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  • In During day, Out during night

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Opinion on Pasture Time....?

2K views 15 replies 15 participants last post by  ~*~anebel~*~ 
#1 ·
Hello Everyone!
I am having a tuff time deciding if i should let my horse (dont have one yet,just planning ahead:D) have 9 hours of pasture time during the day, or put it out at night. If i put it out at night it would be taken in its stall at like 5:00 am and wouldent be taken out to ride till like 4:15 pm. Where as if it was out 9 hours during the day(9 hours just happens to work out well with school) It would stay in its stall all night..but it would be ridden. What is your suggestion?
 
#2 ·
Wannahorse,
many people put the horses out in the night during summer, to avoid heat stress on the horse. They are stalled during the day. In the winter the schedule is reversed so that the horse can be out in the warmer part of the day.

I'd still advocate for no stall time, just the use of a run-in.
 
#4 ·
Wannahorse,
many people put the horses out in the night during summer, to avoid heat stress on the horse. They are stalled during the day. In the winter the schedule is reversed so that the horse can be out in the warmer part of the day.

I'd still advocate for no stall time, just the use of a run-in.
Wow..I am stupid i shoud of figured the whole reversing thing out.lol!
 
#3 ·
i think it depends... i would vote for always outside but.......
if wherever you live its always hot during the day and has nice cool nights then out during the night, but if its like up her in canada then outside during the day would be nice. but my vote is outside all the time ;) most hroses tend to like that
:)
 
#5 ·
I'd advocate out for 24/7 too if it's possible. Where I am located, I do bring my horses into a stall at night only during the worst part of the winter, just due to weather. The rest of the year they just have a run in. But if there is no option on that, I think it's purely down to preference whether they are out day or night.

Though it seems I heard somewhere once that sugar content in grass is highest during the nighttime hours?
 
#6 ·
None of the above. 24/7 Turnout is so much better for most horses. My guys come in for 45 mins twice a day to eat and the rest of the day they are out, unless the temps go really low or it's stormy.

I would just put up a run in shed and let the horse decide what he wants.
 
#9 ·
24/7 turnout is the best option for healthier, happier horses IMO. Out of the 7 horses I take care of, only 4 come into their stalls in the morning to eat their grain.. as soon as they are finished I let them back out. When the weather is really bad I will pull the two that I own into their stalls for the night, but even then I feel bad about it because it's just not natural for them to be pent up in a box for hours on end! As long as they have access to a run in shelter (all 7 don't fit under ours, thus mine come in) I would definitely leave them out 24/7.

If you don't have to stall your horse... dont! Aside from it being healthier for the horse to be out, it's less work for you in regards to keeping the stall clean and stocked. My boy can mess up a stall pretty dang quickly and I'd much rather pay for feed than bedding! Less chores inside the stall means more time for you to spend with your horse.
 
#11 ·
either one would work ok, depending on how hot it is where you live !!

my horse really likes coming into his stall, he has a comfortable place to lay down & hay that he doesnt have to share.
 
#12 ·
mine are only stalled at night during the winter. In the summer they only come in to eat. They have shelter to get away from the heat and the flies.
 
#14 · (Edited)
Mine only come in at night during the winter, and that's just because I keep my riding mare clipped so she could potentially get colder. And, she's a total princess.

During the summer they are out 24/7 with access to two stalls open to the pasture and a lean to in the back.

The one thing you have to consider about keeping them in during the day when it's hot is if it's actually cooler in the barn, and think of such things as air flow. If it's hot and breezy outside, it's much better than hot and not breezy inside, get what I'm saying?

You also have to think of feeding. I don't feed morning hay in the summer because they have access to so much good grass, and they get hay at night when they are closed in from the the further back, lusher pastures.

But like I said, my vote is 24/7.
 
#16 ·
I prefer having a stalled horse in the winter because it's sub-arctic here. So riding and then turning the horse back out into -40C weather without walking it for hours doesn't happen...
In the summer, I also like having a stalled horse because it is show season and he is in a stall 24/7 for up to 5 days at a time and it is nice for him to be "conditioned" to that. It doesn't get super hot here so they go outside during the day and are in at night.
For a horse that isn't in competitions/demos then they should be fine on 24/7 turnout. You also have to keep in mind that a lot of places don't have the pasture space for horses to be outside 24/7 and they have to rotate them. In that case it would depend on the climate if I would want them out at night or during the day.
 
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