Am I doing enough to keep my horses happy?

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Penny_lane

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Is having two horses at home enough for companionship and socialization? They don’t get turned out together because my gelding isn’t always very nice, but they are able to touch noses over the fence. They’re not very social with each other, though. My mare is very sweet and social, so sometimes I feel bad that she can’t really have that companionship with my gelding. They get along fine, they mostly just ignore each other.

At times, I worry that they might get bored. They are turned out about 18 hours a day in the winter and about 12 hours a day in the summer. My mare is retired, and my gelding is currently not working because I’m healing from an injury. I’ve started doing daily groundwork sessions with both of them, and on top of that, I graze and groom them every day. When I graze them, I try to move around so they can explore and have a change of scenery.

They each have their own 45x45 meter (150x150 feet) paddock. The grass in their paddocks is currently dead because of the season, and the paddocks themselves are pretty boring. They have a small shelter that they never use, but other than that, there are no trees or natural features. I’ve tried adding enrichment to their paddocks, such as filling water buckets with apples, using treat balls, and even the large exercise balls, but they never seem interested in anything other than their hay.

I’ve also wondered if having music playing in the barn might be good for them? I’ve heard mixed things on music, some saying that it can help relax them (depending on the genre) and others say that it can make them anxious. Someone suggested I try playing music in the barn. My horses are home, so everything in and around the barn is usually pretty boring and quiet. There’s not a whole lot of excitement and I don’t know if that’s good or bad? My gelding came from a very busy show barn and my mare was at a more laid back barn of retired horses, but she was out in a heard at night.

This has been on my mind a lot lately, as I’m always thinking about ways to make sure my horses are happy and comfortable. They don’t seem unhappy, but sometimes they do seem a little bored. Am I doing enough, or is there something more I should or could be doing?
 
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What does your gelding do? Horses have disagreements sometimes but doesn’t always mean they need to be separated

If they do need to be separated
You’re doing everything and more for them! ❤️
You could add scratching posts if either of them like that?
 
JBM said:
What does your gelding do? Horses have disagreements sometimes but doesn’t always mean they need to be separated

If they do need to be separated
You’re doing everything and more for them! ❤️
You could add scratching posts if either of them like that?
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Thank you ❤️ it seems to be more food aggression I think because it started when I started feeding them their grain outside, rather than bringing them back into the it stalls and then back out again. Both of their gates are right next to each other, so he’ll sit by the gate waiting for food and then she’ll come over and then he’ll act aggressive and protective of that space. I was also thinking about scratching posts too, that’s a really good idea!
 
Enrichment in the paddock so it's not just a square of grass and turning them out together would make things more interesting for them
Also you can get big brush scratching posts designed for cattle which some horses really like.
Half an acre per horse is absolutely tiny though, if you spread feeding stations out could you amalgamate the two smaller paddocks into one?
 
Had you thought about putting in a Track system?? This might work better for you; that way you could put one horse in the middle bit, and the other on the outside; with ours we put the fatties on the outside Track and the skinnies in the centre bit. It works well because that way you don't have to separate a "herd" if one is a good doer and the other isn't. It also means that they get more exercise - even in a smaller area - just by the sheer fact of walking around the track.

Just something to think about.

The other thing we find is that with two horses you often get excessive pair-bonding, whereas with a "herd of three" it helps to balance things out a bit. With three, if you take one out (for a hack for e.g.) there's still one left with the remaining horse. Perhaps you could consider having an extra one on loan? Or even offer out your pasture to a DIY livery?

Hope this helps. What I would say is - respectfully as possible - that you are maybe overthinking things?? I keep mine at home, and it is actually very easy to over-stress. Horses usually have a way of getting along OK. It is a pity however that you have to keep yours separate; this is why I suggest perhaps thinking about a "herd of three"...........
 
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