When do you stable your horse? Do horses actually mind it?

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little_mistress13

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I have a horse on loan that has never been stabled and my own horse that before me was sometimes stabled but now lives out 24/7

I may be moving to a private field with my own stables but as I have never stabled a horse so i'm pretty unsure when to and if a horse would prefer to be out 27/7 instead?

I know a lot of people bring them in every night but I am going to keep mine out unless the weather is very bad. In the summer I won't stable at all buts what if it's very windy and bad rain for a few days straight? do I keep them in the stable all day every day? what if weather is pretty ok but come 1am is lashes down with heavy winds do I drive up and stable them??

Completely clueless so can anyone give me advice please?
 
I have a private 'yard' with stables but one is currently full of hay so my yearling has little choice in the matter of staying out 24/7 but he is native and hardy and will be just fine

I have another native pony who likes to be stabled, he gets very agitated in bad weather and doesnt like to lay down in his rug (and doesnt at all if he is unrugged) so he gets tired and very 'argumentative' as a result. He relaxes far more stabled overnight and I have my cheerful little pony back

Are you in a position to allow them access to open stables? you may find they would use them more in summer but its nice to give them the option

Last winter I bought both my ponies in at night for a couple of months as the field just got too waterlogged and it saved the ground a bit - its always nice to have the option to stable

If mine are out and it rains during the evening I just leave them out and dont overthink things, they will find shelter, if its poured with rain in the night they are unscathed in the morning (though one will be incredibly cranky!)
 
Both my boy's love being stabled. But they are both greedy so the choice between wondering around munching grass in the rain and standing in one spot stuffing faces is an easy one for them.
 
Goodness yes.

OP do bear in mind that when moving to a private yard you may lose any valuable support that you may have access to now. Also bear in mind that your horse will need a companion of some sort
 
Op - it depends on the horse and the grazing available.

On of mine likes to come in at night in the winter, but only because he associates it with food! My other one hates being in for than a few hours - he becomes horrible to handle and sharp to ride, but if I keep him out he is a lot more chilled and happy.

Ours winter on a 4 acre hill side that is rested all summer - therefore the grass is good and not too much mud as it drains well. Also as they have a separate field for spring/summer, this field has plenty of time to recover. However if the winter field was half the size or a bog, or I had no alternative summer grazing, they would need to come in to save the field.

So all in all, you need to weigh up the horses needs and your facilities available.
 
The Fuzzy Furry said:
OP, you have now brought a horse?
I thought you were going to learn to trot and canter 1st?

Posters, the OP really does need help, lots of it
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The stables I plan on renting is from an experienced person that is going to teach me. The horse was purchased from her. in return I help out on her farm how is any of this relevant?
 
Oldie takes himself into stable when its cold and wet for a snooze and hay. Youngster stands out in rain except when he needs a wee then he comes in, pees and goes back out again, what is that about?!!!!
 
kez81 said:
Oldie takes himself into stable when its cold and wet for a snooze and hay. Youngster stands out in rain except when he needs a wee then he comes in, pees and goes back out again, what is that about?!!!!
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Ha ha. He's shy/likes causing you work!
 
Although my horses all live out, I do stable them at some point in their lives so that they learn to understand it as you never know when stabling them might be required. I certainly wouldn't say any of my horses *like* being in stables; they always look incredibly bored to me; but they tolerate it in a mannerly fashion.
 
I know mine only come in for food. If they had no doors they would be out again asap. If i had more land i would let them!
 
None of ours appear to mind, but I'm sure they prefer it when they are out 24/7. The youngsters are out 24/7 and only go in their shelter to eat hay and roll. My filly, especially stands outside it even if her companion is inside, but she stables fine so long as the others are in.
 
Mine prefers to be in, even in good weather after a couple of hours he calls to come back in.

He will spend the majority of winter stabled, he is however kept at my house, has companions, company, toys, exercise and is walked etc so he can stretch and have a good roll. He has a lovely stable, deep clean bed. He came from holland and had never had proper turnout with none at all in the winter so he is not your average horse. He is happy and that's all that matters :)
 
Will you be using turnout rugs? Personally I would let them have access if they want it but leave them out 24/7. In 30 years I have never stabled a horse regularly and I usually have a TB around the place too. At the moment mine come in to a barn overnight occasionally as the new one is being treated for mud fever but both prefer being out even in bad weather.
 
I only stable one of mine at night, he had previously lived out his entire life and is high spirited so wasnt sure how he would take to suddenly being stabled. He couldn't care less as long as hes eating. I now find him waiting outside his stable trying to let himself in if I arrive at the yard a few minutes late lol
 
little_mistress13 said:
The stables I plan on renting is from an experienced person that is going to teach me. The horse was purchased from her. in return I help out on her farm how is any of this relevant?
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Thats all good then :)
From your previous posts you were struggling to try to ride & have asked some rather odd questions too, hope it works out for you & the horses :)
 
Mine lived wild on the New Forest until he was 5, so was skeptical about being stabled - but he soon learnt to appreciate it when he discovered it was a warm, dry place with a constant food supply :D

Turn out is very important to me & I wouldn't be happy keeping him in 24/7, but he soon let's you know when he's had enough in the field in the winter - he's been known to escape out of the field & put himself back in his stable!

In the Spring/Summer he's usually nowhere near the gate come bringing in time!
 
There are so many things to consider with this. Do you have lots of grazing with some natural shelter from trees/hedges? If your grazing is limited then it'll get poached pretty quickly in winter. Could you build a field shelter? That gives the horse the option of going under cover when it wants to. What kind of horse will you be getting? A native will cope with being turned out all the time, a TB or Arab may not. (although my little TB was quite happy with all year turnout til she got older) Mud fever may be a problem, and if you're rugging you will need quite a few so you can change them over when they get wet & muddy. Having said all of that, I would much prefer to keep my horses out all year round if I could, and I most definitely turn out every day come rain or shine! My two are both OAPs now, and are waiting at the gate to come in now the weather's turned, so I think they're quite happy to be stabled.
 
Horses are all different. Some love a warm stable and others would rather be out even in driving rain and gale force wind! :)

One of mine is quite claustrophobic and will eat her tea in the stable but doesn't like to be in it for much longer than that.

My other little pony is in her stable today as she's a little under the weather and she is happy as larry in there! :)
 
My horses live out happily most of the year, it does reach a point around the beginning of December, when the ground is soggy and the weather dismal they make it quite clear they would rather stay in the stables them go out after tea. However I do not put away until after five and they are out again a six in the morning.
 
I think all horses would generally choose to live out. Dont see the point in bringing in unless you have a really valid reason (veterinary etc.). If the stables lead directly into the field, just leave the doors open all the time and they can come and go. I've done this for years at my mums and now at my own house - I can tie haynets up inside on horrible nights to encourage them to go in, they do use them, they spend time a few times a day in them snoozing. I only tend to keep one in if I have an event early the next day (the one I compete is WHITE!) or I'll shut in my big bay when I'm riding in the field to stop him careering about.
 
Until recently, mine have been priviledged to have the choice of coming in out of the weather, now I have to bring them in to a large barn, then turn out, since the field is very wet and muddy, I kept them in for two days, hand grazing for 30 mins each, ad lib hay, to give the field a rest, they just got silly, normally well mannered horses, they got pushy, trying to barge their way out of the barn, got to the field and only had time to unclip the lead ropes, these are horses that turn at the gate and wait for headcollars to come off, not that day, two of my four stood still, the other two (youngest) galloped around, tails flagged, winding each other up, got three of four headcollars off, the fourth, a close fitting headcollar came off the next day, I got the feeling my lot prefer being out 24/7
 
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little_mistress13 said:
I have a horse on loan that has never been stabled and my own horse that before me was sometimes stabled but now lives out 24/7

I may be moving to a private field with my own stables but as I have never stabled a horse so i'm pretty unsure when to and if a horse would prefer to be out 27/7 instead?

I know a lot of people bring them in every night but I am going to keep mine out unless the weather is very bad. In the summer I won't stable at all buts what if it's very windy and bad rain for a few days straight? do I keep them in the stable all day every day? what if weather is pretty ok but come 1am is lashes down with heavy winds do I drive up and stable them??

Completely clueless so can anyone give me advice please?
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Mine - now an ID cross and coloured cob - are currently out 24/7, irrespective of wind and rain and I intend to try and keep it that way for winter. They are hardy, have a good coat already and both prefer to be out. It is also currently the only practical thing we can do as I'm 2 weeks into breaking my leg (non weight bearing for another 4! Personally i think it's the best way to keep them if you can and have the grazing. Mine will both come in if needed (or if I want them to). Once the colder weather sets in I will rug the ID, but am trying to be hard and leave at as long as possible (she's out of work and tubby !), the cob will go without all winter (she's def tubby). I did stable overnight for about 6 weeks last winter but it was so wet and our clay land turned into a bog.

For ease I would try and get them used to all round turn out and get ready to harden yourself to the weather (going up to stable them at night when weather turns isn't a great idea). But I do watch forecasts like a hawk (very useful when you have horses) and if we get a particularly bad warning, I bring them in nice and early (when it's light), get them settled and let them ride it out in the dry.
 
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After a winter of stabling my cob overnight and ending up with a bolshy, bargy, impatient and miserable nightmare-mare, I've decided to leave her out 24/7 - she only comes in for the vet/dentist and every now and then to dry off and be pig-oiled. She's MUCH happier.
 
I bring mine up onto a yard with free access to his stable, in the day in spring/summer as he is laminitis prone and at night in the winter as I only have 2 acres of clay ! He hates being shut in but is happy on his yard and doesn't like getting wet, he also only really rests in his stable and will come in from his field for a sleep even when not shut on the yard - he has free access to his stable even when turned out. Last winter when it was really wet he spent most of his time on the yard from preference even though he had full access to grazing.
 
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