I felt much better last night (when the weather was awful!) knowing they had the choice to go into the warm and dry if they chose to. But guess what ... when I went over to check them this morning they were both standing with their backs to a fence looking pretty wet and muddy! You can take a horse to shelter but you can't make it use it

My two have been unrugged and unstabled for the last few years and they seem very happy with it. I have one hairy native (connemara) and a friesian so they are hardy types, i probably wouldnt leave a TB out all winter unrugged Shetlands dont need rugging unless they are clipped.

Do yours have any shelter in their field? I wouldn't feel so worried about it if there was a natural shelter - ie trees or a wood, but it is quite an exposed field. It is gorgeous in the sunshine, but can get the wind/rain when it is bad. However, having checked for the past few days, it would seem they aren't using the barn anyway I think perhaps they just prefer to be out all year round.

Mine are very lucky that part of their field is made up of woodland so they can use that as shelter but i've rarely seen them in that area

If they were bothered they would go in the barn, horses arent stupid. I wouldnt worry about them

ill try and get one of the kids to put the pics up of the nf ponies as im useless at stuff like that,went up to see ours the other day after all that rain they were soaked but not cold mine never go in a stable as they hate it but its funny to see all the forest ponies just put their bum to the rain and not bother with sheltering agains it

MIne are rugged..Tink has a MW on as she has been rugged for the last 4yrs and when I was up last wk she was cold under her LW...
Cobbie has a huge fluffy coat but he has a LW on mainly to keep him dry..When they are constantly wet they get miserable..When it gets colder I will put his MW on..but depending on how hot he gets might stick to the LW..as he's never been rugged and has a huge coat