Natural Living

[Little Wolf Ranch]

I know I have been asking a lot of questions here lately but I just love picking the brains of the members on here.

How many of you let your horses stay outside 24/7 through all weather conditions? If you do, do you keep a blanket on hand if there is going to be constant cold rain for several days? How big are your run in shelters and how many do you allot per run in? If they are outside, do you feed grain and if so how do you seperate them, just tie them up?

I'm thinking I may try to let a few of my minis live outside year round and see how they do, I'm thinking it will be harder on my conscious than on them....

As always I look forward to hearing your opinions!!

 

[chandab]

Mine live out pretty much 24/7, 365; I live in NE Montana, so we do get winter and is often quite severe. I only use the stalls in the mare barn to separate for grain feedings (they get a complete pellet, and whatever supplement they might need), they share hay outside, most have access to run-in shelters all the time, the mare group has access to the barn aisle in wet weather (otherwise just windbreaks for the most part). No one seems any worse for wear.

 

[lkblazin]

Mine live outside 24/7 year round. They have a lean too attached to a large stall. If someone needs to be stalled I can. I just prefer the freedom. Its five girls. Mom and daughter,adopted daughter, and two younger mares. They are not allowed on the back pastures at night.

I sometimes blanket in the winter if they seem like they are cold. Or like this past winter with the polar vortex. One of my girls gets cold easily. Another is very old. And the biggest doesn't get a thick coat. I do not blanket for rain. I know of people that do. Personally I feel they are smart enough to go inside if they want.

I can also feed them inside or out depending on the weather. My girls are very rarely kept in stalls. Only if someone is sick. And even then I don't really like it. Especially since I went outside one morning to find one of my hens had bumped the heat lamp. It burnt a hole in the side of the barn. And her butt was all burnt. She didn't get hurt, just no but feathers for a while. Now the lamp has chicken wire around it and it is screwed into the wall. No more fried chicken butt, for Barbara ( yes I named my chicken Barbara lol). Hope this helped. And I always love the new topics, so if you have any other ideas post away

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Mine are always out. Only the weanlings have access to stalls- they can come and go as they please. The mares do have a shed on the field they have just moved onto, and they use it when the flies are bad (we are still having some warm days) BUT we do not get really bad snow (although when we do have snow they will not touch the hay I put out, they pee in it and lie on it instead!) I do not have facilities to bring them in and they would not thank me if I did. When they are foaling, I have ONE mare who will come in quietly to have her foal, everyone else head butts the walls all night and has their foal the next morning when I turn them out!!

ETA: I NEVER blanket. Blanketing on top of a winter coat seriously damages it's ability to stay waterproof and to keep the animal warm.

 

I live in Florida now, but am from the Adirondack Mountains in New York and lived there for decades raising Arabian horses and Angus cattle. Horses were always out 24/7 and we never blanketed, and in New York in Lake Placid, the temps got down to 20 below almost the entire month of February. I could always gauge how the winter would be by checking out the coats and how early they starting fluffing up. But I never blanketed, and always laugh when someone here in Florida talks about blanketing their horses when it gets "cold".

Nature seems to have a way of protecting them from the cold, but I always believed in allowing free feeding hay in the winter, as constant grazing of the hay and chewing seemed to help keep them warm. They did have run-in sheds with sides to help with the wind. (But on a side-line, during Hurricane Charley here in Florida in 2004, my Peruvian Pasos stood out in the field with their butts to the hurricane winds and didn't go near their run-ins.)

The only horses of mine that were stalled here in Florida were the pregnant mares within 6 weeks of delivery, and it was done more for protection and easing my mind than any other reason. With these minis, I believe it's important that someone be there during foaling. I always felt more secure having the girls in the barn to deliver "just in case" something unexpected happened and they needed a little help "adjusting" during a difficult birth. But as I said, that was more for my benefit in feeling it was better to be available to them then leave them out in pasture at night. As an appaloosa breeder, I also had a few mares that were "night blind" so having them in a lit barn made it easier on them, and made them feel safer to deliver during the night -- when it seems most of these ladies like to sneakily delivery their little ones.

I've had many a horse standing around in morning completely covered in ice or snow, and when you reach down into their coats, it is warm as toast.

A "shivering" horse is a different story. If for some reason you see a horse shivering, then I would say it would be appropriate to blanket them to help them maintain their heat and health, but I've never had it happen here, even with the "retirees" I've had over the years.

Just my thoughts.

 

[lkblazin]

I do only blanket my girls when they are cold, I do feel every horse is different. One of my girls that gets cold I will see shivering. She will actually tremble.she may not be smart enough to go inside. She also has the softest hair I have ever felt on a horse. Its almost like cat hair.....and she does develop a thick coat. Almost like a sheep, her face hair gets so thick.

And in the cold horses bodies are burning calories to keep warm. My oldest mare does not have calories to throw away.

And my largest, for some reason has never gotten a thick winter coat. She is 17 and I am 20 so for as long as I can remember she has never had a thick winter coat. So with her I wait till winter climax's then I will blanket her.

 

[Kendra]

Our horses live outdoors 24/7 with access to run in sheds. They do very well in our coldest, winteriest weather here in the great white north. We monitor them closely and make sure they have lots of roughage to help them keep warm. Winter coats can hide a multitude of sins, so we check condition by putting our hands on them regularly. Young, growing horses and old folks need to be supplemented with an extruded feed, and while we don't routinely blanket, if I found someone shivering, you bet they'd get a blanket. And a hot mash. And a stall so I could keep an extra close eye on them until I was sure there wasn't anything else going on.

 

[AngC]

Outside 24/7. All have access to barn. Stalls are "big horse" size.

No grain, no blankets. Even Nicky, who's blind as a bat, is out 24/7. I think it's the best world I can give him.

About all they get is my window cracked open to hear if a coyote or cougar needs shooting, I suspect that coyotes aren't an issue. Coco would kick their butts. Cougar appearance would mean they're dead; it's a risk I decided to take. Cougar ripping out horse throat has happened much further south.

Nicky got rain-rot once, about the size of a quarter. They're all filthy; I don't care. I brush them and clean them and then let 'em loose. ...every day. Personally, I think horses roll in the cedar droppings/dirt/etc. because it sets up a protective layer. I think our horsies are smarter than I am when it comes to taking care of themselves. They all get the most beautiful furry, bushy coats. For us, here, furry coats are starting now, and I love how they look. I also feel quite happy with horses being horses. I'm not trying to show and make them adhere to human perceptions of what makes a nice-looking horse. They are what they are, and mine are gorgeous, in my opinion.

 

[paintponylvr]

I'm amazed that so many keep their horses out. Hadn't realized, YAY!!

Katie - the biggest problem I've found here in the south is the humidity with the cold or the rain/WIND w/ "blistering" cold temps. And some refuse to go into a barn or run in UNLESS locked in and others will block the rest from coming in no matter how large the run in or "open" stall area... So - it's a matter of checking to see who is doing what and moving them around to accommodate all.

I've fed loose and I've fed with EVERY horse tied at their buckets. Depends on age/needs of each horse and how fast/slow they consume their feed and how much each gets. I've been to farms where horses are fed free choice feed and I've employed that in a couple of pens on a limited basis as needed. I can't imagine doing it with all of ours, but sure sometimes wish I could.

As to blankets - learn your horses' coats and habits. If one isn't doing well and is outside, blanket as needed w/ water proof/resistant blankets. Sounds like you already have a barn/stalls, so you can always move them in if needed.

Mine have been happy out even in these scenarios:

The Arab mare in 1st pic does have a much shorter coat than the other ponies and Arabians, but she seemed to do fine. Usually she stayed round and FAT thru the whole winter until this last one. AND the Shetland stallion on the end - loved his blanket that was originally purchased for his daughter who was shown. It's too large and has to be checked a lot - but can put other blankets or liners on him under it. Can you tell how many ponies/horses are in the 2nd pic (LOL)?

They all get fed a HOT mash - water boiled in the house and carried out in 2 ltr bottles and buckets, beet pulp partially soaked in hot water overnight, then boiling water added in AM before taking out. By the time it's all doled out, its still pretty warm - they all wicker and whinny for their hot mashes! I must love my ponies because this is WORK... They let me know how much they appreciate it.

Here's other pics: SNOW at LP Painted Ponys

 

[Little Wolf Ranch]

I just love hearing everyones experiences and being so kind as to give me details on how they run things in the winter.

The biggest problem I have with several of mine is standing out in the cold rain getting soaked all the way through to the skin, and then they stand at the gate shivering. My QH does the same thing and since he's 21 and has a harder time keeping weight, I'm making him stay in a stall during bad weather this winter. Hes in good weight but he doesn't have any to spare either.

I do have a stall for each horse I have right now, but I was thinking that maybe I pamper them too much? I was thinking that instead of adding more stalls to the barn itself, I would add run ins and let them dictate when they want to go in.

I'd love to hear from more people too, love hearing from everyone

 

[rabbitsfizz]

I do not think blankets would work in your situation, unless you could buy two or three for every horse. They all claim to be 100% waterproof, but I have not found one yet. Also, of course, if they were they could easily cause the horse to sweat so you would have to check and change almost every day. If you can do this, OK, but really, bringing them in at night if it is raining and cold and they are c9old, or better still supplying a run in...

 

[Barefootin]

Most of ours are out 24/7 all year round. We bring the stallions in at night mostly because they are Prima Donnas, especially my QH. It is the wet days just above freezing that cause the most problems. Unless there is an issue most of them not only do fine but much prefer to be out. They all at least a roof to get under but most don't. They have free choice hay at ALL times. They get tied to be fed what little grain and supplements they need. That way everybody gets a personal check everyday. If there is a problem then that horse comes in the barn for whatever is needed.

 

[susanne]

My three are out 24/7 with a run-in plus trees for shelter and wind-breaks. In most conditions, they greatly prefer the trees. Freezing rain combined with wind is the only weather that worries me, and we rarely get that.

I have blankets for all three, but I only blanket if someone is shivering. (Usually it's Keith.)

I feed extra hay on cold nights and check frequently day and night to thaw frozen water.

Keep in mind that snow or ice that remains frozen on their backs is proof of their coats' natural insulation. If they were losing heat, it would melt.

 

[amysue]

In my experience, when pasturing horses 24/7, the less I interfere the better (ie) blanketing, clipping and locking them in. The horses that turn out in nice weather and stable at night on my farm work/show all year so they are clipped and obviously require blanketing. As Jane mentioned, if a horse wears a blanket out in the rain, it needs to be changed to dry otherwise the horse will be cold. Most of my broodmares are happy outside 24/7 365 and they are not blanketed and they have access to a shelter more than big enough for everyone , so no-one gets shoved out in the cold/rain. I have a 21 year old mare who exhibits signs of being cold, so she wears a turnout and I bring her in when it rains. In my personal opinion (this is how I was brought up with horses) my trainer taught us that several common sense rules applied: If you blanket the horse, you keep him dry and stable him because you intent to work him all winter, if you leave him out 24/7, you never blanket or clip as he does not need it, and if you didn't blanket as it was getting cold, you didn't all winter as the horse grew a hair coat and wouldn't need a blanket and dressing him would make him sweat and chill. Now remember, when I was a kid learning horses, waterproof blankets were not widely used and were hardly waterproof so a horse in a blanket in the rain was better off naked ( with a long coat) as a wet rug does no good. A clipped horse doen't belong outside Without a rug. Extenuating circumstances apply too, old or ill or skinny horses and horses moved to a cold climate need extra attention. Nowadays, there are a lot of options for waterproof turnouts, but as people have mentioned, they do need swapped out regularly which means you have a lot more work. Plus, most of the waterproof turnouts I've used still let the horse get wet at the neck and shoulder, thus limiting their effectiveness. . I think that too many people over think it and treat their horses like people, doing more harm than good (ie) it's cold out, I need a coat, so my horse needs a coat or I go inside at night so my horse must go in at night and so on. Everyone does things differently and that's tbe beauty of the horse world, you need to do what's best for you and your horses. In my opinion, your horses will be fine with 24/7 outside turnout as long as they have access to shelter. If you have been locking them in at night, they may take some time to get comfortable being left out. I have had horses refuse to use a run-in shelter and instead pace the fence or stand at the gate in the rain shivering because they were ALWAYS stabled and felt more comfortable that way. In order to teach them to stay out, I begin the transition in the summer months when it's warm and I feed them in the run-in to acclimate them to it. sometimes, I find it is easier in the event of ice storms and blizzard noreaster storms, to stable everyone so I'm not trudging through two feet or snow or breaking my tail falling on ice sheets to water and feed horses. But, once the ice/snow is over, I've plowed and sanded the yard, everyone is happy to go back out.