Sunshine and turnout

[CalmingTea]

Assuming the horse is being lunged and ridden every day, (usually twice a day, once by trainer and once by owner) what would the minimum amount of pasture turnout be for a healthy young performance horse? (the stall is 12x12 indoor stall with almost no direct sunlight)

We have space issues at our barn and it is only going to get worse, and I want to make sure when I make a request for turnout (It is a full service barn and many people have zero requests and completely let BO worry about their horses), I want to make sure it is a reasonable request.

I am thinking two hours per day, six days per week. Keeping in mind he gets ridden twice and lunged twice every day and Sundays off

[Simkie]

Kind of perplexing question…are you worried about vitamin D? Is the horse really worked FOUR times a day? Wow.

The barest minimum I would want for a horse in a box stall would be four hours a day. But this is all so personal, and so dependent on how the horse handles being in a stall. “Sunlight time” doesn’t play into it–night turnout would be fine, depending on time of year. Turnout is for the mental health of the horse and the unrestricted, unscripted movement, not “place horse in full sun for two hours a day” like a plant.

I guess if you’re concerned about vitamin D, here is an article for you: http://www.thehorse.com/articles/388…upplementation

[goodhors]

I would ask for as much turnout as possible, even with being ridden twice a day. My thought is that a horse has “his time” while unconfined, able to move freely around at his discretion. He can make choices, not always under control of others. Not just an exercise thing, but a mental break time.

If he has previously been used to turnout, he might actually need that change in his setting.

My Mare went for a “tune-up” last fall. They had no turnout. She was worked once or twice daily, long tiring works. She did her work, but by the end of 5 weeks started getting crabby. I got a call about her, visited to see her acting poorly and said I would be back to pick her up the next week. She had just reached her limit of stall living, needed to come home for regular, daily pasture turn out again. She was back to her pleasant self after a couple days running like a wild Indian!

She just could not tolerate the confinement with no turnout. She got tired in work, but no chance to ever “goof off” alone, make her own choices of walk or run? We used her at home, no unpleasant behaviour shown again. Now we know she does not do well with long times of confinement.

I am sure it was no other problem at the trainer’s. Great feed, big box stalls, groomed daily, worked out of the arena so she saw lots of new things, not bored. I was pretty happy with the training progress she showed us. She just needed “free time” to run and play outside.

[CalmingTea]

Yes, I just mean that turnout shouldn’t always be in a covered arena. I know that my horse is not a plant …LOL I just think it’s depressing and bad for his eyes to be indoors so much.

Yes, he needs a mental break…and time to be his own horsie and move freely. I will just keep specifying that he needs 2-3 hours per day to do his own thing unfortunately four hours would never happen, there are too many horses and not enough space…but yes as you say, the maximum is the goal.

It’s so nice that your horsie was able to be back to her own self after some pasture time at home…makes sense

[Wonders12]

It sounds like it’s a barn that is rotating horses through the pastures (vs. “turning out” and then “bringing in” everyone for the day). In that case, I think your 2 hour request is a great place to start. Enough time to run and play if he wants then settle down and graze for a bit. That being said, there are plenty of show horses who survive on less turnout (or no turnout/just sun pens) so I don’t think your horse is going to die if the management says they can only guarantee an hour.

[Equus2000]

In my dream world my horses are out 4-6 h in the Winter during the day, and out overnight during the evening in the Summer.

[Highflyer]

Many horses only go out dusk- dawn in the summer and are fine without much sun. But definitely the more turnout the better.

[TakeAChanceinVA]

Good gracious, my horses are spoiled then! They are out 7p-7a in the summer time. In the winter, as long as the weather is not in the negatives or wet precipitation, they are out except for an hour in the morning to eat and then a couple hours in the evening when they come in to be worked. They have sheds and hay rolls in their fields and are rugged appropriately for the weather. I know not everyone is lucky enough to have that set up but boy does it make for healthy, happy and ulcer-free horses. I will remind them at dinner time tonight how darn lucky they are!

[clanter]

@CalmingTea

I am thinking two hours per day, six days per week. Keeping in mind he gets ridden twice and lunged twice every day and Sundays off

ridden twice and lunged twice every day? … just wondering what the goal of this training regiment would be

[Bluey]

@clanter

ridden twice and lunged twice every day? … just wondering what the goal of this training regiment would be

I also was wondering about that.

Once the trainer and once the owner?

Don’t know why a horse would need regular longing, other than in rehab or started under saddle and then only for a bit?

Longing is not that kind to horse’s legs as a regular practice.

[clanter]

Longing is not that kind to horse’s legs as a regular practice.

that is my concern also, I guess it is more of a personal thing as we rarely ever put our horses on the end of a rope to run them around a circle… usually only time was for soundness check

[splitrockfarmnc]

This is somewhat of a loaded post. Folks can get really bent out of shape about turnout, be it too much or too little. With that being said, in my neck of the woods (NC), there’s enough land and the weather is usually mild, so people will keep their horses out all day or all night, or even 24/7. Boarding stables around here generally operate on a 12 hr in/12 hr out schedule, or something close to that. Facilities that don’t offer “a lot” of turnout don’t fill up like the ones that do. I know several people that have practically FLED the barn they boarded at because of disagreements about turnout hours. FWIW, it was never because the horse owner felt that the horse was receiving too much turnout… :rolleyes:
On the other hand, if you live in an area where land is either scarce or very expensive, it may not be possible for barns to offer lengthy turnout. So, you have to compromise. I think starting with a request for 2 hours a day is reasonable, but maybe throw in something about a consideration for more if there is extra pasture available. I am well-aware that many horses are happy and healthy with minimal turnout, but in my experience the happiest and the healthiest get at least several hours of unrestricted, uninhibited, and unscripted free time each and every day, regardless of their riding/lunging schedule.

Good luck! Negotiating with BOs can be tricky but stick to what you believe is best for you and your horse!

[2DogsFarm]

I vote for Out As Much As Possible, sun or no sun.
Daylight is great, but if the only available turnout is that covered arena, that is a heckuva lot better than being kept stalled.

[SugarCubes]

This sounds like my trainers barn…horses are rotated between 4 pastures throughout the day, each getting two hours of turnout. My horses live at home most of the time and are out 24/7, but they do fine at my trainer’s too. I’d love them being out all day and hate seeing them stuck in a stall, but two hours gives them the mental break and the chance to blow off steam if they want to.

I think two hours is a reasonable request and would provide your horse the break he needs.