Stabling of Horses

convert

I've noticed that there are a number of people who seem to have an aversion to horses being stabled for long periods of time, and was just wondering why this is. Surely if there's no other option, if there's a shortage of grass during winter, or if the horse is a high performance athlete, then there shouldn't be a problem?

By the way, I don't want this to turn into a another 'cruelty to horses' thread... I am sure the mods would agree

finbarrk

Shouldn't be a problem if the horse is in training or during the winter when land is not suitable.

togster

Still think a horse should get turn out at least once a week. If you can't do that then it has an adverse effect on a horses head surely. Even turn out in an arena would be better than nothing.

I also think that horses should be alowed to socialise with another horse when possible.

fits

My opinion is that keeping a horse at grass is the ideal and most natural way. They just are happier and relaxed when grazing and interacting with a social group. I've nothing against stabling really as long as the horse gets sufficient exercise, but I would always try to turnout my horse at least once a day.

My gelding who died last year used to get very stressed out in the stable and would get quite worked up and box walked.. (I was even thinking of getting a stable mirror to see if that would help). Turnout was definitely the best option for him.

Perhaps in future when I get back into it, I might even look into keeping horses in a 'barn' type environment indoors rather than stabling them, but thats all dreaming at the moment.

Bendihorse

Both my horses love to be tunred out, Ben gets so sour when hes kept in resorting to all sorts of unnatural behaviour to him and Mandi just gets hot and bold when shes in all the time.

I think turnout at least once a week does work wonders on a horse, even the top athletes.
For a horse there must be nothing like getting out for a run at the end of a hard week and kicking its heels up, stretching, rolling and relaxing the way it wants to, not just be taken out to work every day then put away again straight away afterwards.

We would always let our fellas out when they were working.. it did seem to keep them happier.

Borderfox

My guy get turned out at least three times a week with another horse to socialise and it certainly keeps him happy

napoles

Ours all get turned out every day, weather and ground permitting. Luckily I live on a farm!:)
Most of them are kept in a barn and the top half of the stable walls are metal bars so they can all see each other all the time. Got these put into an existing cattle shed and have been delighted with them - would definitely recommend!

In the summer, some of them get left out day and night, but any that are in serious work or who will have to stay away to compete, would get less grass time, otherwise they get too "grassy fat" rather than "fit fat" and also it's too much of a shock to the system if we travel to a competition where they have to remain stabled for the duration.

Turn out time is also a saviour if you're working with young horses!!! Nothing like letting them work off their bucks in the field rather than when you're on board!!

Oh, yeah, also we keep the liveries and most of ours in individual (wired off paddocks) but that's just cos we're paranoid about them kicking each other!

andrewh5

fits wrote: »

My opinion is that keeping a horse at grass is the ideal and most natural way. They just are happier and relaxed when grazing and interacting with a social group. I've nothing against stabling really as long as the horse gets sufficient exercise, but I would always try to turnout my horse at least once a day.

My gelding who died last year used to get very stressed out in the stable and would get quite worked up and box walked.. (I was even thinking of getting a stable mirror to see if that would help). Turnout was definitely the best option for him.

Perhaps in future when I get back into it, I might even look into keeping horses in a 'barn' type environment indoors rather than stabling them, but thats all dreaming at the moment.

I am fully in agreement with this post. Horses are herd animals - they need the interaction with other horses and continuous stabling removes this causing stress and 'stable vices' such as head swaying and door biting.

convert

andrewh5 wrote: »

they need the interaction with other horses and continuous stabling removes this causing stress and 'stable vices' such as head swaying and door biting.

Weaving and crib biting and windsucking aren't just exclusive to stabled horses. I've seen quite a few horses windsuck in fields too, on railings, etc.

That said, I agree with trying to let horses out as often as possible, conditions permitting, of course.

During the summer the I'd try keep the hunters and point-to-pointer out as much as possible; mostly during the day, and sometimes at night, depending on weather, grass, etc. However, I'd constantly watch them to make sure they're not getting too heavy/fat.
Regarding the horses who are in work/ gentle competition, they'd be in at night and out during the day (after work) to prevent them getting too fat. If the horse is performing to a high level, then they'll only get grass in hand rather than being out for a few hours due to the fact that they can't perform to a high level on the same regime as the show horses.

In the winter all the horses are stabled. They're kept in stables opposite to each other so they're never 'alone'. Moreover, we're lucky enough to have an enclosed yard, so the horses can be let out loose around the yard while their stables are being mucked out. Sometimes they can be let out together, depending on how they get on with each other!After exercise, I'll let them roll in the arena, but it depends on the weather (ie - surface too wet or too frosty). I'll also take them out on the lead for a few minutes grass during the day, so the horses get their 'stable time' broken up by a few small breaks (apart from exercise) during the day.

kerrysgold

Personally I would never keep a horse stabled except for indoors at night in bad weather or for medical reasons. Horses need at least turnout during the day in winter and preferably 24/7 during the summer. I hate how some livery yards are so greedy, they have a load of loose boxes and then not enough turnout for the occupants.

horses are herd animals, they need to have company and have outdoor space to walk around and play and graze.

kerrysgold

kerrysgold wrote: »

Horses need at least turnout during the day in winter and preferably 24/7 during the summer.

Why? Turnout is good, but I don't think they need that much of it..

I remember that when we put the lads out for long periods of time, they would be at the gate wanting to come back in again.

I also remember that when they broke out of the field (some muppet left a gate open) they ran straight back to the stables.

napoles

I also think that while it's a nice idea to have horses in their natural state, living out all the time, you would need adequate shelter in the field - decent ditches etc.

Plus, I personally wouldn't think it fair to keep a single horse out all the time. As has been pointed out, they are herd animals and if somebody has one horse and keeps it out 24/7, then it gets little or no interaction with ANYBODY!

At least a horse who is stabled will be able to see people and activity around the yard and will feel it has company. Keeping a single horse in the same boring field all the time isn't ideal either...

togster

kerrysgold wrote: »

horses are herd animals, they need to have company and have outdoor space to walk around and play and graze.

Yes they are herd animals but you can't expect to keep a horse out all the time. Most aren't used to it and as zarabra said many like to come in

fits

Deleted User wrote: »

I remember that when we put the lads out for long periods of time, they would be at the gate wanting to come back in again.
.

Hmm a lot of that could be that they are conditioned/used to the stable. If they were used to living outside it may be a different matter. I know a lot of horses who were stabled a lot when young in particular dont mind being in... but still more likely to develop stable vices etc.

convert

fits wrote: »

Hmm a lot of that could be that they are conditioned/used to the stable. If they were used to living outside it may be a different matter. I know a lot of horses who were stabled a lot when young in particular dont mind being in... but still more likely to develop stable vices etc.

I think it depends on the horse. My aunt keeps a lot of young stock who are out most of the time, but if the opportunity arises (i.e. - gate left open) they'll go into the stables and stay there. Some of them will even close the doors after them!

fits

convert wrote: »

I think it depends on the horse. My aunt keeps a lot of young stock who are out most of the time, but if the opportunity arises (i.e. - gate left open) they'll go into the stables and stay there. Some of them will even close the doors after them!

Really:eek: I find that very strange. Any horse I've ever had has always preferred to be out except in extreme weather.

However if they really did prefer to be in at times, and it suited me, I wouldnt necessarily force a horse to live out.

convert

I think it depends on the horses and what mood they're in...
When they can freely enter the stables whenever they want, they're never really inclined to do so, but when they get locked out, they always want to be in... The youngsters we have this year are a bit odd. We've never had horses do it before...

kerrysgold

Why? Turnout is good, but I don't think they need that much of it..

horses were never meant to live indoors, they are outdoor animals.

I don't mind a horse being in at night in bad weather during the winter. I think it's better for the horse to have a field shelter or leave his stable door/barn door open to he can choose whether to be in or out during the day and all the time once the mild weather arrives.

I wouldn't want a horse to live alone either in a field or a stable, human company isn't really a good substitute for company of another animal IMO.

togster

kerrysgold wrote: »

horses were never meant to live indoors, they are outdoor animals.

Wild horses were meant to live outdoors all the time, ones that had evolved to sustain harsh weather. Horses today (the majority) have been conditioned not to sustain harsh weather. it is impractical sometimes to keep competition horses outside all the time. There is nothing wrong with stabling a horse as long as they get decent turnout.

kerrysgold

kerrysgold wrote: »

horses were never meant to live indoors, they are outdoor animals.

I don't mind a horse being in at night in bad weather during the winter. I think it's better for the horse to have a field shelter or leave his stable door/barn door open to he can choose whether to be in or out during the day and all the time once the mild weather arrives.

I wouldn't want a horse to live alone either in a field or a stable, human company isn't really a good substitute for company of another animal IMO.

You do know that horses today are line bred and have been domesticated by humans right?

Thoroughbreds were pretty much created by man through a rigorous breeding programme, with the aim of speed.

Horses are no longer wild animals, and throwing out 24/7 is actually taking them out of the environment which they are used to...

convert

kerrysgold wrote: »

human company isn't really a good substitute for company of another animal IMO.

Are you suggesting that if somebody wants to buy a horse that they should actually buy two? Or that you should never buy one dog, cat, fish, hamster, etc., that you should always have at least two?

Turning out some competition horses is fine, but if the horse, e.g., a racehorse or eventer, is required to do fast work then it's not feasible to turn it out all the time as too much grass in the diet would result in the inability to perform to the high level required.

togster

convert wrote: »

Are you suggesting that if somebody wants to buy a horse that they should actually buy two?

While i do agree with a lot that you say re: eventers etc i know that i had an eventer at one stage who got sertiously depressed if he didn't have a companion around the place. Not neccessarily in the same field though. So we got him an old pony who became his best buddy. A local farmer was happy to oblige and it did wonders for the horses head imo

Kerrysgold there is a huge difference between looking after a horse you use for hacking out or just as a hobby and a top competition horse. Many of the eventers i had couldn't share the same field because they would simply kick the sh!t out of each other. What you are suggesting is a little idealistic and simplistic tbh.

kerrysgold

I presumed it was a known fact that horses are herd animals and shouldn't be kept alone?

Yes I do think it is better to have two dogs or cats etc, most species like the company of their own kind including humans.

It's wrong to keep any animal in a confined space all day just so it will perform well or because the owner is worried it'll get injured out in the field.

I'm sure nobody on here would like to sit in a room all day with nothing to do/nobody to talk to/nothing to look at?

kerrysgold

kerrysgold wrote: »

I presumed it was a known fact that horses are herd animals and shouldn't be kept alone?

It's wrong to keep any animal in a confined space all day just so it will perform well or because the owner is worried it'll get injured out in the field.

I'm sure nobody on here would like to sit in a room all day with nothing to do/nobody to talk to/nothing to look at?

You don't seem to be able to comprehend that horses can be kept in a stable while also be turned out. There 24 hours in the day, and we put enough effort in our horses so that they experience both the field and the stable within these 24 hours. We don't just take one action per day as you are suggesting. That would be cruel to the horse.

When our horses are working, they are stabled, but they are also turned out on a regular basis. This way they benefit from both worlds as they are thorough breds (and these horse do not like to be out 24/7). The horses are happy with this - our horses do not have any bad habits in the stables. Also, as I said earlier our horses want to come in after they have been out for a while.

We don't keep our horses in isolation in the stables, all our walls are barred from the top half and the horses can see and talk to one another.

Kerrygold, you are making naive allegations and statements of fact while also making sweeping generalisations about both horses and horse owners.

convert

kerrysgold wrote: »

I presumed it was a known fact that horses are herd animals and shouldn't be kept alone?

It's also a well known fact that assumptions are the mother of all **** ups

kerrysgold wrote:

Yes I do think it is better to have two dogs or cats etc, most species like the company of their own kind including humans.

Does this mean parents should have at least two children?!

kerrysgold wrote:

It's wrong to keep any animal in a confined space all day just so it will perform well or because the owner is worried it'll get injured out in the field.

You don't seem to understand that competition horses are not like pleasure horses that just receive gentle exercise/hacking each day. They are top class athletes, and like top class human athletes, they need special dietry requirements and special care - much more specilised that your normal horse or pony. Racehorses can't be turned out all the time when they're in training, for a number of reasons:
Firstly, during the winter there's not enough grass (feeding them out is not an adequate alternative) and it's too cold, even with a rug, as they're clipped.
Secondly, if a competiton horse is given too much grass, he will become 'soft' and will not be able to perform to the required standard. It can also lead to a huge number of other complications.
Thirdly, we can't let our thoroughbreds out together because they'll beat up each other.
Finally, if a horse in training is let out in a field and he gallops he is actually more liable to injure himself than when there's a rider on him. (and yes, I do know that not all horses will gallop for a long time when let out, but you have to realise that some horses do).

togster

kerrysgold wrote: »

I presumed it was a known fact that horses are herd animals and shouldn't be kept alone?

Yes I do think it is better to have two dogs or cats etc, most species like the company of their own kind including humans.

It's wrong to keep any animal in a confined space all day just so it will perform well or because the owner is worried it'll get injured out in the field.

I'm sure nobody on here would like to sit in a room all day with nothing to do/nobody to talk to/nothing to look at?

Seriously KG, a little experience goes a long way