Staying out alone overnight

Mary Poppins

Mary Poppins

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Oct 10, 2004
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Do any of your horses stay out alone overnight?

My horse shares a field with 4 others and 2 of them were living out overnight with Ben. As from tomorrow, these 2 horses are coming in overnight for the winter. I therefore have the option to turn out Ben alone, or bring him in overnight.

Now, I knew that this was coming, so we have been testing the waters to see how happy Ben is on his own during the daytime/early evening. He will happily be out on his own from 4pm until 10pm, and doesn't seem bothered at all when the other horses are turned out. He is never by the gate and never stressy. He doesn't seem to notice when horses are turned out or brought back in. He lives in his own little world of eating as much grass as possible.

From his field, he can see a couple of other horses but he cannot touch them and I do not have the option to turn him out with another horse from that herd. The only possibility was a mare but she was sold 2 weeks ago.

What would you do? Turn him out alone and see how he goes, or bring him in? He is 9 years old and has always lived out. He will happily be stabled, but I hate the thought of him standing in such a small space for 18 hours a day.
 
Flipo's Mum said:
Flipo would probably be the same as your boy and I'd leave flip out, so that's my advice to you.
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Thank you. I know that I am doing the right thing, but sometimes it is hard to follow my instincts when everyone else chooses to stable their horses. However I am listening to the torrential rain banging down on my kitchen door at the moment and hoping that Ben isn't freezing cold out naked with his blanket clip! If I had known that the weather was going to be this wet and horrible, I would have made an exception and put a rug on him. Perhaps I should look at the weather forecast in future!!
 
Id certainly see how he goes on, Im with you there though Id rather a horse was out then in if you have the option. Hopefully he slots into the new routine just fine !
 
Gimp said:
Id certainly see how he goes on, Im with you there though Id rather a horse was out then in if you have the option. Hopefully he slots into the new routine just fine !
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I just hate to see horses stabled when they don't need to be. I appreciate that many horses cannot cope with wintering out, and the majority at my yard are thin skinned TB types. However, Ben is not thin skinned, he doesn't feel the cold and he likes being out. It just seems ridiculous to follow the crowd when he doesn't need to be treated like the majority.
 
We have all sorts living out - teenage horses, veterans, pregnant mares, youngstock, foals, only 5 out of the 20 are native types and the rest are Selle Francais and TBs so not your stereotypical hardy breeds. But despite the horrible winter last year (the coldest, wettest and snowiest Normandy has had for more than a decade!), only 3 needed rugging the whole time and those were all very poor doers so nothing like your Ben! Horses are much hardier than people give them credit for and I'm sure your boy will be just fine.
 
my boy is out on his own over night at the moment, as his field mate goes in at night. He seems to be coping and can see others from his field (I don't think he would cope if he couldn't see other horses). Ideally I would like him out in the big heard but he was put through the fence, so this is the next best option for the time being.
 
I've wibbled when it was minus twenty and blowing a hoolley but one feel of Flipo's cosy fur and I know he's fine. That and as long as there's food he's ok. After a couple of nights he'll realise they are coming back out to see him in the morning and I'm sure he won't bother at all. I know it's another worry that he's alone, they are like our children, but if it was me I'd go up once or twice in the middle of the night to see what he's up to and after realising that he's munching away happily, I'd never ever give it another thought!
 
He sounds like he will be fine. Just see how he goes, if he starts stressing when people are taking the other horses out then you can re-evaluate.
 
We don't have any stables, but even if we did both mine would stay out. Ziggy is absolutely fine out on his own or with others. Mattie prefers company, but he has lived out alone (not with me) - he can't be stabled because of his dangerous stereotype behaviours, learned in his racing days.
 
Poppy is on her own in her field, with the mares' field next to hers. I can't say I - or she - loves it. I feel your pain, I am in a similar catch-22 in that she doesn't like being stabled but doesn't like being on her own much either. She seems OK with it though, although I am actually bringing her in tonight as I am moving her tomorrow, yippeeee! Back to my old yard, after alllll that!
 
Thanks everyone. Having him stabled is not ideal, and neither is having him out alone. However, the lesser of 2 evils is having him out.

I really don't understand why no-one else on the yard wants their horses out. We have loads of good quality grazing, very little mud and lots of grass. It's true that we don't have a great deal of shelter, but there are trees around 2 sides of his field.

The good thing is that I can control his overnight food much better. I will put some hay out when I feel he needs it, but with so much grass in the field (they moved into their winter grazing last weekend which has been rested for 4 months), I doubt he will need it anytime soon.
 
As long as he can see other horses then I think he'd be fine. :) I wouldn't worry if it were my boy :)
 
Thanks for all your supportive messages. Ben had his first night in the field alone last night. In the morning he was happily eating away and didn't even react when the other horses were turned out. I think that it's going to work well and I am much happier about him being out than stuck in for so many hours.
 
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