Do you turn your horses out in the rain?

[buck-wild-chick]

Yea I just dont understand why horses would rather stand in the freezing rain, than come into there nice warm stalls.. When I went out to feed this morning, my mare is soaking wet and muddy.

 

[Bec]

Quote:
Check your inbox!! I PM'd you about older horses

 

[reallemons1]

Mine are locked out of their stalls except for during cold winter storms. They have a nice overhang on the barn and the barn is positioned to block the wind and rain. They would rather pee and poop in the stall than anywhere else on their whole 4+ acres and I would rather do other things than clean stalls. Go figure!

 

[freemotion]

I managed a private farm in extreme Northern Maine for a few years and these were Arabs. Some were blanketed...those in training and those who would be shown in early spring. The retirees and youngsters were not, nor were the broodmares.

The key to weather-proofing is to not do much grooming. Keep that dirt in the coat, just a quick, light once-over to satisfy your own sense of esthetics.....get the shavings off, hay and tangles out of manes and tails, and fluff up any hair matted from sweat or rain or snow. Run your hands over ever square milimeter daily to check for problems, but put down the curry comb and definitely don't vacuum. It is hard at first, but I had arabs outside with run-ins who would stand in the rain and snow rather than come in.

I can only think of a couple times that a mare misjudged and came in shivering. I threw a polar-fleece and a cotton sheet (works better than a winter blanket for this purpose because it lets the moisture out while keeping the horse warm, and good quality polar fleece wicks.) after scraping, of course.

A full belly of hay keeps them warm through the fermentation in the gut. So feed more stemmy hay is your guy gets too fat on lots of hay.

The younger horses need a bit more protection. Also, if you do not have the good fortune of a run-in situation where the horse has a choice, just watch the attitude. Is he grazing, dozing comfortably, or standing miserably by the gate with his head down and ears back and tail kinda tucked? Bet not!

 

[RockyToggRanch]

I have two TWH's. One is 12 and one is either 17 or 30ish depending on who you ask. I have blankets for them, but don't use them unless it's well below 0 for an extended period. They have dutch doors on their stalls and can come and go as they please, but the older one does prefer to be outside, regardless of the weather. When he gets cold he scoots the other one over and they share a stall. I watch them when it's cold and wait to see signs that they are cold. Last year I closed them inside a few nights when the wind was bitterly cold. They weren't pleased.

 

[hippichick]

We have a Belgian and 4 Quarter Horses. I feed and stall them at night, and let them out in the morning. Sometimes I keep them in if I know we will be having a really stormy day, and boy do they hate it. If they had their way, they would never be locked up. I guess if we think about it, horses out in the wild don't have shelter from storms. But I think it makes us feel better knowing we are protecting them.

Paula

 

[ThreeBoysChicks]

When it is raining and cold, I make sure my horses are in the pasture that allows them free access to their stalls. My Belgian almost alwasy stays in her stall or under the over hang. I never put a blanket on her. I think that might prohibit them from growing their naturally winter coat. I know people who show year around, use blankets to do just that.

 

[what was i thinking]

my mom, just two hours ago, brought my old guy back from her house. he is thirty two. she wanted to try to put him on her pasture for the last couple months to get some weight on him before winter. also we rescued one, a month ago today. he is about 500 under weight. yes he is gross looking. i also have two much more healty younger horses. i gave the old guy some feed to say welcome back. get the blanket off him, that was only for the wind of being trailered. it is 25 out right now and snow pretty good. every one is outside, with no blankets. the skinny one only gets a blanket if it is windy. they have a 25 foot long shelter with a manger full of hay. they can also run into the back the barn if needed. they love it. i bring them in and grain them or keep them in over night when we have a big storm or something other than that, they are much happier outside.

 

[jacyjones]

I keep my mare in at night and out in the day. She has access to her stable and a turnout when the weather is bad and all winter. She never has a rug in this set up - she is sheltered from the wind and it nevers gets so cold that she needs another layer. When she was out on a field in the winter she wore a rug - it kept her warm and meant she needed less hay.
She will stay out in the rain and in snow but when the wind is strong and it is raining she will go in the stable some of the time.

 

[Chick_a_dee]

Our guy is out all weather, all hours, all the time. He's a Haflinger X Belgian and does just fine. We only started needing a blanket for him when he was stalled at a boarding stable, and his coat didn't come in fully. Are you blanketing your guy just to keep him clean? Because Belgians and larger horses can overheat pretty quickly with their big woolies and a winter blanket on.


Also NOTE: Pal, our guy, is almost 24 years old, and lives in a 4 acre field with no trees, no shelter. He is only brought into the roundpen for some grain and stays for about 10 minutes, then back out. He currently lives in Middle-Northern Alberta, so winter can be chilly!