Who turns out on this ground?

[stencilface]

Ours are out (2 in at night, 3 out 24/7). The field is rutted around the gateways, but not as bad as previous years. We have been woodchipping one of the gateways which I think might have helped. The old boy does struggle a bit on the frozen ground, but I try and make it as easy as possible for him, bringing him in to be fed through whichever gate is closest, or whichever bit of fence I can dismantle (we have some slip gates too). He gets to stand all day in a paddock next to my boy on restricted rest, so has a midden of nice squashy (wasted!) hay. If his feet get sore, we sometimes put his boa boots on for half a day to relieve them, but I worry that this makes him (an unshod horse) more prone to slipping!.

 

[Prince33Sp4rkle]

out.
sandy soil and flat fields so doesnt ever get muddy/churned so even when frozen is perfectly smooth, no ruts etc.

have plenty of hay and are happy enough out 7-12.

TBH i think its more dangerous to keep in, as they then go insane when let back out, unless you can loose school every day to let them blow off steam.

 

[Supanova]

Interesting to hear that most people are still turning out. Mine have been in since last Thursday as field rutted and hard and i just don't think its worth the risk to their legs. Even if they had been turned out everyday they are still prone to galloping about. They have been turned out in the arena for half an hour every day for a leg stretch and i have managed to give both of them a good ride in past two days. I fell guilty and i know its not great for their stomach's etc but they are coping quite well - I also think the alternative is putting them out and they damage a tendon and then its months of box rest anyway!


Before they go out again I will make sure ground is thoroughly defrosted - worst stage is when its starting to melt and its hard underneath and slippy on top. I will also give them a run round arena first or give them a little sedalin to take the edge off. Can't wait for warmer weather.

 

[Tempi]

Bloss is going out at lunch time (around 12pm) and coming in at 3pm when the ground is frozen as she gets foot sore from the hard ground. But I like her to go out and have a leg stretch as I dont want her getting stiff, so by around midday the ground is usually a bit better anyway.

Paris is out as normal and Jupi lives out 24/7

 

[ihatework]

I'm a bad owner.
Our fields have little grass, they are a bit cut up and frozen rutted.
Yard doesn't give the 'in' horses hay when they are out.

Mine is still going out 3 ish hours a day, enough for a leg stretch but hopefully not so long that the bored & hungry mischief starts.

 

[Prince33Sp4rkle]

i do think it all depends on the ground-if my only choice was to turn out on rutted frozen ground, or semi defrosted clay mud, i wouldnt, i would hand graze and loose school.

i know i am just SO lucky with our soil, it might be hard at mo but its flat, and not muddy so not slippy when thawing.

 

[Vetwrap]

Mine are out. The gateways are a bit rutted, but the horses are turned out to big piles of haylage and are led out to them - hence no immediate rodeo moments. If they look like they are going to be lary, I turn them out in the school to start with to help them let off some steam, before turning them out to graze. That way, they settle down quicker.

Personally, I worry about them less when the ground is frozen than I do when it all starts to defrost and the top gets loose. That's when I worry more about injuries.

 

[kerilli]

Mine go out everyday- whether it is wet, frozen, icy, heavy snow.

They have been out every day since foals and seem to understand when it is frozen/rutted not to gallop around too much.

ditto this.
the only concession i make to the snow is that the shod horses' hooves are packed with lard or butter, as seeing them trying to walk on snow-stilts does make me very nervous.
tbh i think they're safer on an icy rutted field than they are on a slippery muddy one, they don't go out on that if shod!
if the snow melts and then freezes as a flat skating rink the only go on the all-weather though.

 

[Bills]

Mine goes out everyday no matter what the weather! He is an absolute nightmare if he is in, even an hour longer than usual, there is no way he'd stay in all day! I've had the stable repaired twice after his tantrums to be turned out! He would do far more damage to himself kept in, than he would on any hard/icy ground!
So I throw out some haylage and him and his mate go out as normal.

 

[tinap]

Ideally mine would be out, but yard rules are they stay in a) because fields are rutted, frozen & covered in snow b) they had a bad case of colic with one last year after it decided to guzzle the cold water, leave the hay & eat snow instead.

I can't complain really as it's a great yard they get turned out all day throughout they winter usually.

can't even lead him out in hand though as the yard is just ice, the arena is under snow & gate won't open & there is no grass to eat anywhere as that is still under snow too!!!

 

[Honey08]

My two have been on a hardcore turnout paddock since Xmas - all day long with hay, where they can mooch around and trot. They are on this due to really boggy clay fields (well they would be if horses were out a lot) which causes really severe mud rash with one of the horses. They go out twice a week in the field for three or four hours. They seem quite mentally content with the turnout paddock, and don't charge round when in the field like they do if they've been standing in all day. They spend all day wandering from one hay pile/net to another as they would grazing in the field.

The hard ground is my excuse to get them out in the field as much as possible as there is no mud! We have fairly flat fields, and they're not too poached as the horses aren't out that much. I live for the hard frosts, knowing they can go out in the big field!

 

[MagicMelon]

Dont really see how its much different turning out on frozen ground than them standing about in a concrete stable all day. Mine live out 24/7 perfectly fine, they're not stupid - they take it gently when its frozen solid / rutted.

 

[KatB]

Mine is turned out with hay. My OH brought her in early yesterday, so she wasn't running about, but she's sensible and happy to be out for a leg stretch. We can't ride at the moment due to frozen arena, so I would rather she potters around the field than nothing at all.

 

[squiz22]

Mine are out mooching! In fact the whole yard is out.. they are considerably nicer horses when not cooped up all day!

 

[AandK]

Yes, always. No idiocy if he goes out every day, much idiocy if he does not. Add to that a history of ulcers and I'd be mad to keep him in if not strictly necessary. But the antics after a weekend in (minor foot abscess) were ridiculous! He lived out in all that snow last year, perfectly happy, hay twice a day.

This.. (aside from the ulcers part!) My two are still out 24/7, hay and feed twice a day and about 4 acres to mooch around in. Fortunately the ground is very well draining and there is barely any poaching, just a teeny tiny amount in by the gateway (as the trough is there too) and the odd divet that I hadn't got round to pushing back in before it froze.

We only had 1 to 2cm of snow last weekend and that was all gone by Monday. But everywhere has been frozen solid for well over a week now.

 

[Saratoga]

I'm glad I read this. Mine are still going out all day with hay, was starting to get worried that maybe they shouldn't. But you have all put my mind a little more at ease

 

[Johnny999]

It all depends on the horse. I tried 30 mins of walk on a flat but frozen school last night. That turned into a session of prancing and buckaroo. So the welsh one is out again for the third time this week. Out of 40 native types, I've only seen one go splatt whilst playing tag........got up again and actually looked embarassed
As for the eventers, they don't tend to be so sure footed and the youngsters aren't too savie with ice and snow. One when splatt just changing boxes. They are staying in munching.

 

[stencilface]

Ha, My sister's 3yo fell over the other day whilst attempting a spin manouvere trying to avoid being kicked by the 26yo pony he was bullying - he did look a bit sheppish afterwards!

 

[now_loves_mares]

I am in Scotland, and whilst I don't have snow right now, obviously we normally get it much worse than down south. Last winter for example we had snow of about 2 feet for 6 weeks. Imagine if I'd not turned out for the first couple of days, then what would I have done, left them in the box for six weeks??? Mine love being out in the snow, they roll and roll, always have hay to eat, and seem warm and toasty. At the moment it's poached fields that are frozen. Yes it's a bit of a risk, but again they go out every day. They just pick over the worst bit to the flatter ground, then stick their heads down to graze. Over the last year I've had one or other on box rest for nearly all of it, I am sick of mucking out, and more than that, sick of seeing them cooped up in their stables. They go out whatever the weather. And mine is a wimpy TB. In fact I am about to go skiing and seriously wondering about leaving them out, as there is a field shelter that is basically a stable without a door.

Last winter, after all that snow, we then had the melt and a muddy bog. And a year ago today (co-incidentally) my mare broke her pedal bone whilst turned out in the very very wet field. We have no idea how she did it, but as it's clear that horses can injure themselves any time, in any conditions, I don't see that there is much point keeping them in when it's cold or snowy!

The only exception are the seriously windy days we had recently. I know they would stand in the shelter, and the roof is less sturdy than my stables, so on those two occasions they were kept in for the day, but still got a bit of turnout before I went to work, in a tiny paddock next to the house (ie no UFO risk).

 

[MrsMozart]

My lot are out 24/7. No hard ground issues (as I type anyway!). For various reasons, they are all better out than in.

Since the snow has come and stayed, the mares are in at night and the boys in during the day, just to get some decent forage in them.

 

[Goldenstar]

it's a really hard call I do turn out on there own or in good pairs even when it's like this for one and a half to two hours.
We skip out them use the muck without the bulk of the droppings in to made path away from the rutted gate and lead well into the field .
If you keep them in then they do go crazy when you turn them out again .
There's no right way it a bit of damned if you do damned if you don't .

 

[Polotash]

ALWAYS! Mine are our 7am until 7pm. The only time I get them in early is if it's torrential rain and they are stood not eating. They love going out in the frost anyway, and ditto other comments, would def be silly if I kept them in.

 

[Cuffey]

Mine are in today (normally go out)
Yard and everywhere sheet ice this morning, I could barely stand up.
Rain onto frozen ground.

 

[BombayMix]

We have got all of ours out 24/7, they are anyway all year round so to them they don't mind being out in horrid weather. TB is horrendous stabled and hates it so would much rather he is out wiht WD40 sprayed in his feet and other pony is turned out in his Old Mac boots as his front feet get a bit sore if not but they are both fine

 

[tonitot]

My girl is out from about half 8 til 4 ish. She has company and plenty of hay, if I kept her in she would weave, box walk and shout her head off, regardless of whether or not she has food. The ground is frozen but we take it slow and she seems to understand that if she faffs about, she'll fall over so she is sensible

 

[GinaGeo]

My three are all out from 6.30am every morning to 5pm each night. If we had more land they'd be living out. They're happier out and I'm happier with them out.

We're on clay, so it's very rutted and lumpy, but they're all out and fine. They're all barefoot at the moment and are coping beauifully with the ice and snow. Last year they stayed in some days as getting them to the field was scary, but without metal sleds on their feet we haven't had one slip this year.

They're all careful in the field. And pick their way down to their hay very sensibly. In softer conditions they'll canter and play but sensibly aren't doing so now. They're not daft boys.

The rising four year old is very clever at breaking the ice in the water trough too. Beats me to it each morning, thinks he's very special.

 

[Noodlebug]

I do mine out from 5.30 until 5 each day. Would be a nightmare to leave in

 

[Baileysno1]

Yes out for a few hours every day they just stand staring at each other really but thats probably because its all they know and its not very exciting

 

[alwaysbroke]

Ours were lucky enough to change fields just before the weather turned. There is a fantasic amount of grass on it and it is fairly rut free, so they are still out at night and in for feeding in the day. As it is impossible to ride them atm this is working well, they are sane and sensible with no hooning around, although looking at the snow falling right now they may be spending tonight in.....

 

[cholopoll]

Definitely, Mine are all good in their stables but there is no way I would keep them in.
Are school is also unusable at the moment so they need some form of exercise.

The ground is rutted and solid under a few inches of slippery snow but they seem to 'get' that they shouldn't tear about....and they are exeptionally ridiculous terrorbreds

I am struggling a little with a couple of the people on my yard who kept their horses in for 2 days when it snowed but now have turned out (as they are bored of mucking out!) And their horses have been tearing around and doing acrobatics in the field...this makes me horribly nervous