TB's living out...

[Ratface]

Hello there,

After having a discussion with a friend I am wondering how many of your TB's actually live out 24/7. Also, where in the coutry are you and what rugs do they wear in the worst weather?

I live in West Yorks and am sick of being told that my shire x wont be able to live out without a field shelter (even though there is lots of natural shelter and she will be rugged)! If TB's can then I am DAMN sure my Daisy Duke can!!! :rolleyes:

[Ghostie]

I work on a TB stud. There are ex-racers and yearlings living out 24/7 barefoot,no rug etc. They have shelters of course but appear to manage perfectly well. :) When you see them all fluffy and muddy you really cant imagine them on the racetreack though :p

ETA: My thin skinned warmblood had been stabled all his life but now I have him he lives out. He spent the winter out 24/7 although he wore a H/W rug,as he tends to lose condition.

[acw295]

I don't have a TB, but my close friend has one, 18 years old who lives out 24/7 all year. They have natural shelter in one field, mobile wooden one in the other. She is fed only hay and high fibre nuggets (she is a happy hacker now - was an eventer).

She isn't clipped and spends most of the winter in a medium weight combo, with a heavyweight combo for the worst weather. She doesn't lose condition and is so much happier out with her draft x and IDx companions although they have stables if required :)

She is ridden 4-5 times a week, hacking up to 3 hours a time - so she is still in a reasonable amount of work too!

[Clava]

My Tb lives out 24/7 all year, no problems. Heavy weight rug when really cold, but usually just a medium.:). I do not have a field shelter either - just trees around the edge.

[Karen/Folly]

My new little TB arrived in January & was slung out in a big field 24/7 in a big rug with a neck & he was happy as larry!!! :D

They have access to stables, but didnt bother with them at all in the winter, but funnily enough, they spent most of the summer days in the stables snoozing away from the flies in the shade & then wander out at night time :rolleyes:

I personally think they need the shelters/stables more in the summer than the winter - just what Ive learnt from my two :D

[joey_olop]

I think any horse is capable of living out so long as he/she has access to shelter, water & additional forage/feed when needed.
Mine have always lived out (I have a tbx who actually wont live in as he jumps stable doors :o ) they are much happier I think :)

[capalldubh]

Mine lives out all year round in Scottish weather (e.g. a good few degrees colder , wetter and windier than south of England...

He grows a good thick coat, and is only rugged when the rain persists for more than a few hours. He wasn't in the least bothered by the -10 frosty days we got last Christmas. He never shivers or looks miserable. We don't have a field shelter, just hedges and belts of trees. They don't actually shelter much - they tend to be out in the middle of the field in all kinds of howling gales etc. We also don't feed hay unless the grass is completely frozen - it's a 20 acre field and he came out of winter this year rather fat, we have been working to slim him down ever since!

I have three LW rugs and a MW - the MW was only used once last year when it was borrowed by another horse.

Here he is - you can see he's not a hardy looking type, just well acclimatised :) He's at least 1/2 TB, probably 7/8ths, but his dam's not registered.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y49/seventines/Jackson1.jpg

[Ratface]

That makes very interesting reading guys, thanks!;)



Capalldubh your boy is lovely! Nice and rounded! :)

[helenc]

I have 2 ex-racers that both live out 24/7 & have been doing for the last 4 or so years.

They do have access to their stables all year round but the only time they use them in winter is if I've put their hay in them or when I bring in to ride. They tend to use them daily in the spring/summer though to escape the heat & flies

Rugs I use are generally MW turnouts - one is chaser clipped over winter the other isn't & the clipped one gets a HW turnout overnight in the coldest weather but even then he sometimes sweats up once it starts to get light. He has lived out in winters for the past 4 years and he was also competing BSJA nearly every weekend & some midweek days for 2 of those winters

Horses are in North Notts close to the South yorks border so not too far away from you OP

[laurajf]

Gin is a 20y/o ex-racer and is out 24/7, 365. She's pretty thin-skinned so in the worst weather/if she's clipped she has a HW layered over a LW turnout, but she's much happier out and keeps a decent weight throughout winter (albeit with two feeds a day and some hay). She's on the derbys/leics border :)

[Trewsers]

Will somebody please tell our Joe that he's a wuss for not living out???????!!!! He's not even a full tb (he's hanno x). Honestly, I despair! He seems to know we are past the longest day and now hangs around the gate every evening at about 8pmish. He looks so miserable and practically puts his headcollar on himself to be led in.......oh dear.

[Kc Mac]

Our companion tb mare is 20yrs old and lives out 24/7 365. We have a field shelter but they prefer the natural shelter of trees!

In the winter she gets a lovely thick fluffy coat as i don't rug her til it rains quite a bit or is windy and wet! She mainly has a lightweight rug but for really bad weather will have either a mediumweight with neck or her lightweight with a fleece on underneath.

She is also supplemented with hay and feed in the winter and copes well.


I'm sure your shire cross will be just fine :) It is quite amusing what some people come out with regarding horses living out......

[bad-_-habit]

21 year old TB gelding lives out all year round

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q138/Black_dahila/l_3ca41070776e41fba55fbe4beda01f89.jpg

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q138/Black_dahila/l_8c45e802941f472fa86987ea80fc5256.jpg


im from canada quebec and get gets cold down here and he only has that blanket on when its nice and when its colder he gets a other one over and they both have a shelter with a 20 year old paing gelding

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q138/Black_dahila/Merlotandothers067.jpg


http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q138/Black_dahila/l_25ef6daf42e343d99c1bb72a03f50d08.jpg

[igloo]

My tb is out mostly 24/7 in summer. Unrugged unless its literally torrential continual rain.
He is a horse after all :p

No field shelter, but some natural shelter from trees.


ETA: We're in south wales...doesnt get much wetter than here :D

[Ratface]

Awww i've never seen a fluffy TB before! How sweet!

Thanks for the pics and replies! I think my Daisy Duke will be just fine....:cool:

[Trewsers]

I am going to make our Joe read this thread!!!! Seriously, I feel like I really mollycoddle him now! Cos it was raining last night he was stood looking quite cross with me as I wouldn't bring him in that soon. I made him wait until 8pm!!! Honestly, I envy folk whose horses can live out. I guess I could try and make him, but last time I did that he just ran around sweating up after 9pm and I do worry about him going lame (he doesn't have the best track record with lameness issues).

[Sunshine-x]

i work on a tb rehab and stud farm and our foals, yearlings, broodmares etc live out all year round unrugged. only the rehab cases live in or the horses having a short of the track holiday. we have about 20 of them living out in winter in torrential rain unrugged. they do get fluffy if you allow them to and dont rug!!

[Harlequin32]

Mine dosen't but i am 100% certain he could quite happily, My friends TB mare was stabled til she was 16 (winter night time) and lost weight every winter until they left her out and she never looked better.

[05parkerr]

my 8 year old...tommy who i regretfully sold lived solid 24/7 out. in the winter all he would have was a lw turnout that costed me a £5er :) local tack shop sale. he would love it, he was a hurdler so was used to being stabled everyday and every night. i got him put him out in the field and couldnt catch him for two solid months. he came in for a week in the stable then and since then would only comes in if the weather was too hot, blummin flies!

he now competes and lives out 27/7 :)

ONLY if i still owned him :P

[Ratface]

I am luvin this thread!!:p

[Innocence]

Mine doesn't live out at the mo because she is too young, well i feel she is anyway. In the next month of so i will let her stay out at night with the other horses so she can enjoy the remainder of the summer before being brought back in at night again.

[CurlyWurlyRach]

My TB has lived out in the past and was fine with ad lib hay.

[Lot1983]

How would you go about adjusting a TB to living out 24/7?

Do you ever have problems with mud-fever?

How do you know if your horse is cold? Aparently the testing of the ears isn't that accurate?

What sort of rugs to you own?

[Troi]

I have a 12yo 3/4 TB, and her IDxTB mum.Troi has never been in in her life. They get a med rug, usually after Xmas mainly cos its very wet here Feb. They are quite happy cold and snow frost but rain makes them shiver and thats when the rugs go on.
I have rugged in summer if we get a lot of rain. I just go by the shiver. Troi will rip her rug off if she is too hot. Attaches it to a post and pulls!!:mad:
I feed shreds/barley when I think they've lost weight and I stop when they are fatter. But they always have either haylage/silage/strawlage/straw big bale to eat in winter. Again I vary the bale depending on weather and their condition.
I move them from one field to another to fresh grass. Most of our fields are rung with trees, some with a 4ft dyke which they also use for shelter.
Stable was available for several years (blew down, waiting for it to be rebuilt:eek:) They used it when it rained esp in summer!!

The fields do get very very wet, but they have never had mud fever. I do not groom much during winter, as this removes coat oils. I just take off the worst of the mud if we get a dry spell:)
My main prob is keeping the weight off in spring, they usually end up being in a bare field until the feeding is out of the grass, Aug!!

If I was wanting to aclimatise a TB, used to being in, I would put it out summer and let it grow a winter coat, do not rug too soon. Watch for any weight loss and ajust feeding to suit your horse.

[lefoo]

My TBs live out.....they do absolutely fine and we are in Central Scotland :D. Mine get rugged up really well, they have Premier Equine full neck duvets for when it is very cold. They get haylage in the field once a day, and hard feed.

TBs often do very well outdoors, esp those that have been in racing a long time. They seem to calm down a lot with a more natural lifestyle.;)