker and always hanging around at the gate to come in when out during the day- he is much more settled with overnight turn out.

I love them being in, dry and ready for work or farrier etc.
Also when they are on daytime turnout, if you go to a competition, they are lucky to get an hour or two of turnout that day which doesn't seem fair.

 

[JGC]

I would love to do this! Only downside - the mud not being dry enough to brush off when I ride in the morning ...

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

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?
.

Mine get hay in the field and when they come in as I don't have great grazing so yes I suppose you would need to hay in the field if they are not in long and not enough grass.

 

[maya2008]

I guess if it didn’t work they would swap back? Is there enough grass in the fields? Haying fields can cause arguments between horses, and poor doers might struggle to eat enough during the day. Do you have enough really waterproof turnout rugs?

 

[SEL]

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.

When baby cob joined my herd he was used to being out overnight and coming in first thing to a stable - he'd have a haynet and get ridden at some point during the day.

I'd bring him in and he'd literally have his breakfast and then be flat out snoring in his bed. My problem was I needed to ride and go to work because I'm not a professional yard with riders there all day. So he had to be woken up and worked and fortunately it didn't take long for him to realise he had to re-organise his snooze time to fit around his new human's commitments.

 

[SEL]

I think I read that Carl Hester has some / all of his horses turned out overnight and they come in for riding.

The interview where he talked about that made me laugh - apparently Valegro never got 24:7 turnout because he's greedy and ate too much. Good to know my cobs have something in common with a top dressage horse then!

Carl said he has Pete and (I think) Vogue out 24:7 and that works well for them as they are hot horses who decompress better on turnout.

 

[Skib]

Both my shares have been out at night and brought in for the day. That is fairly common with RS horses as they need to be in ready to work each day. I never saw my old share sleep in her box, even when she was ancient, but I have arrived at my current yard to find my share lying down fast asleep.
The first time this happened the YM went in and woke the mare for me. I am a coward and dont like to go in the box when a horse is lying down, in case it gets to its feet and knocks me over. Instead, if the horse is asleep when I get there, I talk to her over the stable door and this seems to wake her and she gets to her feet. However, not for love of me nor to say Hallo. She turns to eat her hay net.

 

[Goldenstar]

The interview where he talked about that made me laugh - apparently Valegro never got 24:7 turnout because he's greedy and ate too much. Good to know my cobs have something in common with a top dressage horse then!

Carl said he has Pete and (I think) Vogue out 24:7 and that works well for them as they are hot horses who decompress better on turnout.

They are not out 24/7 they can’t be, they will handled groomed and worked , they will travel for team training and to shows they fly in planes around the world cross seas in ferries and stand in stables on show grounds .
They are on a combined system that reverses where most of the time is spent

 

[Squeak]

I'm quite surprised by the number of people who are against this given how pro turnout this forum usually is. As far as I'm concerned the more turnout a horse can get the better. Assuming of course that the land is properly managed and they're given hay as needed.

I knew a yard where they did this routine and it worked well. Horses had more time out, had plenty of hay and were in ready for whatever they were doing that day.

 

[maya2008]

Mine are out 24/7. Bringing in during the day (given mine sleep 11am ish anyway) would seem ok but in the winter when would they ever see daylight if they were in a barn setup? I spent winter ‘up North’ for a few years and going to work in the dark, then leaving it in the dark was just beyond depressing! I have no idea if a horse would actually care, but that might be part of the reluctance.

 

[Chianti]

Yes. I did it all year round at one yard I was at. There was too much grass in the spring/summer for my pony to be out all the time and I knew he'd hate being in over night for around 16 hours. He loved coming in and having a snooze and his hay nets during the day and was very happy to go out again at night. As he liked it so much I kept him in the same routine all year. As a rider it's great - they're always dry when you want to ride and you don't spend time bringing in and turning out. It sounds as if the yard has researched it well and they will have hay and natural shelter. I think you're very lucky you have such a proactive yard who are thinking about how to make the horses' lives more natural.

 

[lizziebell]

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.

Same. It’s a perfect routine for me and my horses.

 

[Widgeon]

So are ours...I think they are hoping they would all adapt?

Some of ours (warmblood types) are full clipped and live out 24/7 all year round. They just get another rug slung on top when it's really cold and seem to be perfectly happy with the arrangement.

 

[saddlesore]

Great idea. That is essentially what I do and my boy is hunter clipped and in work. Imo the more time out the better- they cope much better than you might think

 

[Sossigpoker]

My cob goes through the fence if out over night in bad weather, but if your horse is settled,.there's nothing wrong with that. Assuming that you have well draining ground and they won't be just standing in mud.

 

[twiggy2]

I much prefer it to being in at night, mine would come in for a few hrs each day all year round qhen I still had them, next one will be out full time with access to a barn

 

[santas_spotty_pony]

I do this - I try to keep them on this routine all year. They only come in for a few hours though, not all day and they have hay in the field when the grass gets low. I swap it over if the weather is really bad, but I aim to give them as much turnout as possible.

 

[Bobthecob15]

Yes. I did it all year round at one yard I was at. There was too much grass in the spring/summer for my pony to be out all the time and I knew he'd hate being in over night for around 16 hours. He loved coming in and having a snooze and his hay nets during the day and was very happy to go out again at night. As he liked it so much I kept him in the same routine all year. As a rider it's great - they're always dry when you want to ride and you don't spend time bringing in and turning out. It sounds as if the yard has researched it well and they will have hay and natural shelter. I think you're very lucky you have such a proactive yard who are thinking about how to make the horses' lives more natural.

I know they are very proactive! Hopefully it will work out OK x

 

[Tiddlypom]

Being in all day and out at night unfortunately doesn't suit mine, who are kept at home.

Any sign of me creeping about in the garden trying not to be noticed and they are hollering for more hay, and be quick about it. They demand far more to eat during the day than in the same time period overnight.

A workable compromise to to have them in for two or three hours in the morning for breakfast, their massage pad sessions, some hay and a snooze, then out for the rest of the time.

 

[Bobthecob15]

I guess if it didn’t work they would swap back? Is there enough grass in the fields? Haying fields can cause arguments between horses, and poor doers might struggle to eat enough during the day. Do you have enough really waterproof turnout rugs?

Yes they are going to trial it and see how it goes and swap back if needed. Grass isn't too bad as they've been resting winter fields for seveal months...but they will need to put in some hay yes eventually.

Yep got some good waterproof rugs, ours are all new so hopefully be ok!

 

[fr234]

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

Regarding the lights, I’m going to order some rechargeable work lights from screwfix! Cheap and enough light to see what your doing in a 20x40!

 

[HopOnTrot]

I do this if it’s wet in winter, stabled during the day is great as I muck out before I pick the kids up from school, no early morning mucking out. Ponies in the stable when we want to ride. One pony has asthma so I like to limit her time indoors.

 

[Bobthecob15]

Quick update…horses are now in from around 8am till 6pm then go out overnight and so far it’s going well! They seem very happy, some have had snoozes in the day in their stables, most just munch on the all you can eat hay buffet they seem happy to go back out at 6 after evening feeds, obviously can’t see what they do overnight but they all seem super chilled and happy in ridden work so it’s a thumbs up so far!! And no need to go to field to catch them (so we don’t get muddy!), horses are already in waiting for us with feet washed/picked out, stable rugs on and ready to be ridden or fussed over.

I’m getting over the anxiety of worrying they are cold with nice snuggly turnout rugs! I may feel different when it’s -5c outside but hey ho!