What are your opinions...

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MizElz

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...on turning out during frosty/snowy weather? Do you still turn out, or do you wait for the ground to thaw beforehand?

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I make sure mine have had a feed and some hay to line their stomach and then turn out as normal. If very frosty or snowy also put some hay in the field. I have a couple of friends whos horses have died from laminitus which was believed to be triggered by frosted grass and another who horse colics on frosted grass, so am extra careful. Funnily enough I never worry about those which are out 24/7.
 
Mines out 24/7 at the mo so yes. If he is stabled he will also go out as normal, but as Christmas sparkle says, I will throw hayledge out for him aswell and make sure he has had a high fibre breakfast!!
 
It's really interesting that everyone has looked at this from a nutrition point of view! I would, too, if someone asked me the question; to me, the only problem with turning out in the cold is the fact that they cannot get much to eat. But I know someone who considers it a major sin to turn out on cold ground - because of the impact on the horse's legs! Apparently it can damage their joints....if this is the case, why arent all the horses who are out 24/7 utterly crippled! I've never had a problem with it; mine have always gone out in cold weather - they love raking up snow and rolling in it!
 
Horses that are out 24/7 aren't crippled because they don't generally feel the need to run around so much. Some horses who are stabled at least some of the time will run around when turned out. My horse, having been out 24/7 for four and a half months, just goes and eats! As for not having much to eat, the feral horses for example on the NF don't have much to eat. Doesn't harm them, does it? So why would it harm £20,000 worth of competition horse? They're all horses.
My main concern will always be the impact frosty grass has on the horse's digestive system.
 
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Horses that are out 24/7 aren't crippled because they don't generally feel the need to run around so much. Some horses who are stabled at least some of the time will run around when turned out. My horse, having been out 24/7 for four and a half months, just goes and eats! As for not having much to eat, the feral horses for example on the NF don't have much to eat. Doesn't harm them, does it? So why would it harm £20,000 worth of competition horse? They're all horses.
My main concern will always be the impact frosty grass has on the horse's digestive system.

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That's exactly how I've always felt about it, so I was surprised when my friend said they rarely turn out in the winter because of the horse's legs! Poor horses! In my experience, the more you wrap a horse in cotton wool, the more problems may arise....
 
Some people wouldn't consider it "wrapping a horse up in cotton wool" to avoid turning out on frosty ground particularly if you have ponies at risk of laminitis and all vet advice says frost causes sugars in the grass to be higher therefore increased risk of lammi. some people would call that GOOD MANAGMENT!
 
Erm, I think MizElz was referring to those people who don't turn out on hard ground for fear of damaged joints, as "wrapping horses in cotton wool". I think most of us would actually agree with you that avoiding frost because of the increased laminitis risk is good management. However I'm not sure I agree with the suggestion (by MizElz) that horses who are likely to run around on hard ground should be turned out anyway to avoid "wrapping them in cotton wool". If mine ran around I wouldn't turn them out until later if I could, if I had the time I would also avoid turning out on frost to avoid the laminitis risk, but if my only concern was that the horses woudln't have much to eat, I'd stick them out anyway!
 
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Some people wouldn't consider it "wrapping a horse up in cotton wool" to avoid turning out on frosty ground particularly if you have ponies at risk of laminitis and all vet advice says frost causes sugars in the grass to be higher therefore increased risk of lammi. some people would call that GOOD MANAGMENT!

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Not quite sure why you have jumped down my throat on this one - I have already said that my reasons for not turning out would only ever be based on nutrition - be this laminitis or otherwise. The 'wrapping up in cotton wool' reference was related to my friend's attitude that turning out on cold ground hurts the LEGS, not the digestive system - which I, nor anyone else so far on here seems to have agreed with! Please, read the comments fully before being so keen to have a go at people - this is unnecessary and only causes confusion!
 
I know someone whose horse shattered a bone in their shoulder due to cantering around on frozen ground. Had to be put down.

Having said that, I do turn out onto frost, and I don't wrap them in cotton wool, they have to run these risks, they are horses.

Of course if they hadn't been out for a while for some reason I'd be more wary.
 
See that is why I try to get them out for a bit (even if it's only an hour), the longer they have been in, the more likely they are to go stupid!!!!
 
Yes I too would be wary of them galloping around - more so than that the cold would get into their joints, which is the reason my friend gave! If my horse was really fresh, I think I would try to wait until the ground was not so hard, but then again, a horse can damage itself on any ground if it is in that frame of mind!
 
If its my own Im turning out then I would put out some hay to a) keep them occupied and stop them exploding b) keep them from the grass til its warmed up. Also always rug well when its cold, then they dont have the need for a blast to keep warm. Often will put hard shell tendon boots on if they slip and skid, but that was purely for a certain horses management.
 
We have to do it, it seems like half the year is frosty here and the ponies are too impatient and we don't have time to wait. The others are out 24/7 anyway.
 
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