# in or out, and why?



## TurnNBurn625 (Aug 19, 2010)

i would keep horses out. i think it keeps their energy level down. or you could keep them in the stall and work with them every day with a 3 hour turn out time.


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## ilyTango (Mar 7, 2010)

Ours are out all year...well, right now with the exception of Tango, because the vet placed her on "stall rest". They have a run-in but live outside. I guess the reason-apart from the fact they're horses/outside animals and it's healthier for them, is that we only _have _one stall anyways-for emergencies and special occasions and such. It would be impossible to stall them all.


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## lilruffian (Jun 28, 2010)

Mine are out all year. I dont have a barn even if i wanted to keep them in! I have a small portable pen incase one needs to be contained for some reason (injury) but other than that they're built to withstand the wind, rain & snow. Maybe a winter blanket if the horse really needs it, but they're by no means babied to the extreem where i keep them in a barn all the time & blanketed when they're outside.


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## Zora (Mar 18, 2010)

Ours have walk in walk out barns, we would never shut them in less they had to be restricted for some reason. My older quarter horse has a winter blanket, but only wears it if there is freezing rain/ice. She usually likes to stand in her stall in bad weather anyway.


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## Rowzy (Mar 1, 2010)

My barn is designed so the horses can walk in and out of their stalls whenever they want, so I leave them out for the majority of the time. The only time I lock them in is if the paddock is getting really muddy and nasty or is flooding. But usually if it is raining hard enough they will go in the stall on their own anyways.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

All of ours are outside all year long. Most of them are in a large pasture where they have trees to get under for shade and protection from the elements. It is easier, no stalls to clean every day, keeps their energy down, and lets them just be horses with a herd.


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## eventerdrew (Mar 13, 2009)

OUT. bottom line, it's better for them.


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## Oakley Eastern Miss (Aug 10, 2010)

My mare used to live out all year round and the horses were fed hay in the field to share and she had her dinner. As she has got older, she doesn't eat as quickly as the others so it concerned me that she wasn't getting her fair share. I also found she was losing more weight than I liked over the winter. So now she lives out in the summer, comes in during the winter but only at night time. This has solved all my problems really, she gets plenty of time on grass and she is inside overnight to give her a rest from the horrible weather. I can also monitor what she eats so I can adjust her feed to suit any weight loss and she can take as much time as she needs.


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

Our mares are out all the time. They have a shelter and trees if they want to get out of the sun/wind. They're outside animals...it's just healthier all around.


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## franknbeans (Jun 7, 2007)

Mine both have stalls, but are out either all day or all night, depending on the season. Just like a stall so they have a break from the flies, elements, etc, and, frankly, so I don't always have to go WAY out to get them to ride when time is limited.


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## Hello (Apr 12, 2010)

hmm, seems like most people keep theirs out most of the time. Where are the people with horses who keep them in 24/7? i always wanted to ask about it at my barn but thought it would be rude. lol, i dont want to be offensive..im just curious.


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## Regan7312 (Jul 5, 2010)

Hello said:


> hmm, seems like most people keep theirs out most of the time. Where are the people with horses who keep them in 24/7? i always wanted to ask about it at my barn but thought it would be rude. lol, i dont want to be offensive..im just curious.


^^i wonder the same thing..some people at my barn keep theirs in everyday. my BO said it has to do with them not wanting the sun to bleach them and stuff. most of the time when their owners get them out to ride they are very high strung...


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

Regan7312 said:


> ^^i wonder the same thing..some people at my barn keep theirs in everyday. my BO said it has to do with them not wanting the sun to bleach them and stuff. most of the time when their owners get them out to ride they are very high strung...


If I were a 1000 lbs animal that naturally spends 18+ hours a day walking miles grazing and had to live in a 12x12 room, I'd probably be a little high strung, too ;-)


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## ilyTango (Mar 7, 2010)

Hello said:


> hmm, seems like most people keep theirs out most of the time. Where are the people with horses who keep them in 24/7? i always wanted to ask about it at my barn but thought it would be rude. lol, i dont want to be offensive..im just curious.


Just go ahead and ask. As long as you're not snooty and arrogant about it, I see no problem with simply asking.


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## GreyRay (Jun 15, 2010)

Outside. 1- our horses hate barns, if we kept them inside... well, we wouldnt have a barn. 2- they get to frisky. And 3- There really isn't really any point in bringing your horses inside when the barn floor is just as much, if not more, of a mud pit than the pastures(WhyTF do these Amish build there barns in the lowest spot and dig a hole for "foundation"? do they WANT the barn to turn into the Abyss every time it rains?)
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## GreyRay (Jun 15, 2010)

Two "really"s in the same sentance one after the other... thats gonna drive me nuts!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

My horse's rear legs stock up easily if he's confined to a stall, so he's out 24/7 with a run-in shed for protection from weather. I'd rather he have a stall, but he ultimately made the decision.


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## VelvetsAB (Aug 11, 2010)

_My grandparents have Standardbreds and growing up, the broodmare band was always outside 24/7 until winter for foaling. The horses in training and racing were kept inside except for short turn outs to prevent the risk of getting an injury. Even now, its the same thing._

_At the barn I ride at, the horses are out 24/7 unless it is bad weather, and then in the winter the horses come in at night time. In really cold weather they stay in as well._


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## My Beau (Jan 2, 2009)

It depends for my guys-
I leave them out as much as I can, but they don't have a run-in. Sooo, during the summer, if it's raining really hard/storming or very hot & humid during the day they're in with fans. Then they're turned out at night when it's a bit cooler.

During the winter, if it's a very bitter cold/windy night or heavy snow, they're in.

Mainly due to lack of a run-in. The only other times they're in would be overnight before a show.


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## Tasia (Aug 17, 2009)

Out! Champ is claustophobic and he looks good when hes out!


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## Delfina (Feb 12, 2010)

Mine goes out for about 4 hours during the day right now, plus she's either ridden or worked for another hour.

She's being worked up to being outside all day and inside at night, she was recently moved from a dry lot, so she can't be out in the pasture all day yet (has tons and tons of brome hay growing in it).


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## ridergirl23 (Sep 17, 2009)

Rena is in an outdoor stall, its just a bunch of stalls built like a oober long shelter with stall walls breaking them up into stalls, I love it because they are in fresh air and have stuff to look at and not in a dark barn or anything. But its super warm in there in the winter, and cool in the summer, and its protected from all the wind and rain and sleet and stuff. 
But the horses are let out from about 8 AM to 4 PM in a big group paddock. But i love it because Rena can get a little skinny in the winter sometimes, so we can give her extra oats and stuff, and the horses can get their own amount of hay that they need (instead of the big fatties in the feil eating it up, lol) and if we need to we can give her 
supplements and stuff without other horses eating them.


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## Indyhorse (Dec 3, 2009)

Outside 24/7 during MOST of the year, with trees and a run in. My guys do get stalled in the barn, during the dead coldest part of winter, at night only, still turned out during the day. Just because it gets uber-cold and snowy here. I would prefer to leave them out year around - but they all try to cram into the run in and now that we are up to 9 horses on the property they don't all fit - and I'd feel horrible for the ones left out. Plus since I have some fatties, I can more closely monitor the hay they individually get by bringing them in at night.


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## Sunny (Mar 26, 2010)

Ours are out 24/7 during every season but winter, when they stay in at night.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## MGA (Mar 18, 2010)

My show horses stay out every dry day either am or pm depending on the season. This is for a lower risk of losing shoes, for a little extra energy, and to moniter their diet. My lesson horses stay out 24/7 but have an open barn for shelter.
I knew some people who kept their horses in 24/7 and it was usually to "prevent injuries"


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## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

lilruffian said:


> Mine are out all year. I dont have a barn even if i wanted to keep them in! I have a small portable pen incase one needs to be contained for some reason (injury) but other than that they're built to withstand the wind, rain & snow. Maybe a winter blanket if the horse really needs it, but they're by no means babied to the extreem where i keep them in a barn all the time & blanketed when they're outside.


 Are you saying they are out all year with out shelter?
Do not agree with that. They need shelter from the wind and elements.
A wet horse and wind are not the best thing.


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## HowClever (Feb 16, 2010)

Mine are out 24/7 too. They get rugged up in the winter and have plenty of trees for shelter. My pregnant mare has a run in shed, that she flat out refuses to use (she has trees too). I don't have a barn to put them in, plus having a few older horses, its better for them to be able to stretch the legs whenever they need to.


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## Maverick101 (Nov 8, 2009)

eventerdrew said:


> OUT. bottom line, it's better for them.



Not always. Some horses just do not do well in extremely cold temps, or in seasons where bugs are bad. So they may need a break from the elements to insure they stay happy and healthy.

Most my horses are out 24/7 w shelter. I do however have an old mare that CANNOT stay out during bug season, she just gets so worked up and agitated, that she paces, runs, and plain out goes mental....so she needs to be in the barn during the high bug activity then gets turned out later.

I also have a gelding that has COPD, so during harvest, he needs a break from being outside as all the dust in the air agitates his condition, so he goes out early am, comes in for the afternoon, and then goes out again at night.

My mares n foals are also turned in a night, as we have coyotes that have and will take down foals....not fun:-(

So yes, horses outside as much as possible is best, but there are some very valid reasons that some horses do need to have a break from "nature".

Also in all my 30plus yrs of working/being involved in the horse industry I NEVER seen anyone keep their horses in 24/7?????


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

> Also in all my 30plus yrs of working/being involved in the horse industry I NEVER seen anyone keep their horses in 24/7?????


Unfortunately, I have. I have one right now that was sent to me for training that cribs and weaves, even in the larger outdoor pen I have him in. I asked his owner and he said he was born and spent all 4 of his years in a stall :?.


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

Maverick101 said:


> Also in all my 30plus yrs of working/being involved in the horse industry I NEVER seen anyone keep their horses in 24/7?????


Hang out in several high-end show barns sometime. There are plenty of horses who never get out of their stalls unless it's to work.


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## Maverick101 (Nov 8, 2009)

Speed Racer said:


> Hang out in several high-end show barns sometime. There are plenty of horses who never get out of their stalls unless it's to work.


I have many many times, and have worked in many as well....again even horses worth 6figures had at least a few hours of turnout.


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

Maverick101 said:


> I have many many times, and have worked in many as well....again even horses worth 6figures had at least a few hours of turnout.


A few hours of turnout still isn't optimum, but it's much better than some horses who never see the light of day.

Even if they are turned out, they're usually so covered up, braided, bagged, and put out alone, that it's almost not worth it to the animal.

I'm glad wherever you've worked has turned out their show horses. Many barns do not.


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## Maverick101 (Nov 8, 2009)

Speed Racer said:


> A few hours of turnout still isn't optimum, but it's much better than some horses who never see the light of day.
> 
> Even if they are turned out, they're usually so covered up, braided, bagged, and put out alone, that it's almost not worth it to the animal.
> 
> I'm glad wherever you've worked has turned out their show horses. Many barns do not.



I never said it was optimum. 

24/7 means just that... no turnout *at all*. 
And having been involved w show horses across Canada, and Southern states, have never witnessed NO turnout. 
That is all I'm saying that 24/7 is perhaps an exaggeration. 

Sure maybe the horse goes out in a sand ring for an hour or two...that is still turnout...Do I agree w that? No, I don't think its adequate time out for a horse, but it is still turnout, it still allows the horse room to move around, maybe get the willies out, and socialize w buddies.

...never seen 24/7 stall bound horses....maybe it is more common in certain areas then the ones I have been in then. Like I say, been around the block a time or two and never witnessed absolutely no turnout.


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## MaggiStar (Mar 19, 2010)

My ponies are out 24-7 no rugs nothing in winter there moved to a mountain where they have free run of one side from OCtober untill march this gives my land at home much needed rest so it doesnt become horse tiered.

My horses are stabled October to March as they drop weight badly in winter so i can monitor and control there weoght. Plus i ride them for the winter so it makes sense that i dont need to climb a mountain to get a wet cold horse and try ride. It also prevents issues such as rain scald and mud fever on my fine skinned horses which there prone to.

The yard i worked in the majority of horses were stabled year round there out time was 2weeks of holidays and that was the height of there grass intake for year poor horses.


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## VelvetsAB (Aug 11, 2010)

_A lot of times during racing season our race horses dont get out in a paddock. They get jogged several miles every day, but might not get turned out at all. Thats my grandparents only income, so if a horse comes up lame from being stupid in the paddock, its not good. Over the past several years, the horses have gotten turned out more, but its not on a regular basis. During the winter at the worst part of it, thats usually when they get a month off and they stay in the whole time._


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## paintluver (Apr 5, 2007)

Right now my horses are out all day/all night. They have free run of our barn, and a ton of trees. But I don't know how this winter will be treating them, so I will have to go from there if they need to be stalled because of ice/rain/wind/cold.


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## MissPhoebe (Jul 13, 2010)

My horse, and all the others on the property, is only turned out 3 or 4 hours a day in small groups. Yes, we are a show/lesson barn, and there are a couple people who ask for their horses to be let out alone or only in the ring, but the majority do the 3-4 hour shift. It's funny, and maybe it's just a personal experience, but we went to this schedule because the horses are usually beating down the gate to come in after about 4 hours, even less on hot, buggy days. They each go into their own stalls and happily munch hay, take naps, and rest up for their afternoon workouts. The horses are all very happy and I don't think that they suffer at all with this schedule. I know a lot of people say that they should be out 24/7 because that is what is natural. But, that is what was natural before humans happened to them. Much like I wouldn't expect my dog to hunt her food everyday even though that's what should be natural, I find that the horses on our schedule don't suffer at all. Many boarders who have come into the barn from 24/7 turnouts were worried at first about the switch, and, after the fact, many of them usually comment that their horses are the same temperament as they were before. 

Just out of curiosity, how many of the people who have posted on this link have ever tried anything other than 24/7 turnout to see if their really was a difference and what happened?


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## MIEventer (Feb 15, 2009)

I think it depends on the horse.

My Fellow, Nelson - 21 year old TB turning 10, does not do well being stalled. He is a big 16.3hh, thick *people think he is an Irish Sport Horse or Draft X because of how thick he is* doesn't do "well" when he is stalled.

I find that he does very well being outside 24/7, where he can move around continuously *I do not think it is healthy for our horses joints to be left standing in a stall for up to 15 hours a day* and maintains his weight very well when he is outside able to get access to a round bale or pasture at any given time when he chooses to fill his mouth.

When he is stalled, he ends up stocked up, and he doesn't maintain his weight as well as he does when he is out. I dislike that he is left in his stall for up to 15 hours, and the majority of that time, with no hay to eat.

Meh, I personally think horses do better outdoors to be allowed to be horses and be at their natural state. But, I also know some horses who do horrible at being outdoors for the majority of the time, and flourish when stalled

So it depends on the horse.

I think the most important factor here, is finding out what your horse wants and needs, and accomodating them. Not accomodating you.


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## HorseSavvy (Mar 15, 2009)

Moon lives outside 24/7 with a run in shed. All of the barn horses stay outside 24/7, boarders have the option of indoor or outdoor of course. We have limited stall space and most boarders keep their horses out during the day and have them brought in at night. I personally like having Moon outside all the time so he doesn't get bored and has the chance to be an actual horse.


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## ilyTango (Mar 7, 2010)

MissPhoebe said:


> Just out of curiosity, how many of the people who have posted on this link have ever tried anything other than 24/7 turnout to see if their really was a difference and what happened?


I'm doing it right now-Tango was previously out all day, all night, all weather, and now the vet has told us to keep her inside all day, all night, all weather. There's a HUGE difference- I think she's going to go insane pretty soon =P lol. I take her out for walks and exercise as much as possible, but with a horse like her it doesn't really matter.


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## barrelracer7335 (Aug 17, 2010)

I keep my pro barrel horses inside all the time, so they don't "disapper" when im not home, I also keep my studs inside so there's no chance of them getting out. But other then that all of my other horses are outside for about 50% of the time.


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## mliponoga (Jul 24, 2010)

Our horses are out 24/7 with a 30x10 run in. I do not believe in stalling unless under certain cicumstances as I believe it is better for the horses. Someone made the comment that that is what was natural before humans happened to them. Well, what changed? Did horses bodies change so that they were able to stand in a stall all day? Nope! I've seen too many problems with stalling and I will never do it. It causes respiratory problems, joint problems, and several others. I don't understand why people think that a horse should be stalled 24/7!!!! And, yes, I have seen several barns that do not turn out horses at all because god forbid their horse gets kicked, god forbid their horse gets bit by flies, or they get too much sun!! In fact the only two barns I've ever seen had several horses that were never turned out. In fact, one of these barns called animal control on me because our horses did not have stalls to be put into in case it rained. Animal control came out and told us that it wasn't a problem because they had shade. This was before I built our run-in.


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## speedy da fish (May 7, 2009)

My horse lives out during the day and comes in in the afternoon for a ride etc. He is stalled at night because he lives on his own. 

It will stay the same when we move and he lives with a herd because under contract (of the barn) he has to be stalled for part of the day, or else I wont be paying for the right kind of livery :s. So he will still come in at night.


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## monarchsjoy (Jul 28, 2010)

I just moved my horse to a new boarding facility and there are a lot of high dollar dressage horses here. They get turned out in paddocks several hours a day and then most of them get a lot of work. My boy was abused before I got him and for some reason after a couple of hours of being out he gets real panicky to get back in his stall. I guess it is kind of like a security blanket for him. He has a big stall with a big window and lots of soft bedding. I work him every day and spend time with him grazing at least another hour. Oh, and I forgot to mention that he gets hives whenever he touches a tree. So that is another issue. He is kind of high maintenance. This situation works for him, but it won't for every horse. 

In the fall and winter he is always more frisky and I usually longe him before riding.


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## paintluver (Apr 5, 2007)

MissPhoebe said:


> Just out of curiosity, how many of the people who have posted on this link have ever tried anything other than 24/7 turnout to see if their really was a difference and what happened?


 My first horse was kept inside all the time because when we had her she was pregnant, brand new at the barn, and it was snowy/icy out. 
I didn't want her getting kicked or slip on the ice while she was preggers.
I don't have a problem with horses being stalled, but my gelding would beg to differ lol.


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## ponyboy (Jul 24, 2008)

mliponoga said:


> In fact, one of these barns called animal control on me because our horses did not have stalls to be put into in case it rained.


I know people that bring their horses in because of rain and I don't get it. None of the barns I've ridden at do that and the horses don't get sick because of it. I think where I live horses definitely need at least a run-out but really... panicking over plain old rain? I wouldn't buy a horse that melted if it got wet. :lol:


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## mliponoga (Jul 24, 2010)

ponyboy said:


> I know people that bring their horses in because of rain and I don't get it. None of the barns I've ridden at do that and the horses don't get sick because of it. I think where I live horses definitely need at least a run-out but really... panicking over plain old rain? I wouldn't buy a horse that melted if it got wet. :lol:


Oh I completely agree, the barn around the corner from us, if there is a cloud in the sky you won't see any boarder's horses out. Also, I do agree that most places need runins, but our summers are pretty mild so heat isn't too big of an issue, but we will have our run-ins done by winter, in fact I've got it just about framed in, just need to do the roof and siding.


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