Do any of your minis stay outside all year?

[ElliesMom]

HELP

Im so worried about Ellie being outside all the time - she has a very nice warm barn (heated with lamps) and nice soft bedding, but still I find her laying out in the snow. The temp this morning is below zero and I havent slept much worrying over her! I have her blanketed, but is this enough in these temps???

 

[AS IF BY MAGIC]

mine stay out all year during the last 2 winters, no problems as long as they have shelter and I hard feed them daily. Your mare has made her choice, it might be wise to cool of her stable as well as going from a very hot temp - inside then outside to the cold might give her a chill. I find my mares, especially, prefer outside than being stabled.

relax !

 

[AS IF BY MAGIC]

mine stay out all year during the last 2 winters, no problems as long as they have shelter and I hard feed them daily. Your mare has made her choice, it might be wise to cool of her stable as well as going from a very hot temp - inside then outside to the cold might give her a chill. I find my mares, especially, prefer outside than being stabled.

relax !

 

[Jill]

Mine have stayed out all year since I first got minis in 1999. We have cold winters, with snow. They all have run in sheds, or run in stalls that are availabe to them any time they want to come inside and we keep them bedded w/ sawdust (or woody pet). I'm closing in three of them now, but just at meal time. Also, my big horses have always been outside with run ins and I've had them longer than minis. My one elderly big horse is now inside at night or in bad weather, but he is in his mid to late 20's. Where he is boarded, there is a run in shed but all the horses out there won't actually fit in it and my elderly horse is not at the top of the pecking order so he'd would have been unable to come in as he pleased. I have talked to my vets about it over the years and they all feel it is healthiest in most cases for the horses to live outside, with a run in shed.

 

[Cathy_H]

We have some that stay in dry lots year round when not turned out to pasture. They have access to nice bedded run ins but I do not always find them in there. They are shut in right now though because our dry lots are iced over........... I would turn the heated lamps off especially if you have the blanket on her. As long as the horse can stay dry & get out of the wind it will be fine.

 

[LaVern]

It gets extremely cold here and mine will all come into a huge pole barn bedded deeply with straw if the wind is blowing. We also bed outside with many round bales of straw.

We put the whole broodmare band together in the winter. But the only way that the ones that are on the bottom of the pecking order will come in and feel comfortable is if I leave two small doors (besides the main front door) open so that they have an escape door. The old boss mares will stand in the doorway and gaurd that door.

I always leave one little light on, as it seems to make the timid ones less nervous.

After a few weeks and everyone gets settled in for winter, when I go out and check in the middle of the night, they will usually be standing or laying in the same spot, Just like if they were stalled. Friends next to friends.

Also we have heated water fountains and the water is kept luke warm all winter.

 

[Marnie]

I don't know where you live but if it gets down to zero, it must be in a cold area, which means she has a very heavy winter coat. This is just a guess but with your heated lamps, it could be to warm for her inside. Maybe if you'd shut them off, it'd be more comfortable for her? Mine always use there shelters but I don't have heated lamps. Unless you have a Kalgo heater, if its those lamps with the red and yellow bulbs that people use for chickens, etc, do you realize that they are very dangerous? They can and do start fires. I hope this helps out.

 

[DunPainted]

You're girl knows what she likes and, in my opinion, healthier for her. Ours stay out all winter here in NE Wisconsin.....and have warmly bedded, 3-sided lean-tos.

I would think the extreme temperature changes (barn to outside) might not be heathy for the horses if they're turned out during the day.

What I like about keeping minis outside is they grow a thick winter coat that'll keep them warm, no matter the temp. We have a nice, big barn and the only way they'll come in is if we're having freezing rain.....and that's the only time they'd enjoy it.

Marnie is absolutely right about the heat lamps....barn fires are tragic.

Cindy

 

[shminifancier]

I have a 24/7 open run-in sheds and so I leave it all up to Nature~! Mother Nature knows best and the animals then have there own choice to come in out of the elements, or stay out in the snow and cold..It is there choice. Which is not only IMO but also my vets opinion. And even with our temps get into the WAY Below zero range 20-25 Below Zero I still let it up to the animals stay in or stay out. The water and grain is in the sheds. Fed inside but the door is wide open so no heat what so ever is in these sheds.

 

[Filipowicz Farm]

many of ours stay outside all year even though we have room in the barn for them. We just have shelters for them and they seem to enjoy being out all the time.

 

[lyn_j]

[SIZE=14pt]Actually you are over loving her with the blanket and heat lamps.... her body was made to make hair coat appropriate for your area, if you halt that growth with artificial warmth she runs more risk of becoming ill. Mine stay out most of the time. Even when we lived in NY they stayed out most of the time. I am a firm believer that God creates them the way they need to be and the only time I will blanket a horse is if it is cold and fresh clipped or if it is ill and shivering.[/SIZE]

Lyn

 

[Marty]

I have a couple of issues here about this.

First off, I would please loose the heaters. Besides being highly dangerous, a horse can "smell" the smell coming from a heater a mile away. We can't. But they can. And the smell from the heater is probably causing her not to be able to get comfortable in the barn. Check the cord too. Sometimes they "buzz" a tiny bit and a horse can hear that and it bothers them. Like high frequency.

There has got to be a reason why she doesn't like her barn so that may be part of it. Can she see out easily in the barn? Are her walls too high making her feel claustrophobic? Do you keep hay in there for her? Does she have a buddy in there with her for company? Take all this into consideration and through a process of elimination you'll find the reason why she doesnt' like her barn.

Now you have combined a heater and a horse in a blanket. Somewhere, this is not good. I think your horse may be too warm underneath it all. Take your hand and run it up under the blanket and feel around in there. Lay your hand on her neck, back, stomach and see if she feels hot under there. That would explain her laying out in the snow if she's warm. And that is not good. "Warm" can turn to "clamy."

I also have issues with Mother Nature knowing what is best. I think Mother Nature sucks and has no idea of what is good or bad for the animals.

I do not like my horses getting wet in the winter and when it's windy and bitter cold too. I also don't like them out in lightening. So there are times when I do make them stay in because like I said, me and Mother Nature do not always get along very well. I'm the only mother around here.

 

[RENMACMINIS]

Mine have a big 30x40 pole barn they have access to it is well bedded down and they get fed their hay in there. However they come in and eat their hay and back outside they go. I dont blanket any of them and it gets downright cold here also. Last night we had a snow/ice/rain storm hit us and they actually stayed in the barn till it was over and this morning they are right back outside.

 

[alongman]

My broodmares have the option of a pole barn bedded deeply or their small pasture - only during the coldest Minnesota nights do I really ever see them huddled into the barn. Usually, they stay just near enough to protect the wind.

 

[Relic]

All ours are out even at -40 which can happen a lot of days they have shelter if they want it but seldom use them except for wind that's the one thing ours don't like. We never have snotty noses or coughts around here and they are healthy bushy beggers.

 

[justaboutgeese]

The first thing I would do is turn off those lamps. Save the energy. The blanket is probably not necessary either unless the animal has been clipped. Last winter I watched my boys stand outside at the hay rack with a foot of snow on their backs. Like mammoths they would eat and play outside regardless of the temps. They would take advantage of the shelter only during the very worst of winter storms and even at that were back outside as soon as it began to let up. They seem to come prepackaged for the cold weather.

 

[HGFarm]

Horses are pretty tough...

When we lived up in Oregon on one of the ranches there, our horses had a huge cattle barn that they could go into--- we kep the big sliding door open and had a long rack of hay that went the length of the barn. However, we would see them outside, in the snow, just hanging around.

They went in and out as they desired and did just fine.. I wouldnt worry!!

 

[Tony]

Except for our show horses and horses that we are conditioning for sale or working, all stay outside year round. The only horses that get sick, it seems, are those that are kept up, as a general rule.

 

[shminifancier]

True they are not as fragile as people think. Just because a person feels the cold temps does not mean the mini that is full heavy winter coat does. I am all for letting them choose where they would rather be in a enclosed stall in a barn..Or Have a choice in the matter in or out. For the most part let them horses, let them make up their own mind whether to come in or not, as long as they are healthy in Full Winter coat. And are given at least a 3 sided shelter. Horses are smarter them lots of people think, and for the most part are very happy and content if given a choice in the matter, OR another way of saying this is Let Mother Nature take over..She has been doing quite well for millions of years, even at the very early start with Eohippus, Which was much smaller then todays minis..

 

[Erica]

All mine stay out all year old (well show horses come up during show season but they are out during winter) They have options to get in the barns out of weather but I don't shut anyone up......