stable v turnout

[ceej]

Ok just to get some topics going to avoid 'new forum' flatness...

stabled or 24/7 turnout

Discuss!

[kateflashy]

mine are out all day and in at night did have 5 live out 24/7 all last year but had to bring them home to let grass grow
mopst of mine are wimps and start getting the hump when it gets cold, dark, rains

[gnuton]

Out 24/7 now. Over the winter they were in during the period of darkness. I couldn't always get to the stable so Jazz and Hunter had someone taking them out of their stalls and to their pasture, then back again. So that was twice a day they were checked for injuries etc.

Since then I've made some friends, and their are 3 people who want to show Jazz and Hunter so with all this extra help, my boys are back out 24/7.

I think they are healthier being outside. There is a huge shelter they can go under to protect them from the elements.

[spotti]

I'd love Faith to be out all day everyday, but if you're on someone elses land then you have to follow their rules.

Currently we're on half-day turnout (except we're naughty and generally stay out all day!) but soon to be all day again. Faith doesn't seem to mind being in her stable (as long as you take her for a walk when you go somewhere without her i.e. to the muckheap after mucking out - she's weird and likes to come too!) and provided she has hay to munch, she seems fine with it. She's always eager to go out though (practially trotted the whole way to the field this lunchtime).

My main worry with 24/7 turnout is with other people and what they could be doing when you're asleep etc. You only have to hear about Haffy's incident and it makes you worry (those prats who let her horses out, if you didn't already know). Atleast if they're in a stable then they are a bit safer...I'd hate for someone to go into Faith's field and steal/chase/throw things at/hurt/try to ride her bareback etc etc. I've heard such horror stories about things that happen to poor horsies *shudders*. Oh I hate people.

Point being, 24/7 turnout preferable although it would have to be next to my house and be extra people-proof so nothing could hurt/scare/steal her (I think some form of alien-space-shield/bubble-thing over the field and house should do the trick...anyone got a spare?)

[racaille]

Theft/injury is always a worry. Paco is out 24/7 now (Racaille always has been) but he comes in during bad weather - and boy, the winters here can be brutal! He is always glad to come in out of the Mistral wind. But he is a much happier bunny when he is out all the time.
We are lucky that our paddocks are within the fenced club, although by UK standards they are small. We have some fields dotted around but currently only have one old retired mare and a sick horse (not likely to ever get better but is happy enough browsing a bit of grass for the moment - when the grass goes in a few weeks time his owner will have to think hard about his future) in a field a bit off the beaten track. We don't dare put a horse worth stealing in there.
On the other hand, with the current price of cereal and hay (a major investment where there is no grass to speak of) I think a greater problem will be horses that are dumped rather than stolen.

[fleabitten]

I think all horses should be out all year round - its so much healthier - and they can wear a cosy turnout rug if they need to keep warm. Of course there are exceptions - horses that are thin skinned, clipped quite a bit, old or sick or those that have health problems that require restricted grazing - and apart from that all horses should be out during the whole day until the edge of dark at the very least if not 24/7.

What i hate is those competition and show horses that are in all day and night all year round except for their holidays - why cant they just be given a hunter clip and rugged up in the day - brought in and brushed, took for a spin and put away at night?

[flash7]

My horse is a pig. He has to come in or else he gets fat. He's out in the day and in at night at the moment but I will reverse this when it warms up a bit.

[racaille]

In theory, I agree but there are always exceptions...
The Mistral wind can be so violent here that it can tear a rug off in 30 seconds and the hay doesn't even reach the ground before it is whipped away.
In July and August here it is just too hot to leave the horses out during the afternoon without adequate deep shade. So some come in during the hottest part of the day and are out from 5pm, through the night, and come in at midday.
And there's one funny soul who won't pee anywhere except in his box, even when he goes off to compete. He will cross his legs all day! We can sometimes fool him by putting his bedding in the horsebox and putting him in it for a while, but then again, sometimes not! Strange fruit.

[Blonde Donkey]

i prefer savvy to be out all the time after pony club she went insane and tried to kill me and she was only in for three days and in hard work. Daintys never been in a stable, sunshine has but prefers to be out and have a run and Bracken couldn't give a rats bumcheek where she is as long as she gets fed

[mariedigit]

my horses were in at night and out in the day but now there out 24/7 as i think it's better for them to out

[baymare]

hi . my horses are stabled at night from 5 november but go out every day .then from april they stay out all the time with rugs on.this week i have taken their rugs off at night.you cant beat them being out .i give them a feed every night and lots of hay.very happy horses.well i hope they are. baymare.

[abi]

we tend to live out in summer and in at night in winter, as i dont have much shelter and dark nights make it hard to poo pick!

i alwyas think living out is a lot more natural, and theres less chance of stiffness and getting cast!

[haffyfan]

Mine are out 24/7 as I believe it's more natural and both are much happier this way. Harry has never to our knowledge been stabled and freaks if you try and shut him in shelter and Murph hated last yard where he had to come in at night in winter. With good rugs the weather dosn't bother them in the slightest. They only use the shelter in summer to get away from flies prefering the hedges in winter. Murph even had to live in a small pen around shelter when he had lami as although he was really ill and we put him in shelter so harry would be close he still kicked and tried to climb over gate to get back out. Once in the small pen we constructed he was content again and as he improved we kept putting harry in with him...in fact they both lived in when we had a scare and Harry was a bit unlevel....which turned out to be his feet (they were terribly overgrown when we got him and new farrier trimmed a bit too much too soon as hadn't seen extent of original damage as he took over from one we drafted in when we first moved here and knew no one)

[martine]

In theory, I favour whatever is natural, so I would choose OUT 24/7... but.
But we don't have fields.
But Dems HATES being outside her box unless I am actually touching her, she will tolerate being on her own if there is adequate grazing for about 1/2hour, then she freaks out. And being with other horses is not enough. I know, I tried.

[rebanna]

i group house mine if they need stabling there much happier like that but 2/7 is best if you can

[brigadier]

Depends on the horse- some are much happier in and can only stand a short time out. I prefer a 50/50 arrangement and always like them in at night but if I had a horse that hated the stable I would try to get somewhere where it could go out. My horse is on full livery at moment and there was only a sand paddock for winter turnout. Since going in the field he has been so much happier but he wants to come in when it gets to tea time!
Brig

[duckles]

Mine are out 24/7. Cori much prefers it that way. He used to be stabled but he is a different horse when out. Ideally I would like to have the horses in at night over the winter and during the day if very hot. Because of work, I can't do that. This is mainly because JB is not the healthiest of horses and loses condition in winter. However (except for really extreme weather) I do think all horses are well fit to live out all the time and prefer it. Having said that, living out can take the competitive edge off some horses. In others, it makes them less fizzy to ride. If I were a millionaire, I would have a wonderful stable system that would allow them to come in and out as it suited them.

[finefilly]

turnout is much better. where i am (on Livery on Farm) we are not allowed to turn out if wet. which is ridiculous as we have 4 horses in an 18 acre field and so there is no worry of them poaching the grass. the lady that owns it is very funny about the horses getting 'cold' and had a go at me last year as i didnt put a rug on my yearling last september. she went on and on about it so i bought a little shower sheet and guess what?.... the next day he had totally wrecked the rug trying to get it off, as he was too hot! the lady says that i am cruel turning the horses out if it is raining as they will get wet!?? i long for the day i can have my own land and keep my horses how nature intended.

[mandybean from OZ]

Zorro my horse only goes into his stable which is attached to his paddock when it's dinner time or raining other wise he's happy to be out all day.

[scattymare]

Doof stays out as much as possible but when she starts to need a rug on continously I bring her in at night at she has very sensitive withers and gets sore easily so she comes in to have a break from her rug. This year they didn't come in til Christmas and they're out now 24/7 with no rugs. They do have free access to the stables though so can shelter if they want - not that they do, they prefer to stand getting wet looking miserable so I'll feel sorry for them and give them extra hay! lol

[aimee]

All our lot are rugged to the eyeballs and are turfed out 24/7

We have stables though, 1 livery girl brings hers in everynight, and 2 are kept for spare in case someone needs boxrest or something.

We had Fern in at night when we brought her, but only for a few months till she settled as she was used to being kept in an indoor stall 6 days a week!

[shearer]

Mine are out 24/7, they're well rugged and well fed, and they love it! Murphy has never been stabled in his life and Shearer hates it! When they're ill or when the weather is too bad in the winter there's stables they can come into but apart from that they stay out!