staying out

[Keli]

I was wondering about what some people thought about leaving a horse out. I am used to putting a horse in a barn, but we have moved and we now dont have one. I have a waterproof blanket for the winter. Just wondering what people think.
Keli

[notpoodle]

i think its good! my pony lives out 24-7 and she is rugless but very hairy :D

im all for horses going out as much as possible! does wonders for them! horses living out tend to be calmer and less spooky and have a healthy social life :)

julia

[nutkin]

I keep my horse out as much as possible. I do have a stable for her but I think horses prefer to be able to graze 24 hrs a day which they can't if they are kept in. My horse is an arab x thoroughbred and is quite happy living out with a good rug which I change to lightweight or heavier when neccessary. The important thing to watch if your horse is living out is that they don't get too hot or too cold. Use a breathable rug to help with this and keep a close eye on their weight. If you notice that they are loosing weight then you need to up the rug for a warmer one and possibly up their feed. I keep my horse at a livery yard where all year round turn out is the norm and there is hay in all the fields so the horses get access to it all the time. There are other finer thoroughbreds and old horses living out quite happily too.

[makebelieve]

My former horse was out outside 24/7 with a small run in shed.

My personal belief? Although it may take a bit more work keeping them tidy, put yourself in the horses place. Would you rather be locked up inside, behind bars, or playing with your friends out in a field? You can usually tell if a horse is cold and is not enjoying itself. Not to mention that keeping your horse outside prevents boredom such as weaving and in some cases cribbing.

[Keli]

Thanks for the replys
It makes me feel better. now what if she gets wet and it is cold out is she still ok?

[nutkin]

Provided as your rug is waterproof I'm sure she will be just fine. The thing to do is make sure that you always have at least one rug spare to replace the one that is wet and keep a close eye to make sure that whichever rug she is wearing isn't soaked all the way through. You can get rugs with a built in neck. These are ideal for horses that live out as the water can not get in and soak them. Personally I think that if they are dry all along the neck and back that they are more than likely comfortable but if they are soaked through they are more likely to catch a chill. So long as you keep a close eye on your horse she will probably be alot happier at the new place.

[Tangle]

I agree she'll probably be happier out than in. Does your waterproof sheet have any insulation? And how cold is it likely to get where you are? A light-weight turn-out rug will keep her dry but may not keep her very warm.

You can check whether she's warm enough by feeling in her arm-pit - as with human's that's a pretty good indication of her core temperature. If she's warm and toasty there then she's almost certainly fine :).

Nutkin - for many rugs I'm sure you're correct that wet rug = cold horse. Some brands are designed to not chill the horse while wet (including Fal and, I think, Masta). It's worth checking for your specific brand :).

[KarinUS]

No cover whatsoever? Does she just not have a stable or do you mean you have no type of shelter for her at all?
For the past 3 years my horse has been out 24/7. At times though I think he would have liked to come in though (at least he was standing by the gate to the barn waiting).
I am happy that now I can offer him free choice. He can be out 24/7 but has access to shelter anytime he wants to.

Shelter doesn't have to be fancy. Even just a 3 sided shed would provide some relieve from the rain or wind.

I agree that out 24/7 is good for their psychological well being but no cover from teh elements can wear you out, too. If it was me I'd offer some type of cover.

[Kanuma]

it realy depends on the type of pony/horse and your location!!
of my 4, two are in at night out during the day, and 2 are out 24/7.
if i could i would keep them all out, the arab included, but my 24 yearold SHP has developed cushings and is dropping wieght like there is no tommorrow. i would happily winter the arab out (with a good heavy rug) but he is in at the moment to keep the SHP company.
Harvey my 23 yearold secb hates being in and last time we tried to keep him in he jumped out! so he has a heavyweight rug on him and is out and holding his condition well.
Stan my 14 year old connemara is out 24/7 without a rug and is quite happy and we live on the top of a welsh hill!!! im up in uni at th moment but my mum says they have 6 inches of snow up there already and i think the last snowfall of last year was april!!
my lot hav access to a leaky shed for shelter, it breaks the wind but has quite a few holes in the roof none of them use it anyway! stan stands out in all weather, however they do have free access to a large bale of haylege.

[western]

I put my horse in everynight around 4 pm, but i have to because they have to have corn feed and in the daytime my horse is in with them. Otherwise i would have him out 24/7 if i didnt have cows. But its also better becase otherwise he would have a dirty place to stand in because the place to where the cows lay is dirty and being in cow manure 24/7 is not good for a horses feet. I clean out his pen everyday so then he gets a dry place to lay down for the night. Otherwise haveing cow manure on a horse is very hard to get off. But of course he is spoiled rotten and i even blanket him up in the winter, when the temperature is about 10 degress. Even though he is hairy and fat :rolleyes:.

[nutkin]

Just a quick thought, but couldn't you build a shelter out of old hay or straw bales. I know of several people who have done this. All you need to do is build a cross shape out of old bales and build it high enough so as it comes higher than the top of your horses head. That way they have access to shelter which ever direction the wind or rain is coming from.

[aliw]

They are better outside. With a blanket too, your horse will be fine. In stables horses can get vices through boredom like cribbing, boxwalking and weaving.
We have four ponies and they are all out. Magic is the only one without a rug because he is very fat and hairy!
For a shelter, my Dad got an old shed container and put it out in the field, and my mum painted it.

[Jay.o]

Im sure she'll be fine. You'll notice a difference in her behaviour, should be for the better though :D

My horse, a 14.3hh French Trotter X is out 24/7 without a rug. She come into the the yard for her feed every night and she's always warm and happy. She hasnt lost any weight, put weight on if anything!!

Depends on the weather you are having. So far we have been very lucky not to have a very cold night with rain aswell, I think i would have to rug if that happened...

[Wez]

I've had a that lived in and one that stayed out. As long as they are rugged up enough and you don't mind the mud he will be fine.

I kept my horse in a field with lots of trees for shelter and the other horses in the field lived out too. He never stood at the gate knee deep in mud...i must admit i did use a neck rug when it started to snow.

[ZAULTAG]

I dont mind leaving mine out over night depending on how safe the area is obviously. At my yard a lot of horses stay out all the time 24-7 winter and summer.

My firend bought a cob that has never been in a stable and now will not stay inside one so he has to stay out all the time