Sport Horse

Is Turnout Too Tiring?

Believing that lost energy will hamper performance, some dressage riders limit turnout. We posed the question to a trio of myth-busters.

By Heather Smith Thomas

Most horse owners agree that turnout is beneficial, but the amount of time horses actually spend out of their stalls can vary greatly—from as little as an hour a day to living outside 24/7. In some parts of the country, horses are turned out during the day in the winter months and overnight when it’s hotter, especially if the turnout area lacks shade. Stamina-Builder or Energy-Sapper?

“I think most people want to do what’s best for their horses, but ‘what’s best’ may vary,” says La Cygne, Kansas,-based dressage trainer, breeder, and international competitor Emily Miles.

“If a horse is a little lazy,” Miles says, “it’s probably good for that

horse to build stamina outside when he’s not in work, because then he doesn’t resent the work. If I’m lazy and not in great shape and someone is trying to get me in shape, I might resent the work. By contrast, if I’m walking around doing something I enjoy, it’s OK.”

Astute dressage trainers and riders “do so much with conditioning, diet, et cetera, that [turnout] shouldn’t make a difference” in a horse’s energy level, Miles believes. “The rider is responsible for figuring that out,” she says. “I don’t think it’s really a matter of energy diminishing; I think the bigger issue is whether the horse is safe with that much turnout, or if it is feasible to have that much turnout. The rider has to judge it. Maybe the horse feels better with an hour of turnout to walk around and self-exercise before being ridden. Or maybe the horse feels better if he has an hour of turnout afterward, to have a chance to stretch his muscles after he works, as a perfect cool-down. Or maybe he wants to go back to his stall and have an hour to just relax.”

Turnout is always beneficial for horses, says FEI-level trainer and competitor Alyssa Pitts, of Snohomish, Washington, whose mounts regularly top the annual Adequan®/ USDF Horse of the Year standings.

“A relaxed and happy horse can only do better for the rider,” Pitts says. “Some of the best horses I’ve had, like [past Horse of the Year champions] Quintessential Hit and Selestial R, didn’t go out with other horses, but in summer they were always outside 24/7 and it didn’t hurt their performance.

“My young horses are also out as much as possible,” Pitts continues. “Last year Regiment was [Adequan®/USDF] First Level Horse of the Year, and he goes out with other horses. One of my other young horses, Valentine, is now five years old, and he and ‘Reggie’ are best friends. They live together 24/7 outside in summer. Horses are not meant to live in a box.”

As for the energy issue, top horses don’t wear themselves out in turnout because they are so fit to begin with, Pitts says.

OUTDOOR LIVING: Horses at Wally Woo Farm in Kansas enjoy plenty of time in spacious pastures

There are many reasons that turnout time may be limited, but one is some trainers’ and riders’ belief that too much play time makes horses too tired to perform at their peak—especially in reference to night turnout or living outside, and when the horse in question is an upper-level performer.

We wondered whether there’s any truth to the perception, so we asked two well-known dressage professionals and a sport-horse veterinarian to weigh in. Here’s what they had to say.

Risk/Benefits Assessment

The horse’s risk of injury and his own mental-health needs are top of mind when Celia Goodall, MRCVS, Dipl. ACVS, is asked about turnout.

“Turnout is very beneficial, but there are conditions for which I do not recommend turnout,” says Goodall, who treats many dressage horses in her Goodall Equine LLC practice, based in Cochranville, Pennsylvania. “Every year I see horses injured during turnout.”

Goodall is quick to add that “Even in perfect conditions, horses can get themselves into ridiculous situations. I’ve seen horses get hurt in stalls, too. There’s no right or wrong on this issue; it depends on the horse.”

Horses are routine-oriented, and change can create stress, Goodall points out; so bear that in mind if you contemplate changing your horse’s turnout schedule.

“If that horse is accustomed to going out every day for an hour,” she says, “it is important for this to continue, and to do the same thing every day.”

A horse’s age and stage of life, plus his behavior in turnout, guide Miles in deciding when, how, and how much.

For their development during those all-important first few years of life, the young horses mostly live outside at Wally Woo Farm, the family-owned facility that Miles operates with her mother, sport-horse breeder and Fourth Level USDFcertified instructor Jana Wagner.

“The horses here either belong to us or to people who have their horses in training with us,” Miles says, and so “we have total control over what we decide to do with the horses. We also have broodmares, young horses, and stallions versus just training and competition horses,” she adds.

Like Goodall, Miles views injury as “the biggest risk with turnout. That’s the scariest part with my

PLAY DATE: Buddies at Alyssa Pitts’s farm in Washington state wrestle for control of a toy while turned out in a small all-weather paddock on a wet day

competition horses, because turnout can be dangerous if the horses are not smart about it. I have one Grand Prix gelding who goes out every morning and is super quiet. He spends two or three hours at turnout and is awesome. Some of the stallions, by contrast, are not so good,” she says.

Another factor Miles considers in determining a horse’s turnout situation is “whether your horse is good with other horses. One of our horses that competes is in a pasture with mares and foals. She comes in to work and goes back out and is totally fine with living 100 percent outside.”

The flip side is whether that social butterfly is OK when taken away from the herd. Says Miles: “One of our other mares, the moment you bring her in she’s whinnying and wondering where her herd is, and she’s upset.”

At Pitts’s stable, “a lot of my horses go out together,” she says. “My challenge for turnout is location. Here in the Pacific Northwest we get a lot of rain, so we have to use all-weather turnout paddocks for most of the fall and winter and early spring. They are small, but we still put some horses out together if they get along and don’t beat each other up. My preference would be to have them out in big pastures on many acres of grass, but that’s not always possible.”

Pitts says that “our culture and tradition in the western US is to let horses be outside and be horses.” That management approach, she believes, “is also better for his physical well-being. A horse that’s standing in a box most of the day isn’t doing

No Turnout: Managing the Stalled Horse at Shows

Dressage competition sometimes entails stabling overnight at a show grounds. If your horse is accustomed to turnout, how best to cope with the abrupt change in routine?

Kansas-based dressage professional Emily Miles makes sure that her competition horses—even the ones that live outside most of the time—at least tolerate being stalled.

“At shows there are usually no options for turnout,” Miles points out, “so no matter what the horses do at home, it is important for them to be able to know how to be in a stall 24/7.”

Managing the change in living arrangements may require altering other aspects of the horse’s routine, Miles says: “If your horse is used to lots of turnout and is uncomfortable in the stall at a show or has too much energy, this is no reason to limit turnout at home, but we need to learn how to deal with the extra energy and challenges.”

For instance, hand-walking, hand-grazing, or lungeing may help a horse to relax and unwind. Some riders find extra warmup time or even a second, earlier exercise session some hours before the test to be helpful. You may need to experiment to determine the strategy that works best for your horse.

TURNOUT SUBSTITUTE: To help horses relax and stretch their legs while at shows, many competitors get them out of their stalls for periodic hand-grazing sessions

the natural things a horse needs to do, and is not functioning the way a normal horse is supposed to. A horse in the wild walks many miles each day, which is healthier for feet and legs, heart and lungs. When grazing, the head is down—the natural position for eating—and it’s better for their airways to be outside. For me, there is no reason I would ever want a healthy horse in a stall as opposed to being outside,” concludes Pitts, who calls herself “a bit of an outlier in the dressage world because I also trail-ride my horses and do things a bit differently.”

Pitts adds that “I find it easier to work with and train horses that live outside. They are in a good mental state, and it makes my life easy. The more confined they are, the more nervous energy you have to contend with, which isn’t necessarily positive. I think it’s better that the horse comes in ready to work, with a clear head and relaxed.”

The Individualized Approach

Miles recognizes that the owner of a horse stabled at someone else’s facility may have fewer options regarding that horse’s turnout schedule, paddock size, and so on.

“We are fortunate here because we can control these things and not have to worry about which boarder wants what, or if the owner of the property doesn’t allow this or that,” Miles says. At Wally Woo Farm “we can dictate who goes out first and who goes out for how long. We know which ones get along and which ones don’t, and what works best. We know how various things affect a certain horse, and we keep track of it: If a horse was really good today, was he out all night, or better because of something else?”

Based on our experts’ input, the choice to turn out, and for how long, has more to do with risk tolerance than with avoiding equine fatigue. As Miles puts it, “Each person has their own comfort level regarding how much running around is OK for their horse.”

It can be nail-biting to watch one’s precious dressage partner cavorting in the paddock, but that’s part and parcel of owning a horse, Pitts believes.

“My philosophy in working with horses is to always remember that they are living, sensitive beings who prefer to live in a herd,” she says. “The horse doesn’t know what its [monetary] value is and doesn’t care. I try to forget what their value is and just let them be horses, even though it’s sometimes difficult.”

Idaho-based cattle rancher and freelance writer Heather Smith Thomas has been writing about horses and cattle, and raising and training horses, for 50 years.

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