Winter turnout guidelines

[SugarCubes]

Every winter I find myself stressing out and going back-and-forth about in versus out! I know it varies so much by location, and set up, but would love to hear your turn out guidelines.

I prefer my horses to be out, and their normal routine is to come in to their stalls morning and evening for meals and a quick nap.

They have a dry lot with free choice hay and a heated trough that opens to a 6 acre pasture with wooded areas but no true shelter. I do blanket them, and have one senior horse who I’m especially mindful of weather-wise.

I’m trying to come up with some guidelines I can stick with so that I do not stress about what to do with them when we do get frigid temps and winter weather.

Tonight, for instance, we are in the single digits with off and on freezing rain and snow. I decided to keep them in the barn tonight, since it rarely gets below 35 or 40.

My initial thought is if it’s in the teens with wind or precipitation forecasted, I will keep them in. Single digits and below I will keep them in. Any other weather, other than nonstop rain or ice, keep them out?

Was really hoping Santa would bring me a run in shelter this year, then they would stay out all the time and I wouldn’t have to fret

[Simkie]

I keep them in for pissing rain, or very strongly blowing snow, or very significantly below zero.

Otherwise, out they go! They are happier outside. I’m happier if they’re outside. Win win!

[MadTrotter]

Mine are out 24/7/365 with access to several well-bedded run-in sheds. In crappy weather, I throw “midnight hay” and make sure nobody is getting bullied out of the sheds. The other night, it was blowing wind, 34 degrees, sleet. They were all standing around, not one was in a shed.

They are various breeds/ages, from Haflinger to OTTB. Two are trace clipped and get a light waterproof sheet.

[Hippolyta]

This is based on research done in MN and other tundras

Obviously, there are a lot of variables at play - coat, acclimation, fat cover, diet, etc etc. However, as long as they are dry, most healthy horses are fine even into single digits F. Add a wind block (even without a roof!) and that limit gets even lower.

[colorfan]

We just had a week of -35, the girls have a wind break, trough full of water and a round bale. I give them beet pulp and a pelleted feed twice a day. The two younger ones are quite fine. No sign of distress or discomfort. The diva told me, when the temps got down to -5 that she was cold, stood there shivering like a sheet in the wind, so she got a blanket and when the temps dropped another 10 degrees she got a 2nd blanket with neck piece, now she is happy.

This is dry cold, I have had cold horses in the spring when they start to lose their winter coat and it rains and they get wet. different story then.

[GoodTimes]

Based on your situation I would probably only keep them in when it’s windy and wet. Or pick up an extra set of rain sheets so you can just bring them in for dinner and a nap, throw a dry blanket on, and kick them back out.

I don’t worry as much when it’s below freezing. A dry horse with hay is usually a happy horse. If it’s really windy you could bring them in, but again, an extra layer could easily be enough to keep them comfortable.

[CHT]

Most of mine live out 24/7. The horses that come in, still go out in all weather, but if -40 they are in longer. They have shelter and heated water, and free choice hay. They hate being left in as they can’t comprehend it is cold out, when they are warm in. I remember the show barn I used to be at would leave the horses in a lot - if cold, if raining…and it just led to chaos and injured horses when they finally went out again.

[SugarCubes]

@GoodTimes

Based on your situation I would probably only keep them in when it’s windy and wet. Or pick up an extra set of rain sheets so you can just bring them in for dinner and a nap, throw a dry blanket on, and kick them back out.

I don’t worry as much when it’s below freezing. A dry horse with hay is usually a happy horse. If it’s really windy you could bring them in, but again, an extra layer could easily be enough to keep them comfortable.

Funny you just said this, as I just came back inside after kicking them back out! The freezing rain that was predicted changed to just light snow, so I threw on some dry blankets and out they went!

They can always stand against the barn as a wind break, and usually during storms they disappear into the woods. I guess the thing I worry most about is them not having a true three-sided shelter, but like you said, as long as they are not wet they always seem quite happy to be out!

[2DogsFarm]

My 3 - ages: 21(pony), 18(horse) & 7(mini) - have free access to stalls from pasture year-round.
They bring themselves in for hay & grain & the occasional nap.
All 3 have been known to share a single 12X12 stall & mini routinely bunks with the horse.

If there’s a light rain or snow, they choose Out over In most of the time.
Even Polar Vortex temps find them mostly outside the stalls.
So I let them decide, everybody is happy & I sleep better.

I blanket only if we get a heavy rain or snow that leaves them wet through to the skin on their backs.
If snow piled on backs isn’t melting, they’re warm.
I find the haircoat is designed to shed wet pretty effectively & all 3 get nice plushy Winter coats.
Other checkpoints - belly, brisket, flanks - are generally dry & warm, so blankets come off as soon as they’re dry on their backs.

If I had stalls w/o access, I’d follow the same guidelines.
Of course that would mean a lot more work for me

ETA: corrected ages

[Amy3996]

We just moved barns. New BM prefers them out as much as possible, but the turnouts are on the top of a hill with no windbreak or shelter. So if it’s really pouring rain or extremely windy, I ask that he be brought in. It’s usually not a problem.

Old barn had large shelters in every paddock so I didn’t worry as much. Bigger problem there was that the paths between the barn and the turnouts were all paved, so it became treacherous for both horses and humans to get back and forth when they got iced over. So that’s when “Is it physically safe for a human and a shod horse to be moving between the barn and turnout without an unreasonable risk of falling?” became part of my criteria.

[eightpondfarm]

mine all have big open-access half a barn size run-ins. or several interior spaces of differing sizes (in the odd, old 1840s barn). They get to choose, and mostly they choose “IN” when the weather is bad. Some however are roof-noise averse and in rain or sleet they will NOT be inside unless i lock them in…and i never do that to a horse unless an illness or injury dictates. This year, for the very first time, and mostly because of COTH, i got some blankets and for last night i blanketed the two older mares (both 20) because freezing rain and temps to dip to around 10. Haven’t yet checked…hoping the blankets aren’t around their ankles.

Because of the ice storm possibility, i closed both herds into their 1acre paddocks/pens and disallowed pasture. Mostly because their pastures are a hundred plus acres and if one were to have slipped and fallen somewhere i would not know where to start to look for the missing one.

I fed-out many bales of alfalfa to my sheep flock, cow herd and all the horses late afternoon, and as soon as this cup of coffee is finished, i’ll go feed them similar largess this morning. All herds have fresh roundbales all over the place to feed upon 24/7

[Pally]

@SugarCubes

They can always stand against the barn as a wind break,

Don’t discount this as shelter! (Provided it’s set up the right direction for your wind patterns of course) I’ve seen many a horse with a “proper” run-in shelter choose to use it by standing against the outside walls of it.

It’s the combination of wet and windy that has the most potential to make things miserable for the horses. Luckily, you have the option of stalls, so besides the ability to keep them in at night, do you also have the ability to extend breakfast naptime (and drying time) if they unexpectedly had a rough night out? Sometimes the extra rest is nice for them,

[SugarCubes]

I had honestly really never given much thought to the barn being a windbreak, but yesterday we had some pretty high winds and I noticed the side of the barn where their dry lot is adjacent definitely blocks some wind, the side perpendicular to it feels like a wind tunnel, in contrast!

And yes, I can always leave them in longer if needed. If one is laying down when I go to put them back out, I’ll typically give them another hour or two.

[Texarkana]

@SugarCubes

My initial thought is if it’s in the teens with wind or precipitation forecasted, I will keep them in. Single digits and below I will keep them in. Any other weather, other than nonstop rain or ice, keep them out?

WWas really hoping Santa would bring me a run in shelter this year, then they would stay out all the time and I wouldn’t have to fret

These are kind of my informal guidelines as well. Clear and calm: they stay out no matter how cold (though I suspect I might keep them in if it got abnormally cold for around here). Teens and wind that will continue for hours on end: they stay in. Long, cold, drenching precipitation events: they stay in.

Santa needs to get his butt in gear, because my new turnout sheds also failed to materialize! They have a 12x20 carport temporarily that they have never once used. My husband bought plywood so we can make a windbreak, but our weekends keep getting away from us.

[PaddockWood]

Turned out pretty much 24/7 with a choice to come in or be out. They need to be dry and have shelter access. If they’re gonna get WET either access to shelter to dry OR change a blanket.

They’re so much happier and healthier (if they prefer this lifestyle) going in and out at will. No vices.

I don’t blanket unless it goes below zero but my horses aren’t clipped. And I only blanket if my horses want it. They tell me by whether they accept it being put on or leaving.

[Weezer]

My guys always have access to the barn but it always surprises me when they chose to stay out in terrible weather. During the summer they spend most of the day in the barn under the fans and all year they wander back there for nap time so I know they’re comfortable in there but even in wet cold weather, they seem to prefer to use the tree lines for windbreaks. So I’d say only bring your crew in if it’s cold and wet and their blankets are soaked through. If it’s cold but not wet, just keep piling on the blankets and let them be outside. Senior horses might benefit from a neck wrap to help keep them warm and dry.

[tabula_rashah]

My guys are out 24/7/365 with free choice hay. They have a good sized run in plus lots of trees, including an area of heavy pines that stays pretty dry all the time. I do also blanket, mainly because it saves me grooming time. During the winter, I hardly ever see them in the shelter or under the trees, even in gross freezing rain, they’ll be outside. Now summer- that’s a different story lol- they spend a lot of time in the run in and the trees to escape the heat

[B-burg_Dressage]

Mine are out 24/7 unless we’re significantly sub zero F. But they have access to a run-in that is attached to the barn.

If they didn’t have shelter, I’d likely keep them in only when it was raining and in the 30-40 range. Warmer than that and they’ll be fine in a sheet. Colder than that and it’s snow and they’ll be fine in a medium/heavy/whatever blanket.

I don’t mind wind so much since turnout blankets do a good job of blocking most of that. It’s just that cold rain that gets down to their skin and eventually soaks underneath their turnout sheets.

[endlessclimb]

Really bad ice is the only reason mine stay in. It’s got to be BAD though. Otherwise, they can go out for their 4-6 hours a day. They’ll survive.

[smoofox]

The previous farm that I worked at was in the western foothills of the Rockies. Temperatures would go down to -30 during the winter. Only the very old, anyone with health issues and mares who were a couple of months out from foaling came in to the barn at night. Each paddock outside had amazing deep, well built, cozy sheds - backing to the river valley and the wind coming off the lake… big enough for several horses to share comfortably.

No blankets needed for that shaggy bunch… and it often pained me to note that they mainly used their sheds for outhouses and simply stood with their butts to the wind, comfortable and happy.

I added extra hay for extreme weather and had a stock waterer system in the paddocks (10 of them) that was one continuous line with a faucet at the far end downhill that I attached a hose to and left trickling to keep the water moving. I had to check that run off regularly to make sure it was not icing up.

Occasionally a waterer would still freeze (not at the pan but at ground level) - but then I made use of the outlet that had been installed inside. An extra light bulb was also installed inside to help things stay warmer. I would lay out there in all my layers of clothes, remove the panel from the side, plug in a blow dryer, turn it on and aim it down alongside the pipe where it disappeared into the ground. I could marvel at the spectacular stars (because you know this only ever happened at night ) while I waited… and in next to no time there would be a soft “thunk” sound and the issue was resolved.

But yes - most of the horses were out 24/7/365 no matter what the weather - and were happy and healthy.