Adjusting turnout routine due to weather?

[Littlechestnuthunter]

Hi guys! I’m sure I’m just over thinking things, but I recently moved my retired gelding and a buddy home and keep going back and forth on turnout and would love advice! All summer I had them on night turnout, I’d bring them in around 9am and they’d go back out around 5-6pm. They seemed happy with this schedule! Now, it’s been cooler and the flies are gone, so I’ve been leaving them out longer in the mornings (really just bringing them in around noon to ride) and feeding dinner earlier and putting them back out around 3-4pm.

Now we are into the wet and cold weather and I’m kind of struggling to get them into a consistent turnout routine. I don’t have a shelter for them in the pasture (just trees) so I’ve had to bring them in a few nights when it has rained all night long. I can tell they are a little unhappy about the change in their routine and are ready to go back out first thing in the morning. My question is, would you guys stick with their usual routine as best as possible in situations like this? Like, if they were in all night, would you put them out first thing for a couple hours and still bring them back in during the day since that’s what they’re used to? Or do you think they’d rather just be out after being stuck inside all night?

I like them being out as much as possible, but also don’t know if the lack of a set turnout schedule is stressing them out? Ideally, they’d be out unless we’re getting torrential rain/sleet/ice but without a shelter I probably baby them a little too much

[Scribbler]

Why not 24/7 turnout? Build a lean-to in the field? Or waterproof blankets?

[Jealoushe]

When I used to do night turn out, I would switch them to day turn out when the season changed. They usually settle into within a day or two.

[AllTheCarrots]

Horses are built to be out grazing and moving. They don’t mind the cold/wet/heat/mud/wind as much as we mind it for them (and us). I think the gold standard is living out in a group 24/7, with inviting, ample shelter available if they choose it.

If your horses are happy when they’re out and unhappy when they’re kept in, they’re giving you your answer.

[Littlechestnuthunter]

@Scribbler

Why not 24/7 turnout? Build a lean-to in the field? Or waterproof blankets?

A shelter is on the to-do list but isn’t in the budget right now. They do go out waterproof sheets/blankets!

@Jealoushe

When I used to do night turn out, I would switch them to day turn out when the season changed. They usually settle into within a day or two.

I keep going back and forth on switching them to day turnout but it would really reduce their turnout time compared to now. I just can’t decide!!! Too many decisions

@AllTheCarrots

Horses are built to be out grazing and moving. They don’t mind the cold/wet/heat/mud/wind as much as we mind it for them (and us). I think the gold standard is living out in a group 24/7, with inviting, ample shelter available if they choose it.

If your horses are happy when they’re out and unhappy when they’re kept in, they’re giving you your answer.

I totally agree, and honestly if I had a shelter I would be kicking myself for building a barn because they’d never come in and use it! I guess I’m just anthropomorphizing when I bring them in when it’s 30 degrees and raining. Seems like pure misery to me :lol:

[Jealoushe]

@Littlechestnuthunter

I keep going back and forth on switching them to day turnout but it would really reduce their turnout time compared to now. I just can’t decide!!! Too many decisions

Could you do a 6/7AM turnout and then 6/7PM turn in?

[Sweetums_Mom]

I’ve learned not to worry and take my cues from the horses. I evaluate each horse and how well they “like” their stalls and make a decision based on that when bad weather happens. I do have two sheds and lots of trees but the dominant horses tend to hog the sheds. If I know it’s going to be pouring and cold, I will leave those horses in who “like” or “don’t mind” their stalls. The others all go out with appropriate blanketing.

However, I’m always second guessing myself and just recently, I was driving home in pouring, cold rain that started in the afternoon and I had been fretting about the horses while at work. I get to my driveway and I can see the back pasture and there they are, all of them. None were in the sheds or even under any trees and none had blankets. So I keep telling myself, just don’t worry so much!

[goodhors]

We changed from night turnout (avoiding heat and insects) in summer, but then went back to daytime turnout when nights started dropping into the 30Fs. No one stressed over it.

They are out all day, probably 8A to 8P, most times. If we have a meeting or weather is really wet, we bring them in earlier at night. We are not on an ironclad schedule, so no excitement if we are earlier or later than normal. I think being flexible keeps horses adaptable too, relaxed, not upset with any changes in times. Sometimes you just cannot manage their “usual” turnout or supper is late. They are pretty blinky-eyed if we are really early turning out! Ha ha

If we want to use a horse, we go catch them in the field. Everyone gets cookies for coming, catch who is needed and leave. I do carry a whip, helps me stay “head mare” without horses getting rude. They KNOW they only get one cookie, leave me after that.

We can get severe weather, so horses are always in the barn part of the day. They dry out overnight, hooves dry too, which avoids a lot of leg and hoof issues from being continually wet. Hay and grain fed inside is consumed by the horse who needs it. We think the twice a day handling is a benefit, they follow directions, not making choices on their own. Handling keeps humans in charge. We go over them daily to catch cuts, lamenesses, health issues. We monitor water intake from night buckets. Not guessing quantity consumed overnight, when they drink with 4-5 horses using the same tank. Very hands on here. Seems to prevent problems others have with their equines.

I would have a hard time with 24hr turnout and a shed shelter, though it is common in this area. Horses choosing to stand out in the rain, horses fed but not handled or examined daily. Lots of horror stories locally of bad blanket wounds getting infected, not drinking, about those outside horses. Many unblanketed ones get skin rot or horses get wet isnide their blankets from rain, then temps drop a lot, getting pneumonia. I can’t think the daily time saved not cleaning barn, handling horses, is worth the problems.

[AllTheCarrots]

@Littlechestnuthunter

A shelter is on the to-do list but isn’t in the budget right now.

…and honestly if I had a shelter I would be kicking myself for building a barn because they’d never come in and use it!

What would it cost to put exterior doors on the stalls? And do whatever fencing is needed to connect stalls with pasture? Effectively, can you turn your barn into a run-in shed?

[jawa]

If you have waterproof turnout sheets/blankets and are able to get them appropriately covered for the expected conditions, I would say keep them on the current program. The only time I am reluctant to leave them out is when we are going to get ice or freezing rain.

[RhythmNCruise]

I’m a big believer of keeping them out as much as possible, but I wouldn’t want mine out all night with no shelter in cold, driving rain either. Even though, I watch the horses where I board, mine included, choose to stand out in the cold rain instead of in the run-in shelters at times, I still prefer them to have the option.

I think having an adjustable turn-out schedule is probably a good thing. I know horses like a routine, but it seems like things always happen to upset that routine (a lay-up for an injury, bad weather, change of barn, work schedule changes feeding/turn-out times, horse shows, etc), and when that stuff happens, a horse that is locked into a certain routine really struggles. Horses that are turned out when the weather is nice, brought in when the weather is bad, fed early sometimes, late other times, etc. will eventually stop anticipating and getting upset when things don’t happen on schedule, and those horses will be much better off when a situation like those mentioned above arises.

[JB]

We have just trees. I use sheets and/or blankets in lieu of stalling 99.999% of the time.

[KCSLK]

In your situation, I would turn them out as much 24/7 and only bring in if there was particularly nasty weather or prolonged wet. Then I wouldn’t worry about the change to schedule since it would only be minor with probably 12ish hours inside most of the time.

But I have “shed” horses. I only have 2 and I take care of them, so they get plenty of hands-on observation. But they live 24/7 without blankets in a split paddock (so they are separated 12 hours per day) with 2 small (8x10 with overhang and 8x12) sheds with rubber mats. Hay usually gets fed inside the sheds so that forces them to stand out of the weather or mud. I did build the 8x10+overhang shed recently ($300ish for the shed & mats plus new tin snips, a used drill, and a couple days of work) because I would wake up worrying on nights with bad weather and wanted to know they were both under shelter, or at least had the option without bickering over it.

maybe that helps?? I think everyone finds something that works for them with their specific ciecumstances by trial and error

[XXS]

This is quite popular in my area because often it is not allowed, possible or affordable to build “something better”. But at least it’s a shelter and if affordable some rubber mats can prevent mud.

[IPEsq]

@Jealoushe

When I used to do night turn out, I would switch them to day turn out when the season changed. They usually settle into within a day or two.

I’d do this. Don’t bring them in for part of the day too. They will be ok. Although there’s less turnout on a daytime turnout schedule usually unless you want to get up early, I would be in favor of just changing them over to this routine since you don’t have any shelter outside. Especially if there’s a chance that weather conditions might make you want them to be inside all the time for a day.

Horses like routine. Changing the routine can be a bit upsetting until the new schedule becomes the routine.

If they liked coming inside in the summer to be out of the bugs, then I think regardless of how bad you winter is where you are, if you want them out 24/7 or close to it, they are going to need some sort of shelter option regardless of season.

[Montanas_Girl]

@goodhors

I would have a hard time with 24hr turnout and a shed shelter, though it is common in this area. Horses choosing to stand out in the rain, horses fed but not handled or examined daily. Lots of horror stories locally of bad blanket wounds getting infected, not drinking, about those outside horses. Many unblanketed ones get skin rot or horses get wet isnide their blankets from rain, then temps drop a lot, getting pneumonia. I can’t think the daily time saved not cleaning barn, handling horses, is worth the problems.

24/7 turnout does not have to (and shouldn’t) mean no handling or care. My horses live out 24/7. They get handled twice a day, every day, when they’re fed, and I check them over carefully for wounds/injuries at every feeding time. They get fly masks/spray or blankets on/off at those times as conditions and their individual preferences demand. They get a complete head-to-toe grooming 5-6 days per week and full baths weekly, weather permitting. When it’s hot out, they get hosed off every evening. I pick up manure in their run-in and in the high-traffic paddock area where I feed/water/etc. every morning. Keeping them out is about doing what’s healthiest for them, not about saving time for me. The things you mention are indications of poor horsemanship and not at all exclusive to horses that live out. My first semester in college, I came home after two weeks to find that my horse (who was on stall board and therefore being brought in/out twice a day) had a horribly infected puncture wound on his shoulder. It was literally the first thing I saw when I walked up to him in the field, yet his daily caretakers hadn’t noticed it at all.

[four2farm]

My guys have a roofed shed with a wind wall. Unless it is POURING, they never use it. Last winter ,sleet ,freezing rain and my idiots are outside trying to take the tarp of the round bale when they have hay in the shed. DH works across the street so I am blessed as my guys can have their rugs pulled once it hits 40 or stops raining. Mine only get stalled for medical needs.

My neighbor has a nice set up for his guys, he just uses a few panels as a chute and gated off the barn aisle end. They can get in if needed but pretty much stay out unless the weather is really bad. Both of his are body clipped. He was going to build a run in but changed his mind as this worked so well and was so easy to keep clean. He works all day and this way he does not have to worry about unknown weather changes.

[JB]

@Littlechestnuthunter

I totally agree, and honestly if I had a shelter I would be kicking myself for building a barn because they’d never come in and use it! I guess I’m just anthropomorphizing when I bring them in when it’s 30 degrees and raining. Seems like pure misery to me :lol:

Even if I had a shed in the pasture, they’d still come in for breakfast like they do now. Sheds don’t have to be so you don’t need a barn.

Barns are still great for stall rest, a dry place for grooming and vet and farrier visits, teaching horses they can be locked in a stall overnight without a buddy right next to them, and other Life Things.

I’m not above bringing mine in when it’s 33* and raining for hours and hours, or 30* and a sideways sleety snow. A shed would be “worse” for me, as I’d have to haul hay out there AND clean it up later, when I can just feed hay in the barn and clean stalls.

My horses are wimps. They don’t like cold rain, or driving rain, or sleet, or any snow that isn’t fluffy and dry. Even blanketed, they spend time standing under their tree “shed”.

I sometimes say mine are on 24x7 turnout, but in reality that’s not quite accurate, as they spend 30-60 minutes in for breakfast, occasionally literally the 15-20 minutes it takes them to eat, or even maybe a few hours when I’m regularly riding. I suspect more people use 24x7 a bit loosely, and their horses too come in for meals.

[Scribbler]

My horse was on field board from January to July this past year. She was on straight pasture vacation from September 2019 to January 2020, at a different location.

At the field board place, she got hay twice a day morning and night, and had some shelter and lived in a small herd. I came down every day to ride, caught her, brought her into the barn, fed her a meal of alfalfa, groomed and tacked up and rode, and fed her a mash with her supplements. Then her waterproof turnout went back on and she was out all night. I don’t think we had her in overnight at all, it was a fairly mild though wet winter.

So she was inside for several hours a day, depending on how long I was at the barn.

Worked fine. She was always happy to go back out.

[SusanO]

My horses are like JB’s. Both my mares are wimps. The one mare has 24/7 access to her stall and she stays in there when we just get a sprinkle of rain. The other night I left mare #2 out all night and it rained. It was 65 degrees. Mare #2 just about had a meltdown and ran screaming for the gate when I walked down there in the morning. It wasn’t cold. And it didn’t rain all that hard either. And she has a tree or two to stand under. She just doesn’t do bugs or rain. The little cold weather we get she is happy as a clam being outside.

Tonight we have storms coming in and it is muggy hot. So I will turn out tonight, get the stalls ready and I guess get out of bed if the weather gets bad and bring them in. Then crawl back in bed. I hope it gets COOL soon and I can go to day turn out but that won’t happen until frost when the flies die off. At least it is not 100 degrees like it was last year.