My beloved Shiloh would stand outside in thunder and lightning storms in the pouring rain and refuse to come into barn. All the other horses would be snugged up in their stalls but not him. Drove me nuts. It wasn’t until the last two years of his life that he actually consented to stand under a roof and that was only because his girlfriend wasn’t about to go out in the rain with him. It was either stand by her or stand in the rain. He chose her.
I’ve had 'em stand outside in an ice storm that put 1/2-3/4 inch of ice on all the fences. I finally enticed them with food to come into the covered arena I’d left open for them. I shut the gate and let them “deice.” As soon as I opened it again they were out! Fortunately the ice had passed and it was just rain.
G.
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My mare is the same way. I watched her one day when it started sprinkling and she acted like she was having a seizure as soon as the rain drops started to hit her and then she whirled around and bolted for her run-in. But baths are fine, go figure 
My gelding prefers to stand out in the rain so he can see the other horses. I had him at a barn once with a lovely three-sided shelter. It was SO nice, it was like an outdoor mini-barn. He would not use it, would not eat inside it, and would freak out when the other horses went into their shelters (like all the other horses had been abducted by aliens). So his current shelter only has one wall so he can still see everything. He still only uses it when the weather is really, really bad.
yes it was in the 80’s and high humidity. He sweats really bad so I am sure it felt good to him. But it still bothers me he stands in the rain hahaha
I’ve heard of a study(?) that found that the degree of stress a horse experiences (in general) is inversely related to the number of horizons it can see. In other words, stress level is less if the horse has an unobstructed view of its horizons (i.e., distant surroundings). Lots of modifiers on this, I’m sure, but in general it makes sense for an animal that evolved as prey.
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Yup. Our horses live outside 24/7 most of the time, but sometimes during a good ol’ North Dakota blizzard, we’ll open a building and give them the choice to go inside. They usually never do. They are just as happy with their natural windbreak (tree rows) and a good blanket of snow on their backs.
So if he prefers to stay outside, let him!
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In a metal run- in shed or barn without insulation, the sound of a rain ‘sprinkle’ can be loud and annoying.
A light rain on a bare metal roof can be deafening and down right frightening to some horses which would make them not want use it. It was very obvious to me that my horses were nervous and unhappy with the roof noise until we insulated it.
Also, an uninsulated shelter radiates heat in the summer and cold in the winter…not very inviting at all.
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I know you said he’s outside by himself but does he have to be much further away from the other horses to use his shed? Does being in his shed obstruct his ability to see other horses on the property? Is the shed loud during rainfall? My percheron never cared to be in his shed unless it was a really hot sunny day. We’re talking heavy winds and lake-effect snow falling all day, pouring rain, etc and he’d just stand outside away from the rest of the herd, happy as a clam. The only time you found him seeking shelter was to get a break from direct sunlight. My OTTB on the other hand will nearly refuse to leave her stall if she knows you’re about to toss her outside in inclement weather.
I have to say, out of nearly 60 horses on the property at a time, mostly thoroughbreds and sport horses on 24/7 turnout, the most common time for shed usage was in the middle of a really hot, humid, sunny day. A lot of them did not have an issue with rain or snowfall regardless of whether they were blanketed.
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He is on 5 acres of property. Has view of sunrise and sunset. When in his 1 acre pen he can still see the other two horses from his. He has a clear view of them. He just don’t mind being in the rain. The people I got him from left him outside in a very small paddock all the time. If he wasn’t there he was in a stall. I think he just likes having the room to graze and move. I just don’t like to see him soaked. It’s the Mom in me.
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I’m going to concur with @pAin’t_Misbehavin’ that he’s comfortable in the rain. I have always heard drafts run hotter per say and are much happier in colder temps than in the heat. Most of them were bred to work in cold dreary climates. I have to try to reason with some of my boarders that just because they are cold doesn’t mean the horses are. These same boarders will be dressed in scarves and hats and I’m still wearing shorts and a tank top lol.
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Today it’s 60 out, he is a happy as a clam. And for once not sweating. He sweats a lot! But was told that is normal for a Tennessee Walking breed.
ZOMBIE THREAD! :eek:
Which I posted on way back when it was new 
That aside, I have owned 3 TWH - 1 registered as a Racking Horse, 1 registered with TWHBEA & my current “alleged” Walker (no papers) who has plenty gait.
None of them ever sweated much at all - in hot weather or when worked hard.
Even then. only minimal lathering.
Are mine exceptions to the Rule?
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i honestly couldn’t tell you. This is my first horse owner. He is a registered paper with TWHBEA. I just know that Souvie sweats a lot. But given our humidity level gets to 80 plus that may be why. I am in Florida after all. Last few days have been 40’s and high of 70’s. I would say he is enjoying it.
I’d much rather have a horse that does this than what I have tended to own: the sensitive, hothouse flower types that are only happy outside if it’s between 50 and 60 degrees F, dew point at 48 degrees, barometric pressure hovering at just over 29 inches, party sunny and 0% precipitation in the 10 day forecast.
But coloredcowhorse nailed it. We are hairless mammals, and so we shiver and get cold and layer ourselves when the mercury drops below 50 or so. Horses only start getting comfortable around 40-45 degrees and are superiorly equipped to deal with what we consider harsh weather - ever wonder why so many horses get the “yahoos” when a cold snap comes through? No one wants to expend energy when it’s 90 degrees out!
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That would drive me bananas! I hate seeing them stand in the cold.
Thankfully, my horse is a wuss and he will come running to me if he is cold and he sees I have a blanket in my arms :lol: At the first sign of rain, he runs right to the shed and he forces all of his friends to join him. He is the most blanketed horse in the barn, and he LOVES his blankets. He will bite the other horses if they try to even touch his blankets.
I tried to leave him naked one year (I made it to the beginning of OCT), and I came out to find him shivering with a sore back. Never left him without a blanket since!
I would be doing the same thing as you OP, going out and dragging him into the shed. Some horses just don’t mind the elements and those horses amaze me!
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I had one that was the opposite. He would start pacing when the barometer started to drop and a storm was on it’s way. He had a nice little stall where he came from and was only out in fair weather which means…not much. I bought him in Washington state near the coast. I only had a paddock and a roof over where he was fed. He did not like not having a 4 sided structure with a roof. One night he was pacing horribly and the property owner where he stayed called me to come check on him. It was dark and I fell in the ditch he had created with his fence pacing:sigh:. Once it finally started to snow or rain, I guess he resigned himself to the elements and would calm down. That went on for about 4 months then he got over himself:lol:.
My current girl likes her shed and utilizes it regularly.
Susan
My current little hothouse flower of an Arab hates cold rain… she stands there and shivers and looks pathetic, so she gets a rain sheet. Mind you, if it’s not cold rain (i.e. the temperature drops enough to snow), she will undress herself and take off her blanket without undoing any straps. She also has a nice 3-sided run-in shed, a round bale and a buddy who she snuggles up with. She’s very chubby but she doesn’t grow a whole lot of fur.
My old Arab grew a winter coat like a bear and would only use the run-in to hide from the sun if it got really warm (aka over 40 degrees) in the winter. Otherwise she’d stand out in whatever weather and look perfectly comfortable. I kinda miss it, but her winter coat made riding in the winter a pain since it took forever for her to dry out!
You have to remember that horses really hit their evolutionary stride during the ice age and that cold is pretty easy for almost all of them–also ,for survival reasons (instincts deep inside of them) most would rather see their surroundings well than be in a closed cave like environment (shed or barn), so rain is a lesser deal.
Individuals vary of course! My Arab is ok with heat(built to survive in it) and will stay outside in it, and my Canadien is not! He needs shelter from sun, bugs, and that’s when he seeks the barn.
I do MAKE them come inside when there’s lightning, because I don’t want them to get hit. They themselves don’t understand the danger.
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Yup! Though he looks rather unhappy (he gets such a pissy look on his face like he’s purposely standing out in the rain to spite it :lol: ) if I bring him under the overhang he just walks back out again.
He also prefers to take naps in the snowbanks rather than in the nice warm straw of the shed he has. Such a wierdo 
Funny I’ve wondered all my life why my horses would rather stand out in cold, rain, snow, etc… then today before work I googled it and found this site. Great info from all the posts! Thanks!
