who is still turning out in the snow

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stacey_lou

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today is the first day we have a blanket so many inches thick and I have left girlie in, I personally have chosen not to turn out in thick snow neither did I last year not during the week anyway but at weekends when I have time to just pop her out for half hour but just wondering who still does for the day?
 
I do! Mine go out from 6.30am untill 3.30pm. I don't believe in leaving horses in un necessarily and as long as they have water and hay they are happy just mouching around.
 
Yes. I really don't understand why you wouldn't? It's no different for them if you provide some hay, and it saves bedding!

The exception to this being the odd horse you do get that really really hates the cold, and will stand around miserably ignoring any food. My old mare was like this, and she'd be in.
 
my weanlings are out, will be bringing in a little early though as its foggy here and no sun so very cold,will bring in at 3pm today they do have some hay in the field though.
 
Mine is out and will go out every day providing we can slip and slide to the field. He doesn't even have any hay out with him because he has lots of trees in his field and there is plenty of uncovered grass underneath them. He seems quite happy mooching about although does seem slightly keener to come in at night time - trotting to see me instead of just raising his head and ambling at granny speed over!!
 
Mine are out from 6am until 5pm, they love it! Hate the wet and mud though and always waiting by the gate to come in!
 
Mine is out, along with his field companion. Trekking ponies are also out. Everything else is having a few hours out in the school or loose in the yard.

Will get mine in a bit earlier than usual though, the snow is getting really bad now.

:)
 
I have always turned out whatever the weather. I don;t have hundreds of pounds worth of rugs for nothing!! Until recently (july) at my old yard, they were turned out from 7am - 6pm ish (I work full time) but now they are out 24/7. They have an abundance of natural shelter and the old boy has a lovely field shelter.

They have plenty of hay to munch on and water and rugs and are happy with their lot!

Can't be doing withthe stir crazy horses, extra mucking out, extra bedding needed etc. if they were in.
 
Mine live out 24/7 and are fine with the snow. We make sure they've got adequate hay, they are well rugged and we keep on top of the water troughs.
 
Mine are out 24/7. Doesn't matter what the weather is doing they want to be out as herd animals therefore they are out. I'm most certainly not spending my evenings mucking out filthy stables unless I have to.
 
Mine were out from 8.30 - 1 today. They have been out everyday in the snow so far! I prefer to have them out in this than the mud, also my YO doesn't like them to go out when it is wet and muddy and I hate it when they have to stay in so the good thing about this weather is that my boys are getting more turn out! :)
 
Mine are in. My competition horse always gets big build up of ice in her feet if turned out in snow. Worry she will slide about and do herself an injury. Tried all the usual tips ... WD40, Vaseline etc but nothing seems to work. If school defrosted when go up shortly will give her leg strech in there in hand but she likes her stable and would only be standing at gate by now with a face on anyway! Her companion is in but as he has pile of hay as big as he is... being a cob he thinks Christmas has come early! :)
 
Mine live out, TB, Cob, and hackney x Welsh cob all out. Rugs, hay and water and all lovely. The foals across the way also live out and are happy. We have tons of snow!
 
What snow?:confused: You have snow?!;)
We didn't yesterday when this was taken and we don't today:)
2c4b6455.jpg


.....and yes, my horses are out in the snow, when we get it, 24/7. They are pretty smart and watch their footing, once they've hit the ground a couple of times as babies in their first winter they learn.
 
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Mine have been out from 7.30 until 2.00 - seemed quite happy, and have even left some hay so must have managed to uncover some grass to nibble on. They were happy to come in but not silly with it. Will try and stick to this routine, but forecast tomorrow looks so bad they may not get as much (non stop snow and high winds here - happy days!!)
 
Mine are actually going out for 6 hours, they're normally in 24/7 as they won't go out in the mud, but in this they're loving it :D

That said we've only had 1 inch, and most of that has gone now. When we get 4 inchs or so the liveries can turn theirs out but we won't. I don't want to be walking in that amount of snow thanks.
 
My 7 including a foal and yearling unrugged are out 24/7. We have a foot of snow here at least (Aberdeenshire). They are quite happy and stand in the shelters if cold. I feed them ad lib haylage. I did get 4 in last night but really regretted it this morning as can't manage the barrow to the muck heap, buckets frozen and foal really painful to turn out (doesn't really lead yet). I am incredibly lucky to have running streams through my fields though!
 
Mine are out 24/7. They are well rugged, water trough fully functioning (now!), ice removed twice daily. They have a huge round bale of haylage, which they munched at desultorily for half an hour, then reverted to digging and munching! They have stout hedges, and seem perfectly happy. Will come in for tea shortly, have feet done, rugs checked, then turned back out. They don't stand miserably at the gate, so I can only assume they are happy with their lot!
 
Mine go into a little paddock opposite their stables for a while but they don't go in their main field. Its a nightmare to get there and all they do anyway is stand at the gate waiting to come in.

Their stables are open and semi outdoors anyway so they can see the view without trudging around in it.
 
Mine are out. Better than the wet and mud. Typical though, only time they are clean everything is too frozen or snowy to ride:) Don't put haylage out as they have shed loads at night and got fed up of scraping wet soggy haylage out of the field every week-end.
 
So far my boy was in on saturday when first snow fell, he was out yday but not til midday when it had melted and warmed up (hardly) for a few hours as the sun was nice and he maybe in for a while if it snows again. YO and mum decide in week, i do weekends but if its not fresh snow or yard isnt frozen then they do tend to go out for a few hours in warmest part of day. He likes to scrape the snow and get icikles on his whiskers!! He is in 3 layers and TO boots tho as he is a wuss and needs that

ETA
once the snow is thicker than an inch they will just go on arena while being mucked out, as prefer to give haylage in stable not to be wasted in snow! And if its not sunny YO generally keeps them in. Mine goes out with her mare so its either both out or both in!
 
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Mine are out. 6 year old ex-racer & 37 year old TBx. Rugged to death, field shelter, plenty of hay & hard food. Warm as toast under their rugs!
 
MissSBird said:
Yes. I really don't understand why you wouldn't? It's no different for them if you provide some hay, and it saves bedding!

The exception to this being the odd horse you do get that really really hates the cold, and will stand around miserably ignoring any food. My old mare was like this, and she'd be in.
Click to expand...

If my girlie had her own penn then I would but the problem is beacuse we are on a DIY yard she is out in alarghe field with 15 other horses which is why Id rather keep her in so I know she is getting enough forage, plus to slippery for them all tp be messing aorund together, she loves it when I put her out for an hour or so in the snow if I can borrow a pen ill put some hayalge in and shell play around. wish I could do it everyday but cant
 
Mine are out permanently as usual. Snow doesn't bother them - some people seem to think horses go nuts in the snow and fall over injuring themselves, mine never do this. They're actually the opposite and rarely venture away from the stables/hay source, let alone trot about. If I kept mine in in the snow then last winter they would have been in solidly for about 3 1/2 months!
 
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