Why is winter turnout not a thing!?

[splashgirl45]

another view of the same stable for comparison, she was laying across the corner in the other pic, this is a bit dark but she was laying across and you can see it is very narrow. in over 8 years she was never cast and laid down every night and also if she came in away from the flies during the day in summer. she seemed to love coming in to a haynet and a snooze. just seen your reply, i still think you are nuts

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Scientists discovered that horses who were housed individually with little or no contact with other animals showed significant signs of stress.

Kelly Yarnell, an expert in equine welfare at Nottingham Trent University said: “To the human eye the stable appears safe and inviting and is based on the belief of what the horse finds comfortable.

“However, for a social animal that spends most of its time in close contact with other horses, the isolation brought about by single housing could activate an equine stress response.

“Inadequate housing design potentially causes stress and negative consequences on the health and wellbeing of horses – despite the fact it can be easily addressed by introducing more windows or shared areas for instance.

“Group housing provides horses with an environment where they are able to display natural behaviour, and contact with other horses improves overall welfare.”

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/sc...raditional-stables-make-horses-depressed.html

The interesting thing for me was that they measured stress by eye temperature and by testing their faeces.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0031938415001146#

 

[Summit]

My exracer HATES his stable unless there are other horses in. Fortunately we have 24/7 turnout unless of course it’s ridiculously wet and muddy. 2018 he was out all year but 2019 was so wet they did have to come in but that was only for the evenings, they had turnout all day

 

[sport horse]

Im surprised so many livery yards are allowed to get away with it, surely no winter turnout suggests they have far too many horses on the land.

Im so lucky that I keep mine at home so mine are out 24/7. I dont have much land (2 horses on about 1.5 acres) but I have a open stables and a large hardcored area out the front with a bale ring feeder on - really saves the ground as they spend most of their time round it and out of the mud. I dont know why more places dont hardcore areas of their fields for exactly this. Personally I couldnt keep a horse on minimal turnout, I feel its so important. Could you consider renting a field?

Maybe because to hardcore and surface areas you not only need planning permission but it adds to your council tax bill?!