Just wondering if there are any guidelines or laws regarding horses in fields in this sort of weather. In the field near my father in law there are 6 or 7 horses and I can see no shelters, none wear coats of any kind however they all have really thick tufty winter coats. The ground is sodden with mud under the snow though. I know they are fed on a regular basis and look well so no problems there but just wondering about shelters.
Do any horsey folk on here have any guidelines.
Thanks

Just wondering if there are any guidelines or laws regarding horses in fields in this sort of weather. In the field near my father in law there are 6 or 7 horses and I can see no shelters, none wear coats of any kind however they all have really thick tufty winter coats. The ground is sodden with mud under the snow though. I know they are fed on a regular basis and look well so no problems there but just wondering about shelters.
Do any horsey folk on here have any guidelines.
Thanks

Are you aware if they are being brought in at night at the moment ?

Horses belong outside , humans pamper them including my daughter.

Native breeds get accustomed to living out and grow hair accordingly.
Only humans clip a horses coat and then put a rug on it to keep it warm..

Horses belong outside , humans pamper them including my daughter.

Blooming 'eck willman , you ok this morning ? some horses would be fine outside but in sub zero temparatures a rug is the minimum they should have and really should be brought in at night at the moment. Spring/Summer is a different matter.

sorry just seen your edit.....i agree, its breed dependant and if a horse is being shown etc ridden often its more likely to be clipped etc.

Blooming 'eck willman , you ok this morning ? some horses would be fine outside but in sub zero temparatures a rug is the minimum they should have and really should be brought in at night at the moment. Spring/Summer is a different matter.

Never better Ruby - but seriously native breeds,"gypsy" type horse don't need a rug on.

WE've got one horse who has 2 rugs on and a quilt in the flippin' stable.

and i agree wholeheartedly , wonder if they are though. As you do see some horror stories

Never better Ruby - but seriously native breeds,"gypsy" type horse don't need a rug on.

WE've got one horse who has 2 rugs on and a quilt in the flippin' stable.

LOL , gosh she is a pampered horse !!! does she has a hood as well? bet she's warmer than us indoors with the heating on !!!:hihi:

LOL , gosh she is a pampered horse !!! does she has a hood as well? bet she's warmer than us indoors with the heating on !!!:hihi:

Shes' got a high neck and legwarmers.

If they have thick tufty winter coats, they will be fine as long as someone goes and checks their waters not frozen and provides them with hay.
It depends on what they are used to. One of my horses had to be outside cos he used to get an awful cough when stabled.

So long as they are fed and have water they should be fine if they have a thick winter coat. If they look healthy and they are checked on they are probably happier outside. I used to have a Newforest x Arab and she had a right thick coat in winter. We only rugged her up because we clipped her neck area so she didnt get too hot when been ridden.

All mine have lived out all winter, "wimpy" thoroughbred included, only being brought in at night this week to make sure they get enough to eat. If the people that own my fields allowed me to put hay out for them, the horses wouldn't have come in at all during this cold spell. The thoroughbred is the one that really loves being outside and I had a real job on persuading him to come in one night this week as being in the stable is boring!

Moving round in the open is much better for them, whatever the weather, in general you get far more health problems cropping up from being cooped up in a stable.

Having said that, it is nice to have passers by looking out for horses' welfare - why not try and speak to the owners if they are there when you go past? They are quite likely to be willing to explain why they are being kept as they are.

BTW, when you say there is no shelter - are there hedges/trees/walls, etc? These are all very effective weather breaks and for preference I would not have a purpose built shelter in the field as if an argument breaks out between the horses then (often the weakest) one can get trapped in the corners and injured.

some horses obviously breed depending do better living outbut personally i dont even leave mine out in summer he is always in on a night, tonight he has 3 rugs on 2 with necks n his leg wamers on :loopy: thank god im not the only one thats mad, willman u have made me feel sane hehehe

god herbster get pnuemonia of hes out past 5 lol!! xx

Just wondering if there are any guidelines or laws regarding horses in fields in this sort of weather.

No laws to speak of. As long as they have food and water, they'll be considered looked after. Shelter, as someone else has pointed out, can be natural ie hedges, trees etc. Quite often, you'll see horses, with man made shelters available, stood out in the worst of weathers. It's a bugbear for lots of owners when they've paid lots of money for nothing!

It's expected that winter fields are sodden with mud, the horses create that mess unfortunately and owners rest the remainder of the grazing so that they have something to eat for the rest of the year. They should be supplemented with hay though, particularly as it IS so cold.

There is no written rule regarding rugs either. If a horse needs it, it will be obvious by it's coat. If it's snowing and the snow isn't melting on it's back, it means it is not losing heat so not a cause for concern.

Every horse is individual though and we have a native that used to refuse to leave his stable if it was raining. For the last couple of winters, he's had a rain sheet with no filling and he's perfectly happy to go out now. In fact, he was rather miffed at staying in for a couple of days because of the ice. Standing around in a stable can create all sorts of problems with coughing, swollen legs and an inability to keep warm. Moving around, even in a muddy field, is much better for them.

Somebody remind me of the positives of keeping equines in winter!

god herbster get pnuemonia of hes out past 5 lol!! xx

5!!!!! he is in before 3 every day lol
i know i know im :loopy::loopy::loopy::loopy:

2 off mine live out & will not tolarate rugs they just shred them to bits so they go without now at £40 a go i couldnt keep up with them they have lived out all their lives, they have purpose built shelters but dont go in them, my thoroughbred is totally differant he has 2 rugs on &^ they dont move an inch lol.
ps the 2 without rugs are native breeds

There is a clump of trees where they all huddle when its raining or snowing. They do not go in at night, but as I said get water and hay regularly. Field is very muddy though. However they come and talk to anyone who passes and one has adopted me to scratch his nose. Most of the smaller ones have tufty coats verging on long coated in places, but the big chestnut seems to have a full coat but not as long as the others. They dont seem in any problems, just thought I would ask though as it has been rather extreme these last few weeks hasnt it.
Thanks for repllies

I keep both my horses out all the time in all weathers. They have a field shelter and refuse to use it prefering to huddle under shrubs and trees. They have on occasion been reported to the RSPCA who have called round to see them note that they are perfectly healthy and happy.

Unknowledgable people would thin that horses can't cope in this weather without being rugged up; the same people wouldn't think twice if they say a cow out in this weather!

I on the other hand feel inclined to report those horse owners who insist on rugging their animals even in brilliant sunshine.

I keep both my horses out all the time in all weathers. They have a field shelter and refuse to use it prefering to huddle under shrubs and trees. They have on occasion been reported to the RSPCA who have called round to see them note that they are perfectly healthy and happy.

Unknowledgable people would thin that horses can't cope in this weather without being rugged up; the same people wouldn't think twice if they say a cow out in this weather!

I on the other hand feel inclined to report those horse owners who insist on rugging their animals even in brilliant sunshine.
looks like ill be getting reported then cause my horse is rugged all year round as i do showing, it is only a fly sheet in summer but still a rug :hihi:

My childhood pony (Exmoor) would not tolerate being stabled in any sort of weather for any length of time.
We'd turn him out in knee deep snow in a NZ with haynets strung up in a row on the gate, and still find in the most exposed part of the field pawing away the snow to get at the grass, haynets untouched.
His coat grew so thick you could lose your hands in it!

i made a mistake last yr by ruggin my youngster up far too early, a lady on our yard has left her welsh d unrugged and shes coped fine so i wnt be rugging him up nxt yr they all come in at night so maybe humans r too soft...!

does anyone know the horses that are in a field in ecclesfield?

i drove past the other day in the car, heating on full, scarf and coat on and i saw them laying down in the snow! crazy horses.

i did wonder if they were ok with no coats etc but as i know nothing about horses i wasnt sure. good to see they're probably just fine out there. and one looked like he was about to do a snow angel the way he was rolling over lol

One along the Rivelin Valley was having a good roll in the snow when I went past this morning, so they must like it.

They love the snow!! mine loves pushing her nose in it!! So long as the horses are checked on their ok. But if they dont look ok please check. Mine came in yesterday with a nasty injury to her head. She had been kicked by another horse and had to have the vet straight out. She was in a bad way and needed it stitching up and drains put in for the blood and nasty stuff to come out. Luckily someone on the yard noticed her with her head down lookin poorly and called us so we could deal with it straight away. so if you do pass a field with horses have a quick look because im sure someone round would know the owners or know how to help.

Yep they love the snow. Mine have loved this week, although Rhia isn't great at finding the grass under.

Just wanted to add for all those that don't know. A horse is MUCH better too cold than too hot as their body can compensate. They can get really uncomfy if too hot. So horses in the blazing sun in summer with no shade is often more worrying than seeing them unrugged in winter. Cold and wet is a bit different to just cold though.

They love the snow!! mine loves pushing her nose in it!! So long as the horses are checked on their ok. But if they dont look ok please check. Mine came in yesterday with a nasty injury to her head. She had been kicked by another horse and had to have the vet straight out. She was in a bad way and needed it stitching up and drains put in for the blood and nasty stuff to come out. Luckily someone on the yard noticed her with her head down lookin poorly and called us so we could deal with it straight away. so if you do pass a field with horses have a quick look because im sure someone round would know the owners or know how to help.

ouch!! i hope ur girl makes a speedy recovery :thumbsup:

Yep they love the snow. Mine have loved this week, although Rhia isn't great at finding the grass under.

Just wanted to add for all those that don't know. A horse is MUCH better too cold than too hot as their body can compensate. They can get really uncomfy if too hot. So horses in the blazing sun in summer with no shade is often more worrying than seeing them unrugged in winter. Cold and wet is a bit different to just cold though.

i was reading recently the new saracen feed booket and it said that horses lose 80% of there feed value or feed enery just trying to keep warm, so i think some of the less hardy breeds would prob benefit from been a little warm that a little cold. i personally prefer for my horse to be a little warm than a little cold. but on the other end of the scale when i was on full livery at my last yard they turned my horse out in his summer turn out on a baking day and when i fetched him in to ride he was dripping wet!! no way could i ride and didnt want to hose him off and cause shock with the temp change, he looked a little tucked up for a couple of days after that.:mad:

Just out of interest, where abouts were these horses spotted?

ours stays out all the time, but does have a blanket, but he loves getting mudded up so he's not bothered about muddy fields.

We keep him shoe-less, as his breed is better without, and he only gets trimmed and tidied, never totally clipped as its not required on barefoot.

These horses are at Killamarsh, as I say seem right as rain but as I am not a horse person, just an animal lover I thought I would check

Just to correct my OH there he's never been clipped in his life and has a full winter coat (as a Fell pony should) it's his feet that are trimmed and tidied. Lol. In fact the only reason poor old Heath is rugged is because he recently developed Rain Scald :(

Just to correct my OH there he's never been clipped in his life and has a full winter coat (as a Fell pony should) it's his feet that are trimmed and tidied. Lol. In fact the only reason poor old Heath is rugged is because he recently developed Rain Scald :(

Bless - they do find it difficult to keep up sometimes, don't they? :hihi:

I think it's great that non-horsey people are interested/concerned enough to check that the horses are OK. You do read some dreadful stories about the way some horses are mis-treated, if somebody had taken an interest in them, they might not have had to suffer for so long.