Who has their horse's out 24/7?

alsxx

alsxx

Well-Known Member
Joined
7 January 2006
Messages
3,222
Location
Moved to Devon!
Visit site
I am a total convert and can't understand why I put myself through such hard work every winter bringing in at night as well as working full time!

Now I have my own place they can stay out if I want, and so far they have with the exception of 3 nights over bonfire night weekend. They are as happy as pigs in sh*t! What with all the weather recently I was expecting to find some pitiful faces on a few occaisons, but nope, both in middle of field stuffing their faces despite the driving rain. I don't think I could ever go back to a DIY livery yard now where you have to bring in at night during the winter, and where you must keep them in on days when its raining, absolute madness...mine are so much happier out being horses and its saving me a fortune on bedding, as well as not being knackered all the time from having to get up at 5.15 every day to t/o before work!
 
my mare lives out 24/7 365 - she's hunter clipped and hunting fit and when i do bring her in every day to ride she'll push the stable door open and bugger off back to the field if i'm not looking lol! at least she lets me know where she'd rather be!
 
2 out 24/7 and 2 in at night but they are out in the day whatever the weather. Not actually sure why we do bring them in at night when i think about it, we just always have done since we had stables! Don't think they'd care either way to be honest as long as they have food they're happy!

They are all out 24/7 from about march time onwards.
 
same here. I have 5 now and all live out 24/7-365. they rarely come into the stables. Ive got my own land but used to rent a field where they also lived out 24/7-365. its been about 4years since they changed to this lifestyle and they are much happier for it, even when the weather is like it is they are like yours - stood in the middle of the field rather than standing under their shelters.
 
All mine are out but they are natives i only rug one but she is older and in foal this year, i save my winter fields all year and i have not had to give any hay at all yet as they still have plenty of grass and are slightly over weight they do have a small bucket.
The buckets contain a token feed with a vit and min supplement as the grass at this time of year is lacking in them.
 
Amen to that!
grin.gif
 
I was expecting to not like it tbh and to start bringing them in, but I actually do like it, its easier, cheaper and they are happier. The time I spend with them now during the week is quality time, rather than frantically trying to muck out, hay and water and not really having time to give a good groom and scratchies, as before I was so tired after work I just wanted to go home and normally wasn't getting home until 8.30/9pm, and that's with being up since 5.15am!

Why don't you like it B_E?
 
My boy is out this winter unclipped and rugged, I am pregnant with twins so towards the end of the winter I should think I will be the size of a house and in no condition to be mucking out
smile.gif

He is happy out with his four buddies so we will see how it goes
 
Ditto, mine are out as much as poss now I have my own place and they are fine. The ginger one makes out he's miserable but whenever I sneek a peek to look at them he's always stuffing his face.

I nearly killed myself last winter doing two big horses full time and a fulltime job so this winter I've said the weather has two satisfy two out of these three things before they come in, very cold, torrential rain or gales, so far its worked very well.
 
Yep
laugh.gif
The baggage is out 24/7/365 and is as happy as anything and lovely and warm yesterday and without a rug. She has grown a lovely fur coat and has ad-lib hay in the field. If the weather is truly appalling then there are hedges to give a wind break and plenty of field buddies to huddle with if necessary
 
Mine lived out last winter with access to a big shed with straw and hay 24/7, so nice and easy I was converted very quickly, unfortunately I can't do that this year due to change of tenancy and the sheep need the shed and we haven't got the well sheltered fields anymore so they are back being stabled overnight from last weekend. Really amazed me how much they were happy to stand out in, entirely their choice and I'd switch back to the full turnout if the chance came about
 
[ QUOTE ]
apart from getting the wheelbarrow stuck in the mud when I am poo picking!
tongue.gif


[/ QUOTE ]

This.

Must be the only downside I guess, I did 9 loads at the weekend to clear the field of the weekly buildup....was fine at the top of the field, but down at the bottom where it was squishier, by the time I got to the dungheap each time I had to sit down
blush.gif
 
Mine was out 24/7 until she decided to break herself and go onto box rest
frown.gif
hopefully as of next week she'll be living out 24/7 again
smile.gif
She's just some much happier out than in, and it's sooo much cheaper!
 
my TB has been living out 24/7 for nearly a year now, he loves it!! even in this crappy weather he and his field mate are happy as larry.. i feed, hay and check him twice a day and he has a decent rug on and is always warm when i check him. plan is to keep him like this for the rest of his days.
only downside for me is the mud (he is a grey) when i bring him back into work from his holiday, i will have to put up with a horse with brown legs and head and a white body
grin.gif
 
I have always kept mine in over winter, turn out during the day for a few hours if the ground could cope etc. Now that I have a youngster who was backed this summer I decided that I would turn him away and see how we would get on. The deal is if he needs to come in he will. I have been sorely tempted this last couple of weeks when the weather has been bad.He is a tbx and a narrow one at that so have been a little concerned about him getting cold losing weight etc but guess what he loves being out with his mate he is not freezing to death in all that rain. I do go up every day and give him a feed not started on hay yet as that is going to be a nightmare. I will need to chat up the farmer to take me a load of bales up on a tractor as he is living up the side of a hill only accessible by the first field. It wears me out me walking up with two feed buckets carrying a bale would kill me !!
Oh and he's not rugged up (yet!)
He's happy and thriving what more can you ask for ? Oh just one thing maybe, I just wish his field was a bit closer to the yard but you can't have everything
 
Mine all live out 24/7, i had 15 in last winter and it near as damn killed me, this winter they are all out and are tonnes happier.
Poo picking is a bit of a nightmare but loads less time and the time i spend with tem is pure quality time
 
some of mine are in at night, some are out 24/7.

i would love them all to be out 24/7 but just don't have the land available at the moment.
 
Mine too (3 Arabs, 1 Anglo and 1 TBX) live out 24/7/365. I wouldn't have it any other way, they are so much happier for it. I do have 2 stables, but would only ever consider using them if I had to put one of the gang on box rest. (Anyway, the stables currently get used for all sorts of other far more important things - like storage for that ancient, completely defunct fridge freezer that we've been meaning to dispose of for the last couple of years, and stuff like that!!).

Riding for me is limited to weekends only this time of year, but even so, by keeping the horses out, I have noticed that they lose much less fitness. I can honestly say that my endurance horse will need very little work to bring him back to full fitness for next season.

Another advantage with mine is that even if I haven't ridden them since the weekend previously, I can get on, as I did last weekend, in very strong winds and inclement weather, and the horses don't play up because of the weather.
 
Marley is out 24/7 365days a year and hes happy as anything probably partly because he hates being stabled but either way i think hes happier being wet and muddy tbh
tongue.gif
 
Mine all live out - are rugged when necessary and never come into the field shelter even if I leave hay in it! I've fenced it off this year as they made the front of it so boggy with all their milling around!

Normally, since beginning of Oct I'd have fed 60 bales of hay by now, but they've not been in this field since Apr, so it grew a jungle of grass!

I'll definately do that next year - they are fat and happy at the mo.
 
My TB has been turned away for the winter whilst I have my baby and is proving to be surprisingly hardy!! He's in better condition than any other TB on the yard (all very pampered) and is happy living out in his furry coat and nice rug. He is fed quite simply with barley, alfa a oil, speedibeet and corn oil with a chunk of hay a day and is keeping his weight better than I have ever known.

I even had his shoes whipped off yesterday and he was prancing around quite happily - thought he'd be footsore but not a hint so far!

Its saving me a fortune in bedding and he seems so happy - goes to prove that its not just hairy cobs and natives who are happy out :-)
 
I'm a great advocate of out 247 but wouldn't personally do it unless it was my own land and I could chop and change as I wanted. Have to say that when I was younger we had a few horses who I'm convinced wouldn't have coped with a livery yard scenario but were so chilled at grass!
 
I'm Lucky enough to be at a yard where Y/O doesn't really care if and when horses are out so my boy is currently out 24/7. Only thing is he's starting to tell me he really doesn't want to go back out after he's come in for his dins of an evening... He's on his own overnight (company over the fence but it's not the same as having your field mates there) with hay but no natural shelter and so I can't really blame him for wanting to be in... I'm trying to put it off, but he might be coming in soon... won't actually cost me a great deal more as bedding is sooooo cheap but it will prob ad a little time to my morning routine...
 
My lad lived out 24/7 for 2 years and much prefers it...so easy to do and he is more relaxed also. But he got laminitis last August and has been on box rest and is currently out in the day and back in at night whilst he fully adjusts to being on grass again. I suspect he will have to be in at night for some of the year from now on to be honest in order to control what he eats and make sure he does not get laminitis again.
 
the 3 year old KWPN and 19year old ISH are out this winter
they arent being ridden and they are prefectly happy out ruggless.
when it gets colder they will prob need rugs.
asx long as they have plenty of room and forage and somewhere out the mud, most horses are prefectly happy out.
the 6 year old is in at night as the paddocks are too small to cope with 24/7 wear and also shes fully clipped so benefits from coming in out the rain.
 
Me.

For no other reason than because I can.

It's hissing down with rain out there right now (I am not amused, I may be getting MUD) They couldn't give a hoot, except for Zeus, at the first drop of rain he left his hay and belted into his shed
smile.gif
all I can see is his head sticking out, such a wuss.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top