turnout or in???

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racebuddy

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hi just wandering what everybody else is doing my 3 horses have been out in day in summer one has half a day other two may stay out all day sometimes they come in half day aswell, now the grass is not really growing and they are getting fed up i will prob not turn out every day all competition horses so in full work , i do like them to have a bit of turnout , they are used to not going out everyday in winter, i would rather them be in warm and dry than spending time in mud wet field? just curious on what everyone else does.xx
 
Mine are in work and still out! I bring the in as late as possible.
They come in during the day in the summer to get away from the flies but generally are out all the time summer and in during the winter thought they do get a regular turn out even if it is not every day.

These are horses that are going hunting a couple of times a week.
 
they are horses they live out 24/7

I know a few people who compete at a level most of us can only dream of and they hunt 2/3 times a week too and theirs live out 24/7

horses that live out seem to suffer less tendon and ligament injuries IME which I would put down to them higher level of low grade exersize they get by being able to move around as nature intended
 
My warmblood lives out 24/7 all year and thrives on it. Our daughters pony comes in at night to manage his weight as he is impossible to keep in a restricted grazing paddock(jumps out or my helpful mare takes the fence posts out with her teeth to let him out!) And we have so much grass where we are it isn't safe for him to stay out all the time.
 
Mines out 24/7 since april, im going to do things a bit differently this year, and not put him in unless we get bad snow, prob shoot myself in the foot but were see how it goes x
 
Out 24/7 from early on in spring till prob late Sept early Oct.
Then in on a night through winter, but still out come rain, wind or snow from 7am till just before the evening draws in. I will say my boy loves his winter routine, all the horses on the yard start to get abit restless this time of the year. They start hanging out by the gates of a night time almost like they are hankering for that warm stable, haylege and feed.... I don't blame them ;) we do have a lovely fields at the yard though, mostly because they have that 5-6 months of rest whilst the ponies are in and on the rough winter turnout (very lucky to have a large wooded disused quarry which is used as turnout through the winter, no grass so fed hay out of ring feeders. It's mostly flat and on shale for free draining and not boggy). This is just right imo.

I know 25/7 is best
 
Sorry on phone!
Meant to say I know 24/7 is supposed to be beat but when its in a boggy horrible field in the cold and rain I would prefer to have them tucked up warm in the stable. Saying that I would never be at a yard that didn't have at least 4 hours daily turnout or pref all day on good well maintained fields in the winter.
 
Mine are still on summer routine, out at night in during the day to work and get fed plus ad lib haylage while in. Once they are in at night if in work they will be happy to stay in if they need to if the weather is bad or the farrier is due, I think they benefit from being turned out each day but should not get stressed if they have a day or two in, if they had to be on box rest for any reason it helps if they are used to the odd day in.
 
All out 24/7. Plenty of haylage jn winter and rug according to weather. Pony has sweetitch in summer and LOVES the cold and wet only time I can't catch her!
 
IMO being a top competition horse and in full time work should make no difference to the turnout debate. All horses benefit physically and emotionally by turnout. It is a well known fact that turnout benefits joints and the digestive system enormously. Its just not right for a horse to stand still for hours at a time, they are not built for this. The inside nature's giants programme that was on channel 4 recently dissected a TB and it was very interesting to hear what they said about how the galloping movement of a horse affected the internal organs. The piston type movement of the hind legs pulls air into the lungs. The whole gut works like a pair of bellows. Obviously this is open to debate but I am personally a strong believer that turnout cuts down on the chance of colic.

So, both mine go out for at least 12 hours a day whether it is sunny, rainy, snowy or blowing a gale! In fact, the only time I would keep them in for longer would be if it was very snowy and it was difficult for the horses to find forage. We are very lucky though to have good year round grazing!
 
Out all year unless the weather gets really bad, then in at night, but more for my peace of mind than anything else!! Don't think he really notices bad weather, as long as he has enough hay, he's a happy bunny. Me on the other hand, when the weathers crap I just don't like the thought of him out in it! stupid I know but he doesn't seem to mind coming in for the odd night, so it keeps us both happy! :)
 
Mine are in at night all year round, they are all fit and healthy!

They have to be in by 6pm as the yard I'm on do x-country, farm rides etc etc in the fields almost every night in the summer, the winter it's too boggy... it hasn't done the horses any harm.

In the winter if bad weather then they are kept in with 20 mins on the horse walker twice a day and whatever exercise routine you have as normal.

We have an all weather lunge arena, indoor school and an outdoor all weather ménage as well as the fields to hack around so as long as you have the facilities then I can't see what's wrong with keeping a horse in a stable??
 
I'm always amazed that people use the 'competition horse' tag as a reason not to turn out. IMO these horses need even more turnout to reduce leg filling, stiffness & to keep them mentally fresh.
After seeing that wonderful tweet by Carl Hester saying 'Olympic gold medallist back to his normal routine' accompanied by a lovely picture of Uthopia grazing in a field. I think we can also safely say that there is no horse too valuable to turn out :)

Anyhoo
 
Anyhoo my horses live out 24/7 with good rugging & hay unless the weather is bottomless wet for any long period of time or they drop any weight, then they come in at night (6pm-6am) That said my new stable yard isn't up yet so they may be out all the time whatever!
These horses are a hunter, a young eventer & a companion/lead rein pony
 
Out 24/7. I used to be on livery, but moved to a field when the horses made it clear that regardless of horizontal rain and howling gales they would rather be out. There was an evening in these conditions when I only managed to catch 2, the others all stayed out, and the feral children were the happy ones in the morning.
Mine do endurance, so I would say they are in full work, for me it helps them perform better.
 
Mine are mostly out 24/7 to keep them fit, mentally/physically healthy and prevent injury caused by standing in a stable for extended periods of time.

Doesn't affect their ability to work, just means a few minutes trudging across the field to bring them in, but I couldn't justify stabling them for my convenience. A muddy horse is a happy horse.
 
Out 24/7 as long as possible. Usually in from 7pm to 6am for 2-3 months over the winter but last year lived out all year as it was so mild & dry down south. The grass didn't stop growing.

The ex-racehorse has adapted to full turnout now & just has lightweight rug at night as it's getting down to 6-7 deg c.

Interestingly he was moved to livery late spring for 2 month when I lost my mare until new boy arrived - there was only a few hours a day turn-out and he reverted to how he was when I got him - anxious, stroppy, tense, legs filled (he has had many injuries in his life). He's a different horse out and legs are always fine.
 
Mine are out 24/7 all summer and in an ideal world I would like them out 24/7 all year round, but the fields at the yard I am on get really boggy in bad weather and the Lake District has truly lived up to its name this summer so the fields are already bad. Mine have just started coming in at night this week and have settled well. The TB tells me when she doesn't want to come in but at the moment she is happy coming in at night and has settled far better than I anticipated. I try to give them at least 12 hrs out each day once they are in at night. I think it really depends on each situation and each horse. Although the fields at the yard I am on have good quality grazing, the acreage is very limited..........roll on a lottery win! :)
 
glamourpuss said:
I'm always amazed that people use the 'competition horse' tag as a reason not to turn out. IMO these horses need even more turnout to reduce leg filling, stiffness & to keep them mentally fresh.
After seeing that wonderful tweet by Carl Hester saying 'Olympic gold medallist back to his normal routine' accompanied by a lovely picture of Uthopia grazing in a field. I think we can also safely say that there is no horse too valuable to turn out :)

Anyhoo
Click to expand...

Its not always to do with leg filling or value. There is absolutely no way on earth my mare could live out and event as she is an equine balloon. Even on poor grazing with a muzzle she is enormous. She comes in during the day to deflate. She has a couple of slices of old meadow hay while in to pick at.

Ours are out in the night until Nov 1st unless it gets ridiculously wet and muddy. Then they come in at night for a month or so (as long as the fields hold up) until we get any signs of mudrash, then they go out on a hardstanding area around the stables all day with haynets/piles from 7am to 7pm, which seems to keep them in good humour as they are still wandering around seeing everything. Once a week they then go out for a day in the big fields to roll and hoon around.
 
Full work and out from 8-4 in winter. They are animals, they need to be animals! Not stuck I a cell all day.

Mine all currently out 24/7 still, just well rugged
 
At the moment mine are out all the time except during the morning when I bring the in work them and then turn out .
OH's hunter was in last night as it was a really early start this morning and it is easier.
I would love to keep them out but our land is clay and sooner or later you have to bring them in usually it's around the beginning of November, I have to bring them in anyway over the bonfire night period so it's usually around then .
Then they go out everyday before or after work.
 
My mares are in at night and out in the day, because 1 gets hugely fat and jumps out at night anyway (regardless of futzes and company) and the other has advanced navicular and we find she goes lame when she's out at night, plus she's a wimp in winter and gets miserable out at night. They go out in the day regardless of weather though.

My eventer gelding is currently out at night. he's so relaxed now compared to last year when I kept him at a yard I was working at with no winter turnout, it's lovely. When he has his holiday he'll go out 24/7 then when he comes back into work and is clipped, he'll come in at night. I like him in for some time as again he gets fat plus no matter what he's fed he seems to get quite lethargic and lazy to ride otherwise.
 
In at night out in day all year round

Think every horse should be turned out daily regardless of how much work it's get. Only reason not to is when deep winter and so badly iced over in yard it's very dangerous but even then our yard laid down straw tracks to field.

Thinks is unfair not to turn them out.
 
Just wondering, for those who only get a couple of hours turnout in the winter- ow do you manage this when working? Do you have to pay someone to bring in for you?
 
Mine live out 24/7 in the summer and have just started coming in at night. I would have left them out all winter but we have no grass left, and once it gets wetter our fields would just be mud.

Ours will go out every day at 7am and be brought in between 5&6pm. They'll have hay in the field as needed and access to their stables (they are tied open so they can come and go as thru please)
 
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