winter turnout - is there really any point?

[rubysmum]

disclaimer - i am sure that there are people here who have lovely winer TO & horses who enjoy playing with their friends, rolling in the mud & nibbling on frozen grass BUT am i the only one who keeps horses on a medium sized yard where the winter TO is at this time of year muddy & pretty much grass free, so we all rug them up, squelsh through the mud, chuck them out, watch them trot around once, say hello to their mates and then spend the rest of their day looking up expectantly if anyone comes near the gates - my mare got more exercise being led to & from the TO & she is mostly out to save me money on bedding - by 2.30 today, i had caved in & taken her back to her bedroom
& yes - i do know & generally agree with all the reasons given for daily TO but would be currently more convinced if my mare actually did any of the things she is meant to do while outside

 

[Twinkle Twinkle]

I wish we had turnout everyday Ellie was allowed out for a few hours this morning and this is the first in 3 weeks

 

[Paddy Irish]

I am lucky that my boy is out 24/7 with lovely grassy turnout but i havent always had that pleasure my old mare was at a yard with horrible winter turnout , on clay hills with no grass yuk , but i did used to take her for walks in-hand so that she could have some lovely free grass from the verges and a bit of exercise too - she loved it.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I think that if you had to keep them in, you'd soon be wishing you could turn out!

 

[Horses24-7]

Do you put hay out? If not might be worth clubbing together with this in the same field. Mine tend to only stand round the gate if they get hungry x

 

[cob&onion]

I had to move my 3 from our field as its clay based so holds all the water and really is knee deep when its wet! i like to let it rest for the winter so we rent a few acres in the next villiage.
My TB would go mental in all day (or even at night) so shes slumming it with the cobs 24/7 in there winter field.....theres not much grass but they have hay.

 

[Meandtheboys]

Well I don't normally do the 'livery' thing, normally out 24/7 but due to a change etc etc I have some in livery but some out 24/7 - yesterday was the 1st day with a little frost and unable to TO due to the ice ( which really pi**ed me off ), with the weather looking awful for the next week I took my newly broken 3yr old to join the others 24/7 because I could not bear to see him stuck in the stable everyday, my little mare doesn't care so she stayed.

The gang are on a farm on acres of grassland all out 24/7 with very little mud and fantastic natural shelter ( I just love it so much - moved there end of October ) and a large stream to drink from.
Anyway with the arrival of snow I am so pleased I tackled the sleet / rain yesterday because the 'gang' were so happy today when I went to check them, I even took extra rugs but they didn't need them.

 

[darkhorse123]

Im lucky too - our yo manages our grazing so well and winter field is slightly sloped uphill so all the mud is just at the gate.

They only went into it last week and lots of grass - my cob doesnt want to come in!

 

[Kokopelli]

We have a 20+ acre field shared between 3 horses, they are more than happy.

 

[TigerTail]

Yes in those circs it is still vital that the horses get a change of scenery, to groom/sniff/interact etc, to be able to move around if they want.

I cant think of anything worse for any living thing than to be caged all the time.

Mine are out 24.7 so not an issue i have.

 

[Waffles]

There's also the fact that horses how live out don't usually get the respiratory disorders or psychological disorders associated with horses who are stabled. My horse is stabled at night and we have good turn out during the day. If I had my own land, I would probably have a field shelter where my horse could go as and when he chose.

 

[galaxy]

Totally, you just need the right yard!!

My girl has just moved fields and now has plenty of grass and lots of room. Only small bit of mud is by the gate. She's not remotely hungry when she comes in at night.

 

[SpruceRI]

I think turnout is important whatever the weather and ground (within reason)....

But if you've got no grass, then you need to supply hay/haylage (IMO). And if that means spreading it all round the paddock just to make them move around, then do it.

I realise there's a lot of waste this way, unless you can have several hay feeders in the field or hang nets from the trees.

Always put the hay at the opposite end of the field from the water tank!

I think it's quite good in some ways to have an 'alpha' horse as long as they're not dangerous or too bullish, as they assert their authority with the 'underdogs', and by doing so, they're all moving round constantly.

 

[luckyhorseshoe]

Rubysmum - couldn't have put it better myself!

 

[SavingGrace]

My mare is in the most discustingly muddy field It is totally trashed at the top but there is still some grass down the bottom which is where they all hang out. She will however be moving into the same field my old mare was in which is nowhere near as muddy.

 

[muffinmunsh]

I don't turn out this time of year. We have such limited t/o that they have put a rota in place... 6 horses share one tiny paddock, 2 at one time with 3 hourly swap overs... It is a horrid mudbath now.
Luckily we have concrete pens as well so they don't have to be in box or mud. And they get worked every day to keep energy levels under control.

 

[rubysmum]

Rubysmum - couldn't have put it better myself!

ooh - i've never been agreed with before

i do see that we are "lucky" to have TO in the winter - just wished my mare looked a bit more grateful

 

[Jesstickle]

Judging by how keen my two are to go out in the mornings I guess there must be. I'm lucky my field isn't muddy and there is a tiny amount of grass left to nibble on. Once the grass goes I will start haying them up there. They are both quite young so like to have a belt around everyday. And to give each other a good groom (they are mad keen on grooming each other and playing together). I would feel really mean denying them the chance to do that.

 

[TigerTail]

TO isnt about energy levels for me. Its about the horses having time to be a horse and not in solitary confinement.

I couldnt be on a yard that didnt turn out.

 

[mattilda]

Horses need to be horses. They need to wander around for an hour or two at least. Mine are always very keen to go out even though they are ready to come back in 4/5 hours later. Although on Friday when it snowed they only managed 2 hours!! They have been stuck in all weekend because of the ice and really want to stretch their legs again, have a roll and munch on the green stuff. If the grass is frozen or snowed over I put hay out for them. So yes...they should get the opportunity to go out and get some fresh air without us bouncing around on their backs.

 

[Chestnut mare]

Yes ours go out 8-3 during winter couldn't cope with a horse stabled 24/7. We are lucky though with good grazing.

 

[traceyann]

I have my own land to be honest four horses have trashed my field but i do like them to have play time as they are not allowed at all when ridden they have to work. In the mornings i thinking of putting arm bands on them my field is so wet with this constant rain Im lucky most the time my grazing good so can move them to another field without looseing any summer grazing

 

[jendie]

A friend in Sweden is at a yard where they have a huge barn where the horses are kept during the winter months. There are about 30 or so horses and they have space to move around, roll etc. They are fed masses of hay, big round bales that are rolled out every day. It seems a good arrangement as the horses can socialise and stretch their legs far more than they would be able to if kept in individual stables. The fields are under deep snow for several months each year.

 

[wildwoman666]

My horse is on box rest for another month. She is then to go in small paddock for two months then by march back to her field. I got one of the girls horse in other day. All i can say is omg so muddy and taken her rug off was fun.. hehe. My girl is being good with her 15 mins walk to have some grass. twice aday. Not looking forward to letting her go out in this mud. My field is in good shape been as she not been in it for a month. Its getting a good rest.

 

[Mince Pie]

I'm lucky in that at the moment my yard has about 3 acres grazing per horse so there is no worry about being in a field that is just mud and no grass. There isn't much grass in the field but enough to have a nibble at whilst they are out.

 

[badgerdog]

I wouldn't keep my horse on a yard that didn't have daily turnout. I currently keep my horse out 24/7 and the field has very little mud and has good grazing, so much so, that they aren't taking much notice of the haylage I've been putting out. In the past, when I've stabled my horses overnight in the winter, I would never have contemplated keeping them in during the day. They always enjoyed being out, and if there was hay in the field they never wanted to come in.

 

[Merry Crisis]

I have a 40 acre field, my horse hovvers on the 1/4 of an acre by the gate. He is only out during the day and HATES it.

 

[Jesstickle]

A friend in Sweden is at a yard where they have a huge barn where the horses are kept during the winter months. There are about 30 or so horses and they have space to move around, roll etc. They are fed masses of hay, big round bales that are rolled out every day. It seems a good arrangement as the horses can socialise and stretch their legs far more than they would be able to if kept in individual stables. The fields are under deep snow for several months each year.

We used to winter our (TB) yearlings like this at work if the weather got so horrific that there was only mud. They'd have a good old romp in there. I think it was probably the next best thing to being out

If I had my own yard and endless money I would have loads of grass but also a big barn they could all comfortably come into if they wanted. I think they'd be more likely to use it than a field shelter. And I'd never, ever stable again! Would be heaven!

 

[Ibblebibble]

my big girl turns into a grumpy cowbag if she is stabled, ginger boy stresses, small pony eats the stable and coloured boy tries to climb over the door, only one not bothered either way is daughters welshie! luckily mine are out 24/7 and i have a 4 acre winter field that they are allowed to trash, only 3 of them go in there at a time and apart from the usual poaching around the gate it's not too bad

 

[asmp]

I'm lucky that my horse has his own field at the small DIY yard I'm at and he's not one for hanging around the gate where it is a bit muddy.

I used to keep a horse at a reasonably priced yard in Germany. Although the fields were closed during the winter, each stable had a small individual yard attached which the horse go in and out of whenever he wanted. He could stand in the winter sun if he wanted or stay in if it was raining - a great idea. Perhaps one that the UK yards who would rather not use their fields in the winter should follow.