Do some horses just prefere their stable ?

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niagaraduval

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My horse is very high strung, always has been. He likes to be silly in his field. I have noticed though that he will be silly for 10 mins and then want to come in. He has a very large stable (although this is no excuse I know) and because of my land in the winter they can only go out in a small paddock that is attached to their stables. I usually just open their doors and they can go in and out.

Lately though I have found myself actually 'shooing' my horse out and shutting all the stable doors to stop him from coming back in again. I often leave eveything open for him for only about an hour a day in the winter (I know this is bad but it's the best I can do) but very often go out and find him stood in his stable.

When I have tacked him up I open the door and call him out, most of the time I actually have to go in and get him and drag him out !

He spends 6 months of the year in 12 acres with his friend (which I have made into 3 bits and rotate every 3 weeks). When I used to check on him, do his water etc. this summer he used to always follow me to the gate and try to follow me out.. as if he wanted to come 'home' with me to his stable ?

Should I carry on making him stay out for an hour for his own good or just let him stay in his stable all the time ?
 
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I had a horse like this. He was Dutch born, and almost certainly raised in a barn, then was kept at a dressage yard where they didn't turn out. In his next home he was turned out on his own in a little paddock for 2 hours a day.

When we got him, I could set my watch by him - turn out at 9am, waiting at the gate by 10.55am. If the weather was anything other than perfect (no wind, no rain, no strong sun etc) then he would turn round and try to come straight back in again. I would shoo him out of the gate only to find him cantering back past me to the stable if I didn't swing the gate shut quickly enough (he was kept at home so it wasn't a big problem!).

I did insist he went out even if it was only for 2 hours as I felt it was better for his joints.

I used to think he was 'institutionalised' by the previous homes, but he was also a very gentle horse and didn't like getting into scrapes with the others - perhaps he had never had the rough and tumble of being out with youngsters.

He was happiest with a gentle mare I had, and he would stay out longer with her, but when she went and I got a more aggressive mare, he didn't want to go out at all, so it could also have been his social skills were lacking and he worried about being hurt or bullied.

I would try to insist on a brief period out for his physial health, but I do sympathise - they are daft creatures sometimes and hard to fathom.
 
I have two welshies, one lives out unrugged and hairy happy as larry!

The other one is a diva, shivers a lot, is hard to keep weight on and LOVES his stable and being warm, doesnt like going out and wont stand in the open if there is even a hint of rain in the air. Unfortunately for him he only comes in overnight in the absolute worst rain and wind as while I appreciate he needs rugging I (unlike him) know that he wont melt in the rain lol
 
Hmm that is really odd. Maybe he finds it cold to come out like me in the mornings. Do you rug him when he's turned out?

Persoanlly I leave everything open so access to stable and field when ever they like and if its really wet weather they get shut onto the concreted area which is attached the stable. Otherwise they end up standing under a tree getting soaked like morons.

one of my mares is a strange one. She would rather eat a big net of hay rather than go out and eat grass... I thought grass was nicer than hay etc? She also likes to drink out of a bucket than a big trough. I fill up a bucket of water for the goat and she goes straight in to drink it???
 
I think they become conditioned to it. Or, it depends what their stable is preferable to. Yard nearby has a tiny mudbath as winter turnout. You can guarantee that before the owners have finished mucking out, the horses will be waiting to come in. Yet I know for a fact a few had lived out 24/7 happily before moving there. And others have moved off mid winter & the horses quickly adapted to 24/7. It's just on that yard, in is preferable to out. Knee high mud, too small & boggy for a blast, no grass or hay. After a quick roll what horse wouldn't want to go back in?
 
I used to have a horse that loved the stable. She would pace up and down the field gate if she was out too long! Luckily she had a field shelter that she stood in most of the time she was out! :rolleyes:
 
Shy is a terrible native pony..he would much rather be tucked up in his stable. At the first sign of wind or rain, he's there at the gate (then when I approach, he pretends he isn't and slinks off) - only to canter flat out up to me dying too come in.

He's had a few days in to protect the paddock, and tbh, he seems much happier.
 
I had one also Dutch who liked twenty minutes no more over time we got her to two hours max .
Unfortunatly she learned that when she had had enough if she stuck her leg though the gate and waved it about that got her in , she trained us well !!!!
 
I have a welsh who hates weather of any sort unless it's about 15 degrees and sunny (without flies) he even panics if it starts to rain if we are out riding.

I have lots of grass he is adequately rugged, but in all honesty he'd rather live in in the winter months. I've tried to make him 'man up' and failed. He does however get turned out everyday and I ignore the panicking when heaven for bid he gets wet (even with a rug on).

I do think it's important for them to go out however if he really got stressed about having to go out in all weathers ie loosing weight or hurting himself I would reconsider making him go out each day without fail.
 
Is there something in the stable for him though - for example hay? Something like that could be encouraging him to stay in.

I was told my new horse didn't like being turned out for longer than 20 mins as he'd start to gallop about and want to come in. I hate stabling horses, think its so unnatural. I've had him a month and started with a high sided round pen on the grass, it was small enough he literally couldnt canter. He's now in a small, high electric fenced paddock (probably about 6 stables big) and absolutely loves going out now. He goes out alongside my other horse in a next door paddock and stays out all day. I have tried him in a big paddock and yes he does gallop... he just gallops and gallops! So I'll just keep him in small paddocks and its sorted. Dont know why he does it, but I've found what works for him so I'll leave it as that! So I think in many cases there's something which doesn't suit the horse, not necessarily that he actually prefers his stable.
 
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I think some horses do prefer their stable.

My old tb mare was an interesting one. In summer our yard is 24/7 turn out, and during the summer she would be miles away from the gate and very happy in the field, and in the alternative rest field. Occasionally she would even not catch (though she had no pererverence and this never lasted long).

But come winter time, she was a nightmare. They go out during the day and are in at night in winter, and the YO turns out/brings in for me. He'd turn her out around 8am and she'd wander off with the others, have a little leg stretch, then appear at the gate by 11am (often 10am if the weather was bad), nestle herself into a corner by the gate and stand there miserably for the rest of the day. And she was well rugged with good quality rugs, so perfectly warm and dry.

We persevered ignoring her for quite some time, hoping she'd get the hint, but she'd just keep standing there. Eventually, when she was dropping weight badly, I gave in and the yard owner started bringing her in when he noticed her there, putting her in her stable with ad-lib haylege. When we gave into her, she stopped dropping weight. Her personality also never changed. She was the same sweet calm mare, despite only having 2 hours of turnout a day (and i had periods of box rest with her when she turned into a real crabbit cow).

As the fields, turnout times and companions never changed, I eventually reasoned that she simply made the choice that in the cold and rain she'd much rather be in her stable, and then let us know that.
 
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Bar a small number of instutionalised horses (end up similar to human agoraphobia), horses prefer to be where the food is. They will always go for the most calorific option, so in summer, grass over hay, in winter hay over grass.

Generally speaking, owners provide hay in the stable, thinking that the turnout has "plenty of grass so the horse won't be hungry". You may find a different pattern if you put no food in the stable, but hay and bucket feeds in the field, then leave stable door open and allow the horse to choose ;)

Winter grass is low in nutrients and high in water content - given the choice between eating celery outside or chocolate cake inside, I think I'd go for the cake. However given the choice of cake outside, and celery inside, I think you'd find I was suddenly spending more time outside :D
 
My filly (ex racer) has loved her introduction to turn out this year, and once she'd got used to being out 24/7, didn't want to be in a stable for any length of time. I started bringing them in overnight about 4wks ago, and she was not impressed! But this last 7-10 days, she has become VERY keen to come in and not very fussed on going back out in the morning!
 
I have a new horse which will go out in the field for two hours ONLY, and will then stand at the gate weaving. There is grass, he has company, but he WILL NOT stay out for longer. He's OK to turn out all day in the arena with a hay net, but doesn't like the rain and will weave at the gate if it's wet. He loves his stable and would be quite happy to be in 24/7 if he could.
 
I do agree with it being related to food in most cases. However I can honestly say it's not food related with mine. He comes in to nothing and is more likely or not ridden. If he gets brought in early he of course has a haynet. He doesn't touch it and just goes to sleep.

I have to say this pony is not normal and excaped out of a lush field of grass to go and stand with the tractors .....
 
My old horse Henry could have had all year turn out if he had wanted. Nice warm rug and plenty of hay in the fields.

He loved being out in summer - he was a toad to catch. However, about this sort of time of year, at night he would just start standing by the gate. I can remember one evening I fetched my other horse in to ride, and left Henry in the field. Henry was not best impressed. An hour later he was still stood by the gate wanting to come into a stable.
 
Hehe I was just thinking about this today!

My new big boy has twice already escaped from his feild to get back to the stable :rolleyes:

When I turn him out, I get the big sad puppy dog eyes.... :o


Tbf, im sure its related to his belly :p stable= food :D
 
My late gelding loved his stable - i think he'd been kept in 24/7 for his whole life before he came to me because he didn't seem to understand what the outdoors was, it was quite sad to witness really. He'd been a show horse so possible that they didn't want him to get damaged outside... But he used to stand at the gate all day every day and stress - when he was inside he was chilled out and relaxed. He did eventually get used to going outside, I introduced him to it gradually but it took a few years and he was always very keen to come in - always had to be physically dragged outside in the wet weather too.
My mare also loves her bedroom, she loves being outside and chasing about but after a few hours she's ready to come in again.
 
I've got an Exmoor pony, I bought him as a totally wild 6 month old straight off the moor, completely feral. He's now 5 and absolutely LOVES being in a stable, any old stable will do, it doesn't have to be his, when I had a little yard to myself he'd dive into the other horse's stable if the door was open and plant himself in there with a look of complete bliss. If the other horse was in there he'd drive them out and claim the bedroom for himself. I think he thinks that being in a stable makes him a 'proper' horse..
 
The choice issue is interesting. My 23yr old dictates when she & daughters pony will stay in at night. They have ad lib hay in the field, natural shelter, & are rugged for their needs. From mid Nov, they come in to their stables which are ready for the night. I leave mine with the door open. If she stays in after 15mins & settles with her hay, they stay in. If she sets off back to field, then they go back out. It's never earlier than Dec she decides to stay in, one year it was the 23rd Dec. Once she's stayed in one night, she chooses to stay in every night. Mid Feb onwards, I do the open door thing again. Any time between end of Feb & end of march she decides its back out, where they then remain out till next winter. As I don't do more than chaser clips whilst out overnight, & she has hay both out & in, I can only put it down to the weather & temperature. She has me well trained!
 
This made me laugh yesterday, my boy is turned out 2 others, all are cobs.

Yesterday it was miserable, windy and drizzly. All 3 had mw rugs on and a ring feeder full of haylege. Granted the ground was muddy.

I pulled up to the yard at 2.30, Buds clocked my arrival, shrilly whinnied and him and his mates set off bucking and farting to the gate, where they stood impatiently jostling to be let in!!!

Honestly :rolleyes: I let them in and 1 by 1 they walk into their own stables and stand looking happy as larry :o

They were very obvious in letting me know that having been out since 7am at 2.30pm it was coming in time, even though they had plenty of food outside they opted for dry and warm (with food too obv :rolleyes:)
 
Cin, my old git of horse, hated being in when he was younger. He hated being in by himself when the others were out, to the point you couldn't leave him in without him hurting himself, however he has changed now, only when its bad weather.
The other day I didn't turn out because it was horrific weather, but lunged them one at time. Cin was in by himself, looking quietly over the door, obviously chuckling to himself that the others horses were out. In fact when it is bad weather I can leave the stable door open and he will just stand in the door way looking out!
 
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