Is turnout the best option?

By Your Horse

17 March 2011 10:42

If you’ve spent the past few months in horse drudgery mode, forking muck into a wheelbarrow and suffering through yet another rocket-propelled hack on a tense, stablekept horse, you’ll be inching towards spring and its increased turnout time with a delirious grin.

 Ask anyone who’s tried to keep a stabled horse entertained and they’ll tell you it’shard work all the way, from the physical complaints (think dust allergies, stiffness and filled legs) to the mental problems of boredom, vices and manic behaviour. A happy horse is one who gets to relax in the field with his fieldmates. So, as springapproaches, is it time to turn your horse loose 24 hours a day?

“Horses gain masses from being turned out,” says event rider and sports horse producer Tina Trundle (www.tinderboxsport- horses.co.uk). “If I had the facilities I would turn all my event horses out 24/7 and work them from the field but unfortunately I don’t have enough land.

“I think it’s important horses spend at least some time out relaxing each day – it’s good for them to get a good roll, stretch their muscles and enjoy some independence of movement. Of course there’s the potential for injuries but the key is regular turnout, if not 24/7, so your horse doesn’t go lairy.”

Home comforts

Living out may be the kinder, more natural option, but your horse’s well-being is only as healthy as the environment he lives in. Stick a horse in a bare, weedy paddock with poor fencing and a lack of company, and you’ll have a stressed, depressed animal who gains little or no benefit from his freedom.

A safe, well-maintained field, proper shelter and suitable fieldmates are essential. “You should make sure your horse has company in the field, or can at least see another horse,” says Tina. “With competition horses especially there’s a temptation to wrap them up in cotton wool but, if left on their own in the field, stress can cause problems and injuries as the horse paces the fence line or charges about.”

Potential hazards

While most would agree that plenty of turnout leads to a happier horse, the argument for 24/7 turnout is complicated by the myriad of problems horses like to throw at us.

“I’d love to turn my Shetland, Elvis, out all the time – I think horses should be out as much as possible – but it’s impossible,” says Stacy Stringer, who keeps three horses at livery in Cambridgeshire. “The slightest change in the grass leaves Elvis crippled with laminitis. I spend the whole year carefully managing his condition and he has to be stabled for large chunks of time.”

And Stacy’s not alone. As horses’ workloads decrease due to our busy working lives, and their calories increase – lush summer grass is high in energy and protein – vets and nutritionists are seeing an increase in overweight horses with various related health issues.

“Weight gain due to too much grass is a real danger,” says Pauline Smith of feed manufacturer Dodson & Horrell. “However, a horse who lives out is exercising himself and building muscle so, on balance, it’s preferable for a healthy horse to live out on restricted grass than be stuck in a stable. The key is to control your horse’s grazing.”

Strip grazing, using a grazing muzzle (with small holes to allow your horse to nibble small amounts), and making sure there are sufficient horses on the land to keep the grazing down are a few of the tried and tested ways in which good-doers can live out safely. However, your vet is the best source of advice if you’re worried about a specific problem.

Weight gain aside, there are other nutritional drawbacks for horses turned out all the time, as grass is only as good as the soil it’s grown in.

“There’s scientific proof that the micronutrients in grass will fluctuate throughout the year,” adds Pauline. “So to ensure the perfect diet your horse needs a vitamin and mineral supplement year round”.

Plenty of additional forage, such as hay or haylage, is also essential during the bleak winter months or long periods of summer drought.

A balanced approach

At the end of the day, good horse care is about doing what’s best for your horse. And for the vast majority that means living out some, or all, of the time. Ask anyone whose horses have been on enforced box rest for much of the winter and they’ll agree.

“It’s much, much more difficult to keep on top of your horse when he’s stabled,” says Grand Prix dressage rider Alison Woulds. “I stick to a routine and my horses are relaxed in the stable – they switch off and desensitise to it – but get them into the school and they’re wired up and incredibly fresh. It’s a nightmare!

“My elderly horse is usually stabled from October to March, but he’s just gone on loan to a friend who’s been able to turn him out and the difference in his stiffness has been unbelievable – you would never know he was 19. I can’t wait until the fields dry out and I can get all the horses turned out.”

Given plenty of food, a good rug anda hefty amount of natural shelter, there’s no reason why even the most delicate of Thoroughbreds can’t live out happily. But, as with all things equine, common sense is key. You know your horse best, so be open to what his body language is telling you. If you find him huddled in a corner, ears back, muddy legs shivering, take it from him that a few hours turnout then back to a comfy stable at night is what he wants. If he’s happy and relaxed out grazing 24/7, even when it’s pouring, then you’re obviously doing something right.