What is the minimum amount of turnout you would accept on a yard?

[SpottyTB]

24/7/365 is a dream but no where near me offers this. We have 24/7 turnout from end of Feb (if weather has eased off by this point) until October/November.

Nov-Feb they go out at 7 and in by 4. If it’s particularly bad, they stay in but that’s not a set rule.

 

[LadyGascoyne]

I think it entirely depends on the quality of the turnout.

I prefer mine out 24/7, on a track, and only in for the odd couple of hours or night here and there to give my grass a break - or get them off the spring grass.

But I’d rather have my horse in 24/7 on a properly set up yard (exercise twice a day, hand-grazing, a walker and a large, open style barn etc) than turned-out individually, in a small square pen, with absolutely nothing to do but stand all day and then the owners thinking they don’t need to be exercised as much because they are “turned out”.

I think we are kidding ourselves if we think that those sorts of set ups are meeting a horses’ needs in terms of ‘down time’ - and they seem to be everywhere at the moment.

 

[MagicMelon]

24/7 for me. Ive always been able to keep my horses at home so Ive always kept my horses out 24/7 with open access to their stables. They tend to stand in the stable more in the summer than winter. If I had to livery, Id certainly want all day turnout (12 hours). For me, Id rather they have turnout than I have the luxury of a school to ride in, Ive never had a school!

 

[SO1]

We have 7 - 8 hours a day turnout on grass all year round and no mud pits in winter either. It would be nice for him to stay out longer in the summer but he is a good doer native so have to be very careful with weight during most of the year so coming in off the grass and having soaked hay does help. He is never any trouble to catch but I expect he would like to stay out longer because sugary grass tastes nicer than hay, it not just freedom and company that makes turnout appealing to a horse.

I would rather shorter time all year round than 24/7 over the summer and then restricted in the winter months or poor winter grazing with horses all at the gates wanting to come in due to being hungry.

 

[Enfys]

Time or area?
I wouldn't go anywhere without a 24/7 turnout option, or anywhere that l didn't have my own paddock ( lost one horse to a murderous co- boarder, not happening again)
Area wise 1/3 acre is perfectly adequate, l do have more but it depends on weather ( big hill, sheet ice, bad idea to turn out) how much grass l have all those variables. l am used to feeding hay year round so grazing is not a necessity as far as l am concerned. I prefer to feed hay than worry about too much, too little grass.

 

[Cob Life]

with current horses 24/7/365 for the mare

minim of 8 hours a day

 

[Kat]

Daily turnout as a minimum, irrespective of weather. I don't mind if it is only a few hours but my horse needs to get out everyday. Our fields only close due to snow and ice, and we have the option of a leg stretch on a surface on those days so we're happy.

I couldn't go somewhere that closes fields due to rain or where turnout is alternate days or something.

 

[LegOn]

I know it's not a popular view on HHO, but as long as a horse in work can have at least an hour's turnout a day on decent ground (not a tiny mud patch), then they can cope very well.

The horse must be in medium or harder work though, and it would not suit youngsters or older creaky horses.

This is my late old boy prancing about in the snow. He was then on a lovely yard which was run by a dragon lady BHSI, and turnout was individual and restricted to 1 hour a day winter/1.5 hours a day summer. He was there 3 years, and was very happy and settled. There were hardly any days when turnout was banned due to weather. The turnout fields were excellent.

He was worked 6 days a week, with a mix of lessons, schooling to medium dressage, competing and hacking from the yard, which was fantastic. All the horses were happy. They were in a similar level of work as my lad.

Now I've got my own place I can have horses in or out as best suits them, which is clearly more desirable, but don't write off restricted turnout as long as it is available for at least an hour every day.

(This pic was used recently in the HHO mag in a feature on rugs.)

I did think the same, but it didnt work for me I moved to a yard with only a 1-2 hours turnout a day throughout the year, but it was on very good grass in decent sized individual paddocks... it didnt go well, he got very unsettled, wouldnt be caught and got incredibly spooky to ride... I was just miserable. The yard was fab with super facilities and lots of really nice helpful people but it just didnt suit us. He was in full work and competing regularly - they had lovely hacking and more than one arena to ride in, XC etc so plenty of variety! I was dosing him with calmer all the time, dealing with overreaches and damage to his legs from his hooning around when he didnt want to come in... just stressful.

I moved to a yard where he is out about 4/5 hours during the winter with hay provided and about 8 hours during the summer on grass... he is a different horse - he is back to his settled self, so now I know for us - that just doesnt suit us, where as before I would have said to same, a couple of hours is fine, but it just isnt

 

[saddlesore]

I’m very lucky that I can turn out 24/7/365 in herd turnout in huge fields. I also have a stable so bring him in overnight now and again in the winter for a break. I wouldn’t accept less than 24/7 turnout in the summer and out during the day (all day) in the winter.

 

[zandp]

I'm on a DIY yard with a field that I can do what I want with, it's 24/7 grass track (no grass in bits) turnout all spring/summer and autumn and in winter I have a turnout area - which is concrete - to use with my field which I can decide to use or not. We're on clay. We get 1 field per horse when we arrive and can do what we want with it, but we're not moved at all and the fields are small paddocks (less than half an acre for most). Some of the liveries are getting new / larger fields now but as mine is a track and I feed hay/haylage all year I'm not getting any extra space.

YO put in wooden corner posts for my track and deals really well with how bare it looks, compared to all the other paddocks around mine. I turned out in the field every other day this winter and almost everyone else only turned out twice a week so my field suffered more. I've reseeded the middle bits and am clearing the hay from the clay as I can and rest bits of the track to help them recover as well. YO's recently agreed that I can put mud control mats in so that's the next investment.

I have stables that neighbour each other and we had to put wooden planks up to stop one of my horses getting savage to the horses next to her, after being at a yard where turnout was stopped at a whisper of rain in the forecast she is now very unhappy in the stable, she really likes to be out as much as she can, in all weathers.

 

[Birker2020]

When I moved to a yard I was told turnout was 365 days of the year. It was until I'd arrived that I found out turnout from Oct - May was in a sand area split in half with electric fencing to facilitate two horses at once going out for 2 hours a day. This was because the fields were peat and very wet in winter, and would have caused more harm than good.

However it suited my horse who was being rehabbed from a leg injury at the time, really I couldn't have asked for a better solution. For some reason my horse felt more comfortable being stabled at that particular yard and really didn't appear to mind it was only two hours a day and was quite happy in the stable for the remainder of the time which was 20 hours a day, the other two was in hand grazing/being groomed or hacked out when able to go back into work.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

This study was linked to on COTH and I think it is worth linking to here too.

Temporary Turnout for Free Exercise in Groups: Effects on the Behavior of Competition Horses Housed in Single Stalls

https://www.paardenwelzijnscheck.nl...ompetition horses housed in single stalls.pdf

 

[sportsmansB]

Surely this depends completely on the horse concerned? My last mare despite eventing competitively had to live out as she choked on hay & haylage. Only 24/7 turnout was possible for her.
Current lad hates being out in bad weather, no way he would stick 24/7 even in summer. Hes happy with a walker and a few hours out a few times a week in winter, on a bright dry day, bit longer in summer but max half a day.

 

[windand rain]

The research is again flawed as it doesnt include enough samples but it is an interesting if limited experiment what is clear is the increased level of illness in stabled horses eg respiratory and limb injury. Colic is also a multiple of times more common in stable horses than in field kept ones. So far not found much evidence that is safer for them to live in stables than it is to have suitably managed turnout.

 

[Spirit2021]

8 hours summer and winter

 

[Littlebear]

What i would like and what i can get are 2 massively different things, I am at a yard that has every other day in winter, the place doesn't suit in many ways but I have had to compromise so the horse has at least that.
If I were to move yards i would have to accept journeys of at least 40 mins each way to get winter turnout as it just isn't available at all in my area.