Hello, wondering what is the best for a yearling. Is it better to let him in the field outside with other horses all time? Or maybe find a place where he gets stalled every night and be outside the day with other horses? Thank you
In my opinion, a yearling’s only job is to grow. In the wild, horses naturally graze up to 22 hours a day and travel a minimum of 10 miles a day. In my opinion, a young horse is healthiest if left outside 24/7 with friends, forage and freedom. Just make an effort to work with him once a week or so to make sure he is used to being handled regularly. We keep our sessions very short rather than dragging them out. Even just a once a month session is fine for many young horses if they have had regularly handling as a weanling.
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I leave mine out 24/7. I agree with the regular handling. We accomplish ours by rotating turn outs. Moms and babes get moved a couple of times a week. This gets them use to handling and a routine as well as a change in environment. Moms get brought in to be groomed regularly and babes start getting groomed too. Farriers always thank us for that…
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At the moment he s still a colt, he would be in pasture with four geldings but they are all older so my concern is that I m worried about him being with older horse that wouldn t leave him eat, he would be the last one to arrive at the place
I have several youngsters and have found they are happiest when outside 24/7 with a shelter and a round bale or ample grass. They have plenty of space to run around and play. The more time they spend outside, the easier it is to handle them when I pull them out of the field. I used to have them at a place where they were stalled for most of the day (to prep for showing) but it ended up not working out well. A lot of minor behavioral issues when away as soon as they got to be outside all the time. Kind of like with human kids, fill them up with too much food or candy and don’t let them play, they can go nuts!
With foals, they should also be outside 24/7 unless the weather is really horrible like super cold or very hot and humid. Babies don’t regulate temperature very well so it is easy for them to get overheated. Not much interaction is needed unless you are trying to prep for weanling sales (like the TB people) or want to show on the line. I’ve found foals to be like men, the more you try to ignore them, the more interested they become in you. :lol:
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Given the option, turnout, turnout, turnout, with horses who will play, tolerate some antics, but lay down the law when he starts getting pushy.
Age is irrelevant. It wouldn’t matter if it was a herd of 2yos or 20yos he was being put into - either the dynamics works, or it doesn’t.
That said, he does need to learn that life goes in if he’s got to be stalled, so having a place where they get brought in for really bad weather (because they also need to learn that just because it’s not all sunshine and roses, they don’t melt) to learn to be stalled, is also ideal.
Stalled at night isn’t the worst thing. The bigger issue is that depending on where you are, “night” might be from 4pm-8am, so that’s 8 hours out, 16 hours in.
In other words - get as much turnout as possible.
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thank you very much i m going tomorrow to see the place for my little fellow
I prefer my horses to be out 24/7 weather permitting, but twice a day I bring them in so everyone gets their grain separately and a quick once over/fly spray. That way everyone gets what they are supposed to eat.
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Ditto that - there needs to be a plan for separating everyone, and not just tied to a fence, for meals. Everyone should have eyes laid on them at least once a day - everyone is walking normally on all 4s, everything looks right.
yes, that is my concern, that he can get fed in a proper way separated
I’m with most of the others here. Lots of turnout if possible.
I have all of my geldings at home (5 total now, from yearling to 21 year old) and they are all turned out in a 4 acre grass paddock from 6am to 8pm. I bring in my 3 show ponies (as I only have 4 stalls and my 2 older gelding are retired) at night as they get grain in the am and in the pm. The retired 2 boys go in a dirt diet paddock for the night.
I like this routine as the yearling gets handled, learns to be in a stall (he is and will be a show pony - his first line show is this weekend) he plays all day with the other boys and he gets the grain and hay that I want him to get - he does have a different feed schedule then my other 4 boys. I find it too hard to see what he is or isnt eating if he’s outside all day and night. But if he was turned out with a bunch of other yearlings and they are all fed the same, 24hr turnout would be perfect.
A lot of show barns have too short of turnout times if you ask me - for a yearling. I just work my little guy in hand a couple of times a week to get used to a bridle and to be seperated from the other boys. Only 10 - 20 mins at a time, and this routine has worked really well for me in the past and he seems pretty happy with it as well 
Good luck and enjoy your little one!
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I just went to see the place where I coud put him, just 200 m from the barn where I have my other horses. He would be out with two other geldings and I could go and see him every day and handle him. The only thing is that he wouldn t come in a barn at night but he would get grain at morning and night. I hope it is a good arrangement for him
He doesn’t NEED to come into the barn at night
What is the setup for him getting his daily feed?
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Our youngsters are out 24/7, in a mixed herd of old mares and others the same age. Twice a day they are stalled in a 36x36 shed with box stalls along the back wall…grained, handled, eye balled. I often see them sleeping in the building during the heat of the day and also at night…and they ALWAYS come in out of the rain/bad weather!! Works for us. I don’t think a youngster should have to fight/compete for his fair share of grain!!
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My yearlings are out 24/7 but I do bring them in to eat. This allows me to check them over, fly spray, and then they also get handled daily.
My yearlings and two year olds live out 24/7 . Always have. We love to keep boys in with some boys to play with. Works well, and all line up to eat dinner morning and night.
