How many put their horses out in cold waether?

[Lewella]

I agree with everyone else who has said they are healthier if they can be outside! Mine have a run in shed but you know what? It's pretty darn rare to find them in there! Even in the worst MN temps they will chose to be outside where they can soak up the sun. If they have snow on their backs that means they are toasty warm and not losing body heat.

Even the winter MN set the record for coldest temps in the lower 48 they chose to stay outside and not inside.

 

[Jill]

I may be tempting fate here, but I've got "a lot" of horses (minis and a couple biggies) and have for years. So far, the ONLY time I've had any sick with respiratory issues have been my horses that were boarded and spent 1/2 their time or more indoors. The ones we treated like "hot house flowers" were the ones that got sick, not the ones who got to be out in their paddocks w/ run in sheds. This is also one reason why my little barns open to the outside and have been left as "airy" as possible.

 

[capall beag]

I never lock mine in anymore.

I am near you in York, Maine and mine have access 24/7 to a 24x12 run in it is three sided attached to the barn and then I have covered the front in a huge tarp adn just left a little opening as a door. They have fresh water at all times and I feed them am and pm, I do warm up the beetpulp for them when it is chilly and I like them to have constant supply of hay when it is cold. I also have an 8x8 stable that I built, they have plenty of area to run around outside!

All my minis are plump with huge winter coats and they are not cold!!

Even my jack russell loves to go out in this weather and she has no coat!! Animals like to have freedom imo.

Guess where I find all 5 of my mini's ALL the time!! In the field or all bundled into the little stable! I won't tell my hubby since we just paid to have the addition done!!!

The pretty barn

The addition, not yet painted

But, oh no, they all choose to squish into the little stable that my hubby said would never last!!!!

I have never had a sick horse and mine get aggitated when they are all locked in.

 

[tagalong]

Ours stay out all winter long, and it's often a lot colder than 15 F. And they are okay, they have shelter from the wind and extra hay for their bellies and honestly, unless it's wet snow, you won't even find them in the shelter. 40 below and windy and they'll still be going about their business like it was sunny and nice!

LOL Kendra - when I worked in B.C. just across the mountains from you the minis frolicked outside in the - 40 / -30 temps and never batted an eye. They tended to use their very nice shelters only as outhouses...

... and could care less about snow... rain... wind - you name it.

They had stock waterers that I struggled to keep thawed out at extreme temperatures... and always had extra hay when it was that cold.

And they loved it!

 

[Leeana]

Mine are inside untill i get home from school and then they are out untill around 6pm when they get put back in stalls to eat. The barn door is always open and they can come in or go out. Coco and Rocky choose to stay inside. Striker, Joey and Angel you have to practically drag them back inside. They are usually outside unless its really snowing or there sick. Right now Striker has a small couph so he is staying inside right now with a blanket on him. So i would say that unless it was about -5 degree's outside (i wouldnt let them out in that) ...mine go out as they please.

Leeana

 

[susanne]

Mine have their choice of a nice warm small barn (former storage shed) with doors situated so as to give them four-sided shelter, the corral, and a corner rain/wind break we created by stretching a tarp over one corner of the corral (the tarp makes a triangular "roof" and is then stretched down both sides). They prefer the corner shelter most of the time, using the barn more often in the summer or as their outhouse.

Judging by their playfulness, they obviously prefer the current weather (25-40 degrees) to the heat of summer.

 

[Sonya]

My minis go out no matter how cold it is, or what the weather is. I leave their stall doors open to go in if they want, but they never do. the only time they get locked in is at night or if there is standing water/ice in the pasture. It gets very cold here and they seem to love it. Note - mine are not clipped at all.

but, I think it's very sweet that your Dad is so concerned about them.

 

[susanne]

I've been thinking about this issue and about your Dad...

Is he a horse person, or are they your babies?

If it means getting him involved and giving him something to do, I would indulge him...it may give him something to get excited about. We all know what great therapy minis are, and this may be the best thing possible for your dad. Dismissing his concern could discourage a budding interest.

As long as your horses are getting plenty of outdoor time during the day, it shouldn't hurt them to bring them in when it's really cold just to make him happy.

 

[justjinx]

Ours are out all the time (they do come in for feeding) with run-in shelters that they seldom use. We do have 1 or 2 that in certain circumstances have had to be in at night, but that is unusual for us. Ours really prefer being outside. jennifer

 

[Songcatcher]

It doesn't usually get extremely cold where I live here in southeast Oklahoma.

I have a total of 12 horses that have free access to come and go out of barn and sheds as they please (divided into four different groups).

We have had a really cold snap early this year. It was 11 degrees this morning. We had quite a little sleet yesterday morning and the wind was really blowing.

I feed before daylight every morning before I go to work. Yesterday morning when I went out to feed, all 12 minis had sleet on their backs. They could easily have gone inside if they wanted to, but didn't. I don't see any reason to lock them up.

Of course, if they have been clipped or recently moved to a different climate it could be a totally different story.

 

[shminifancier]

Many people here give the horse a chance to see if they want to come in or not. I am with them. Let them be horses they will not break, they will not bend, they will not crack if it is cold out as long as they have Full Winter Coat, With Shelter enough to get out of the wind, and Water available that is fresh.. Just because a person goes outside and Feels cold to them It is not for a mini under a nice healthy Winter coat. A person cannot Read Or Know What an animal wants, Oh they may Think They can, but they can't. So I am for letting the animal make ups its own mind as to what suits them.. Oh Ya one that was spoiled at birth in a warm barn and Never Given a Chance at the very start May Not want to stay out...But given a choice right from the start is where this Let them Be Horses Starts with. Let them decide or another way to put this is Let Mother Nature take over and they will be fine...As long as they are healthy to start with in Full Winter Coat and At least a 3 sided shelter...Most of mine are regular sheds with No door on them...So there is plenty of area to get out of the elements Even the coldest of nights at @0 Below or even 30 Below like we can have on some nights~! Burrrrr But that is For us not the animals under all that nice long winter hair coat.

 

[Sandee]

Outside is great if you have water that doesn't freeze over. I have to put mine in seperate pens - not set up for going in and out of barn but they have 3 sided sheds. I still don't leave them out unless I know the water won't freeze because I don't have electricity to those sheds.

If I turn them out to run off the excess energy in 20 degree weather, they are at the gate looking to come in after about 20 minutes.

My barn isn't insulated so it gets to around 20 degrees which is sometimes 10 or more degrees warmer than outside but still cold enough that the wet bedding freezes to the rubber mats. There's no amonia smell until it's warm enough to thaw and then the horses are out so I can througly clean!

You gotta work with what you have and what makes you comfortable.

 

[Lost Spoke Ranch]

All of our horses are out 24/7 365 and only foaling mares, horses that are ill, or our show horses are stall kept. They are healthier that way IMO.

Dawn

 

[ibquackers20]

I have a 7 year old mare who now has a 5 month old filly and a 2 year old stallion and a almost 3 year old gelding - the have their hay just outside their barn with a tarp hanging over their feeding bin an up over the doorway to their barn. They also have a gate which is always open so they can stand beside the barn or run in their corral if they want to plus and old shed in the far back of their corral that is also open all winter as well. Inside their barn there is a heater in their water tub to keep the water from freezing and in each of their stalls they also have a salt and mineral block - I only close their stalls with horses in them when it comes to cleaning their hooves and grooming their manes and tails. They only use the barn really for pooping or peeing in which is ok for me since I always clean up their mess and in the winter it is warmer for me cleaning in there then looking in their corral for a mess.

I live in canada , manitoba and trust me it gets very cold here in the winter but they do not like it when I keep them in the barn they kick at the stall gates trying to get out. So I let them decide weather they want in or out.