How long do you leave horses in for?

[kirktonhouse]

I'm lucky to be able to turnout 24/7 but how long can they actually stay in for if the weather is really vile? How long does yours stay in without leaving the stable? Are all stabled horses taken out everyday? ridden, turned out or just walked around a bit? Or can they stay in the stable for a few days? I don't mean box rest, that's something different, but can they stay in Monday - Friday?

Ours have been in now without any proper turnout for more than a few hours at a time since Christmas . But they absolutely, 100% need to be taken out and exercised every day, ideally twice a day if they're not going out to the field at all. Mine are lunged, walked (we're lucky enough to have had a horse walker installed recently which is a huge help although one of mine doesn't like it ) or 'loose schooled' chased around the school by the yard staff in the morning for at least 20 mins and then I or my sharers ride them in the evening 6 days a week for 40-45 mins and I'd say that's a bare minimum, I'd like them to be doing more - unfortunately it's too dark to hack out after work so we're doing a lot more school work than ideal right now plus the school is ram packed every evening as the whole yard is in the same position, I'm trying to mix it up with a bit of jumping, pole work etc although bearing in mind the need to be responsible with Covid and not run undue risks of ending up taking up a hospital bed with a broken leg or worse!

In summer mine are quite chilled being out 24/7 and happy not to be formally worked for a week at a time or more but it's completely not an option in winter with our restricted grazing, they would go stir crazy cooped up in a box for 24 hours or more at a time. I would saying doing that is borderline cruelty unless for medical reasons i.e. box rest. I know in some places (e.g. continental Europe or in some racing yards) it's more normal to keep horses, esp competition horses stabled for long periods with little/no turnover but I am sure those horses must be exercised quite intensely at least once a day and probably more or they would def be lunatics!

As it is my horses are alarmingly fresh right now (not normal for them, they are cobby native types but seem to think they are hot blooded spooky TBs since being in overnight) and getting quite fat stuffing their faces with loads of hay (crucial that they have constant access to forage for their digestion but in a field they'd be putting in a lot more effort to get a lot less calories in, by this time of year they should be quite lean ready for the spring grass to come in but they are at least the same weight as they were in the summer if not a little more )

I'm lucky enough to have my own private grazing and mine are out 24/7 although there is a field shelter. They are perfectly happy!

Back when I was on livery yards it was a must that the yard allowed daily turnout except in EXCEPTIONAL weather conditions and even then it was for no more than a day or so. I don't think it does them any good at all to be stabled for longer than 24 hours. Even if the weather is vile they need some time outside - rugged up to the eyeballs if necessary and with some netted hay. Mine are unclipped and unrugged. Even when it was freezing down to -4 overnight the other week they were absolutely fine. And one is an elderly TB! His weight is just fine.

I've never kept mine in for longer than overnight. You can't keep them in all day and night unless there is a medical reason for it.

Mine lives out 24/7/365.
My liveries come in at night when they are on the winter paddocks. The only time they don't go out during the day is if there is compacted ice and it would be too dangerous. I have a small turnout area next to the stables where they can go for a leg stretch while the stables are being mucked out. So far its only been one day this winter.

One of mine is arthritic so I need her out as much as possible, so no more than 1 day in at a time.

Weather was bad this morning but has cheered up this afternoon so have chucked them out for a couple of hours.

I do keep them in for the odd day if the weather is truly vile. They just stand in the mud around the gate moaning so it’s pointless turning them out

Ours are out 24/7 and then about 7/8am - 3/4pm in winter.
We’ve had two days in the last year where they had to stay in.
I wouldn’t be on a yard where they could go out for a few hours every day.

@lastqueenofscotland

Ours are out 24/7 and then about 7/8am - 3/4pm in winter. We’ve had two days in the last year where they had to stay in. I wouldn’t be on a yard where they could go out for a few hours every day.

Same here.

So jealous of everyone on the thread with good grazing! Yards around here where they can offer true all year 24/7 turnout are like hens teeth and some if you can believe it are far worse than mine, in that in winter they get a couple of hours a day max, in pairs or individual turnout only (no herds) and are in probably 20 hours a day for 6 months of the year

We managed out 24/7 until Christmas this year which is later than average but since then we've been on daytime turnout only and limited to mornings/afternoons out only for quite a bit of the time when there was snow, ice or a lot of rain. Hoping that's on the turn now and they'll be back out 24/7 by March, I honestly think it makes such a difference to their physical health and mood (and mine!). Although as PP said admittedly if they were out a lot right now they probably would spend a lot of time hanging around by the gate looking miserable and ill treated, begging for treats from passers-by (which is literally a whole other thread!)

We have all year round turn out and the fields are holding up pretty well I think, although we’re having to put hay out.

We’re trying to keep it that way, so on the really wet, vile days they’re staying in so the field isn’t trashed - about 5 days all told this winter.

We have summer and winter fields but due to members of the public being dicks over the summer, we had to move all the horses back to their winter fields so they’re over grazed, hence putting hay out (in the middle of a massive hay shortage )

The winter fields are on Sandy soil but at the bottom of a valley so they get very wet and flooded when it’s actually raining loads, but once it’s stoped, they dry out enough to turn out the following day.

Our gate ways are a mess though - if I turn out on really bad days the princesses think they will melt and stand at the gate, in the mud moaning so it’s pointless

The summer fields are on clay so we can’t use them at the moment.

Really depends on a) the horse and b) the facilities you have.

We've had natives (that hate being in) so kept at home in a well draining paddock with a field shelter - poor grass over thin topsoil over gravel, supplemented with hay, to warmbloods who dislike getting wet/dislike the cold, on yards with American barn style large 14ft square stables and horse walker in another barn - and don't want to go out at all!

Currently have been able to go out to the upper fields whenever they want to (but they don't really) are ridden at least every other day, and go out in a smaller winter turnout field while being mucked out of not torrential.

Out 24/7, no field shelter but sheltered areas to hide in.
Back when we were on livery I'd only keep in overnight at most.

I could never be on a yard that limited turnout or that only had solo turnout.

Mine is out 6/7 am - 3/4 pm at this time of year , I really don’t like them staying in unless they are sick . We’ve moved yards before purely because the turnout wasn’t good enough or for long enough .

Mine come in at night in Winter from c 8pm-8am. The field is dry enough but they do like to come in and its easier to check them over plus I like to know they are cosy and dry overnight. The only time they have been in for days on end is when we got snowed/frozen in. Generally if stabled 24/7 horses do need 1-2 hours of ridden exercise daily.

Mine are rarely stabled overnight, usually only if I need them clean and dry the next morning, however they have been in during the day but on the yard rather than stabled for the last 5 weeks or so as one is prone to mud fever and I want her off the wet ground so I can keep her legs clean.

I have one on box rest (we’re into week 8 of 12) and she seems to have adapted remarkably well - I’ve moved her to a yard where she can be kept safe, has plenty to look at and company round the clock which wouldn’t happen here. She’s allowed out for 30 mins walk exercise a day and that’s it, she has toys and hay at all times and seems remarkably chilled.

I wouldn’t choose to stable for lengthy periods but sometimes needs must.

I’m surprised that’s you own horses and need to ask this.

@liveinthesticks

I’m surprised that’s you own horses and need to ask this.

Well I bow to your superior knowledge of knowing what every horse in the country does, but I see lots of tiny empty muddy horse paddocks when driving around and lots of livery yards where there is no where near the acreage of grass to support the number of stables, so wondered what happened in winter.

I think in wet winters on clay horses are probably in far more than the posts on here suggest. I've seen yards where horses are individually out on garden sized strips of land, there is no way they would be adequate in winter.
Overstocking is a major issue and I know of yards where horses are stuck on a walker for an hour and that's it.I

Mine are out and have access to stabling if they want it, in really bad conditions they are in a turnout area in front of their stables and occasionally in overnight.
Seeing horses stood knee deep in small muddy paddocks, bored to tears can be as bad as being in full time, and as more people are getting horses and land becomes scarcer I think the overstocking and lack of land management is going to become a much bigger issue down the line.

I'm at a yard with somewhat limited turnout. In the winter we turn out during the day, but realistically this is usually only from about 9-4 (ish). We're on individual or paired turnout, and a lot of people on the yard don't turn out if it is really wet- some will happily keep their horses in for 2-3 days with a leg stretch, daily exercise and a bit of hand grazing.

The horses seem mentally fine, to be honest, but there are a lot of people who get issues with intermittent lameness etc- and I can't help but think that turning out more would be better, as the horses wouldn't run around so much when they are out and then pull muscles etc.

The horses do seem to adapt to it though- a lot of them very obviously want to come in when it rains!

Locally, in terms of livery there is a choice between really good turnout but crap/no facilities, and more limited turnout but decent facilities (e.g. school, jumping feild, decent hacking etc).

We are lucky enough to keep our ponies at home. Whilst I look mine out as much as possible there are times when they have to stay in due to the weather and the amount of rain.

Our yard freezes easily and it isn’t safe to walk on We don’t have an area and only have a concrete yard to walk on They have been in for up to a week in very bad conditions. Their feed is adjusted immediately and they are actually quite content. The best bit is that we have no problems if they ever have to go on box rest

I built a hard standing turnout around my yard. They go out on that, or in the winter field, all day, every day in winter. If it’s absolutely dreadful snow, as in Beast from the East and we’ve got blizzards and drifts I’d turn them out for 40 mins am while we muck out, then 40 mins pm while we skip out.

Ps, re concrete yards freezing - I always rake the yard rather than sweeping when it’s forecast snow, and leave a bit of dirt on it. It makes it less slippery. Oyster shell (which I buy for the hens) scattered about works too.

It is so wet this winter I am surprised to read of so many 24/7 turn outs. The fields are sodden. I often get mine in after half a day as he gets bored & starts making mischief. There is little nutrition in the grass, so he likes being in with a Haynes, frankly. If he cannot go out, he is usually lunged in the school or put in a round pen or I school or hack him. There is the occasional day when he is left in all day.
I have been on yards where there is never more than half day TO, summer or winter. Most cope, up it doesn’t work for others.

I have clay fields. They are a muddy mess. Mine either go out at 8am until 5pm, or stay in until 10, get ridden then go out again until 5.

Tbh they are always delighted to come in. They come in in the day in the summer.

I must say mine don't seem to mind staying in at all, as long as they are both in. I had one on box rest last year and he didn't seem at all bothered.

The yard I help out on normally has turnout from about 8 or 9am til 2 pm ish in winter but its been soo wet or frozen this year that there have been only a few days this year they have been turned out. They do get at the minimum lunged everyday but it's not really ideal. The horse I share is an elderly gent so can cope quite well but some of the younger ones struggle.