Turnout situations... what is yours?

Your turnout situation...

  • Unlimited 24/7 turnout on own land

    Votes: 40 18.4%

  • Unlimited 24/7 turnout at livery

    Votes: 48 22.1%

  • Unlimited summer turnout but in at night in winter, own land

    Votes: 31 14.3%

  • Unlimited summer turnout but in at night, livery

    Votes: 57 26.3%

  • In for part of the day all year round at own yard

    Votes: 15 6.9%

  • In for part of the day all year round at livery

    Votes: 17 7.8%

  • Some turnout but periods of no or little turnout, own land

    Votes: 1 0.5%

  • Some turnout but periods of no or little turnout, livery

    Votes: 8 3.7%
  • Total voters
    217
dominobrown

dominobrown

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First time posting a poll and my tablet is an awkard one.
What is everyone situations? What is "normal".
Personally, righlty or wrongly, I do like 24/7 turnout in summer so I don't feel like I am mucking out constantly and I think it's good for the horses but this means that I suffer in winter. In autumn and spring we do in at nights but out as much as possible in the daytime. Winter is restricted to minimal turnout in fields and turnout in arena/ hopefully turnout area coming early 2020.
 
24/7 year round at home. I do feel very lucky, but then I've managed to do it since childhood bar a couple of years on a yard (that was also out 24/7, 365). These days I couldn't manage it any other way...I want to spend the limited free time I have riding, not mucking out. That said, the furthest south I've ever lived is North Wales so there's always been the option of plenty of grazing.
 
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On diy livery. Out full time in summer. In at night in winter. We can decide when "winter" is. Allowed turn out every day, there are only 4 or 5 days a year when they stay in if weather really foul. Robin and his buddy have to be in by 3 due to them runinng round one day. However this suits me as i bring in to ride then anyway. Yo brings quite a few in as an extra service and generally does that about 3.30
 
I have a mix at the moment as having cut back, got rid of 3 DIY liveries, there are now only 7 here in total, 1 pony in at night as she is a serial fence destroyer in winter, fine the rest of the time, and needs restricting so in for her own good and to save me having to keep fixing fences.
Of the others 3 are out 24/7 in a 6 acre field and doing very well, not in work, 1 pony is out in a decent sized field with no extra feeding, 1 is being a bit restricted as just starting rehab and will come in at night once her workload increases, the naughty pony joins her each day, the last is on small paddock rest and will hopefully stay there until recovered but may end up on box rest, luckily his 2 acre field is fairly dry and should hold up well with the patch moving every other day.

I am on clay but rarely restrict turnout other than to bring in early rather than leave them hanging about waiting to come in, everything here is now barefoot and that makes a huge difference to how the land copes plus the bonus of having less than the normal 10 here means more grass for the ones I do have.
 
Mine's on DIY livery and I'm lucky enough to be on a yard that offers 24/7/365 turnout. I personally would never consider anything less than 24/7 turnout in the summer and in at night/out in the day in winter. It just wouldn't suit my horse or I, and I would leave somewhere sharpish that offered turnout but then wouldn't allow it if it was raining or some other mild weather condition (i.e. at the yard owner's whim).
 
I'm on DIY. I can manage my field as I like, but obviously once it's trashed, it's trashed. I like them out as much as possible and try to do 24/7 turnout all year (they have access to their stables at all times) but it's been such a wet autumn I've had to bring them in at night. So out in the day, in at night until the grass starts to noticeably grow.
 
Full livery. They're out 24/7 from mid-end of April until end of October. Over winter they're out 6am-5pm, the fields are on clay but they're not overstocked so they stay mud free with plenty of grass. It's the best turnout I've found in the area.
 
We have fields for pairs of horses. We dont get to alternate winter and summer grazing, but we can split them as we want. We can turn out 24/7 if we want except in really bad weather. We've been asked to bring in over night this winter due to all the rain. I wouldnt want mine out 24/7 anyway as she tends to go a bit feral!

We are very lucky that its clay top soil but a base of limetone and sand, so whilst we do get some mud I can still walk about in trainers and the only poached bit it by the gate.
 
I have unrestricted turnout all year round on DIY livery. I have my own fields (approx 3 acres for 1 horse and 2 minis) so have to manage them as best as possible but generally have plenty of grass until end of January at least. Fields do get a bit trashed but are always seeded , harrowed and rolled in the spring. I'm on a pretty big DIY yard with about 60-70 horses and the majority now live out all year round. We do have stables but can also put field shelters in fields if we wish.
 
We get two individual paddocks per horse so I have 4. Mine go out together. This year they were out 24/7 from end of March to mid October. If the weather had been drier for longer they’d have stayed out longer but came in to preserve the grass.

We suffered from lack of grass this summer as it was so dry. This meant I used my winter paddocks for a bit mid summer and a,so had to hay for awhile so there is not as much grass as I’d like now. I’ve just started haying in the field again.
 
Own yard, just mine. Out 24/7 unless I decide to bring them in for the odd night when the ground gets too sodden or I cant be arsed to poo pick in the frozen or hissing dark before work. Part sand and about 30% peat loam.

The fuzzies enjoy the odd night in too, despite all having access to shelters with dry bedding in
 
I have my own 8 acres on a big livery farm. This is divided into two paddocks and a big yard with two stables and open feed room area. It's completely DIY and up to me how to manage the land, although any big changes must be approved by management. There are about 15 such paddocks across the property (also offers full care stables with daily turnout, assisted DIY etc.), all with various structures ranging from garden sheds to massive stable blocks. I personally don't poo pick, the paddocks are too big and the land is so poor it needs the nutrients. Ideally I would like management to drag the paddocks before they are rested for a few months, but they've only done it once to my knowledge. I don't have the means to do it myself, the yard is kept immaculate though.

The drought has ruined everything, so whatever I do is not going to save them at the moment. I have kept my bigger paddock shut for a couple of months so they will have some dry pick later in the summer.

ETA: My TB is out 24/7 all year round, the Haflinger is in the yard at night with a hay net :)
 
I voted 24/7 in summer, in at night in winter, own land...

However that is the two bigger ones.

We also have a 12hh pony who is out 24/7 all year round.

Last winter there were probably about 6 days in total where the weather was so horrendous that the big ones didn't go out at all.

Fiona
 
Part livery on Wealden clay. We have 24/7 turnout in summer on what we call our summer fields that are rested from November through to May. In winter we move on to the winter fields which enable us to have turnout every day but for a half day only. You have either morning or afternoon turnout depending on your routine and when is most convenient for you. We have one week in a small mud bath and one week in an all weather turnout pen.

It’s not ideal but most yards round here don’t do winter turnout because of the clay so I think we are very lucky.
 
Own land but also on Wealden clay. Leave out 24/7 for as long as possible but have a 3 acre field that I rest from April/May to November and use for winter 12 hour day turnout. They probably could live out but as I don't see them in the light during the week, I like to bring in overnight and check over when mud is dry in the mornings.
 
Ours are at home, we usually have them out 24/7 in summer and in overnight in winter but there have been several days this autumn, including to day when they have only gone out for a few hours because of the wet land.
 
Track turnout 24/7 spring and summer, then as things get wet they are now on hard standing and arena with field shelter, or stable with a yard outside to wander in and plenty of hay stations to move between. Turnout into fields is now limited to the driest days and for restricted times, but they get to hang out as a group on the limestone hardstanding and arena so socially its the same as being turned out. Just means we are getting through a butt load of hay!
 
I have several horses with sweet itch, so they are sometimes in in the summer for this reason. Our land cannot take unlimited turnout in the winter, so they are usually in at night, usually out at pasture during the day, sometimes it has to be out in the all-weather area instead.
 
I've said 24/7 turnout on livery, but that isn't quite correct. Basically, 3 years ago I moved them to a yard that offered fully grass livery. The yard was split into 3 and rented by three different ladies, 2 of whom had a couple of stables and some land for their own use, and a third lady who always had a number of full liveries either grass or with stables. None of them was the owner of the yard. I was there for almost 3 years, then the third lady, who has my two on grass livery, told me that she'd been offered another smaller yard between her house and the current yard, and would I be interested in taking my horses there (3 stables and about 6-7 acres). I jumped at the chance, so we are now there. The lady rents it and then I pay her for grass livery. I have access to stables which is new, but very useful as one of my horses is nearly 27 and not as hardy as she was. I haven't actually used the stables yet though!
 
Mine are at home. My land is very free draining so turnout whatever the time of year is not an issue. I do have them in at night in the winter time. They are older now and seem to appreciate coming in when the weather is foul.
 
Could only pick one option but I have 2 different set ups

2 are on diy livery and they are in at the moment with daily turnout, out overnight during summer. Individual paddocks, no mud.

3 live out together at home, they have about 5 acres or so and I fence bits off as and when. It gets a bit trashed in winter if its wet but OH harrows and rolls and gets a good hay crop off in summer, then they have the run of it again.
 
Out 24/7 on rented land 5 ponies on 5.5 acres summer track closed in winter and they strip graze into the foggage track in summer around about 15 yards by 100 yards in a U shape, lasts all summer Ground is sand over clay so water lies on the surface but we do not get mud except about an inch deep in places they stand. They are fed fibre feed year round as the grass is short at bowling green length. Hay is put out in piles a long way apart so they have to move to simulate grazing whenever we feed it which is usually a small amount after Christmas until the end of April this time is when they drop the weight ready for the grass to come through in the Spring and summer
 
My own yard, mine are in at night during winter and may stay in on the odd day if weather is heavy rain or very high winds, in summer they are in during the day and out from late afternoon
 
Moved to my own land last year and was hoping to have them out 24/7 but soon discovered that it's not really possible on the sandy clay that I'm on (moved from chalk so it was a bit of a shock!), so when it's wet, they're in at night but are out all day every day.
At previous yard, they were allowed out 24/7 in the summer but the fields were never rested so there wasn't enough grass for this to be practical, I used to turn out over night and bring in during the day.
 
Mine are at home the land is red clay .
i have four out on six acres and another two set aside for emergency ( if something is injured or not well and needs an unpoached field for example ).
they are out in the day in at night .
there are three in work and two of those get three hours ish on the days they work , the other who box walks gets longer and he stays out as much as possible .
the retired one stays out all day but sometimes comes in early.
its been very wet it’s a mess and we had two shoes off recently .
I have two summer paddocks that I never let get poached they are just over three acres .
 
We are left to our own devices. Only stipulation is that we look after the land and rotate fields when necessary (we have more enough of them)
Currently mine are out from 7.30-8am til 3-4.30pm.
I have two main fields I use at the yard, just for my girls. Mixture of clay and sand. I fence off wet bits where possible and move between the fields depending on the weather and ground.

This summer I actually kept them in at night as I felt it fitted in better with my routine. They would go out about 7am and come in about 5.30-6, unless I was competing.
 
Mine varies as I have good doers so although I have access to 24/7 turnout in the summer they dont always get that, they may spend a few days in the stables / yard area if they are getting a bit too tubby.

In the winter they are out 24/7 but sometimes have to bring for a few days when the fields get wet although that again might be into the yard or might be into the stables if its frosty / icey - they then get chance to run and play on the arena a few times a day

I find that for short term solutions when you just cant get them out in the field for whatever reason that having lots of room isn't necessarily as important as ensuring they have some time each day for close interaction (a bit of play, some mutual grooming etc)
 
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