Mud v stable - discuss!!

[gordo]

If I had stables big enough (yeah right!) I would have G in. Hate the thought of his old body out in this cold but field dry and they aren't stood in mud. Plenty of hay and hard feed, what else can I do! He hates stables so he makes the rules I guess!!

[laura]

I am another avid out 24/7 whenever possible and we chose th eplace we rent specifically because we can yard the horses when the fields muddy so not having to make that choice.

In the OP scenario where it appears to be a choice of deep mud over the whole turnout area OR stabled 24 /7....



I would have moved yards before it got to that stage because to me both options are unaceptable ..


Ok I know that might be a cop out ........... ok it is


ok

..... deep mud the most worrying if the horses cannot escape it as injuries can occur as well as those without sufficient feather getting skin wet and staying that way.

The hay , well that could just be timing , owners could have been up early then going up later to put more out but worrying if not.

unless its wet, windy and cold don't think the ( stable) warmth thing is relevent to many horses, they can regulate themselves if they have their own hair !



a to these particular horses ..... well not sure as to the individual horses preferences ( two of ours would prob attempt break down the door if we tried keep them in for any length of time ) but I suppose if the mud was very deep I would consider the stable might be a better option if I was backed into a very tight corner

[horsey123]

it horses for corses

all dephed on th horse

i could keep my oldies in 24/7 and they wouldent bat an eyelid

i keep my welsh in for 24 hours and i wouldent even attempt to take him out of his stable unless it was to the feild as he turns into a monster

if kept i longer than 2 days he will start be get very stressed and not eat started pacing and drops weight

i also have 2 younge tbs with me how have been kept in a stable scice weaning so get very stressed if left i for long periods of time in the day now we are still working on this behavour and i would rather keep them in a mud bath for 12 hours than have them stresseing i my stables

[morwenstowstud]

At the moment I have 3 living out 24/7 with free access to a huge barn as well as a huge 3 sided shelter. They choose to go where they wish but are out mostly, even in foul weather.

I have two living in 24/7. One on box rest, the other waiting to go to her new yard on Tuesday.

I have 4 living out 24/7 with just natural hedge shelter and the coats God gave them.

Out of my lot I'd say the most unhappy is one of the stabled ones. She may have hay on tap, and be out of the wind, rain, cold and mud, but she's rapidly dropping weight, and is utterly miserable being in.

Out 24/7 for me over stabling. I wouldn't like to judge the situation in the original post. It could be that the stables were all made up cosy for the night, and the ponies had just been thrown out for a couple of hours. Some turnout is better than none.

[mags]

Dan loves been out atm where he is. But I know normally in winter when he is on a normal sized field he makes it quite clear he would rather be in the stable cosy all day munching on haylage. I would have to kick him out

[mandal]

Have to say that I think the most important point about what you saw Gordo is NO FOOD!!!! A horse wouldn't be happy tucked up in a nice warm stable with no food!!!

[dingbat]

if these horses are in at night then surely they need some 'out time'!? Not just to be locked up 24/7.

Our yard is a bit like that. Its mainly mud outside. But my horse goes out daily so that he can move about and have some time to himself. (Is hayed outside). His legs also fill when in the stable. So i'm sure he prefers time out with friends and fresh air than being locked up 24 hours a day?!

i admit its not an ideal way to keep a horse though. (in mud that is).

[Gail&Merlin]

Weve got ours electric taped outside the wood fencing, plenty of grass for them, but bobby keeps jumping out, so he keeps getting put into the wooden paddock for his own safety, the problem there is that it like running a gauntlet getting through the mud near the gate, all the horses hate it, and our mud is so full of clay it cant be good for tendons we loose many a boot in that bit lol. Id still rather they were out though than stuck in, turnout is is about 6 hours a day at the moment but at least they are getting some.
I do feel for these horses gordo, and i bet the owners are frustrated too.
I do know people around here that have no turnout at all over winter, a crew yard with about 20 horses in it, they have the grazing but refuse to use it, seeing that upsets me more than seeing horses stood in mud.

[arabheaven]

over grazed muddy fields - great land management!!

My gateway gets TERRIBLY muddy, so much so that they plant their feet going in and out, but I have two fields which I rotate. They are in their winter field which I have split in half so in Jan they will go onto the other side.

Mine don't have set routine. If it is cold/frosty/wet they come in overnight about 7pm the back out at 6am. If it's ok, they stay out with hay in the field. At the moment both are rugged in 180g with neck covers as it is very bitter and our fields are exposed and on the plains. If they come in, they don't have rugs as it is cold but sheltered.

If I had a field that was complete sloppy mud, I think I would move, turn out for a few hours stretch or... just cry?? Not too bad when its frosty I suppose as you can hay them but wet mud across the whole field would be awful. I think mine would prefer to stay in, even Zac who likes to be out 99% of the time!

[arabmania]

I tried asti out 24/7 for a few nights BUT one night she refused point blank to leave her stable when i'd brought her in for her usual check over, feed and haylage net! Planted her feet and that was that
i thought i was doing what she wanted by being out 24/7 but nope! she let me know otherwise. The stable the next morning was so tidy and had her imprint of where she had been laying down.

[wendyihts]

The first livery yard I had Crystal on in the UK was very muddy over the winter. The first idea had been to have her out 24/7 but it soon became pointless as even with hay out in the field, she wasn't getting any being the baby out there. So she started coming in overnight and was turned out for 8 hours a day otherwise. But come the next winter I found another livery yard that was no where near as muddy!

My horses here have grass less turnout during winter in order to save the rest of the field. We've had so much rain this winter that it's now a quagmire but the big girls have a large barn, semi-deep littered and with ad lib forage and my two ponies have a shelter, a large area of concrete hardstanding and the sand based 20m round pen open all the time and all connected to one another.

Leaving horses standing in mud with only sporadic forage 24/7 or having them locked in 23 hours a day even with plenty of hay is no way to keep them IMHO. If it were me, I'd be looking to move the horse ASAP.

[Booze Fish]

I think from reading the repsonses, it depends totally on individual circumstances.

I have a 20 year old trace clipped TB carrying enough weight to see him through the winter - he has a lightweight stable rug on at night, and he has a heavy weight rug on first thing in the morning when he is turned out. If the weather improves during the day, either the rug comes off or its replaced with a lightweight one. He and his field mate are on about 1 acre and a bit which they havent completely poached yet, but we strip graze so the land doesnt seem to get that bad. There is a covering of grass, but there is also bog type mud in some ares where they spend a lot of time (like the gate and areas where the drainage isnt so good). They dont get ad-lib forage throughout the day because there is just enough grass to keep them going for about 8 hours of turn out a day. They have large haynets at night as well as a breakfast and tea consisting of lots of fibre to help keep them warm. They go out between 7 and 8am, and come in between 3 and 4pm. By 3pm they are waiting to come in.

Mine lives out in spring/summer and I notice a huge difference in his mobility and fitness compared to winter, with him being an oldie as well - its definitley the best time of year for him. I would leave him out all winter if I could to maintain his fitness/mobility, but there is simply not enough grass for them all and I cant afford to feed him extra hay on top of what he gets now.

I think its important to do whatever suits your horse and you, and you can only do the best with what you have got and can afford.

[emmaandstar]

I have a compromise. I knew Star hated being stabled but as we are on heavy clay keeping it in good shape during the winter is difficult.

So we constructed a field shelter with a 12x15m woodchip corral around it. She has plenty of room to move about, I have even seen her have a bit of a canter around when the fancy takes her.

I turn her out from 10am till 3pm and have to accept the bit she's on will get trashed, so that section of the field is the only bit I will use this winter to keep the rest in good condition for spring.

Luckily I am at home so I space out her deliveries of hay during the day so it doesn't all get eaten at once She has a big manger in the corral which I stuff with hay at 10pm for the night. On very wet days she can stay in her corral and off the mud and she seems quite happy with this. ;D

[Lynsey]

I think it really does depend on the horse. Beau is only out in the morning at the moment and the last few times I have brought her in she is galloped across the field to the gate to come in and can't wait to get out of the mud (and the fields do have grass and aren't too bad except by the gate). At first I flattered myself that she wanted to come to me but I think she just isn't a mud horse at all! She is more than happy tucked up in the stable as long as she has had a few hours to stretch her legs. As someone at the yard put it very nicely, she just stands there saying 'I am a desert horse don't you know. I don't do mud'.

[forestgirl]

I personally feel that IF you have suitable grazing with good shelter then yes , 24/7 turnout is best. Unfortunately with having such a wet summer , the ground is so waterlogged that good grazing at this time of year is hard to find.
A horse I used to own was kept on a farm where their grazing , all year round, was in a 150 acre glen. It had excellent natural shelter in the form of steep sides and a variety of hillocks. There were rocky outcrops and trees , and a river running through the bottom of the valley. In summer , we had to walk for ages to find the horses. In winter they came in at night and guess what , they were always waiting at the gate to come in ! We used to just open the gate and 4 horses and a shetland pony would all walk in quietly and put themselves in their own stables !
The winter turnout at the yard I'm at now , although well maintained , is a mixture of very sticky mud and not a lot of grass. There's enough for the horses to pick at but not to sustain them.
If we had a dry summer , the fields would not be like this now.
My pony is stabled at night with a huge net of haylage which takes her all night to eat. She has a big deep bed of wheat straw which she loves to lie down in and stretch out for a good sleep. She has a small feed in the morning so she is not going out on an empty stomach and a bigger feed when she comes in (No concentrates , Alfa-A , Speedi-Beet and Blue Chip). She wears a 50g Amigo Insulator in the stable ans a 200g mediumweight turnout rug in the field. She is out from 9am - 4pm and is always waiting at the gate from 3pm to come in. On days when the weather is very cold, wet and windy , she does not want to go out. I have to practically drag her out to the field where she then just stands at the gate waiting to come back in ( I put her out and walk away when she does this). If I go to the field 2 hours later to check , she's still near the gate and watching for someone to come and get her !