Wintering out 24/7

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Hello,

A little help please on wintering out 24/7.
My horse has been out in the day time and in at night all summer. I live beside a forest and the flies come out at night “drive her mad”
My O/H has got a well sheltered field which i could have over the winter.
Do know think because she stays in at night that it would be too cold for her?

Ps She would have a field friend:)

What do you in the winter time?

Thanks
 
Mine all live out even though I have stables. I just leccy fence my field so that they don't trash it. They are all rugged over winter and have plenty of natural shelter as well as a proper field shelter.

I will bring the kids pony in some weekends so that he will be dry and clean for them to ride but that is it. I see no advantage to stabling (except to keep horses clean and dry but that is more of an advantage to the rider), as in my experience a stable can be just as cold as a field and I feel that a horse would benefit more from having the freedom to run around to warm up rather than pile more rugs on.
 
Mine will be out again, the ex racer will be rugged up to the eyeballs (!) And the cob this year will be left to grow a full coat in the hopes that he can stay naked.
 
My natives go out naked, 24/7 come snow, rain or shine - they both grow masses of hairy coat, well fed (ad lib hay) natural sheltered field and come out of winter looking fat and happy!! even in that snow they where out unrugged.
My TB will be out with them this year - she will be rugged up very well and have the ad lib hay plus hard feed.
The cob will be rugged this year though as planning on riding her - more to keep her clean than warm though!

So long as they have plenty of hay, warm and have shelter they normally survive ;)
 
cob&onion said:
My natives go out naked, 24/7 come snow, rain or shine - they both grow masses of hairy coat, well fed (ad lib hay) natural sheltered field and come out of winter looking fat and happy!! even in that snow they where out unrugged.
My TB will be out with them this year - she will be rugged up very well and have the ad lib hay plus hard feed.
The cob will be rugged this year though as planning on riding her - more to keep her clean than warm though!

So long as they have plenty of hay, warm and have shelter they normally survive ;)
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Ditto this! My guys have natural shelter, no field shelter and I use their stable more in hot weather, to be honest. My little highland youngster goes nekkid and was happily snoring his head off in a snow drift last year when I went to get him in for a feed and a groom!
 
Both mine live out 24/7 365 all natural hedges/trees for shelter, they have about 4 acres between them so plenty of grass, no hay, small feed of fast fibre once a day. Only ever rug if its windy/wet and cold which was only a few times last year.

I have beautiful stone stables which I rarely use, seems a shame, but oh its so much easier and cheaper, and I'm sure at the ages of 18 and 20 they benefit :) I'm sure your horse will be fine, just keep a check to make sure she's warm.
 
Silly horse isn't rugged (he can't walk if wearing one) so stays au natural - Section D so grows a very dense short coat. Never stabled as he demolishes them.

Haffie only rugged with a LW in prolonged rain as he gets wet to the skin - rest of the time unrugged.He wasn't rugged at all last winter. He lives out as he's arthritic and gets stiff if in. Neither have bucket feeds. Both came out of last winter too fat on adlib hay. They don't have a field shelter just very good natural shelter.
 
interesting post, and sorry to muscle in OP, but i am thinking of keeping mine out 24/7 throught the winter.., however, they are both very fine TB's, and i compete regularly, meaning i will have to clip them. realistically how many rugs can u put on them to ensure they are warm enough? and how much feed etc? Is it do able?!

I do agree with a previous poster saying it is probably just as cold in the stable as in a field, I am just worried about them losing condition, or freezing to death!?
 
hayleyshep88 said:
interesting post, and sorry to muscle in OP, but i am thinking of keeping mine out 24/7 throught the winter.., however, they are both very fine TB's, and i compete regularly, meaning i will have to clip them. realistically how many rugs can u put on them to ensure they are warm enough? and how much feed etc? Is it do able?!

I do agree with a previous poster saying it is probably just as cold in the stable as in a field, I am just worried about them losing condition, or freezing to death!?
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The easiest way is just to take it day by day:)
You know your horses better than anyone, if they are cold/miserable/losing condition just up the rugs/feed/hay or bring them in.
Keep your stalls made up just in case and then if you need/want them in during a blizzard etc, all you have to do is fill buckets, hang a net or whatever and open the door.

Unless they are already skin and bone, or ill, they won't freeze to death overnight, or melt, they might be cold and miserable the next day but they won't be dead, unless you plan to leave them unseen and unfed for weeks on end that is.

Our average daytime temperature in winter is -10C to -15C and 10C colder at night, and I live in a warm part of the country :D A lot of mine live out unrugged - even tb's, arabs and ancients.
 
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The past few winters my arabs stayed out (rugged at night, sometimes had them off if it was a sunny day even when -10 as above poster) - i couldn't afford to bring them in as the sheds were collapsing in teh area due to the weight of snow on the roof, i couldn't risk it. We didn't lose any sheds but we could have so mine stayed out in a metre of snow with temps going below -25. Only injury was a cut lip from breaking the frozen water (i'd break it whenever i was out morning/noon/evening/last thing at night) - the cut bit of lip was sticking out and froze and had to be lopped off as it was so cold. It healed fine and the horses were content in all weathers with double rugging if needed.
 
hayleyshep88 said:
interesting post, and sorry to muscle in OP, but i am thinking of keeping mine out 24/7 throught the winter.., however, they are both very fine TB's, and i compete regularly, meaning i will have to clip them. realistically how many rugs can u put on them to ensure they are warm enough? and how much feed etc? Is it do able?!

I do agree with a previous poster saying it is probably just as cold in the stable as in a field, I am just worried about them losing condition, or freezing to death!?
Click to expand...

My TB has lived out 24/7 for two years now, two of the coldest winters we have had. Because he works hard in the school he is fully clipped. The first winter he had a heavyweight 450 rug on in the worst of the weather and was toasty warm. Last winter the heaviest rug we got up to was a 300g and only the the deepest winter did he have a thin under rug on, and again was always toasty warm. They have only good natural shelter in the field are are hayed and fed twice daily. He has never been cold during either winter, and being clipped means that after work he is very quickly rugged up and back in the field walking out and keeping warm. They do adapt over time but if you are going to do it do it soon so they have some warmer weather to adjust.

Horses that live out do lose some weight in the winter, this is a natural process, they fatten up in the summer and lose a bit through the winter before spring grass fattens them up again. Having said this he has never looked poor after winter, just healthy and lean.
 
Bucas do a fantastic Power Turnout rug, which has a huge comfort range. Keeps horses "climate controlled" from temperatures of 15degrees to minus 25degrees. That's what ours will be in this winter, clipped and out 24/7. They have plenty of hay, and come in twice a day for bucket feeds.
 
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