Winter turnout - How much/how long does your horse get?

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Neptune

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Question in the title. How much turnout does your horse get in winter / how many hours a day?
Does your livery yard dictate turn out times or do you decide yourself depending on the weather or
how your field is holding up?
 
Around four hours on a working day six to eight on a rest day .
I have have my own yard at home.
Land is looking great ATM.
 
We still have 24/7 turnout atm, only two of us (3 horses) are using it though, and we did bring in last night for the first time.

We opened up our back field a few weeks ago and it's still full of grass. Gateways are a bit muddy but not yet reminiscent of the Somme.
 
I'm on a small private livery of 4 horses between 3 owners (myself included) We have about 30 acres of good grazing on well draining sandy ground. There is natural shelter in every direction so I'm quite happy for the horses to stay out for 12 hours a day (6am - 6pm) They don't mind the cold weather, but hate the wind and rain so I'd much rather them in at night to keep them calm!

At the moment they're still out 24/7; but will come in at night if it snows or gets stormy.

P.S - The horses are currently in pairs (2 boys, 2 girls) on 5 acres per pair.
 
Out 24/7 and will remain so for all of the winter. A larger paddock with natural shelters during day and a smaller paddock with a run-in shelter during night.
 
Mine live out 24/7 and its horrific on occasion...every year I say Ive had enough and Im taking them to a livery yard but it never happens...just grit teeth and get on with it :rolleyes3:
The ground is getting wrecked now to be honest :(
 
My ground was looking ok except that today I decided to crack and rug more of them because tbh my real oldie isn't looking as well as he might. Everybody decided that although they've lived together for years they didn't know anybody else anymore so they have spent the first hour racing flat out round the field, and playing games. The old boy was the instigator :D

Now, grass is trashed - I was going to move them to a rough patch for the winter but was hoping not to do it just yet. Ah well.

They get as long out as I feel is suitable or until they are all hanging round wanting to come back in again.
 
Ours had to come onto the winter field a month .earlier (Sept) as my mare has decided she is allergic to the summer field. So the field is already eaten down and getting wet and poached. We have a hardcore/road planings turnout around the yard, so they have been on that a few days a week for the last fortnight and on wetter days. They still go out on that for nine hours a day with haynets, so get a full day outside no matter what happens. Its also much easier for working them as they're right on the yard with no muddy bits, so you can just grab them, flick a brush over them and go
 
Got two horses and a small pony on about 2 acres out all day from 6am until about 4pm sometimes later, they get hay put out through the day or come in when I ride and get some hay, gateways are not great and I still have some rested field I have sectioned off at the back, so I just move the fence back a few feet every few weeks over the next few months or I will have nothing by December, the pony is only here until mid December so only two for the rest of winter, I keep them at home and the land did ok last year apart from lack of grass but they get hay anyway so I manage.
 
Turned out at 6 and in about 4.30. If weather bad then I pop back at lunch to bring in. Don't leave him in unless torrential rain. Field is great even when very wet so I'm really lucky.
 
Out 24/7 usually. One is coming in at night at the moment, to keep my friends pony who is on box rest in the barn company. Fields looking ok. Have another spare one to move them into when they need it.
 
On a livery with rotated sand paddock and grass. If it rains and puddles are visible, they're on the sand (not a huge area, two horses in 25m x 10m spaces with feed hoppers for hay); if it has been dry for a couple of days then out on the field for up to 8 hours. However, they all look very well (and no one has complained so far of rapid weight loss) and they are at least outside. The grass is surviving and the land remains untrashed so will be available all through the winter. On days when they're in the sand paddocks stuffing their faces on top quality hay all day, I for one lunge for 20 mins before riding for a good hour, or try and get 20 mins in before breakfast. Fortunately we have a floodlights.
 
Mine's still out 24:7. He'll come in at the start/mid Decmber. We get an acre and a half and a stable and we do as we please. I rotate my field religously and keep it clear. Its holding up pretty well at the moment.
 
5 horses on the yard i'm on and they're out 9 hours monday-thursday 7 hours friday-sunday one of the fields is wrecked but the fatties are on it as the other 2 fields are full of grass. One has been rested for about 4 months so that'll have mine and the YO's on later when they've finished munching off their current field :)
 
He goes out anywhere between half eight and half ten depending on whether he is worked first, and comes back in at about half three/four o'clock. He has his own field and it's up to me to manage it and if I felt it needed resting, I would do that.

P
 
My 3 go out at 6 and are back in about 4.30. I am one of those unfortunate people who work full time so even though I have them at home I cannot return through the day. Two years ago we were on livery with limited turnout they were stressed and quirky to ride, now much calmer and actually enjoy being ridden at the weekend. They are turned out in a 7 acre field which drains very well so only a little poaching near the gate. If you have good grazing really think they are better off out.
 
We are still on Autumn grazing, which are on low level ground - so are looking a little muddy around the gateways.

We'll move to Winter grazing in January - which fairs much better, as on high ground.

They currently get 8 hours turn out a day, set by YM as we are at livery. We are moving house next year & I'd really like my boy out for longer, so will be looking at yards that offer grass livery. But for this winter, we will just need to suck it up!
 
1 horse in 2 1 acre fields at home. Fields look ok at the moment and only really grim bit is where he's rolled. He's out from 7.30 a.m to 6 p.m when I get home from work.

Generally the fields stay ok as long as the hunt does as its told and does not go through there. 120 horses going through a 1 acre paddock totally kills it for the rest of the winter!!
 
Out fom bout 7.30-5 everyday. we are lucky in that we have a small yard area leading onto the fields and hey have a net each n there when they go out and can then mooch on and off the yard all day.

Gateways are just over ankle deep now rest of the fields are just a bit slushy
 
At my current yard, the YO turns out and decides what time to do it depending on the weather, and then we all bring in when we get down after work around 5ish. I would prefer longer turnout, and on previous yards he was out as much as possible if not 24/7, but he seems to be coping pretty well with this routine so far (our first winter here). To be fair it means that the fields arent trashed and the gateways arent too poached - dont have to worry about losing my wellies in the mud!
 
Probably around 3 - 4 hours but agreed with field mates owner the other day that I am happy for two hours if necessary.

I also put hay down in the field the evening before and cover it with two tubs to protect it from frost (taught horse to bat the tub over with his nose) so when he gets turned out into the field he is really funny as he goes running over to the tub and then sends it flying with his nose!! Is source of much amusement to the staff that turn him out.
 
I'm quite lucky at our livery yard it's 8 hours in winter and 24/7 in summer if you want. I stretch it a bit because of work (with the farmers permission) and he goes out at 7.30 and in at 5.30 during the week. Then less at the weekend as I will go for a long hack or be competing. The only time he doesn't get a full day out is in the snow as he's fully shod so then I pay someone to bring him in at lunchtime so he can still stretch his legs. Seeing how happy to go out he was after 2 days box rest for cracked heels I couldn't keep him somewhere where he couldn't go out every day!
 
I've just started a thread about this before I saw this one, but my welshie is a real problem in winter as she basically refuses to go out!

She lives out 24/7 in summer, but as soon as our yard goes to day-time turnout only (yard rules), she turns into a right drama queen, pacing up and down the fence (have lovely deep trenches now) and frankly getting herself into a right tizz.


She has company and I have tried putting hay out but nothing seems to make her settle. I have also ignored her, but she came in after a couple of hours drenched in sweat and not very happy!

Roll on summer!!!
 
Mine go out between 7 and 8am depending on whether ridden or not and come back in before it gets dark so around 4pm at the moment, only stay in if it is very heavy rain. The field is looking very churned and muddy but it will recover hopefully, they have hay in the field. My own land though, I wouldn't want to be anywhere that they couldn't have daily turnout.
 
24/7 at the moment and my gelding will remain 24/7 all winter but my mare will get brought in at night if the weather gets bad but hopefully not before January and then will probably be out all day so six to eight hours
 
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