Young horses living out

Depp_by_Chocolate

Depp_by_Chocolate

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Following on from the New Lounge post about young horses coming in over night during winter. Is it acceptable to let young horses such as foals/yearling to live out 24/7 providing there is shelter in the field. I hear conflicting information such as foals should be stabled during their first winter but others say it is better for them to be out.
 
I would have thought it was another case of individual circumstances. If the youngster appears happy if keeping its weight then there is no problem. Some parts of the country this may not be possible with a blood animal because their winters are too harsh & there is not enough shelter. Mine stay out except when the wind & rain are up, then I find they are happier coming in.
 
our youngsters live out from their first winter, they do have a big building with hardstanding that they can come into which has a round feeder so they can have ad lib haylage. have done this for the last 15 years, they all come out of the winter looking fat and well. have broodmares and yearlings out there and there they stay there until they come into be broke at 3. only time they come out is to have their feet trimmed and for worming. we do go into them in the building so they are used to us and being handled.they spend enough time in once their education begins, so let them be horses for as long as possible i say.
 
mine have always lived out since they were foals- i have a few tb's and the rest are 3/4bred.

they have big hedges, a big field shelter and ad-lib haylage and all thrive outside.
 
Mine lived (and still lives) out 24/7 all year round, unrugged.

I would never stable a young horse unless essential (i.e box rest). There is a lot of research that shows constant gentle exercise (i.e wandering around grazing, with the occasionally hoony about with friends) develops muscles, tendons and bones.

Plus it can't possibly be good for their mental health! Mine gets bored after an hour in a stable!
 
Mine usually live out. We rug when the weather gets really horrible, and they have good hedges round the field and plenty of trees to shelter under.
They get hay and hard feed out in the field, but at some point after weaning we do like to bring them up to the yard for a month or two to give them a taste of a stabled routine, obviously still going out in the paddock each day.
 
Mine stay out 24/7. Neither were rugged for their first winters - both were serious yaks though! They had fields with good shelter and held their weight well and their diets were/are supplemented accordingly.

It is a very individual thing and IME it depends more on the type of ground, properly supplemented diet and space available, than on shelter and breed of horse.
 
I was all ready to stable over night this winter with my two weanlings, but so far they are both doing so well out that I haven't yet brought them in at night! They are both fat and I have lots of grass still! I'm just going to play it by ear. As said previously I've also been told that keeping them out is better to keep young joints moving gently. Mine are also so far unrugged again I'm playing it by ear, I'm not planning on rugging my welshie at all but am prepared to be rugging my warmblood, but so far he has a woolly coat, is keeping his weight and is not showing any ill effects of being out! Also its better for young lungs to have good ventilation of being out.
 
Glad this topic came up I feel better now. I weaned my boy a few weeks back in he is now part of a herd of youngsters and although looking very scraggy and has dropped some weight he needs to learn to be a horse.

I miss him so much but he needs to toughen up and be a 'real boy' I would just ruin him with thick beds and rugs!
 
I bring my youngsters in. My fields get so muddy & they stand looking miserable if I had loads of grazing & shelter I would probably leave them out.
 
In or out, I suppose it depends on circumstances and the individual.

Mine live out, mainly unrugged - depends how they do.
We have very little rain, and the ground is frozen solid for three or four months (with or without snow, no grass either way) they don't have to contend with being wet or muddy.
They have shelters or windbreaks, their choice, although the babies do tend to go and nest in the sheds. I have no intention of bringing my foals in. They are quite used to being stalled and would probably be content indoors, I don't see the point in making work for myself having them in though.

The only reason I would stable a foal through winter is if some pratt had been stupid enough to breed the mare for a very late/early foal (Tb breeders are exempt from the pratt comment)

These are half sisters, the palomino grows a much thicker coat than the bay although they are similar breeding.
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