Why Winter Out and should I?? Mistake?

Elsbells

Elsbells

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I am asking for first time experiences as I am moving my mare(16h SF AES) next week where she will be rugged up, barefooted and put out 24/7. She will be in horse heaven, living in a huge well treed and tall hedged field along with 3 others for company.

Ever since I have owned her she has been out during the day and in at night during the winter and out 24/7 in the summer which she loves. Before that, she was on a competition yard and just didn't go out in a field at all.

After the last terrible and hard winter of being contained in a little 12x12 box(as I see it)and unable to be a horse, I have come to see this as THE plan. I have decided after a lot of thought that I would rather my horse become trapped out, than trapped in. If she is going to be snowed or iced in anywhere then it has to be in a field.

First time for the both of us though and she'll be further away and I will only visit once a day and if that, as there will be livery staff to check them.

I'm hopeing that I'll at least be able to lean on a gate watching her wandering happily about in a foot of snow, and know that I have done the best I can for her.

A lot of people are shocked that I am doing this as it's such a leap of faith for us and I guess I just need some reasurance?
Anyone have any for me please?:o:o:o
 
I went through the same process 3 years ago - I "rescued" (long story) my lovely old boy from an owner who kept him in 24/7 for most of the Winter and the poor boy was skeletal through stress. He's a huge 17.3 Belgian warmblood, previously a fairly high level dressage horse and had lived on competition yards when younger.

After 6 months of owning him I worked out exactly what made him thrive - 24/7 turnout, all year round; a forage/fibre based diet with no rich "build up" type conditioning mixes that he couldn't stomach, rugs that actually fitted him etc etc. He's now 22, lived out through all of last winter really happily in a good heavyweight, ad lib hay/haylage etc and his feet and legs smothered in sudocream/vaseline/mud guard or any other protection needed.

So after 3 winters out, he has kept his weight, grown a wonderful woolley coat, has had no mud fever and most importantly, is less stiff that when kept locked up.

But I guess it varies from horse to horse, some seem to love their stables, others see it as a prison. Your girl will soon tell you. Its hard to ignore the shocked looks and comments from those who like to have their horses all snugged up in their jimjams and in their stable but you have to go with what your horse needs/loves. Mine has taught me so much - namely to listen to him, not to other people.

your girl sounds as if she will have all her needs met - so good luck to both you and her.
 
She'll be fine as long as she's warm and has forage. No worries. :)

I have arabs and thoroughbreds as well as the natives living out full time and they manage well. Some of them need a bit more feeding up but a bit of weather doesn't hurt them.
 
As above - she will need ad lib hay and regular checking for warmth but otherwise, don't worry too much! I quite agree that I would rather see horses trapped out than trapped in :)
 
Will she have access to adlib hay or haylage in the field? If so, then she will probably be contented, warm and maintain condition well. We have a 3/4 Selle Francais gelding who is happy to live out for most of the year as long as he has adequate shelter and plenty of haylage!
 
I too have taken the plunge and my 5 are all out well rugged and access to massive pole barn 75 feet by 18 feet which is bedded down with a lovely thick straw bed and have hay put out adlib at the back of the pole barn.
All the fields now have access the large well drained standing area(the size of an oudoor school) off the huge pole barn and they love it wandering about up to the barn when the want to currently on a 6 acre field grown on as foggage.
All are full TB or half T/B and I have never seen the two oldies (both mid 20's and pure T/B ) looking so good and moving so freely.
They come in in the morning to work the ones I am riding (we fortunately have an indoor schooling area)and for a small feed then wander off happily when turned out.
No waiting at the gate to come in all calm and happy.
Wish I could have done it years ago but until we moved 2 years ago we were on heavy clay now lovely well dranied sandy soil.
If the fields can take I would recommend it.
 
I've just moved my boy home and as we don't have stables up yet he is having to live out! And its not doing him any harm... At the moment we still have grass so he'd still rather be out in the rain and cold eating that than his hay in the field shelter and last night was the first night he went into a medium weight rug, but he was so warm this morning I've put a light weight back on him today. I've also taken his shoes off so he can have some time for his feet to grow out a bit. The hardest part was the last two weeks as he's had a bad overreach injury but luckily I've been able to stand him in the carport whilst I clean it up and lots of gaffer tape has kept it dry. I miss bringing him in and putting him into nice snuggly rugs, but I don't think he minds one bit! Go for it, and enjoy a winter of not mucking out!!
 
I had a poor-doer ex-P2P TB for three years and for the first two winters he came in at night with as much hay as he could eat... yet he still remained poor whilst it was cold. Last year I leased a field that did have stables, but they were on soil floors with leaky roofs and so I decided to try wintering him out.... blimey did I pick a winter, didn't I? :D He wasn't clipped as he wasn't worked and grew a lovely thick coat and wore a MW combo which, I've gotta be honest, was checked but didn't come off him for about 6 weeks due to the extremely cold temps. I tried desperately to keep up with supplying him and my other 2 with ad lib haylage but sometimes they did run out overnight for a few hours. Some time in January we had a mild day so I took a deep breath and de-rugged him. And was shocked at what I saw. My GOD, he looked SO well.... If I had known how much happier he was living out - whatever the weather - I would have done it from the start.
 
I have a 7/8th TB who lives out - clipped, well rugged and worked from field - and also a dutch warmblood who lives out - and also clipped, rugged and worked from field - they are happier in themselves, have ad lib hay and can move around to keep warm if needed -

its unnatural for horses to be in
 
Advised to keep horse out due to copd, she now doesn't destroy rugs or trash the stable-I have to contend with the mud etc. but she is as happy as larry!
 
Mine lived out all last winter, both happy as larry and I never even rugged my sec B. There is also an aged full TB who lives out on the same farm. I looked after him during the snow as his owner couldn't get there, he was absolutely fine too.
 
My yard is enlightened too. My 4 horses - 1) a 27 yr old cob with Cushings and severe pollen allergy, 2) a 20yr old cob very good doer, 3) and 4) 2 x 17yr old rescued shetland mares - all have the same routine summer and winter. Out from about 2pm to 9am, in 9am to 2pm. They absolutely thrive on it, especially the older ones - good for limbs and joints if they are moving around all the time. During last winter's atrocious snow and -18C temperatures, we had to flip the routine around for only 2 days and that was only because heavy snow was forecast during the night and we weren't certain whether the horses would be just little white mounds by morning! We're lucky and have grass pretty much all of the year. We put haylage in the field if the grass gets too low or if it's covered under a foot of snow. Horses love their routine and enjoy coming in for health and rug checks, 2 feeds, couple of haynets and a l-o-n-g nap.
 
BOF, I love that routine you have. I have only ever personally known one other yard that does it that way.

Very 'user friendly' hours too, no scrubbing about in the dark, or dragging children around either. Although perhaps not quite as friendly for those that work, presumably H has that well worked out though.
 
Mine are youngsters and I have decided to have them out all winter, they are unrugged. I have had lots of 'Aren't you cruels'...but they look well and happy.
 
Out!! Out!! Out!! i hate seeing horses standing in all day or god forbid for days on end with no turnout.... its not natural its like me being stuck in my en suite all winter!
 
I am in similar situation, my one who I have part stabled for the 5 years I have had him, has been out 24/7 since September. Needs must and all that, I needed his stable to wean foals in! He is happy and well, and his annoying little dust cough which necessitated haylage being fed is non-existent... It turns out I was worrying for no good reason! I shall certainly carry on for now, will review in the new year.
 
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