Do you always turn out, even if it's really, really muddy?

[filly78]

My husband and I have a 5 acre farm with 5 fenced pastures for 2 geldings and a mini filly. It's been raining a lot here in PA lately and our fields are soaking wet - one even has a "pond" in the middle of it that shouldn't be there :eek: We like to get our guys out everyday for approx 12 hours, but with the recent wet weather, we have been keeping them in to save our fields. We do have a sacrifice field per se, which is totally torn to shreds already from turnout a couple weeks ago after rain. We usually turn our geldings out separately since they have a tendency to play rough and just run when they are out together.

Do you always turn out no matter the conditions of your fields?

[Janet]

When there is danger of tearing up the fields, they only go out in the sacrifice paddock.

[WorthTheWait95]

We rotate them in and out of the outdoor arena when it's super muddy. Don't want to risk destroying the pastures and at least they get some outside time to stretch their legs. We don't really have a sacrifice field otherwise we would rotate them through there although it does concern me that they'll slide in the mud and hurt themselves. It's kind of nice to have them on our arena footing that drains really well for that reason.

[arabhorse2]

What Janet said. :yes:

No way am I letting the boys tear up my pasture!

They're out in the front paddock today. If the weather stays sunny and the fields dry out, they'll get to go out in the next day or two.

[filly78]

We do have an outdoor ring with excellent footing that drains well that I would love to turn our guys out in to run and burn some energy, but unfortunately our ring is in the middle of one of our fields and there is not a fence around the ring, so they would still be able to tear up the grass. We're looking into an inexpensive solution to fence off the ring so we can use it in these situations....

[msj]

Ditto to what Janet said. The only time my horses don't get turned out is if there is blizzard and/or when significant snow will get blown into their stalls or a lot of ice in the sacrifice paddocks. My sacrifice paddocks (2) are off their stalls so they have constant shelter. When we have blizzard etc. they get their grain meals cut in 1/2 and turned out at least 3 times/day in the indoor. But I don't have young horses either as the two I have are 17 and 27 yrs old.

I believe they act up worse if kept in for any length of time.

So your sacrifice paddock is already torn up - it's only going to get worse with winter coming so toss them out there and close off the larger fields.

[Meredith Clark]

How do you guys set up your sacrifice paddocks? and how big are they?

I have 5 acres and I want to fence off a piece to "sacrifice". The area that would be close the barn is sort of low and tends to get mucky while there's another area that is higher that might stay dryer.

Would you just use the lower area any since it's bound to get mucked up or try to use a high area and hope it stays dryer?

[filly78]

Meredith - we just picked one of our fields that tends to be on the muddy side and doesn't have the best grass to be our sacrifice field. If I had to guess, I would say the field is approx 200'x300'. It's not huge, but enough space for the horses to run around and have fun in the mud...

[msj]

How do you guys set up your sacrifice paddocks? and how big are they?

I have 5 acres and I want to fence off a piece to "sacrifice". The area that would be close the barn is sort of low and tends to get mucky while there's another area that is higher that might stay dryer.

Would you just use the lower area any since it's bound to get mucked up or try to use a high area and hope it stays dryer?

Meredith, I also have a 5 acre farm. When I had my barn/indoor built, I had the pad built up about 2' since my property is fairly flat. This allowed drainage from the barn to go to the bottom of the pasture. I have 4 stalls, 2 stalls each open to a sacrifice paddock (2 separate sacrifice paddocks)that are ~ 110' X 110'. As I stated the water drains to far end of the sacrifice paddock. Also the gutters drain into PVC pile that is buried under the sacrifice paddocks so there isn't more water coming into them. Also, by the stalls, I had the excavator put down like a road base about 20' out in front of the stalls so that area would drain and not be muddy.

In your case, if you have a higher area that will drain, and drain is the key here, use that for sacrifice and give the horses a run in shed or shelter of some sort so they can get out of the elements.

Hope this helps.

[mjrtango93]

We can't turn out in the rain, or the 48 hours after it, unless we walk them up the road to the indoor. We are in the hills of the Bay Area and all the pastures are on the side of the hill. More then the concern of the horses tearing up the grass or hurting themselves, we just can't risk the erosion. In the winter months we just pair them up and let them loose in the indoor for 30 minutes. They all get ridden and worked daily anyway so it works fine for a quick buck 'n fart.

[DressageGeek "Ribbon Ho"]

Here in MO we have no choice, as apparently mud is our soil, except in summer when it is baked clay.

Of course they all have shelters.

And I watch where they walk - and follow their paths. They really do know how to do this!!

[BuddyRoo]

Choose the higher drier spot as your sacrifice. Trust me on this. Come spring thaw you're going to wish you had if you don't.

Most every place I've been, we turn out into the sacrifice lot in wet weather UNLESS the footing is such that we're putting horses at serious risk for tendon/ligament injuries because it's too icy/muddy/slippery.

[SmartAlex]

Right now we are rotating them out in about 4 hour increments to the drier outdoor arena and the indoor that has a small sacrifice pen attached. We have added problems in the pasture with a lot of leaves that they pig down on, and archery season is in full swing. So, no one is going out in the big pasture right now.

Everything is soaked. I went walking to put posted signs up on the cow pasture today and couldn't believe how wet it was. And I'm used to WET.

[Janet]

Choose the higher drier spot as your sacrifice. Trust me on this. Come spring thaw you're going to wish you had if you don't.

Most every place I've been, we turn out into the sacrifice lot in wet weather UNLESS the footing is such that we're putting horses at serious risk for tendon/ligament injuries because it's too icy/muddy/slippery.
Or there is a real danger of getting scratches from manurey mud.

[Meredith Clark]

Choose the higher drier spot as your sacrifice. Trust me on this. Come spring thaw you're going to wish you had if you don't.

Most every place I've been, we turn out into the sacrifice lot in wet weather UNLESS the footing is such that we're putting horses at serious risk for tendon/ligament injuries because it's too icy/muddy/slippery.

Makes sense... The run-in and barn is positioned so it opens up toward the lower ground but because of the wind direction it wouldn't make much sense to open it toward the higher ground.

I'll just have to be creative with my fencing!

[Alagirl]

if you have only very limited space, sacrifice paddock would be all, they'd see till stuff dries up.

And when it is too muddy, you alss run the risk of injuries from slipping and sliding.

[Dance_To_Oblivion]

The only reason I keep mine in is if we are battling scratches or thrush which because of the excessive rain we've had this year I have had to do! However, I have an 80 acre field so my situation is a little different then a five acre field.

[SarahandSam]

The pasture where my horse is turned out is very level with good drainage, so the only place where issues occur is right near the gate. That gets deep and soupy, but the horses are only standing there for a little while when it's time to come in... there are other gates too so if it can get a break to dry out, the pasture setup can be changed around or horses can be brought in and out a different way.

My horse is very good now about letting me send him in through the gate or backing him up so I don't have to actually wade into the muck to take off his halter when turning him out. d; Just wish he'd come to me when I called him!

[coloredhorse]

I always turn out! However, to protect my precious grass, I maintain a sacrifice paddock for use when the ground is very prone to damage from rampaging hooves, as others have already suggested.

[didgery]

I have very small acreage and keep my gelding in on a gravel paddock (very small, not more than about forty by twelve) with attached shed during rainy weather. I do put him out for an hour here or there in the "pasture" - only about three quarters of an acre - but don't leave him on it for more than a little frolic except during drier weather.

If I had more land I would still use the same system, but everything would be on a much larger scale. I would still use high, dry, well drained soil to make the cleanest sacrifice paddock I could manage . . .

[Fairview Horse Center]

Do you always turn out no matter the conditions of your fields?

Yes. Absolutely! Great, natural aeration of the soil. :winkgrin: The area near the gate gets pretty torn up, but as soon as it dries, the dirt settles down, and in the spring, the grass grows right back.

My pastures are 8 and 30 acres, and we always have at least one acre per horse. With large fields, there is not the same danger of sliding into fences, etc.

[shawneeAcres]

Yes, my horses go out no matter what and many of them are out 24/7. Yes the pastures get muddy and "torn up" and yes, every spring they are FINE. The grass grows back and no damage really done. Don't buy into the "my pastures get torn up" idea, it is all in your head!

[crackerjack]

Ditto ShawneeAcres...

Our horses are turned out rain or shine except in freezing rain, if it's really cold(-25C) or if it's torrential windy rain. It's been really really wet this year and some of the paddocks are torn up in parts this fall, like they were this spring. This summer they were full of grass and there still is grass in them now. They are quite small paddocks as all the horses are on individual turnout.

[Equilibrium]

Yes, always, but I live in Ireland so the alternative would be never being out! We had just as much mud this summer as I do now.

Terri

[trubandloki]

If I did not turn out if it was muddy my horses would never get out. I too have that clay stuff that is either mud or rock hard, more often mud.

During the winter and really wet spring season the pasture is closed off and only the smaller turn out sacrifice area is accessible to them, otherwise they have access to it all.

[slc2]

I think the idea that one choice in this is 'right' is well...wrong. LOL.

Some ground gets chopped up, and recovers very well, some does not. There are places where horses are turned out no matter what and they are standing in greasy, knee deep muck that is in fact very dangerous and not at all good for their health or their legs, they can get injured very easily. Once you've seen horses have to be put down because they have such severe cellulitis (neglected scratches) on their legs, with huge 'grapes' of granulation tissue covering their legs, or such bad thrush that they are crippled, from standing in deep mud all the time, you can see that this doesn't always work.

This is especially a problem where waterways aren't well managed, but I've seen pastures where horses were standing in knee deep mud even at the top of a hill where it should drain - the horses make holes in the mud that capture water and make the footing even deeper. This is especially a problem around gates and quite a few horses get injured in these areas.

Some people are lucky. Their ground doesn't get too deep, horses don't get injured or get scratches or thrush, and it works out well. But that is just not the case everywhere.

Too, a land owner DOES have obligations to control runoff volume and quality, and he isn't actually 100% free to have any conditions on his land that he sees fit to have.

In our county, there is a lot of encouragement from the authorities to put in drainage, textile barriers and limestone screenings to conserve areas where horses cause erosion and mud, as well as to landscape and plant to conserve runoff and hence water quality in the area. And if your land does have muddy areas, you can expect complaints from neighbors about runoff and runoff quality. What washes down off your land on to your neighbor's land off a muddy pasture is soil combined with urine and manure, well, I don't want brown runoff in my front yard, either.

It IS, in fact, a bigger issue than just 'what I want to do' or being fussy about keeping horses clean.

[equineartworks]

they are out unless it is a blizzard etc. They have plenty of dry areas but seem to prefer to stand in the mud. :no:

[Thomas_1]

I do indeed.

If I didn't then because I'm in the UK mine would be in for about 8 months of the year!!!

[foundationmare]

I do and I mostly hate it, but I'm more averse to having them standing in their stalls all day. That just sucks. I brought them in from their mudhole tonight and spray their legs off, and, as long as they're not facing freezing rain with no shelter, they will be turned out in their mudhole each and every day that the condition exists. They handle it well. Years ago I had an OTTB who couldn't handle mud and he was managed with kid gloves.

If I was a wuss about preventing turnout based on weather, they'd be IN more than not. I figure that, as long as they have a clean, dry stall at the end of the day, they're fine.

[Merle]

My horse is just off a month of stall rest from a bad abscess that was most likely from all the wet weather we had this year. So my ideas on turnout are different than they used to be. If she is going to go out in muck, it's not going to be for very long. Maybe a few hours turnout then back to a dry stall. If I had an indoor to turn out in, I'd do that. I do not want her feet getting and staying wet and soft from standing in mud day in and day out. I'd rather have her in and her feet dry or make sure she's in at least a large part of the time if it's mucky to let her feet dry out than have her have to deal with something like this abscess again. Knock on wood!

[Fairview Horse Center]

My horse is just off a month of stall rest from a bad abscess

WOW, you lock them up for an abscess? :eek: For an abscess especially, out they go :yes: - natural poultice along with the movement that gets an abscess to resolve quickly.

My horses go out in all kinds of mud, and out of 35 horses that live here, we may have one abscess per year.

[greysandbays]

I give no thought to "saving the grass" or having the pastures "tore up" -- or horses getting hurt "slipping and sliding".

Grass grows back, dirt gouges settle and fill in themselves, and horses who aren't idiots will learn to have some sense. In the self-designated "sacrafice lot" (which to my horses is just the part of the pasture where they stand around by choice when it's wet), as soon as the frost goes out of the ground in the spring, the quack grass is growing in so fast you can almost see it grow.

All my drainage goes off into a neighbor's hay field, and he just rubs his hands together with glee as he sees all that lovely fertilizer washing in that he doesn't have to pay a nickel for...

[Penthilisea]

Yes. My horses live out on 8 acres. The field was a hay field until a year ago, so the grass is very well established. We still feed hay in the winter, but mudwise, parts of the field are under water- not much we can do, and they LOVE being outside all the time. It's not for everyone, and I do hate the accompanying grooming, but for each according to their means and to each according to their needs!