Anyone find their horses better behaved the more they are stabled?

R

Rouletterose

Well-Known Member
Joined
11 October 2008
Messages
930
Visit site
as above, one of my mares seems to become more ferral(spelling?) the more she is allowed to stay out in the fields.
She's in full work but all through the summer and up till now she's been out in the field roughly 18hrs per 24. She starts to come in at night now and we always find (counting previous years of course
grin.gif
) once she comes in at night and is ridden straight out of the box in the morning and then turned out for the rest of the day...say about 7 hours, she is better behaved than when she's allowed out a lot more, she's a warmblood and the workload is the same either way.

Very interested to know if anyone else's is the same?
 
LOL! No! Completely the opposite and my usually sweet and loving mare literally nearly killed me after a spate of boxrest - over 9 months later on and I'm not recovered!! And my other girl gets grumpy when stabled.
 
Have to say that I agree with Puppy and Bugsy. My mare is a bloody nightmare when I bring her in and gets so stressed. She has been out all summer, well since March actually and I bring her into the stable to tack up and or feed. She will not relax untill she is out. She is a dutch warmblood ( imported) and I think she spent far too much time couped up. She will settle after a while if left alone, but I like to leave her out for as long as possible, well rugged.

I am wishing for a dry winter so she can stay out all the time!
 
I think it's a trade off between the fact that for some horses the more they are handled, then the more their manners are reinforced and so they become better behaved, and for others, they just hate being in and get bored.

I have it both ways; my youngsters positvely benefit from all the handling in the winter when they are in at night (in summer they are out 24/7 and are only really handled when I bring them in to work) while my old mare now hates to be in and is a nightmare, always trying to escape and snapping while rugs are changed etc. But then again, she is an older lady and has earned her grumpy old woman status!
 
I do mine are better, I agree with pootleperkin the more mine are handled - ie when they are in and out over winter the better behaved they are. So long as they have a decent routine, in fact I usually look forward to the winter for that reason.

It's going to be a different set up this winter tho so I hope they both behave! I also find my bond with the horses is strengthened over the winter (semi retired/youngster so not out riding all summer) and thus the confidence and trust in each other increases, which has an impact.
 
I wish could say my mare was better when she comes in for winter but unfortunately the result is a bad tempered stroppy snorty beast. I hate winter because of it. She'd be far happier out but even then the weather would turn her somewhat silly.
 
Once of my mares, when she lives out in the summer, is the spookiest, most hyper-active beast I have ever come across. Its not because she has no routine as I always visit the same times each day and she's hacked out three times a week and schooled three times and I compete regularly at 80k plus endurance so obviously not lack of work.
However, once she is in at nights, she becomes so much more laid back and nowhere near so spooky. I don't understand why but I can only assume that she doesn't rest properly out in the field. (She is the herd leader so I don't know if she has pressure to keep her herd under control whilst out?).
 
[ QUOTE ]
other way round for me! My pony gets really stressed when he's stable so he acts like a loon when i ride him if he's stabled!! ah well i suppose theyre all different!
laugh.gif


[/ QUOTE ]

Ditto.
smile.gif
 
Absolutely yes. As others have pretty much said, their manners improve. One is the ultimate Alpha-mare in the field, but when she's in, tied up all the time for rug changes, made to walk back when I go into the stable with feeds etc, she remembers actually that I'm in charge. And I think my other one (the bullied one
frown.gif
wink.gif
) enjoys the rest/peace in her stable. They are always out during the day though, for 12 hours, then ridden, so they don't spend overly long in the stable to get bored of it.

If it wasn't for the cost saving on bedding and haylage in the summer, I'd keep them in overnight all year I think, they both like their stables
grin.gif
 
Thanks for all the replies guys
grin.gif
very interesting stuff, I liked the ones regarding the alpha mares or herd leaders, that all makes sense
ooo.gif
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top