Letting my horse outside.??

Question

I Show the whole summer,spring and late winter. so he stays inside 24/7 except for normal everyday rides and when we leave for the shows which last for about 2-3 weeks. Obviously because hes bodycliped he cant get washed out, beat up etc outside. This winter i will be leaving him inside but this fall i am thinking about turning him out for a few hours a day because i will not be showing him as often do you think turning him out will affect him or he will get hurt becasue he doesnt go out. He will be with 1 other horse but im still scared he will have problems.

Answer 1

yes, it will affect him, but not in a negative way at all. i suspect that after you turn him out for a time that he'll be a perkier, more interested ride. horses are made to live outside, so turning him out would be the best thing for him. i understand why you keep him stalled, and i dont think its cruel, but i think he would benefit greatly from turnout. i bought an OTTB in February who had never been outside her stall except to race since she was 2 weeks old. my horses are outside 24/7 with full access to their stalls if they want to come in, so she stayed in her stall for the first few days. she still loves her stall, but she doesnt spend as much time in there anymore. i think it has helped her alot to just be outside and be able to run and play with her buddy whenever she wants. its great for a horse to be able to control when they want to run and play. i definitely think that you should turn him out; it'll be good for him. he'll have loads of fun!

and you dont need to always have a rug on him; if its 60 degrees or warmer, you can leave it off and let him "air out" a bit as long as its not too terribly windy.  

Answer 2

Someone said it is not unnatural for horses to be stalled, because they don't know what they are missing. That's not correct. They do know, because stalling the horse is counter to millions of years of evolution and instinct.

Horses evolved to live on semi-arid plains and they are prey animals. Their ability to survive is based on their ability to flee danger. As a result, they become anxious in enclosed places. Like stalls. This leads to a variety of what are called "vices" - pacing, wood chewing, cribbing, rubbing, high-headedness, etc.

Horse physiology evolved to support an animal that walks thousands of steps a day (typically about 20 miles) and eats all the time. A recent study demonstrated that stalled horses typically walk 800 steps a day, compared to turned out horses which walk 4000. This lessened activity weakens joints, bones, muscles, tendons, respiratory system, circulatory system and hooves, and leads to an anxious or demoralized state that impairs the readiness of the horse to perform.

Stalled horses are more prone to develop conditions like swelling in the lower legs, osteoporosis, and joint problems. Hooves are more prone to thrush and infection as a result of constant exposure to urine and f***s in the footing. Lungs are eroded by the ammonia in the air.

Horses are social animals evolved to have a place in a herd. It creates anxiety when they cannot have contact with others of their kind and when they cannot see others of their kind at a distance. This is what they are stuck with in the stall environment. This leads to calling and neighing and may lead to pacing and injury. The stress damages their immune system and may have other side effects.

Horses at our barn are turned out 24x7 and that includes show horses. They are only brought in during excessive cold, wind and snow conditions, ice storms, and major thunderstorms. After all, they are horses, and in their natural state, they are strong, robust animals, ready to face nature and strengthened by contact with it.

Imagine an Olympic athlete, kept day after day in a jail cell and only let out to practice. Imagine his state of mind and physical condition.

Is that really what you want for your horse?

So, yes, the answer is - please turnout your horse as much as you can.

Your horse will roll around on the ground and will get dirty - but he can be washed and he will like to roll (it is THE greatest pleasure they have, I suspect). He will be in the sun. If you're worried about color, use a shampoo and fly spray with sun-blockers. He may get scratched by rocks on the ground and need some occasional ointment. He will be excited at first, and will want to meet the other horses. He may be afraid a little of the sights, smells and sounds, but especially if you spend time with him in that environment, he will quickly adapt.

He will start to be a horse, not just a doll that gets used for showing. He will be stronger, better minded, less worried, and heathier. He will be less worried at shows, and he will be closer to you at all times.

Now some guidelines for turnout. If you are turning out to pasture and transitioning his diet to grass, make sure to get a schedule from your vet for starting small and gradually increasing pasture time. If he will now be sharing space with another horse, start by separating them with a fence. Watch them carefully as they work out their place in their herd of two, because it can sometimes get out of hand. You may want to introduce them when your horse is in halter, so you can back him away if things go bad at first. Once they have settled their positions in the herd, you can relax and let them be together.

I hope this helps!

Answer 3

He'll probably eventually enjoy the turnout. He may not know what to think of it at first, and he'll either run around like crazy or pace the fence wanting to come in. But give him time and let him get used to it and he'll probably be very happy. Just make sure the first few times you turn him out in a small paddock so he can't run around too much and get hurt. And keep an eye on him for the first few days (or however long it takes him to settle), make sure he's not worried. And make sure he's getting along with the other horse. A mean turnout buddy will prevent him from settling in. Good luck :)

EDIT: It is not cruel to keep a horse stalled. Many show horses are kept inside and that is life as they know it. They've never known anything else and aren't missing it. Or if they have been turned out, they have since adjusted to being indoors. As long as the horse is being properly exercised and cared for, it is happy. Yes, it's natural for horses to be out, and it promotes better health, etc, and MOST really enjoy it,  but it is not "cruel" to keep them in.  A horse is happy in a situation he is used to, that is part of his routine. If you think it's cruel to keep horses inside, I hope you never set foot on the grounds of big horse shows. Many of those horses rarely, if ever, see turnout, but they're amazing, happy, well cared-for performance animals aren't they?

Answer 4

Dear, I feel sorry for your horse. I know plenty of people who show regularly and some at top-levels year round and none of them confine their horses to a stall like this. If necessary pay extra for a field where he can be by himself (within close proximity) to other horses so he doesn't get blemished. Horses are designed to roam and graze with their necks down 24/7. Boxing them in a stall all day is the most unhealthy thing you can do to them. Additionally, being indoors all the time is bad for their respiratory system. Even with the best no-dust bedding like Swift Pic which is what I use for when he has to be inside and a clean barn, it's still a barn with lots of dust and particles floating in fairly stagnant air. It's been shown that horses that are kept indoors have a high incidence of COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), also referred to as heaves, later in life and it usually shortens their lifespan. Do your own research and you'll see that what you've been doing to your horse is not healthy or fair.

Answer 5

You want to do it slowly and keep an eye on him to make sure he isn't doing anything that can hurt himself.  Like running around like an idiot, rearing bucking i.e. course at first he will be like woo,woo, i am taking about anything really excessive, that may hurt him.  

I would start turning him out for mabe an a hour, then gradually a little more each day depending one how he adjust.  My old horse when we first brought home from the stable we were boarding at, where did didn't get turned out for the same reasons, we transition him slowly like that till he could be out all day with no problems at all.  At first he did the woo,woo i am free yepee.  But the "new and exicteingness' of be free wore off.  

Answer 6

Your horse will love it.  Makes sure he has a nice pasture buddy that's not overly dominate.  This will cause fights and you horse might get hurt.  Let him stay outside for an hour at first and then gradually let him stay longer and longer until your at the time you like.  In my opinion the more turnout time the better for a horse.  My horse spends his whole week outside, but his stall is adjacent to his pasture so I leave the door open so he can come in and out whenever he wants.  He has a buddy that's kept in the pasture next to his so he has company too.  Your horse will be healthier and happier this way!

Answer 7

Who told you your horse HAS to be blanketed when it goes out?  Ridiculous.  Horses are not made of glass.  Let the thing out of its stall to be a horse!  It's quite selfish to keep him in just so he stays clean and unbleached.  And yes, it IS cruel to keep a horse in a stall.  Just becuase they don't know any different doesn't mean it's not cruel.  That's like saying it's okay to lock a child in a closet and that they will be fine if that's where they are 24/7 because they don't know any better.

Answer 8

let him outside trust me they LOVE IT

if you keep him rugged well he will be fine

horse are naturally made to live in the wild

i think u r being really selfish keeping him in all the time and quite cruel as well !

Answer 9

Uh, yeah, he would very much enjoy getting out and at liberty.  He probably won't know what to do at first since he has been jailed for so long but he'll figure it out soon enough.  I, personally, think it is cruel to keep a horse confined 24/7.  It is unnatural and is the main cause of things like gastric ulcers and stable vices like cribbing and weaving.  Horses are herd animals that are made to graze and move about all the time, keeping him confined in a small space goes against nature.  My horses get turned out in a 5 acre pasture all day and put up in the barn at night.  I have zero colic, zero stable vices, and zero gastric ulcers.  

Answer 10

I realise you show quite heavily but I think it's un natural for horses to not be turned out solidly for at least a few weeks in a year, when in the off season.

So long as you check on him daily to make sure he hasn't hurt himself, or got his rugs in a twist ... will he still be rugged? Then my personal oppinion is that he should go out for a rest and time to just be a horse.

Good luck, hope he enjoys his rest.

Answer 11

By one poster's reasoning, it would not be cruel to lock a child up in a bedroom for life, since the child wouldn't know any different.  I managed to show horses without this unnatural treatment, and so can anyone.  Horses, like people, need exposure to sunlight to maintain bone health.  Any introduction to being out entails both emotional and physical considerations and should be done cautiously.  And I would encourage you to rethink the way you are keeping your horse.

Edit...I stole Juliane's point...sorry.  But, maybe if the same point is made twice, it might sink in.

Answer 12

he'll enjoy it a lot. my friend had to keep her horse in, until she got a project horse...

anyway, what she did was left her blanket on (it was spring and a lil chilly out still) but she would turn her out in the round pen outside so she could have a little run around free time. but she didnt turn her horse out b/c of expensive shoes that couldnt be thrown (makes sense when you're showing for youth in country english pleasure

but yea he'll enjoy being let out, they need it

Answer 13

as long as you start off with short periods of time and then gradually increase them he should be fine. Make sure he has a rug when it is cold and check on him regularly. Horses are outdoor animals anyway!! Hope this helps!

x

Answer 14

he will love the turnout.  As long as he has a rug or blanket I wouldn't worry.