What IS the ideal winter environment for a horse?

What is best for a horse in muddy conditions

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Wagtail

Wagtail

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There is another thread running about someone being reported to the RSPCA for horses being kept in a muddy field. It got me thinking. What is best for the horse? A muddy field with all the dangers that come with it such as possible injury, mud fever, and dropping condition, or keeping the horse shut up in a stable?

After many years of turning out in muddy fields and bringing in at night, I experienced a number of serious injuries to horses (two of them my own), some resulting in euthanasia, I vowed never to turn out in a muddy field again. I have tried to reach a happy medium by constructing an all weather turnout area 40m x 30m where the horses go out in shifts in groups of 2 or 3. They also have haylage provided in nets. They seem to love the turnout, are always clean and seem very happy both to go out and come back in. Also they are able to go out every day whatever the weather.

My sister has what I view as the ideal arrangement (not possible with my own set up). And that is 10 acres, 3 horses and an American barn. The horses stay out all year but have access to their stables whenever they want. However, they are always coming in lame if it's been particularly muddy.

What do others think? Is turnout always best, no matter what the risks? Or are horses happier tucked up in their nice warm stables in this weather?
 
Money no object? Then my ideal would be :

Large airy field shelter (barn sized would be fab thanks!). With at least 1/2 acre of hard standing..that would have fabulous drainage around it of course so I could swill down the area!!! The hard standing would lead onto acres of undulating fields which would have natural shelter and good drainage!!

In the real world the set up I currently have is working very well. We have a large field with only 5 or 6 horses on it which is mainly sandy soil and with high areas that remain dry and well drained over the winter months (but is a hard dry dust bowl during the summer..can't have it all!!). I bring in my big lad for a few hours everyday to munch and the little one is in overnight as he cannot have haylage and that is what is given to the other outside horses of an evening. The top gateway is fairly un-muddy and the bottom is trashed but they only go to the bottom for water! Both mine are very hairy and neither have had any mud-fever or such related problems.

I will always pick out over in no matter what the weather...but that said if mine were only standing in mud 24/7 with no way of getting out of it I would rethink that. I'm very lucky the fields we have are fabulous for wet weather!! No grazing at all but at least they are dry and can lay down comfortably...although my boys do like to walk down to the muddy bits to roll!!! Typical!
 
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Erm, can I have none of the above!!

My choice would be turn out as much as possible (with suitable rugs/shelter/hay as needed), if it is necessary for turnout to be limited if it is being trashed, then bring in on nights during very wet periods to save the fields a little. Though ideally you would have sufficient land to be able to avoid that (with hard standing/grass mats etc in gateways as they seem to get trashed whatever!). I don't wash off their legs so we have no mud fever; dropping condition is not a result of mud so that isn't a concern; regular turnout tends to reduce them having a mentalist when turned out so I would be happy that injury wasn't more likely due to mud - excepting super deep and holding clay!

I don't think menage turnout or sessions on a walker are in anyway ideal so they aren't something I would choose for ours. Your sisters set up sounds great. Though I would be worried at a high incidence of lameness in muddy periods. Is it particularly heavy soil there? I must admit (touch wood) that ours have never had any lameness issues with the mud.
 
My ideal winter environment (i am very lucky to have). My lot (3 horses, 2 ponies) live out 24/7 in 2 large fields, with good natural shelter, there is a small field shelter but it is rarely used. The fields are post and rail fenced and have a hard-standing track (fenced off) that runs between the fields leading to a hard-standing compound area where I put a round-bale feeder for ad-lib haylage. The horses never hang around in muddy areas as they don't need to.

My liveries (who choose to stable overnight) have access to a large winter field and it does get very muddy at the top/around the gateway. The horses have plenty of room to get out of the mud but do tend to hang around the gate from about 3pm onwards. There is some "argy-bargy" going on at this time but they, luckily, all know each other and respect each others place in the herd - I wouldn't dream of introducing a new horse into this kind of winter arrangement as it would be just asking for an accident.
 
Ours go out during the day unless there is horrendous ice or deep snow then they stay and are turned out in small groups in the arena… we have hardstanding at the gate which makes life a lot easier but around the hardstanding area is caked with thick mud…
 
Depends on the horse though! I have a horse who detests being outside in any adverse conditions! Will whinny to come in after a few hours & prefers his warm stable & hay over standing in a muddy field. But thats the way he was conditioned though, he was stabled 24/7 his whole life before I got him, and while he is delighted to get turnout now, he likes things the way he is used to it. I wouldnt force him to change as I wouldnt want to distress him - like the time I tried to leave him out overnight! Never again!
 
Of course everyone's horses are different but generally speaking it's better the more turnout time they have. I have very limited space but winter always goes well with my 2. I have 2 fields- one which they stay in for the night and one they are in during the day. They are out 24/7 but the fields are ok because they do have time to rest (sort of!) The soil is clay but is relatively high so drainage is fine- this year neither of the fields are muddy really. Both fields have loads of natural shelter and an actual shelter. When it gets really bad they do use the shelters but otherwise they are happy outside. Mine would hate to be in stables- at least when they are out they can choose whether to go into the warm shelter or not. My ponies are natives so their ideal environment is likely to be different to that of a TB for example- mine thrive on cool weather but ideally (for mine anyway) I prefer 24/7 turnout with shelter, if the mud every got really bad then I could keep them in the shelters but a little bit of mud won't hurt.
 
Ideal for me acres of turn out well drained. Huge barn with ad lib hay that they can let themselves in and out. Non freezing water
 
Depends on the horse. I have had two loan horses...one would not mind being kept in all day with a few hours in a turn out pen, and one who turned into the devil if she had to be kept in (once she had to be "box rested" in a small area of her field).

I have ticked turn out in the mud, as that is what we do anyway. Give them hay and never had any problems with mud fever/leg problems from sticky clay mud...just the odd shoe gone missing. But ideally (when I win the lottery) I would have a large airy field shelter, some hard standing....and acres of well drained, undulating fields and natural shelter available :)
 
What we have - 24/7 turnout for the horses with lots of natural shelter in their field and free access to come and go in and out of their stables as they wish.
 
I think we should ban MUD! All fields that contain mud should be given a few lorryfuls of sand, grit and other unmuddy particles and be made to drain water away so efficiently that the grass/plants are dry when it rains!
 
For turnout/living out?

If all I had was access to ankle deep muddy paddocks then my horses wouldn't go out and I'd make darn sure that the next winter I was at a yard with better land (NOT always YO's fault, I am not saying that at all) or with all weather turnout/exercise facilities.

In Wales our land was clay, it was absolutely dreadful most of the year, like a rice paddy with attitude, brutal. Most of the time during winter my horses stayed in, they had a job to do and were no good to me if they were broken, they were exercised daily and went in the arena for half an hour or however long I could whilst I cleaned out etc.

Here, I am incredibly lucky. Our soil is sandy, it floods and then it drains - within hours, add to that the fact that generally, from November to end of March it is frozen solid - NO MUD:D, I love it!

For a few weeks in spring we may have a bit of mud, but nothing much, and certainly not enough that horses cannot find somewhere drier to go, if they want to play/stand in the mud then they choose to do it. I have never considered keeping my horses in because of the ground conditions. This is much as I get, and only in the corner of the paddock and a gateway or two, and it's generally because the horses have a bit of sun on their back and are acting like hooligans anyway.
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The mare herd have their shelters and are fed in a pine wood, the soil is sandy and I have never seen it in the least bit boggy, I never worry about any of mine being deep in mire now, and have the deepest sympathy for those that have to cope with it on a daily basis when their soil gets waterlogged.
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Mine is not that bad. 5 horse, 12 acres, 3 of the horse out 24/7. They have access to a field shelter thats half rubber matted and has straw in. The field is filthy and muddy for about a 5-10m radius around the gateway, but the rest of the 6 acres they are currently on is on a big hill. Some areas are a bit squishy, but the top of the hill is dry (well as dry as it can be - wet grass obviously!) They have a spring fed stone trough set in the middle of the field which although in a boggy area is great for them - I think they barely use the metal trough :)

More ideally I would have a large barn, deep littered in straw where all five were able to get in and be far enough away from the other to lie down etc. I have designs on dividing our field shelter in 2 as although it has a 12ft wide doorway, one horse can block the lot and stop all the others getting in, if it was split into two, we might be able to get more horses in there when they want to be :)
 
I read one of the answers wrong so voted incorrectly. I believe all horses should have access to good turnout in a field/paddock large enough for all those in it.

My pony suffered really badly with mud fever when I bought her but since moving her to a yard with large fields, the only area that gets muddy is the gate and she doesnt stand there long enough to effect her as she has plenty of space to move about.

In the situation where fields are trashed and limited turnout available then I would stable and turn out for a few hours each day with hay. Have used turnout socks also with success but one morning (on the odd occasion I got someone else to turnout), they were put on incorrectly and when I brought her in, in the pm, the socks were no more and dangerously caught around one of her legs!
 
Mine have it pretty good. 9-10 out on 14 acres 24/7, lots of natural shelter,free access to a yard and two open barns with straw bed. Also have stables for grooming, feeding etc. Fields drain well and they have big round bales of hay in the field. During the snow and ice, they had respite from the freeze by standing on the hay while eating.
They only use the barns in the summer, though my mare likes to dry herself off on the straw bed in the barns when its been raining. I have left yards when I discovered the winter grazing was a deep mud bog with no grass. I wouldn't wish mine to stand in it day after day. You never really know a yard until you've spent a winter there. Often daily turnout actually means turnout when there's no snow, rain, no recent rain, no promise of rain....
 
ISHmad said:
What we have - 24/7 turnout for the horses with lots of natural shelter in their field and free access to come and go in and out of their stables as they wish.
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This would be the ideal, but I'll settle for what I have. 24/7 t/o with lots of natural shelter and a stable I can bring him into for a munch and the have the odd night in if weather really manky. Works well enough :)
 
I would say it depends on the horse. My horse would definitely prefer to be out, even in the wet mud that she currently lives in but as we are on clay, YO will only allow turnout during the day in the winter. If we were on chalk she would be out 24/7.

Ideal winter environment? A warm country where there is no mud...
 
I would say none of the above.

My horse is out from about 9-3 at the moment. His field is quite muddy and by 3ish he is more than happy to come in to a nice warm stable and a big haynet.

There are grass liveries at my yard and their field is just a mudfest. Although they get hay put in for them, I still have to say the horses dont look very happy. Unless they are munching on some of the hay they just stand there in the mud looking a bit miserable.
 
Very individual to each horse.

I think my horses perfect routine would be out for 2/3 hours a day in the morning and then snoozing all afternoon in her stable.

She is very happy stabled 24/7. She likes going out in the field but she's ready to come in at tea time in the winter!
Come the summer she loves being turned out 24/7 or turned out over night and in the stable to sleep for a few hours in the heat of the day.
 
Our field is clay and a large part of it is trashed but only hoof deep. It starts to dry off pretty quickly once it stops raining. There are dry spots (except for wet grass obviously) that they can go onto and two big fieldshelters for them to go into to get out of the wet and mud if they choose. They dont really bother. They have access to haylage for at least 20 hours of the day as they are given it twice a day, sometimes there is some left and sometimes there isnt when i go again. I have two horses that dont stable well so i know they would rather be out than in. I have 5 acres for three and they are currently wintered on the two acre paddock so they dont tear up the whole lot.

I guess in an ideal world i would live somewhere sunny with less rain!!!
An all weather turn out would have to be large enough for them to go out together on when it gets wet.
 
I would say none of the options in the poll are ideal.

I think it depends on the horse, mine is a native and a fattie and he likes being out 24/7 in a group even if there is a bit of mud. Lots of lush grass would not be good for him nor would be being in a stable where he stood in eating hay all the time. He is better off and happier being out whatever the weather.

His winter fields are lovely though lots of natural shelter including a small woods and enough grass but not too much, plenty of space for him and his friends to move about and not too muddy and there is there is a big hill so the top of the hill is nearly always dry. However there is probably not enough grass to support finer types of horses or ponies but just right for a good doer native.
 
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