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Horses that run when they want to come inside--what to do

Horse Care
#1

My horses have always been good about staying out for the full length of their turnout (overnight in summer, all day in winter). I currently have a horse staying with me who isn’t mine, and she is used to a more limited turnout schedule of 3-4 hours a morning maximum. At my place, she is going out for an hour or two in the morning before I go to work and 4-5 hours in the evening, or as long as she will tolerate.

This mare is used to being brought inside whenever she runs. Right now the horseflies are awful and even my older horse who always prefers to be outside can be seen bucking and standing by the gate, but I never worry about his safety (he’s too lazy and level-headed). With this mare, I’m not sure she won’t hurt herself and since she’s not mine it’s hard to take the risk of NOT going to bring her in. (And when I do go to bring her in after she’s worked herself up, she can be hard to handle.)

My question is, once a horse has trained her humans to bring her inside when she runs, how hard is that to un-train? Do some horses just never get it? What do you do, other than ignoring the horse and leaving it outside?

Whatever people’s advice is, I’m not sure I will apply it to this horse because she’s not mine, she’s valuable, and she’s only here for a couple months. But there is some possibility she (or a horse with the same issue) could be mine in the future and I’m wondering what my odds are of making her/future horse fit into my turnout program better. TIA!

#2

If you can’t make her (or your own horse!) comfortable outside, bring her/them in. I’m not sure why it would be ok to ignore a horse that wants to come in for relief from pests. Horses that live in/out are not the same as those that live out 100% of the time. They know where to find comfort when they need it and how to ask for it.

Would any of us ignore a dog standing at a door with its legs crossed and its eyes bulging? How about a dog out in the heat? The cold?

#3

Can you apply a strong fly spray on them before AM turnout?? Also how about a fly sheet? If I fly spray daily I don’t have a problem with flies of any kind. But if they get rained on all bets are off and they can get eaten alive.

#4

My horse is like this mare. I tried everything I could to get him comfortable staying out for longer periods and ideally on a 1/2 day turnout schedule.

FIRST time out all night and he tore the ligament in his left stifle (this was just 3 weeks ago so I’m still feeling super guilty about all this). I imagine this would have happened years ago if someone had not always been there to bring him in when he started waking/trotting the fence line.

You have the right mindset, not your horse, safety first, bring her in.

#5

This sound like more of a need than a want. Horses do have have minds like humans to make us do things when they please. If your other horses are bucking and running then the bugs are BAD.

Fly sheet, bug spray often, ultra shield pads, fly masks are needed OR bring them inside- this year the bugs are horrible.

#6

Can you put a run in shed in her field? My Irish boys never go out in the hot sun and bugs. They seek out the darkest part of the barn. As soon as it is dark, or cold, or it rains, they have no interest in coming in. As long as they have a run in or free access to the barn, they are happy.

#7

Thanks for your replies. I actually meant my question to be more general, not about this particular horse or the flies or the heat. That was meant as context for why I’m thinking about it. I’m just wondering whether anyone has seen horses that are initially intolerant of longer turnout sessions adapt. I would think it must happen…

#8

Sure it can happen. Some adjust quite well eventually. Should you push a horse that is not your own just because you think she should be outside? Nope.

#9

I feel your pain! Can you wait for a cooler day to try leaving her out?

#10

[QUOTE=sascha;8280427]
Sure it can happen. Some adjust quite well eventually. Should you push a horse that is not your own just because you think she should be outside? Nope.[/QUOTE]

Agreed. Small increments, and having pleasant turnout experiences would probably do it. This is a tough time of year for “pleasant” turnout but the fall is always easier.

I think when a horse “seems” more bothered by flies than the others, it’s probably true, not that they have been “trained” to come in by running. I have one mare (black) that is absolutely tormented by those big bomber flies. She routinely has to run into the barn to escape them, while the others continue to graze peacefully. They do target her (Maybe she is warmer than the others being black?) And some are simply more sensitive, even if they don’t get bit more.

#11

[QUOTE=Libby2563;8280242]
Thanks for your replies. I actually meant my question to be more general, not about this particular horse or the flies or the heat. That was meant as context for why I’m thinking about it. I’m just wondering whether anyone has seen horses that are initially intolerant of longer turnout sessions adapt. I would think it must happen…[/QUOTE]

Yep.

My gelding is away right now, and my mare does better with a buddy. A friend of mine lives down the road, and her gelding was alone, so I said “bring him up!”

My horses are on 24/7 turnout all summer long. Her gelding was in a field during the day, but in his dirt paddock with barn/run-in at night. And he was very much on a schedule.

The first couple days he was with my mare, he waited at the gate at 6 AM thinking he was going somewhere, even though he was already in the field he’d be staying in. Same at 6 PM - he’d wait at the gate to go to the barn.

Sorry buddy, not anymore! And his mom was kind of like “well, he’s used to being able to go inside…”

Nope, not here.

Within a week, he figured out that waiting at the gate didn’t bring his food any quicker, and now when I get there, he’s not waiting at the gate but grazing out in the field with my mare.

It didn’t take him long to figure it out. His mom has also realized that he won’t die staying out 24/7 and has stopped being a helicopter mom as well :wink: :lol:

#12

I have one like that, one or two hours and he starts racing so he can be brought in. This horse actually has access to a shed and is fully covered in flysheet/boots/mask.

I tried for 3 yrs, but to no avail. He just doesn’t like turnout, it’s not his thing.
However when the weather is perfect, no wind, no flies, comfortable temperature, good grass and surroundings quiet, I have had him out for 8 hours.

But really why let a horse run itself into ruins, in the end you punish yourself more than the horse by forcing them to stay out or trying to teach them to accept it, because that’s how they do themselves an injury. When you are than facing x months of lay-ups, I don’t see the point of trying to get a horse to accept longer hours of turnout. Not implying that’s what you are doing, but in general when people insist on getting some horses to be on x amount of turnout when clearly the horse does not like it.
Some horses will adjust in a matter of days/weeks when they won’t get their way, but if within a couple of wks there’s no change, why risk an injury? It doesn’t make sense to me.

I have 17yr old, I had for 10yrs, when he came to me he was the same, yet now he pretty much lives out with his shed and covered in flysheet or blankets weather depending. It was a very slooooow adaptation, literally taking 6+ yrs.

#13

[QUOTE=Lieslot;8280505]
I have one like that, one or two hours and he starts racing so he can be brought in. This horse actually has access to a shed and is fully covered in flysheet/boots/mask.

I tried for 3 yrs, but to no avail. He just doesn’t like turnout, it’s not his thing.
However when the weather is perfect, no wind, no flies, comfortable temperature, good grass and surroundings quiet, I have had him out for 8 hours.

But really why let a horse run itself into ruins, in the end you punish yourself more than the horse by forcing them to stay out or trying to teach them to accept it, because that’s how they do themselves an injury. When you are than facing x months of lay-ups, I don’t see the point of trying to get a horse to accept longer hours of turnout. Not implying that’s what you are doing, but in general when people insist on getting some horses to be on x amount of turnout when clearly the horse does not like it.
Some horses will adjust in a matter of days/weeks when they won’t get their way, but if within a couple of wks there’s no change, why risk an injury? It doesn’t make sense to me.

I have 17yr old, I had for 10yrs, when he came to me he was the same, yet now he pretty much lives out with his shed and covered in flysheet or blankets weather depending. It was a very slooooow adaptation, literally taking 6+ yrs.[/QUOTE]

My horses are the same. They will run themselves lame. They will not stop running of the bugs or whatever are bothering them. They have run in’s and full fly sheets and maskd.

They are not sensible like some horses. Some horses will poke around saying “oh the bugs are bothering me and it’s hot” and then stop but mine go full out mad panic galloping around. If it’s a “perfect” (in their mind) day they will stay out munching grass most of the day.

Not worth the possible injuries to leave them out if they are not happy. If you expect a horse to compete at higher levels they generally need a certain mentality and most often it does not lend itself to patience to bugs or heat etc and tolerating 24 hour turn out…some do most don’t.

#14

My trainer has a stud she let road founder trying to make him deal with it.

If they are neurotically, obsessively running or pacing the fence- you have to decide what that horse needs…30 more minutes, or to come in b/c it won’t improve.

#15

[QUOTE=SuckerForHorses;8280449]
Yep.

My gelding is away right now, and my mare does better with a buddy. A friend of mine lives down the road, and her gelding was alone, so I said “bring him up!”

My horses are on 24/7 turnout all summer long. Her gelding was in a field during the day, but in his dirt paddock with barn/run-in at night. And he was very much on a schedule.

The first couple days he was with my mare, he waited at the gate at 6 AM thinking he was going somewhere, even though he was already in the field he’d be staying in. Same at 6 PM - he’d wait at the gate to go to the barn.

Sorry buddy, not anymore! And his mom was kind of like “well, he’s used to being able to go inside…”

Nope, not here.

Within a week, he figured out that waiting at the gate didn’t bring his food any quicker, and now when I get there, he’s not waiting at the gate but grazing out in the field with my mare.

It didn’t take him long to figure it out. His mom has also realized that he won’t die staying out 24/7 and has stopped being a helicopter mom as well :wink: :lol:[/QUOTE]

There is a very big difference between standing at the gate because that’s the routine a horse is used to and running the fences, clearly being very uncomfortable to be outside. Big difference.

#16

[QUOTE=Jungle Monkey;8280916]
Not worth the possible injuries to leave them out if they are not happy. If you expect a horse to compete at higher levels they generally need a certain mentality and most often it does not lend itself to patience to bugs or heat etc and tolerating 24 hour turn out…some do most don’t.[/QUOTE]

I thank my lucky stars that my Grand Prix horse is happiest outside, except during the day in the summer because the poor thing doesn’t sweat. Until he was 4 he lived in Germany, where I’m sure he didn’t get turned out much, but he never had issues adapting. I don’t think his lack of intolerance for heat, bugs, etc has anything to do with his ability to perform at the upper levels. (Yes, I know you said some not all.)

I still can’t help but think this is a human thing we impose on horses with how we raise and keep them. But, as many have said, it’s certainly not worth injuring the horse to make it learn to deal.

I guess I was looking for hope that if I get a horse like this in the future I could make it work. It’s hard to have horses on different turnout schedules when you only have a three-stall barn that is not attached to the turnout due to topological constraints, the horses refuse to be separated, and you do all the work yourself. Apparently I need to prioritize lifestyle issues when horse shopping, but hopefully that will be far in the future. Thank goodness my 2-year-old is also easygoing and learns from his “older brother.”

#17

A horse frantic to escape the bugs isn’t trying to train you to brin her in sooner. She’s trying to get into the barn, where she knows the bugs aren’t.

I came to the barn once around 3 in the afternoon, no one was there. The horses were running, all of them, madly, throwing themselves on the ground rolling, jumping up, and screaming. I had never heard horses scream before. Several were charging the fence thinking about jumping it to get up to the barn. I ran and opened the gate, and let them out to run up to the barn, something I would never, ever do. The horse flies were gathered along their spines, where they couldn’t reach them. The were lathered, and I was extremely concerned about them tying up, as I hadn’t known how long they had been running. They each ran heaving into their own stall. I brought each one out and hosed them down, by now several other boaders had arrived and were helping to halter and lead rope them to bring them out to be hosed down. One person had a can of extreme cattle bug spray, and we sprrayed a line of it down their spine after hosing them, and brought them into the barn and walked them up and down the aisle to cool off.

I found my gelding had been stung ON THE EYE BALL. His eye was swollen, and I had the vet out and we foundn a bulls eye on his eye ball, the poor thing. It was a plague of horse flies, the size of walnuts. Fortunately, they did not follow the horses into the barn, but they did continue to attack even while hosing them down. The poor horses were wild.

How any person can contemplate leaving their horses out when they are being forced to run because of the flies and when the horses look like they might hurt themselves is beyond me, entirely jaw dropping. If that boarder’s mare is running, you bring her in. If she is bothered by flies more than the other horses, that’s your problem to be disgusted with, but take care of the horse.

If I ever, ever, came to the barn and found my horse running the fenceline because of flies and the BO saying “He has to learn to tolerate the flies like the other horses do” I’d have him out of there so fast it would make your head spin, and no, you wouldn’t be getting another “30 days” of board from me for putting my horse in such danger.

Dang! I’d put you naked out in the field with the flies all day! If you complained I would say “She’s just complaining! Let her get used to it!” For crying out loud.

#18

I agree. And, even when they can get back to the barn, they will also stay out if that’s where the food is…so you have to think about that, too. Most of the summer my horses can be out, but there is hay in front of their stall fans (stalls are open as run-ins). They are in now, by choice and quietly eating their hay, and don’t have to choose between food and misery.

#19

[QUOTE=Libby2563;8280958]

I still can’t help but think this is a human thing we impose on horses with how we raise and keep them. But, as many have said, it’s certainly not worth injuring the horse to make it learn to deal.

I guess I was looking for hope that if I get a horse like this in the future I could make it work. It’s hard to have horses on different turnout schedules when you only have a three-stall barn that is not attached to the turnout due to topological constraints, the horses refuse to be separated, and you do all the work yourself. Apparently I need to prioritize lifestyle issues when horse shopping, but hopefully that will be far in the future. Thank goodness my 2-year-old is also easygoing and learns from his “older brother.”[/QUOTE]

I don’t think it’s a human thing - some horses are just more sensitive than others. My current guy just can not tolerate bugs - they drive him crazy. So he wears a fly sheet and fly boots and is pretty content to be out all day. Other horses in the same pasture are absolutely fine “naked”. In fact, most of them are, my guy is just “special” and that’s nobody’s fault, that’s just him.

#20

Kate: That sounds awful and is 10,000 times worse than anything happening at my place, thank goodness. Picture horse grazing for a while, then standing at gate, then trotting a loop when annoyed by horsefly, then grazing again. I have not seen her frantic even though I glance at her every few minutes when she’s outside. Meanwhile my other horses and all of the neighbors’ many horses are grazing happily enough with maybe the occasional buck-in-place or roll. I really don’t think it’s that bad, she just has a different tolerance.

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