Do you stable your show horses?

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Do you stable your show horses?

  • I leave them in all day and night

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • I let them out during the day, keep them in at night

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • They are allowed out all day

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • I only allow them a few hours to graze a day

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    0

Jess P

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I have been wondering if I should stable my show horses next year. They get worked every day but they just seem to not stay in shape. We have A LOT of grass and four pastures of it. They are allowed out all day but are kept in at night.

What do you guys do?
 
[SIZE=14pt]Mine are in, allowed out to play with a buddy on dry lot not pasture and then put up. The older ones 3 or more a re worked every other day either in the round pen or driven.[/SIZE]

Lyn
 
all my horses minus stallions are out togther in a herd. They are out for 8-10 + hours a day with 2 -3 of those hours being out in pasture the rest on drylot. But i will say my pasture isnt very lush. In fact we havent irragated at all this spring/summer due to neighbor issues so it is dry as can be they still go out there for a couple of hours to run and play and they think they are eating something even though it is dry dry dry.
 
I live on 10 acres of nothing but grass-grass-grass. It's a blessing and a curse sometimes. I would love nothing better than to leave all of my horses out ALL of the time, but no can do with minis. Right now even the non-show horses have to be brought in for half the day just to keep them from getting too heavy.

But your question was about show horses. Between shows, they are allowed out for 6-8 hours per day. I start restricting them about 2 weeks before a show such that the week of the show they are out for only 1-2 hours. They are, of course, worked during this time on a regular schedule, round pen, golf cart, or driving.

I find this works for most of my horses. I've been blessed with "easy keeping" show horses, though, who can go out on grass and not get bellies. Maybe it's just a combination of exercise and the way I feed, or it's just their natural inclination to stay in shape ??? I do like my show horses to lead as natural a life as possible, so I'm happy to say that mine enjoy liberal turn-out.

Robin C
 
Mine are in dry pastures (no grass) during the day and in their stall at night. They are also exercised (lunged, driven, long lined, ect.) 5 days a week.
 
I let them out for most of the day, probably about 16 hours, but put them in overnight. Mostly because we have coyotes around here, and especially when it's cool and they are clipped, so they can be more comfortable.

I try to let them have as much of a normal life as possible!

Liz M.
 
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All my horses are treated the same whether they show or not. They are stabled

at night , but are kept in dry lots during the day. Each paddock has its own

run-in shed. We have this set up because working all day sometimes we just

can't get home to put them in. We live in a residential area so our grass paddock

in [unfortunately] close to the road. The only time they are in it is when we are at

home. They are either round penned or driven for exercise. But these horses

are out for 10-12 hours a day. Linda B
yes.gif
 
thanks for your input.

We have grass, grass, and more grass. No dry lots for us. I think I am going to have to leave them in half a day and the whole night during the show season
 
I really hate the thought of in a stall most of the day and night.

Right now my show horses are on pasture 24-7. But then again its a foal and a 4 year old gelding who is in perfect shape(mind you he hasnt been worked at all all summer).

It isnt that hard to make a dry lot. Run some electrice wire and let them on it. It will be a dry lot in no time.
 

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