24/7 365 turnout in a paddock paradise track (essentially a dry lot made into a circuit around the property, no grazing) with 3 sided run in shed they can pick to use or not. They stay out there all seasons, from -10F to 100F and are super healthy because of it.
Horses at home 24/7 365 day turnout, when they are up by the house they have a run in to use, when they are out, one pasture has a shelter, another just has overhanging trees to stand under.
Horse at barn 24/7 365 day turn out, lots of trees to shelter under..
Ours are out 24/7, 365 as well. We have a catch paddock that runs beside the barn with a big overhang and constant access to 4 stalls. The catch paddock opens to 3 additional paddocks, 2 of which have 3-sided shelters and the other has overhanging trees.
Similar set up to my place but paddocks are set up in a line (so you let them into the last one via going through the first and second as a routine).Paddocks do not have shelter (though there are plenty of trees along the fence line) as the horses always have access to the stalls. The paddock and the first pasture are open year round, the paddock is sand and the first is a sacrifice pasture. The second too pastures we use for grass so they are off it part of the year then we will alternate or use both depending.
They get shut in temporarily twice a day to eat, but are very rarely shut in otherwise. If the weather is really bad or something they may be, but usually it's just for the vet or whatever. They are always shut in the sand paddock at night to be closer to the barn/house, but it is nice and roomy.
When I lived there (my parents) I did shut them in at night as well as the paddock gate as that is my preference but my mother doesn't want to do that (more work :P).
My mare is boarded so I need to follow the BOs set up. She is has a stall with a small run out (15x15?). Shut in at night and out during the day. May be shut in early due to bad weather but almost always gets some out time. The run out opens into a little chute that goes into the riding ring which has a grass border. (Not the way the whole barn works, just my horses specific stall/turnout). She almost always has access to the ring (obv if someone is riding or something she is shut in the stall/run out) and always her stall and run out except when shut in.
If I could tweak it I would have a bigger turnout without the ring that she was rarely shut out of. I like the run out so she can be "in" without being in. I would also keep her out longer, shutting her in her stall at dark and not before (so out 14 hours or so during the summer). Right now she is out 8-5 then barn is shut up COMPLETELY including tops of dutch doors, and the big doors which I HATE. I never shut tops of dutch doors unless weather is REALLY bad or VERY cold like the barn being open as much as possible!! Also, if a horse gets ridden she'll get shut into run out at say 2 then not be let back out since they will get put into stalls soon. So really turnout is 8-2.. I'd be happier with 8-5! So those are really my two biggest complaints.
Ditto the above. Live in the pasture always access to shelter, water, grazing and shade; the oldest and youngest visit a stall when we get temps near freezing with precip or cold winds and precip. The other ones prefer to just stay out or go into the run in shelter.
Stabled at night - if for no other reason I know where they are when I'm asleep but also because I can control their grass intake that way as well
They typically get turned out around 7am and come in to be worked at around 4.30pm.
In the hot/bug weather they usually want to stand in the stalls from mid day but go back out again later on until about 10.30pm
No dry lot other than if I use one of the sand manège's, grass paddocks are a min of 1 acre or can be opened up to a max of 6 acres. Not a lot of open grass land around here, just trees, trees and more trees so we're pretty lucky to have some
Mine are also out 24/7/365, unless the weather is going to be extremely inclement. They want to be out and it's healthier for them than being stalled, especially if you have oldsters with joint issues. Moving around helps, whereas standing in a stall aggravates any painful condition.
Julius currently comes inside at night around 8pm, goes out about 7am. He doesn't maintain weight well in the winter outside and he came into winter far too thin this year as it is. Blaze is outside 24/7, stresses too much when stalled. Both are in the same herd during the day, their turn out varies from season to season. In the fall they had the back hay field and the front pasture. Winter they had just the front pasture. Currently they are on dry lots to save the grass from being torn up.
right now my mare is out all day (7am-3pm)
but soon she will be switched and go out all night and stay that way for the whole summer (6pm-7am). she will then probably be switched back to days for the winter, unless i get her a lot of layers. she used to be out 24/7 365 days with no blankets and about 20 other horses and one small shed, so i know she will be fine, but i want to keep showing in the winter, so she cant be a little fluffball like she is now��
the horses at my farm vary on turnout based on there needs. we have horses that go out all night and others that are out all day. we also have half day horses that are out from 7am-12pm. we also have horses that are out for about 2-4 hours based on what they want and tolerate. we used to have a horse that would barely last 20 minutes outside. right now we do have one thats out only about an hour. we also used to have a mare that would be out all day, she would only come in for about an hour in the morning and at night to eat. we have 28 horses, we have three groups of two and one group of three and the rest of the horses are on individual turnout. we have eight grasspastures and one smaller dirt lot. we have two that are in a smaller dirt lot with no grass, one being a laminitic prone pony that lives on air and a mini. they both do half day turnout (pony is out 7am-11am & the mini 11am-3pm).
In the past, I also stalled horses, either all night, or all day, that were show horses, depending on the time of year
As my horse knowledge evolved over the years, I no longer stall any horse, except just enough so they accept being stalled, as they must at shows, or if they have an injury that requires stall rest. Of course, they are stalled before a show, after being washed.
I have a large dry lot with a run in shelter, where my IR horse lives most of the time, during the grass growing months. I also use corrals to manage other horses , with part time grazing restriction, along with also using grazing muzzles and portable electric fencing,
In winter, all of the horses are out full time. The pastures all have woods and shelters.
My girl is outside 24/7 on a dry lot of the weather is good.
During bad weather she comes in. Bad meaning heavy consistent rain/snow, not just a shower here or a shower there. If it's going to be a long stretch of bad weather I'd prefer her to go outside with a rain sheet and come in at night.
Overall she is outside as much as possible. She stocks up inside and while she doesn't go stir crazy (like pace or weave) you can tell she has a lot of pent up energy!
The last barn she was at had an in and out but she spent most of her time inside. She was always stocking up and stiff! It hasn't been a problem since I've moved her.
My schedule has changed over time due to the horses aging, one is insulin resistance and the other an easy keeper.
They are 21 & 22. Average turnout time is 10:30 AM, in at dusk.
We already have temps in mid 80's (F) with high humidity so they voluntarily spend a few hours daily in the barn in front of the tub fans ----- well ----- today they've both been in the barn five hours with hay to munch.
Our two horses are out almost all the time, they have access to about 5 acres of pasture all winter and a big run in at the back of the barn. They also have a stall in the barn for really nasty weather or sometimes they just like to come in and stay in their stalls for a while especially during fly season.
In the summer they have to be on restricted pasture time and are locked in the barnyard during the day and out on pasture during the night.
The mini is out during the day in the winter on a small paddock and in at night and he gets a little time on pasture when there is a lot of snow on the ground, the horses are in the barn when the mini is out on their pasture.
He is out in the paddock night and day during the summer unless it is very hot and humid then is comes inside during the hottest part of the day. We have to do some fixing so he can have a run in at the back of the barn like the horses do. There's lots of space there to make a spot for him.
Right now my OTSTB and Shetland are out 24/7 with two sheds, a pond, and a water trough, the grass is just meh, so free choice hay also. I'm moving to Florida and our boarding situation will be different. They will be in a 12x12 stall (fans!!) with a 12'x35' run off of the stall with 4-6 hrs of turnout in a dry lot and 2-3 hrs 2x a week in a grassy paddock. Both are easy keepers so limited grass is a good thing. I will have access to miles and miles of horse trails in the Davie trail system, and 2 horse parks with trails, both are a 10-20 min walk/ride away.
I prefer 24/7 but it's not always a viable option, but this seems to be the best situation possible.
Mine come in at night, out during the day in winter, then in during the day, out at night spring, summer, fall.
The stallion goes out at night most of the year, if his pen is not occupied. He is the only horse I have ever known that does not care whether he ever goes out.
This wet winter the half-acre turnout was so muddy I started putting the horses up at night so their feet would dry out some. Otherwise they are always out.
My two miniature ponies are out 24/7 365 in a dirt paddock with 3 wall shelter. Even if it's raining they like being outside the shelter, and they also have a large tree they can stand under for shade if they don't want to be in the shelter. Once they trust me enough to catch them reliably, they will have access to grass for about 1 hour each day, maybe more maybe less depending on their weight.
My gelding is also out 24/7 365 with a 3 wall shelter. He is coming to my house once my fence is finished where he will have a large dirt area, and then two large paddocks out front that he will be in often. He will get free choice hay but the minis don't as I don't want them getting obese
The minis are on a dry lot with access to shelter.
The large horses are on pasture 24/7 365 with the freedom to come and go in the barn as they please. I used to dry lot them some but after doing some reading and experimenting I discovered they actually grazed less when they could graze anytime they wanted. Once the flies show up (already here now) they will spend almost all the daylight hours in the barn. So while all the flies aggravate the crap out of me and the horses, they do serve a purpose. LOL
Once the flies show up (already here now) they will spend almost all the daylight hours in the barn. So while all the flies aggravate the crap out of me and the horses, they do serve a purpose. LOL
Mine are out 24/7 365 in a 1/2 acre field that attempts to grow grass but can't seem to get more than 1/2" before being found and munched. They get almost free feed hay - if I free-fed, Tango would be a blimp and Cally is a fairly easy keeper.
They do get special weekend time in two fields I keep them off of so grass can grow in during the week!
Out 24/7 besides exceptionally bad weather/below freezing temps - there is no run-in the fields and my horse drops weight very quickly, even if he's in a super heavy blanket. My gelding caught a bad chill a month or so ago (had already gotten summer-slick and was not blanketed - it had been 70 degrees the day before) when the temperature dropped rapidly overnight, so we're being a lot more careful. Brought him and he was shivering badly and very tucked up and a little colicky. He was happy to crash in the shavings after he got his favorite treat, Gas-X.
I should note that essentially every horse was fine - so just know what kind of horse you are dealing with. My Florida-bred TB just doesn't handle Montana cold snaps well, but he absolutely loves being out in the rain.
I agree that all are individuals. It can be difficult finding out what is best for each horse.
One of my mares is a very easy keeper. She is outside 24/7 with a shed in a grass pasture which is not quite good enough to give horses all the calories they need. I weigh her hay and constantly adjust how much I feed based on her weight. Right now she only gets about 6 lbs due to the spring grass.
My other mare failed to stay out 24/7. She needs free choice food all the time, so can't be out with any easy keepers and she doesn't focus on eating so with another hard keeper they get most of the food. I tried segregating her with horses nearby, but if they wandered off it stressed her out. It is hard to keep weight on her. I have her in a stall with a nice runout for about 13 hrs at night with another horse stalled next to her. That way she can eat good hay and her grain all night and be out eating grass all day too.
Mine are out 24/7 with access to a couple run in sheds and trees. In the winter they are out on pasture. Now that the grass is growing and they are getting fat, I lock them all up in a small paddock with a shelter during the night, then they get let out during the day to graze. Would actually prefer to switch that around, but not really ideal with my work schedule.
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