I’m really impressed with all of your horses that like and tolerate only a few hours a day of turnout. Mine would tear down my barn 
I wish they were more agreeable to it because it would be nice to have the option to leave them in more when the weather us terrible but they would get so angry and unmanageable. It’s bad enough trying to turn them out if I’m an hour or two late
Jumping off your post to add that I don’t think sub-6 hour turnout time is ideal for any horse—ideally most would be getting 8-12 hours in a group setting with forage of some sort. I genuinely hope no horse actually “likes” less turnout.
At least in my individual scenario (and a couple above) it’s more picking the best of two bad options (driven crazy by bugs vs being indoors more than normal).
I’ll add it’s been interesting to read on this thread and the Dani one about the range of turnout options in the US (esp out west) and Canada. A lot creativity, a lot of adaptability that I wouldn’t have expected. How it overall impacts horse welfare? Would be curious to know if there’s been comparative research done whether on soundness, colic, or something else entirely.
ETA @Jersey_Fresh I am not surprised your boys love their turnout given how gorgeous your farm is 
This thread and the one where the rider admits to never turning horses out is a real eye opener. Is 1 to 2 hours really even worth it? Horses are dumb, and someone standing at the gate watching them isn’t going to prevent them from breaking a leg.
Horses can be conditioned to only getting 2 hours of turnout, but they aren’t begging to come in, they’re used to a routine. Ignore them and they’ll get over it. As for bugs, I find that a shaded shelter will solve a horse wanting to come in due to bugs. When I had a big TB he would stand in the shelter all day while the hardier horses ignored the bugs for the grass. Didn’t mean I was going to bring him in.
I do understand boarding and limited space, but you’ll be surprised how your horse will adapt if you do find a spot with more turnout
Well, for non farm owners, finding a boarding spot that has it is the challenge. If they don’t have it, they don’t have it. For some, that is a barrier to ever owning horses, others compromise.
Some of these folks have apparently never lived in the Low Country. The bugs and the mud here are legendary. Many do not like to live outside here
When I boarded we had no turn out unless you put your horse in an unused arena for a while ( many did) .
At the time I thought nothing of it as that is how it was and the horses did fine. One of my own was in a box stall for several years and was happy/ healthy. I did move him to one of the stall/ paddock situations when one opened.
Is is possible you could do a stall/ paddock ( like a 12x24) ? That is what ours were and the ability to come in or out was something they enjoyed even though they had no room to speak of.
Maybe if you bought the panels yourself and there was a stall suitable to make it work?
No way could I go back to something like that now because it has been so long but many horses do acclimate and if you get the new horse out and exercised every day ( i did) the majority do fine.
I would never board somewhere with only 1-2 hours of turnout per day. I board at a farm 40+ minutes away specifically because it’s where my mare gets to be out 24/7 and still get appropriately fed.
When I had my own farm (North Central Florida), they were all always out all day and all night - stall boarded horses only came in to eat grain. I had a few boarders who wanted them in during the day for very superficial human reasons when I first started the barn, but eventually I decided I wasn’t even willing to do it when the owner wanted it. They could board somewhere else.
In the OP’s situation, I’d fence in a paddock and throw up a run-in and have my horse at home without a barn.
(I can’t wait to have my own farm again)
Sorry if this was already mentioned. Is overnight turnout in the summer not the norm anymore in the Northeast?When I boarded in 3 different barns in that region, admittedly decades ago, that was the drill at those barns. They were inside during the day, fly-sprayed, with fans in each stall.
This! And don’t you hate the time change in the fall? They think they’re going out at 6, but now 6 is 5 by the clock, so they think you’re an hour late (7 in horsie minds). The attitude! 
It always took my horses about a week to adjust.
In the spring, it was just a happy “Oh hey, you’re early today. What a nice surprise!” 
Agreed.
Coming from IL/WI to the southeast I was surprised to see some of the differences in management and turnout, but the extreme heat/humidity/bogginess/bugginess are all unlike anything I ever experienced in the Midwest. The constant overnight storms we’ve had this summer also impact and complicate turnout schedules.
Feed and bedding costs are at an all time high. It would be more economical to keep the horses outside as many hours as possible. During some extreme weeks, it’s simply not humane.
I can’t speak for the NE, but what @atl_hunter said is true for the Southeast, and honestly I’d say the same for where I am in the Midwest. We do overnight turnout when possible in the spring and summer months, but the storms and heat/humidity this year in particular have been atrocious and disruptive of the normal schedule, and not all paddocks have a run-in. And because of that kind of weather, the bugs really haven’t let up.
Usually they do die down at night because temperatures drop below 70. But that’s hasn’t happened this summer.
Time for our horses is by the Sun they really do not watch a clock
Dont forget some barns want them in during severe weather, once you lose one to lightning or wind blown debris injuries, it could change your preferences.
Regional weather challenges can vary so its really not a one size fits all situation to base judgement and criticism of others on.
That sounds like the best system. I’ve always had to board, and my barns have always gone by the clock. But I’ve been very lucky in always being able to find good care and all day and all night summer turnout despite my many military moves, so no complaints. Just a few cranky, impatient horses for a few days every fall. (Except when we were in AZ). 
When Whitney Stables in Coxs Creek Ky got hit by a F4 tornado many of the horses in the pastures were killed while those stalled were unharmed (we did need to take chainsaws to cut their stalls apart to get them out of collapsed barn)
Bob Whitney has just puled his new car into to barn to keep it safe when barn fell on it.
In the early 1990s my family started showing Morgans which the Whitney’s also add in addition to their Saddlebreds. At the Morgan Nationals, Mr Whitney stopped me one day to thank me for coming to his aid (it was not just me, there about a hundred who rushed to the farm) He never forgot
I am 100% in favor of the more turnout the better, but the blanket statement that they will just get used to it just doesn’t apply to every horse. One of mine loves to live out and the other has done himself serious injury more than once (for example: torn RF suspensory, bone bruise on his ankle, and then an injury eventually requiring hock surgery) because he wanted to not be outside and/or his TO situation wasn’t exactly perfect. He HATES bugs, but hurls himself to the ground if you put on a fly mask, cannot be turned out or even share a fence line with other horses or he will attack them or play so roughly it amounts to the same thing. And so on.
I’ve never had such a diva about turnout ever and it’s a huge PITA! He used to refuse to wear a flysheet but luckily he now consents to not throw himself on the ground. Still no fly mask. He has a scar on his face from my last attempt.
My point is that everyone’s situation is different and some of us are just doing the best we can with a suboptimal boarding situation or ridiculous horses who are super high maintenance. My barn puts them out as much as possible, and several horses are on 24/7 TO, but everyone knows that if they see Steve throwing a tantrum out in his little field to bring him in or the next step is probably going to be calling the vet. 
I was surprised you decided to sell and board! I always thought your place looked so nice.
Northeast here (Upstate NY!) Both my current barn and my last barn had overnight turnout May-September, then switch to day turnout for October-April. The bugs are so bad right now, and the ground so hard (we haven’t had rain in weeks) I’m glad mine isn’t out 24/7 stomping from the flies. I’m generally a big fan of the more the better, but watching my guy nap in his stall during the day, he seems to be happy with a bit of reprieve from the bugs.
Interesting discussion about different turnout norms. I’m in Virginia and most full board situations mean all night turnout in the summer, in during the day in front of fans. I also know some top show barns that keep the night turnout schedule all year round. Horses get heavily blanketed through the winter and horses are in during daytime to be available for training rides, lessons, farrier, etc without having to tie up staff bringing horses in and out all day.
I think you will be fine. But being in a place where you get significant snow season and that you don’t plan to have an indoor at your farm, I would look for a horse that is ok with little to no turnout without losing its mind and doesn’t need a year round program either. I live where sometimes there is no turnout for days. I will move my horse around and hand walk or whatever, but I don’t want one that is going to tear the barn down or be a total nightmare to ride or handle without turnout. Even now in our major heat wave with minimal shelter and shade outside, the horses are coming in early to get out of the heat and bugs. I just put a bunch of IBH ointment on mine tonight for the welts he got from bites even being in the barn. We could use more fans and air flow at this facility ideally but that’s a separate issue.
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