To think a lot of horse owners don't deserve their animals?

Same. One of my non ridden horses is only five, and I have had her since she was a yearling (had her accident at 4). She's with me until the end. They all are, but the two boys are a lot older, one discarded by previous owner because her wasn't rideable anymore, they other previous owner, her circumstances drastically changed, just showing the PP that not all us horsey folk are callous and think only of them in terms of use. I have them because I love them and they want for nothing.

I think that’s the nub of it and it’s not all livery owners fault tbh. Costs have risen so sharply that they are having to accept more horses than they would like or face closing altogether and to be fair, the weather these past two years has been dreadful for horse owners.

So I don’t think it’s a case of people setting out to be cruel in many cases; rather that life with horses in this day and age is extremely difficult.

I am not saying it’s acceptable for horses not to be out; on the contrary, I will only own horses now as long as I have the land on which to do it. And I’ve had to move far away from family to do that. But, I think society as a whole is far more accommodating of other sports such as cycling. And if we had a better bridleway network that joined up so we could avoid roads, at least stabled horses could be exercised more easily. I know that’s not the same as loafing with friends but it’s better than nothing.

In years past, when horses were our only means of transport, horses lived in close proximity to us in towns, in stables and mews, some two stories high! And they adapted because they were working all day. Nowadays though we have the fatal combination (literally in some cases) of stabled horses that are underworked too. And I think that is cruel as it’s tough on the horse’s mind and the body. And what are horses all about; if not movement?

I have had 5 horses in my lifetime and all have stayed with me to the end of their life.
My last one is buried on the edge of her paddock 🥺

I couldn't be on a yard with inadequate or severely restricted turnout. Our ridden horses are out together (2 horses on 4 acres) 7am-4pm every day in winter and switch to out overnight in spring. Our non ridden horses are out full time.

@LennysRucksack I had a horse that hadn't ever had much turnout. He used to stand at the gate after 20 minutes. That was his routine. We created a new routine abd he soon got used to being out all day, then out 24/7 later.

Back in the late 90s I worked at an Equestrian Centre (aka riding school). Every November, when the multiple fields started getting dangerously muddy and poached, the riding school horses were brought in full time, save for maybe an hour a day turnout together in the indoor schools (ponies in one, horses in the other).

It made them fractious, skittish and bad tempered, and we all knew which horses suffered the most and would buck people off or turn tail and bolt. It was incredibly stressful and I only last 18 months (so I covered two winters).

The job of turning out 23 fresh horses in March/April who had been indoors for 4-5 months was pretty dangerous as well. Dreadful place, shut down now thankfully.

I once took on a beautiful Irish Draft who had only ever been turned out for an hour a day on a horse walker for his entire 9 years of life (other than doing elementary dressage)! When I put him in a field he didn't know how to horse and walked in a sad little 10m circle for the first few days. He soon got the hang of it though. 😁

Our fields are pretty dire at the moment so my mare prefers to come in at night, usually about 6 and then back out first thing. In the summer she gets sweet itch, so tends to come in during the day. Interestingly she’s the only one with native breeding but is always the first one wanting to come in, the warmbloods are still at the far end of the field!

Most horses want to come in during the winter within 5 hours. THey don't particularly lashing rain, icy conditions 24/7. Not all, but most. And it also gives the fields a small chance to recover.

This is what we do too. my winter field is ruined right now, but i do have a hard standing area that i put hay on so they dont have to stand in mud all day if they chose not to.

Mine are in at night in winter (7am - 6pm) but out 24/7 in summer - counting down the days!

We have unrestricted turnout! We have winter paddocks that get trashed through the winter, they move onto summer paddocks and the winter ones are rolled, harrowed and rested.

Oh give over. There are a huge range of opinions on this thread, but you seem to have decided just to pick on me. Hope it makes you feel better. I'm out.

I’m lucky enough to have my horses at home and operate a voluntary in-out stable system. Both unclipped. Their stables have fresh water and thick barley straw and I feed them (very small scoops of balancer) but mainly hay and check them over in the stable two or three times a day.

What has been mind-blowing this winter is how much they choose to stay outside in really massive downpours of rain, even in high winds - there is a lot of natural shelter in their fields too such as thick hedges and trees and corner loafing areas on higher ground - and they are inside in summer seeking refuge from flies, much more than they are in winter!

Good hay is what keeps them warm. They enjoy eating inside and then go straight back out.

They even chose to stay outside in a couple of heavy storms this year taking refuge by a thick hedge.

In other words, what I have learned is, horses are much wiser about weather and more tolerant of it than we imagine. And also if I had been making decisions about when to bring them in, or put them out, I would have got it totally wrong!

I’m a yard owner. South East and very built up area with not many yards. Our horses have turnout dawn til dusk October til March, and from 1st April they go out 24/7. Horses need daily turnout, they aren’t meant to be caged up all day. The only time our horses are in is very high winds and rain together. None of the other local yards do the turnout I offer, but that’s because they have too many horses for too little acreage.

In my experience as long as they have access to hay/haylage they are happy enough.

It’s standing in bare muddy fields that causes problems.

It depends how muddy the field are. Lots of horses will just stand at the gate looking depressed and longing to come in if they're knee deep in mud and cold.

It's not ideal to spend so much time stabled, but, going on the walker (if there is one) twice a day for 15/20 mins plus being schooled/loose schooled or hacked out daily is a must.

Which I assume these owners do neither of?!

Her horses weren't there for your benefit though, why not bring them in to a warm stable at night You decide for toureself yourself what to do.

At my yard, one horse hadn’t been turned out for years, because the owner was worried it would be hurt. Her other horse had been pts after an accident in the field, but them’s the risks when you own horses. Does your yard have loads of land? Even ours, on a reasonably steep hill, was a shocker in winter. I don’t know how you have no restrictions, think ours was 5pm catch in the whole time I was there. I remember losing my wellies catching in at another yard in winter.

Just come back from a weekend away and the ground was totally saturated (west Mids) everywhere.

Our three are out 24/7, they have a field shelter, but hardly use it. At a previous yard they had to be stabled at night, our TB would get stressed and weave!
they are much happier now, rugged as and when the weather dictates and in work, and if our patchytwat isn’t rugged and gets wet the stupid thing gets the chills but he is a bit special 🫣

Having a choice and choosing to be in is very different to being shut in, though.

That is a indeed great thing to do.

i find this mind boggling too, our field mates on livery often don’t turn out which means our horse can’t go out as she hates being alone. So then they are in all day. Roll on summer!!

To be honest I think keeping horses to ride is pretty indefensible anyway. No other pets are used in quite the same way by owners. And disposed of or sold on when no longer of use such as a child outgrowing them. For all others 'a pet is for life' is the mantra.

Ours too. We take turns every day turning them loose into the school to shake off the zoomies. Otherwise they're rotated in and out of the hard standing areas so they're not stuck in a stable and taken out for hand grazing along the trails.

They get worked daily though, all of them hack out and school outdoors.

Summer they're out 24/7 but November to February it's just too muddy, the field is basically a slip n slide. They'd break their silly legs. Especially the younger ones who go careening about like lunatics.

I walk two of mine in hand. They can't be ridden. One is because of injury from a field accident as a baby, the other is because he was treated like a machine and discarded when he was no longer useful and too damaged. They aren't stabled (which he wasn't used to at all, he'd been kept in a much as possible and not allowed to mix with others - too valuable), but they still get walkies for a change of scenery and some extra milage
Edited for spelling!

I have mine at home.
Their stable doors are opened first thing and they have access to the field until I shut them in between 6 and 8pm.
They may wander out for about 20 minutes but they choose to spend the majority of the day in 🤷🏻‍♀️
There are a couple of hay boxes out in the field to encourage them out to no avail.
I am on the Pennines, it is pretty much always wet under foot and the wind is brutal.

They do both seem content with their lives though 😊