Does everyone switch to in overnight/day turnout for fall and winter weather?? I feel like switching to this schedule greatly reduces the horses turnout time so much as compared to when they go out all night /overnight because they obviously need to be brought back in when it’s time to ride…what times do yours get turned out and brought back in …they basically are going from 12+ hours of turnout to half that depending on when they’re turned / brought back in ??
Depends on where you live, but most areas make the switch because of colder weather/darkness. I switched mine back to day turnout about 10 days ago.
Yes, it means fewer hours out, but it’s no fun (and can be dangerous) bringing horses in/out in the dark and cold. Mine go out around 7:30/8:00 in the a.m. and come in around 7:00 p.m., although as it gets dark earlier, they come in earlier.
If you’re so worried about less turnout, maybe you need to switch to pasture board instead.
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I’m at a new barn, but they actually turn out half during the day and the other half overnight, but at most barns in my area they switch to day turnout in the winter. My horse doesn’t like being out too long, so he goes out during the day from 8-4ish…he’d be very grumpy if I made him stay out all night.
I agree, if you want more turnout for your horse why not do pasture board?
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If you have an option, always choose for longer turnout time.
Does everyone switch? No - lots of horse are always on either full time turnout, or always stalled at night no matter the season (for a variety of reasons).
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I do @JB 's option of 24/7 TO.
But mine are at home, so I make the Rules.
I can tell you my horses have free access to their stalls & will inevitably choose Out over In, no matter the season or weather.
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My horse was on night turnout all summer as well. We switched him to out during the day/in at night a couple of weeks ago. It does mean a reduction in turnout time - summer is 5pm-8am or so, fall/winter is 7am-4pm ish. In the middle of winter it might be as short as 9-3.
My guy doesn’t do well on 24/7 turnout, and the weather here in NWNY can be pretty harsh. So I do what I can to get him out of his stall more often in the winter - handwalks, lunging, ground work or just free time in the arena to stretch his legs if he’s so inclined.
It’d be nice if we lived in an area that would accommodate 12+ hours of turnout every day year round, but since that’s not possible I just try to compromise where I can.
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The barn where I board switched from night turn-out to day a couple of weeks ago. I think it’s pretty typical. The least amount of time they’ll have out is about 8 hours. It’s not ideal but my horse is at the gate ready to come in by then.
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Horses are very cold hardy, it’s the people who struggle. I keep them outside at night year round. They have field shelters, heated waterers and round bales if there is no pasture. I bring them in the barn in the morning and feed. I start riding around noon and they get another feed and go back out when I’m finished in the afternoon. They are in the barn 5-7 hours. The one and only reason I alter the schedule would be for ice on the ground. I’ve been in MD/VA my whole life.
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I switched mine about a week ago. They’re out about 11-12 hours still. I bring them in at 6:30. If I ride one earlier, then they get turned back out until it’s time to come in for the night.
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This is at my own private home/farm …on days that I don’t ride they certainly can stay out all day until it’s almost dark …but on days that I plan on riding …which I’ve got 4 to get done daily weather permitting they would need to come in mid day …i just hate cutting their turnout time short
If its your farm, obviously you can do whatever you want. Who cares what everyone else does, just do what works for you and your horses.
I live in the southeast and my retired horse is on mostly pasture board. They come in around 7am till noon every day to eat and nap and so the barn owner has them up so she can ride, regardless of the season. Most barns around here that stall board do night turn out in the summer and day in the winter but there are at least a few that just do night year round.
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Is there a reason they can’t stay out all night?
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The boarding barn where I keep my horse just switched turnout. I think they will be going out around 8am and coming in between 4-5pm. It is a big change from summer, but as the above poster mentioned, it can be dangerous to handle horses in the dark/cold/possibly ice, etc. As someone who has worked at barns my whole life including now, I am SO ok with this.
My younger horse will be on pasture board at the same farm when he returns from training. There is a run-in, they throw a ton of hay, and he will wear appropriate weight blankets.
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At the barn where I rode in grad school, the horses in the “old geldings” field had my favorite turnout schedule ever. They went out at the end of the day (after lessons/evening feed/etc.) year round and didn’t come back in until noon the next day. The only exception was for terrible (ice storm, etc.) weather, when they’d stay in for safety reasons. This meant they were inside, on average, about 6-7 hours per day - enough time for two feedings, if needed - and easily accessible for owners to ride/lesson after work, but they still got plenty of turnout time. For me, this by far the best compromise between maximal turnout and convenience I’ve ever encountered. If my schedule allowed me to be home mid-day consistently, this is what I’d do with my home-kept horses, for sure.
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Why not leave them on night turn out then? You will save lots of time not having to walk back and forth to bring them in to ride, and possibly change your shoes if it’s muddy, etc. Plus, maybe you can put a turn out sheet on them now for night turn out and they will stay clean and not sweat, saving you grooming time as well.
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If your horses are happy with sticking with the night turnout, I don’t see why you don’t just do what works for you and them 
I boarded at a well known hunter barn where horses went out overnight all winter except when really extreme. The horses were all fully body clipped, blanketed to the hilt and the fields had oversized sheds. In my experience, it was a little unconventional but the horses all looked good and I never worried about mine.
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Ours are at-will. Their will is mostly out. We also rotate them daily in a much larger turnout than their corrals. We’ve had some that will stand out in rain and snow. They’re all blanketed in the coldest weather. I do notice that when we go down to the barn very late at night - that some will be sleeping in their stalls - stretched out or on their knees.
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I so want to keep my horses on night turnout year round but only 1 of my winter paddocks has a shelter. Even with sheets and blankets I find it hard to force the no shelter group to stay out. I also don’t feed round bales but put out squares. After they finish the hay I feel bad they have nothing to eat for the rest of the night - especially if it’s snowing or such. Is that just me making a fuss where the horses would think otherwise? They would still get unlimited hay while they were inside during the day so is it any different for them to be outside and out of hay vs in a stall overnight and out of hay?
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Since Winter nights are the coldest, they really need free choice hay. Is it not feasible to just put more hay out?
No shelter isn’t a deal breaker if the horses wouldn’t use it. But if there’s no way for them to get out of screamin’ North winds - treeline, other side of a hill, etc, then that’s a bigger problem.
I don’t have a hard shelter, no run-in shed. But they know where the winds are barely there, so unless it’s truly howling with horrid wind chills, or a very heavy snow that would cover hay I put out, or driving sleet, just really awful stuff, they are out.
So you CAN keep them out when conditions are conducive to it, but bring them in when it’s not. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing.
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If I had horses at home and the schedule OP describes, I’d bring them in at whatever daytime is convenient, ride, and turn them back out again. If the weather was mild, I’d leave them out til bedtime, and if it wasn’t, I’d bring them in whenever it seemed reasonable. Truthfully, I’d really probably leave them out all the time and only bring them in to feed once/day and ride, but it doesn’t sound like that’s her preference.
Up north where the days get short, if horses weren’t brought in and out in the dark they’d get very, very little turnout. You get used to it, and so do the horses.
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