yours that live out 24/7, do they have a shelter?

china

china

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i have one stable between two horses so my gelding is going to have the use of it at night and my mare will be stabled in the day so they both get the same amount of stable and turnout, but why do i feel so bad about leaving my mare out at night? she is prety hardy and i know really it isnt any different her being out in the rain in the day than at night.she will be in a sand paddock that isnt particularly well sheltered and she will come in during the day. am i a horrible mum? i have no problem with her being out overnight but she has no shelter (shel be well rugged) do yours have shelters?
 
My old mare and the "baby" (he is 2 now!) live together and have done since we got him at 8 months, without a shelter. They have trees all around and a large embankment on one side. The whole area is in a dip (well drained though) so out of the wind. I nearly bought them a shelter this year but then decided not to!:eek: They have good rugs, good grass and plenty of hay. I have a stable for emergencies. They seem fine and did last year too.
 
Mine come in when the weather is really bad but they do have natural shelter aswell.

TBH it wouldn't work for me having no shelter whatsoever. Horses don't like constant driving wind and rain imo.
 
When you say 'shelter' do you mean of any sort? The horse I used to own now lives out 24/7. One of the fields she lives in has no field shelter but has thick, high hedges all round, which is fine.
If you have no shelter whatsoever (ie - just fencing round the field) then this would probably be quite uncomfortable for your horse. However, any natural break from the elements (eg a high hedge or similar) should be fine for her.
 
Last winter mine was out in 2ft at least of snow and it snowed/rained for what seemed like months. Her field doesnt really have any form of shelter and she was perfectly happy, i changed her rugs daily to ensure wet rugs were allowed to dry out. She had a large bale of hay to munch on, she never once asked to come in or stand shivering/tucked up. she has now decided that stables are the devil and will flip out if she is made to go in one!!

Her current field has a high hedge but even when it is pi**ing it down she will stand in the middle of the field and eat.

BTW she is an IDxTB and 14 years old.
 
Mine's out 24/7 (and naked) in summer with no field shelter as such, but all our summer fields have plenty of trees and heges.
 
My herd live out all year round with natural shelter ie high hedges and woods they can wander in with a running stream so if its pouring down they don't have to walk to the water trough which is at the other end of the field.
At the mo the tb and little V have rugs the rest are naked.
I would say that if your sand paddock does not have natural shelter I would consider the arrangement that you have
 
If your mare is out in a school can you perhaps fence off a portion, or portions, as a windbreak? Maybe a corner they habitually use? Higher fencing wouldn't affect the use of the school and should be easy enough to do.

Mine have shelters but they rarely actually go IN them, they just stand in front of them out of the wind even in the worst blizzards. It is wind and driving rain that pulls them down, not so much the cold.
 
Mine have a medium size shelter that they can go in and out of it as they want. In the shelter there's a hay manger running along the back wall that has a tray underneath it so they don't trample on it when it falls. My gelding doesn't tend to use it too much- would rather stand outside in the rain! But my mare, who I thought would never use it loves it- she's in it all the time and if it rains even slightly she goes inside. I think they like being in there because there's a window in the side wall so that they can look forwards and to the side. I've got rubber mats with shavings in the shelter so it's nice and warm for them.
In the bottom field they also have a shelter, but in both fields there is loads of natural shelter- literally tens of tress covering large areas so they could cope without the shelters anyway.
 
No stables, no shelter but we have dips in the field and hedges for cover they are out 24/7 rarley rugged, both come out of winter a little porky, will def feed less hay this year as we have struggled with weight issues all summer, still muzzled and strip grazed now.
 
Our Welsh pony is currently kept with one other pony and lives out 24/7. They have access to a field shelter which we leave open so they can go in and out as they please.
 
there is a hedge running along one side but it isnt very high and shel be coming in during the day so they both get the same amount of stable and turnout. i am waiting for my next door neighbour to sell her shelters but it will be a couple of months yet untill their stables are built and she sells her shelter.
thanks for the link!
 
My youngsters have no official shelter, but they have the ideal field. 13 acres, surrounded on 3 sides by thick wood, they have huge, 300 year old trees in the field, and the side that doesnt have the trees is sheltered by having trees about 20yds behind the fence line. The field itself is evenly split between high ground and lower ground. We had the option to put up a shelter and decided against it as they have enough natural shelter. I think its warmer in their field than it is in my house sometimes :D
 
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