indoor or outdoor

miss enzo

just wondering do you keep your horses/ponies indoor or outdoor?
this was a debate we often had in college about health and behaviour of stabled horses...


so which have you?


personally my two were always outside except for the night before a show when i put them in to get rid of the grass belly!

kerrysgold

When I get my horse s/he will be out 24/7, the natural way is the best way IMO.

finbarrk

Mod edit: Cop on

TheB

kerrysgold wrote: »

When I get my horse s/he will be out 24/7, the natural way is the best way IMO.

It is more natural but it all depends on the horse whether it is a suitable way to keep them..

Said on my other thread that TheG would absolutely *hate* living out.. he loathes bad weather. Atm he is in 24/7 .. which is his choice.. not mine.. forcing him to stay out for the sake of keeping him naturally would be cruel IMO as he gets so distressed..

If I turn him out in cold/wet or windy winter weather before I have even got the gate shut he is crying to come in.. attempting to leave him to get on with it - in a "he is a horse, he'll get over it" way doesn't work.. he eventually gets hysterical and will jump out of the field.. I know when he won't like being out and leave him in..

Summer is different.. he likes to be out longer and he is turned out overnight in hot weather.. comes in for a couple of hours for breakfast and a rest in the morning and goes back out at lunchtime.. if you leave him out he just ends up crying at the gate after a day or 2 to come in.. :rolleyes: .. he is such a drama queen!

Bx

ETA - not sure I would keep any horse I had in hard work out 24/7.. IMO a stabled clipped (in winter - hunter/full clip) horse (with 6-8hrs a day turn out in winter / more in summer) on hard feed will always be fitter than a grass kept horse who isn't clipped out .. (Having said that I don't endorse being in 24/7 and my beds are always clean and dry, they are fed haylage to cut down on dust and are fed a SimpleSystems diet rather than cereals..so although they spend time stabled it is in the healthiest way possible.. )

miss enzo

i didnt like keepin mine in! my sport horse was a 24/7 in horse and had so many vices from stable boredom..... he was also very hard fed in winter.... so when i bought him he got a new rug and was out with the other lad..... he hated it at first but then he started hating bein in!!!! his vices reduced to almost nothin but the minute he was back in the stable he'd weave, windsuck, cribbite paw doors... the list goes on.... tried things like hangin turnips and that to keep him occupied but to no avail. so ya he was kept outdoors then and he never looked better... his old owner saw him at a show and commented on how well he looked and asked what i was doin, think she was a bit shocked when i said he was out the whole time cause he was a pure softie hated the rain and the wind but the change in his was so huge it was worth him being a little distressed at the begining!

TheB

miss enzo wrote: »

iso many vices from stable boredom..... he was also very hard fed in winter....

Luckily TheG has none.. he loves being in and doesn't stress at all.. He does however have haylage to eat 24/7 and is not fed cereals so that does avoid Starch stress (he gets a fibre only diet - the SimpleSystems idea- as he has problems with Cellulitis on a high cereal diet.. )

so when i bought him he got a new rug and was out with the other lad..... he hated it at first but then he started hating bein in!!!!

If only - he's such a flower.. wears a Super HW with a full neck plus underrug in mid winter (he's hunter clipped) .. A HW with a full neck in late autumn and early spring.. A MW with no neck in late spring/early Autumn and on rainy summer days a rain sheet and a flysheet with neck in hot weather! Although the fly/UV sheet was more important to stop his coat bleaching when we were competing seriously..

*sighs* it is such hard work to have such a high maintenance horse.. I wish he'd go out more in bad weather but it's not worth it..

his vices reduced to almost nothin but the minute he was back in the stable he'd weave, windsuck, cribbite paw doors... the list goes on

Thats brilliant.. he must have been so bored and stressed before.... G displays that type of behaviour at the field gate if weather is bad..He doesn't weave or crib etc but he will paw the gate, wear a track ,by basically box walking infront, of it.. Piaffe infront of the gate for long periods (he loses SO much condition doing all this) and finally will jump out.

so ya he was kept outdoors then and he never looked better... his old owner saw him at a show and commented on how well he looked and asked what i was doin, think she was a bit shocked when i said he was out the whole time cause he was a pure softie hated the rain and the wind but the change in his was so huge it was worth him being a little distressed at the begining!

Thats great! It obviously suits him well.. .. Poor G would wither away to nothing.. lol.. I've had him 10 years and he just won't have any of it..such a wuss .. tried to make him get on with it (not living out - just being out in colder/rainier weather) but he jumped 6ft stallion rails (why not the gate ??) to get back in..:rolleyes: .. just went straight to his box and stood outside it waiting patiently for someone to let him in..

He was too old I think to learn when I got him.. Hadn't been turned out from a yearling until he was 9! :eek: .. He was terrified when I 1st turned him out & ran through 2 sets of post & rail fencing to come in! He likes going out now when the weather is ok and is happy out upto 24hrs in summer but then wants in for a few hours..idiot horse.. Ho hum.. next week is better weather (apparently) so he'll go out for all day when it gets better.. Roll on Spring is all I can say!

Bx

fits

Can you get Simple Systems in Ireland? And through whom?

I didnt realise it was available here.

miss enzo

@theB my last was 11 when i changed his life style!! had been in 2/7 in an intensive work programme for 6 yrs... they can change if they want to! i guess ur lad like being pampered!!!

TheB

miss enzo wrote: »

@theB my last was 11 when i changed his life style!! had been in 2/7 in an intensive work programme for 6 yrs... they can change if they want to! i guess ur lad like being pampered!!!

Blimey.. thats good.. Thats the key I think though.. they have to want to.. and try as I might he won't :rolleyes: ..

I think I finally gave up trying about 5 winters ago.. turned him out on a not particularly cold but very wet and windy day (in his big rugs - must have been around Christmas time) at about 7.30am.. had put electric tape about 6ft infront of P&R fencing to stop him jumping out (theory being too wide to make the leap - too narrow to bounce it) and left him.. went to work.

Got call about 11.30 from YO saying he was stressing and should she bring him in.. I said no.. leave him .. it's not cold and he has company, shelter and decent grazing..2pm YO calls.. he is down in field.. Vet there when I get there.. says he has Stress Colic and resulting shock.. :rolleyes: .. tells me off for not bringing an obviously stressed out horse in - 4 frightening days later (he had to go to Horsepital) he was home.. Have never tried to force him again..

I'm so looking forwards to better weather though.. Cannot wait. He can go out and I won't have so much poo to deal with!! he's also better out as he's getting to the age where he is stiff in the mornings and legs fill.. instead he goes on the walker in the mornings while I muck out and is ridden or lunged in the evenings.. would be better for his legs (at least) going out though..

Bx

TheB

fits wrote: »

Can you get Simple Systems in Ireland? And through whom?

I didnt realise it was available here.

Aha.. I have ways and means!! I'll PM you ..

Bendihorse

Ben is out fulltime and loves it, doesn't take kindly to being in at all, gets really narky. Hes a native breed and not clipped so hes out with a lightweight turnout with hood, just to keep the rain off his back.

Mandi is in fulltime, she was out with Ben during the summer last year when weather was good which she loved, but has not experienced winter weather outdoors. I dont think she would take kindly to it either as shes thin skinned and warm blooded.

Different horses have different requirements i guess...

Bendihorse

The B and Fits, Whats 'Simple Systems'??

fits

Very natural high fibre food for the horse. Have heard very good reports about it from users in the UK, but we still like feeding the starchy concentrates here.
http://www.simplesystem.co.uk/