At what temperature do you move your horses from their fields to the the barn?

[Linda]

Our horses are outside much of the year, We have 3 sided sheds out in the fields that are situated such that the horses are out of the wind once they are in their sheds. The horses, in the cool winter weather (close to freezing or below) are in the barn.

We have a barn with 3 stalls ( tack area, etc) with runs which are mostly open unless its “really” cold, in which we close them up the barn.

I try to avoid that since the horses do better physically when they are able to move around on their own. But we are having some REALLY cold weather lately.

So Im wondering at what temp (or temp plus wind) do you decide to move your horses inside the barn?

As an additional note, we have two, 3 sided sheds out in the fields,situated such that the wind does not blow into the sheds…however, we have 3 horses, 2 of which are older guys and my first concern is to make sure that they have comfortable housing.

The horses are blanketed (all the time in this weather) And we check them several times a day.

Im just looking for some advice on how we are managing this - and suggestions if y’all have some
L

[IronwoodFarm]

My horses live out 24/7 regardless of the weather. Just because I am cold does not mean that they are cold. I have sheds in all my fields – the horses rarely use them in the winter; it’s a summer thing for them. I do not clip, so no need to blanket. Putting a horse in a barn is not necessarily a warmer situation. I have found that my horses do better moving around, especially the older ones, and eating free choice hay. I have heated automatic waterers in all fields. My horses thrive during the winter, in fact, I think they prefer the lower temperatures and lack of bugs.

[Palm_Beach]

Horses are well adapted to cold weather and as long as they have adequate water and food, can tolerate some pretty cold temps.

http://www.extension.umn.edu/agriculture/horse/care/equine-winter-care/

Horses should have access to shelter from wind, sleet, and storms (Figure 1). Free access to a stable or an open-sided shed works well, as do trees if a building is not available. In the absence of wind and moisture, horses tolerate temperatures at or slightly below 0°F. If horses have access to a shelter, they can tolerate temperatures as low as -40°F. However, horses are most comfortable at temperatures between 18 and 59°F, depending on their hair coat.

Energy needs for a horse at maintenance increase about 1% for each degree below 18°F.

[Bluey]

All our horses are out 24/7, not blanketed and come under the barn overhang as they choose and to be fed.

Our temperatures go from -7F to 110F and never had a horse in trouble because of the temperature, no matter how extreme.

As long as horses are not sick, have good horse sense, don’t stand there when it is pouring and freezing, but get under the shed, which most do, they do fine, even our older ones.

If a horse has a problem, we had, decades ago, a 10 year old arabian that one day started shivering and it was not that cold, he may have some other problem than the weather.
He was hypothyroid and was put on medication and was fine after that.

[js]

When we were stationed in Alaska, the only time we actually shut them in their stalls was when it dropped to 50 degrees below zero. Barn was not heated, we just kept them in to be out of the wind. Otherwise their stalls were always open to their paddocks.

Where we live now, it can get down in the 20’s and rarely in the high teens, we never keep them in, the stalls are open 24/7. I do blanket in the winter when the temps drop into the low 40’s and lower. Only time I will keep them in if it is cold temps with rain.

[Wonders12]

I feel you, OP. I’m from California too where people blanket at 60* and anything below 40* is reason to panic.

Now in live in Wisconsin and have to deal with reality.

The reality is horses do much much better in cold weather than we do. Read the link posted above. Minnesota has a lot of great research.

Our horses are out during the day and in (a non-heated, not tightly closed up barn) at night. I don’t even blanket until it’s going to be below freezing during the day. So that could mean horses are naked in their stalls into the 20s at night. (Obviously there are a few exceptions to the rule, like the thinner than I’d like TB, etc.) They do fine.

In a perfect world, I would like to throw a sheet on them below 50* and rainy, but most of our horses don’t have sheets, and they would be roasting under a blanket at that temp. They survive.

And my horse? Well she’s a little on the chubby side and handles winter well so she doesn’t even see a blanket until we are at least in the low 20’s during the day and nearing single digits at night.

As for the barns? Windows (in stalls) and doors (at the ends of the aisles) are still open until we are 0 or below or having a terrible storm. Some owners choose to shut their windows earlier, which is their choice, but I prefer the barn to be open. If the horses lie down, they can avoid any wind completely.

Turnout happens as long as footing is acceptable. (Twice in the last two years there has been too much ice to safety turn out.) Our pastures are on a hill, so if we are into the negative temps and windy, I might do shortened turnout in paddocks so they aren’t on the hill. The only time I said “no turnout, it’s too cold” was when the wind chill was below -40.

In summary: I can’t possibly imagine any weather in Tehachapi where I would lock anyone up. (Assuming everyone is in good health and handling the weather fine.) I might feed extra hay, since your horses aren’t used to these temps, but that’s about it. That being said, half how we care for our horses is actually for our horses, the other half is for us. So do what gives you piece of mind. I could understand closing up the barn at night when it’s below freezing, but I wouldn’t limit daytime turnout in this 40’s and 30’s weather CA is having. (Again, assuming everyone is doing well and has a sheet or blanket on for the rain.)

[goodhors]

I wish you had listed the temps at your “very cold” weather setting.

Mine come into the barn when it is supper time. I might bring them in a little earlier if temps are below zero and have been all day with wind. I don’t have outside shelters, just the trees of the neighbor’s woods for windbreak.

One horse wears a blanket, he seems to get chilled from the wind, but it is a light blanket or a rainsheet when temps are above 15F. He just needs a windbreak cover over his heavy hair coat. Blanket comes off inside the barn for night. With 5 other horses in there providing more heat the barn is fairly warm, no drafts, even in the very cold temps. There is airflow thru the roof vents, so doors are shut tight to prevent drafts.

All the other horses, 6, are unblanketed, not clipped, love being out in any weather. They make their hair stand up to be fuzzy in the cold, lay it down when they want less warmth. They run and play in the cold, no one huddled up.

Our horses stay very healthy in any temps, even the one with a blanket hates wearing it. Gives me “the look” if I bring it over to put it on him. Cold days make everyone frisky, lots more activity than when it is hot. As everyone else said, horses are made to take the cold and do well in it. With hay to keep their internal heating system going, plenty of water to drink, they do fine outside. You sometimes have to persuade them to drink more, MAKE them drink more with special treatement, since dehydration is the enemy of winter horse keeping. Dry body means impaction colic issues will happen.

I wouldn’t worry about your horses managing the cold, they are probably just fine though you are freezing! Be careful not to overblanket them, so they sweat under the covers and get chilled. I see that happen because Owner is cold doing chores, so Horse needs more covering! NOT true.

[Guilherme]

In our climate we don’t have the extreme cold temps that would require bringing horses in. When it’s going below freezing we put out extra hay.

The do come it if we’re going to have freezing precipitation, like sleet or freezing rain. As soon as the precip is gone they go back out unless there’s a very good reason to keep them in.

G.

[NancyM]

My horses are out, grazing on the alfalfa fields for the first part of winter, and come “in” to a 40 acre high pasture that has a run in shelter, and are fed hay instead when the winter grazing is done. They don’t use the shelter unless it rains in the early spring. They prefer trees, or sheltered areas of some hills. The temperature here has gone to -38 C. When they get feeling chilled, they go for a run in the snow together, and warm up. In cold weather, the coldest horse is one who is locked into a stall, where he can’t run. My horses are mostly TBs, and the free feed alfalfa/grass hay and the ability to run together keeps them fat and healthy through winter.

[arlosmine]

OP, if you are keeping horses in Tehachapi Ca, I don’t think it’s a question you need to ask
The only time I can think of to even blanket would be for convenience of grooming, if they are body clipped or high-trace clipped, and/or freezing cold-plus-rain. I blanket as lightly as possible purely for my convenience to cut down on grooming time and to not have to run around like a maniac doing blanket swaps every time the weather shifts.
I would never shut them in unless they were injured, it was hard-frozen and slippery in pastures, frozen “sharp” cupping mud. or I needed to be sure that it was something “doable” for showing.

It’s not warmer in a barn than “outside”…it’s the lack of wind. If you’ve got blankets and shelters and you feed extra roughage to keep the furnace stoked, you’ve got it covered already

[Pocket_Pony]

In Tehachapi very cold is . . . 20s? Your horses are just fine in that weather and probably actually enjoy it as long as it isn’t freezing rain and wind storm.

I moved my horses from NorCal to Central Oregon this year (high desert with the Cascade mountain range just to the west of us). Over Thanksgiving we had a snow storm that dropped more snow than was expected. Every time I went out to the barn, where were the horses? Outside in their paddocks, covered in snow, with snow boogers and everything. I don’t blanket my horses, they are all fuzzy and every time I feel under their coats to the skin they are warm to the touch.

I bring the horses into the barn at night for my own convenience (but they have huge run-ins off their stalls, so they are never closed in). When it is zero and below, I tend to get a bit chilly. :winkgrin: I hook up the hose to my hot water spigot, top off their water buckets with hot water, make their dinner mash with hot water, and grab from the box of kleenex in the heated tack room. Barn kitty gets closed in the tack room (he doesn’t even want to come out on cold mornings), and everyone is happy.

I do give extra hay overnight if it is going to be below 20.

[wcporter]

For me its less about temp and more about the condition of the ground. At our barn they come in when it super wet/muddy or icy, especially if they have shoes.

Agree with others that my horse seems so much happier in the winter, even on the coldest day, than in the summer heat with the flies and gnats.

[imaginique]

I turn my horses out regardless of temperature. They have access to their stalls at all times but rarely come in.

[kashmere]

We don’t go by temperature, we go by precipitation and footing. It gets quite cold here - up to -30C, occasionally slightly colder with the windchill added, but if it’s relatively dry and the pastures aren’t sheets of pure ice they go out. Situations where they are consistently brought in would be: freezing rain, blizzard, normal rain when temperatures are expected to be very cold after the rain.

They are out 24/7 consistently from about April - November. For winter and early spring they are often in overnight - though my new mare often just looks at everyone heading to their stalls in the evening and simply declines to participate. She is an outdoor gal for sure We mostly bring them in at night in those months to give their hooves some consistent time being dry - it’s a mild year so far for us and it’s MUDDY.

[SugarCubes]

[QUOTE=wcporter;8441885]
For me its less about temp and more about the condition of the ground. At our barn they come in when it super wet/muddy or icy, especially if they have shoes.

Agree with others that my horse seems so much happier in the winter, even on the coldest day, than in the summer heat with the flies and gnats.[/QUOTE]

This. I just moved my two home but really want to avoid creating mud pits. Mine have paddocks attached to their stalls and have a separate pasture. If it’s raining, I lock them in their stalls so they don’t destroy the footing in their paddocks (they can go out once it stops raining, it drains quickly!) and I only let them in the pasture when it’s pretty dry. If I were to let them in the pasture when it’s wet, they would sink in the red clay and it would suck their shoes right off!

Wet or icy, mine will stay in. Cold and dry, they can have access to their runs 24/7. Both of mine are clipped and blanketed and love being out!

[fordtraktor]

Never, in your weather.

Last year I brought them all in at night, when windchills were around -40 to -50 degrees during the day and night for three days straight. The actual temps were in the negative teens. They wanted out during the day, so I put them out. They were wearing double heavyweights and were fine. They have good hay 24/7 so they never get cold out.

It’ll be fine, put them in when you want, but not for too long – keep in mind that if you coop them up a long time they will go on a big run when they go out again which IME is when they are far more likely to get hurt than if they continue to go out regularly. The worst is to coop them up for a few days and then put them out on crap footing. better to just keep putting them out on their normal schedule than to do something like that.

[Timex]

Never, and I’m in upstate NY.

[Kodidog763]

My horses are out 24/7 with a shelter. This is MN so we do get cold weather. I sheet them if we are going to have wet snow/rain/sleet. I will blanket if it will be below zero during the day.

Two years ago, during the “polar vortex”, I did move them to a barn for a few days when our daytime temps didn’t reach -10 degrees with windchills of -40 for a few days in a row.

[beau159]

@Linda;8441280

So Im wondering at what temp (or temp plus wind) do you decide to move your horses inside the barn?

Never.

Our horses are outside 24/7. I live in North Dakota. I also don’t even own a blanket. (besides a couple cooler sheets)

My horses are healthy. They have access to food, water, and windbreak.

There’s been blizzards we’ve opened up a building and gave them the option to go inside. They almost always choose to stay outside.

They’re fine.

One benefit of keeping the horse outside, is you don’t have to worry about air circulation. If you do choose to keep your horse inside during cold weather, you MUST have some sort of air circulation or they can develop things like pneumonia from breathing the humidity that builds up.

[Char]

Northeast Ohio here, I never stall our three except for 10 minutes at feeding time. They are not blanketed, either. They have access to the barn and can come/go as they please, but unless it’s freezing rain, they don’t bother.

Unless you clip your horse’s natural hair coat off, you do not need to blanket unless the circumstances are extremely out of the ordinary (horse is very sick, just moved from warm climate in the middle of cold winter, etc.)

Every horse I’ve ever owned or cared for has been perfectly fine with their natural coat, and the temps are routinely -20F in my area during the winter. AYCE hay buffet, AYCD water from a heated water tub and a place to get out of the rain/wind and they do great. People shove their own discomforts on their horses - the horses are much, much happier without our coddling, pampering and interference from what I’ve observed over the years.