pasture board vs stall/full care in muddy conditions

[gymangel812]

I have a 6 yr old warmblood that’s currently on pasture board. Due to a wet winter, the pastures are quite muddy in some areas. The horses are given a round bale whenever they need it. My horse clearly doesn’t like the mud (who can blame him). He’s never been in a stall in his life. I like that the horses can move and eat hay all the time. The pasture isn’t the greatest, it’s quite muddy in at least 1/3 of it and not that large (probably an acre or 2 for 2 ponies and 3 small horses). There is 1 run in but the horses don’t use it (maybe because of the mud) and no trees in the pasture.

The other option in stall board. Due to the mud/rain/snow, horses can go several days without turnout. When they are turned out, it’s for about 8 hours (12+ hours from april to sept). This amount of turnout is quite high compared to most anywhere else in the area. They still get turned out in (slightly less) muddy pastures. In the stalls, they get hay twice a day and it seems to last horses an hour or 2. Stall board is about $200 more a month.

Which would you choose?

[fordtraktor]

The muddy turnout for sure.

[pony_baloney]

I’ve gone from stall board with my last horse to muddy pasture board with my current pony. I’d still choose pasture board any day. Yeah, the mud is awful, his hooves are a mess (and if he wasn’t wearing a sheet, he’d be a mess too) and my boots practically get sucked off when I go out to get him. But he’s out with his buddies, eating or not eating whenever he feels like it, moving whenever he feels like it. They only use the shed when the flies are bad in summer, so I hear.

I’m more worried about the mud freezing the next few days; footing will be very uneven. Guess they won’t move far from the round bale those days.

[Training_Cupid]

My barn has similar options. I initially had my horse on pasture board (because cheaper) but ended up moving him to a stall with daytime turnout both for my convenience (I have limited time in the AM to ride before work and it’s faster if I don’t have to bring him in), but also to help keep weight on him (he’s an OTTB with a fast metabolism), and after he got a nasty case of thrush.

[C-Monster_sHuman]

I’m in the same situation. My horse has been on pasture board because she’s very anxious inside and just does not settle down with all the activity going on in the arena adjacent to the stalls. The mud has been so horrible, though, that she ended up with cellulitis and spent two weeks at a vet hospital fighting for her life, and I ended up with fungal pneumonia from all the crap in the mud I curried and washed off her legs. Once we were both out of the hospital, I moved her inside, but she has steadily lost weight on account of ulcers (and yes, she’s being treated for those, too) and stress. It’s a lose-lose situation and I need to find somewhere else to keep her.

I’d put your horse’s health first. If he’s just muddy but otherwise okay outside, I’d leave him there. If the mud is making him truly miserable and/or posing health risks, would the barn management let you do a trial period of a week or two to see how he’d adjust to being stabled?10+ hours inside is a long time to go without anything to eat. Being stalled all day/night can have its own special set of problems, unless you can arrange to add some extra slow-feed haynets or other extra meals spaced throughout his time inside.

[TMares]

I have my three at home. When I boarded there were pasture boarders and stall boarders. The stalled horses still went out almost every day and sometimes stayed out overnight when the weather was mild. They might be up all day out of the sun but then out all night. Vice versa in the winter.

That’s pretty much how I manage mine now. I would rather deal with mud than heaves.

[Sweetums_Mom]

I vote for pasture board. Mud is not good but being stalled for that length of time is not good either, in both the physical and mental sense. First, I would think you need to find out how he copes with being in a stall that long. Some horses are fine or at least not crazy. Then you can decide from there.

Also, if your pasture is only “quite muddy” in “at least 1/3” of it, then what’s the problem?.. You have 2/3 that is not muddy…:lol:

[XXS]

Stall plus turnout (but with enough hay!). I want to clean/dry the legs and hooves and want the horse to lay down and sleep. If there is a run in shed I would want at least this area dry. So maybe you have the opportunity and adapt the run in by yourself or together with other horse owners?

[tabula_rashah]

Definitely muddy turnout. It’s crazy muddy here this winter because we’ve barely gotten any freezing temps and it won’t stop )&)#*$ raining. My guys are out 24/7 with free choice hay. I’ve got 4 horses on about 10 acres- I’d say about an acre is a sloppy horrible mess but it for sure bothers me more than it bothers them.

[Jealoushe]

Indoor. Use hay nets inside to help hay last longer. Horses need out of wet for their feet. Wet feet at all hours is not good. A lot of people will say it’s fine, but long term, this does a lot of damage on your horse. Does your horse have anywhere warm and dry to lay down? Another issue many don’t think of, is how horses who live outside without adequate dry ground and shelter do not get enough sleep, or are not able to sleep on a comfortable dry and warm surface.

Sleeping in mud, or wet, or not sleeping laying down does wear your horse down over time.

[RainWeasley]

If it were me and I had a choice, I would do stall board until the mud dries up, then go back to pasture. If you worry about the hay, see if you can use slow feed nets. If he doesn’t do well on the stall board, you can always change it back to pasture only. I am all for horses being out as much as possible, but the mud is a deal breaker for me, especially if the horse really doesn’t like it. And he will let you know if he can’t handle stall board anyways.

[16_Hands]

My guys who are at home, have a dry bedded stall and a fairly muddy individual paddock. The only spot it’s truly bad is right outside the stall, the rest of it isn’t too awful. These guys are in and out all day as their paddocks are large enough for them to trot and canter so I’m happy they can move around and socialize over the fence. If your pasture is only muddy in one spot, then I’d stay with it. At present, I wouldn’t even consider boarding at a barn that doesn’t have an attached paddock to a stall or run in.

[RainWeasley]

@16 Hands

My guys who are at home, have a dry bedded stall and a fairly muddy individual paddock. The only spot it’s truly bad is right outside the stall, the rest of it isn’t too awful. These guys are in and out all day as their paddocks are large enough for them to trot and canter so I’m happy they can move around and socialize over the fence. If your pasture is only muddy in one spot, then I’d stay with it. At present, I wouldn’t even consider boarding at a barn that doesn’t have an attached paddock to a stall or run in.

I would LOVE a paddock attached to a stall! If I ever get my own place, I want to set it up like that.