Mare is NOT LIKING night turnout

[josierider]

Moved to a new barn 4 days ago. The horses there have been on night turnout since early summer. My mare is having none of it. She's goes out around 5:30 and is fine till 8:30pm, then starts running the fence to come in. Have tried her alone (with horses in the pastures on either side), and in a field with 2 quiet, steady mares. Have tried her in a field closer to the barn. If turned out with others she ignores the other in the field, and when it is 8:30 on the dot she starts running. If not brought in, she works herself to a lather (and then has been brought in, hosed off and put in the stall where she happily eats her hay). Any suggestions? This barn does night turnout through Sept. so there's two months to go and I have to figure something out. At our previous barn, she was brought in every night (probably right around 8:30 in summer). I am afraid to try "tough love" in case she runs herself sick. Any suggestions on how to transition her? She thinks she belongs in the barn at 8:30 and I don't know how to convince her otherwise!

[sublimequine]

Is there hay outside? If not, try that.

Otherwise, if the barn will allow it, can you try slowly adding more time to her turnout? ie, first bring her in at 8:45. Then 9:15. Then 9:30. Then 10. Then 10:30.

[mustangtrailrider]

You say that if she is left, she runs herself to a lather, gets brought in, bathed, then put up. She is being rewarded for running. She is getting attention for running. She knows that is what will bring her in. Try the above suggestion. Slowly wean her. Wait until she is quiet to bring her in. Leave her out with hay. Ignore her. Bring her in only when she is quiet. Good Luck. I know it is frustrating.

[Sobriska]

What on Earth is wrong with doing what the mare is comfortable with?

Shouldn't the turnout be the horse's chance to graze and exercise? If she is happy out during the day, what is wrong with that? If she is feeling content and safe in at night, is that SO hard to accomodate? Realy??

[sublimequine]

What on Earth is wrong with doing what the mare is comfortable with?

Shouldn't the turnout be the horse's chance to graze and exercise? If she is happy out during the day, what is wrong with that? If she is feeling content and safe in at night, is that SO hard to accomodate? Realy??

..if the entire barn does night turnout, it would be really inconvenient for the mare to go out by herself all day long, I imagine. I also doubt the horse would enjoy being out by herself all the time.

[smay]

I tried to do night turnout with my herd, and my TB gelding hated it with a passion. I tried to let him get used to it - mainly because the heat of the day was SO bad and he's black and would just heat up like a solar panel... but he seems to hate mosquitoes the most of anything. During the day we have flies, and he DOES wear a nice fine-mesh fly sheet, but those mosquitoes I guess can get up under it, or bite his legs or something. He just WON'T do night turnout!

[ddb]

Smay has a good point - it may not be the night turnout - some horse just hate the dusk time bugs. At dusk and dawn my two are in their stalls (their choice 24/7 turnout w/ stall access) - that seems to be the worst time for mosquitos. Maybe once past dark and bugs dwindle she'll be able to handle it.

[Vitriolic]

I tried to do night turnout with my herd, and my TB gelding hated it with a passion. I tried to let him get used to it - mainly because the heat of the day was SO bad and he's black and would just heat up like a solar panel... but he seems to hate mosquitoes the most of anything. During the day we have flies, and he DOES wear a nice fine-mesh fly sheet, but those mosquitoes I guess can get up under it, or bite his legs or something. He just WON'T do night turnout!


I tried the same thing with a dark horse thinking I would do him a favor. Now I know what sweet itch is. :(

[S1969]

I leave fly masks on overnight; I know not everyone does but my horses seem too prefer it. The dusk bugs & dawn bugs are just as bad as the middle of the day flies.

Maybe she doesn't realize no one is left in the barn and if she were in she'd be alone? Maybe actually try to keep her in alone one night and see if she prefers the company. Peer pressure?

Good luck. My horses love their overnight turnout and if the pasture was open during the day I think they'd still stand in their stalls. But once the sun drops and it gets cooler they are ready to go out and happy to sleep out under the stars. :)

[pines4equines]

My horses too HATE night time T/O. I ditto the hay and I do fly spray with Tri Tec at night especially around that 7 - 8pm hour when the mosquitoes seem the worst. Also Swat their mid lines as well. It's really the bugs. Once I spray my guys, they go to contentedly eating.

I have to do night turn out, just to give the stalls some consistent air out time. When the horses are in during the day, I still leave the stalls banked and open. They are in for about 6 hours and tend to not pee. It really helps dry out the barn...especially this year since we only started night turn out this past week. It's been too cold and rainy here.

[dwblover]

I also think it's the bugs driving her nuts. Perhaps spray her and throw on a fly sheet and mask, then see what happens. If she is better, that's it.

[josierider]

Thanks for all of the ideas. However... just as we were about to start accommodating her with daytime turnout, surprize! Last night she stayed out calmly all night. I guess she didn't like spending he night in the barn by herself after all (although she wasn't complaining at night). So 5 nights of running and being let in, then the 6th night, success! Hopefully it's going to stick, we'll see tonight!

[sid]

IME, 4 days is not a lot of time for a horse to make a drastic change in ALL the changes to their prior environment and comfort zoneg.. new place, new sights, new sounds, new horses, etc.)..and simultaneously be expected to make new friends where she can feel supremely secure, especially in the dark..

When I used to board horses, when a new horse came in and needed to be acclimated to a new venue, I stall them next to a real steady trooper and let them go in and out together for a few days...just the two of them. THEN, graduate to the herd to which that "trooper" is a part. Tends to ease the newbie's anxiety.

Some horses naturally make a ton of changes easily...for others, not necessarily so. I doubt that she reasoned that she'd rather be out than in. It's an acclimation process and sometimes it is hard to see them get a bit fractious until they habituate to their new environment and new horses that they don't know that are around them.

Glad it's all worked out though.

[spotmenow]

Another thing to consider, besides the bugs, is her vision. My fewspot mare is night blind so night turnout is not an option-she needs a night light or she can't see a thing and gets very upset and just stands in the shed with her nose on another horse. Just a thought. However, hopefully she is acclimating.

[goeslikestink]

Moved to a new barn 4 days ago. The horses there have been on night turnout since early summer. My mare is having none of it. She's goes out around 5:30 and is fine till 8:30pm, then starts running the fence to come in. Have tried her alone (with horses in the pastures on either side), and in a field with 2 quiet, steady mares. Have tried her in a field closer to the barn. If turned out with others she ignores the other in the field, and when it is 8:30 on the dot she starts running. If not brought in, she works herself to a lather (and then has been brought in, hosed off and put in the stall where she happily eats her hay). Any suggestions? This barn does night turnout through Sept. so there's two months to go and I have to figure something out. At our previous barn, she was brought in every night (probably right around 8:30 in summer). I am afraid to try "tough love" in case she runs herself sick. Any suggestions on how to transition her? She thinks she belongs in the barn at 8:30 and I don't know how to convince her otherwise!

shed used the rountine of previous stables god everything is new to her dont rush her in doing what everybody else does help her settle in and do it over a period of time
shes only been there 4 days

help your mare out abit - look when you move house you got to do all kinds of new things
so be kind and work it with her never take ahorse for granted that they going to be ok with new envrioment it takes time to settle in

[fivehorses]

spotmenow, how did you know your horse had a night vision problem?