Do some horses REALLY like to be in a stable the majority of the time?

Like many others, mine likes to come in if the weather is nasty, and he has always lived a 50/50 lifestyle. He always lies down at night in the stable. However, 2 months box rest with no exercise turned him into a dangerous lunatic, so he isn't THAT fond of his stable. He is OK to keep in if there is very heavy rain for instance, but he would mostly get ridden in those circumstances. Sometimes I have to keep them in, but I try to make sure that it is only for 2-3 days maximum. I aim to turn out every day, even if some days it isn't very long. But I have the luxury of keeping mine at home, so can just pop out and fetch them in, not an option if you keep yours in a livery yard and you are at work.

I have a winter turnout field, just far enough away from the house that all the churning up and skid marks can't be seen easily.

Humans like to live in a cave, horses prefer to live where they can see out all around them for possible dangers so they can get away easily. Which is why some horses simply hate being in a stable. Still, we all know that horses are very adaptable and will get used to almost any regime.
 
Mine are out in the day and sort of in in the day, they have a small part of yard and their stable where they're fed ect. Gypsy will quite happily spend the whole night in his stable and poo outside however the minute you shut the door and not be in with him he completely flips and rears and tries to climb over the door (which he has had success once) and if you close the top door... He will try and climb through the small mesh window!
So yes, he loves his stable... Just not closed
 
It really does depend on he horse.

My mare would walk over hot coals to be out eating grass and playing with her mates and although she seems happy in her stable by the morning she's keen to get out in to the field.

However my gelding refuses to go out if it's bad weather outside. He plants his feet and won't move until you turn around and walk him back to his stable.
He's even escaped from his field and was found in his stable!

I make sure however he always has hay, a deep bed, a treat ball thing and at nights he has a veggie kebab hanging up so i think he likes his creature comforts. He's such a dope on a rope and prefers to be in with people walking past him giving him a stroke than in a field in the rain...he even stops eating to watch people over his door...getting all the yard gossip!!!
 
My boy loved getting turn out. I believe it's essential for them to get turnout. We moved yard once and he was out with an ex sj and ex racer, that weren't used to being out all day so they hung about the gate, especially if it was raining. If they came in, he came in with them and believe it or not he's mellowed out and loves his stable! In the past few days he's not wanted out as the weathers been so bad.
 
Fii-ling Festive said:
A lot of people say "my horse loves to be in his stable, he waits by the gate to come in" When in fact they are probably waiting to be fed, as most bring in and then feed, bucket and hay/hayledge.
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Dont really go with this one, in the winter, bad weather, Benson used to be given his breakfast, then turned out, he would mooch about for 10 mins, then be at the gate wanting in, so cant really see that was because of feeding.
Donovan is happy either way. we have restricted turnout over winter, hasnt started yet, but he will be out 3 half days a week. I cant really see the point in turning out in the bad weather, horse gets miserable, fields get ruined.
 
My gelding, Captain a WB, most definitely likes to be in in bad weather, and will remove the field gate to come in if put out, taking himself back to his stable. He stays in from mid/end of October to mid/end of April (depending on weather) He will refuse point blank to leave the barn if it is cold or windy, and 17-3hh of determined Gelderlander is more than a match for most people! We are lucky we have an indoor school, so he is exercised in there. But he really does not like leaving his stable and never gets too fresh or fizzy, never gets bored either which amazes me. I think it is down to their personal preferences, Fany used to hate being stabled and would still rather be out but likes to come in at night. As I always say on this kind of thread it really is a matter of what your horse prefers.
FDC
 
I'm very lucky that I have the perfect set-up (I think).

Ponies have access 24 hours to yard with hard standing, stables (always open, beds made and hay) and a field which has no natural shelter. This week they have not been inside despite the weather, I really thought they would have been but they evidently prefer being outside, they are both Welsh sec A's and have previously been stabled 24 hours, except exercise(riding school and one used for research), out 24 hours, natural shelter and out during the day, in at night (livery yard).
 
My ex pointer was distraught that he was turned out when I first got him - he'd hang about at the gate neighing to be let in and shot into his box as soon as he could. He had to have 6 weeks box rest in the spring and was really laid back and just tucked himself towards the back and switched off, and when he had to be in over night a few weeks ago he seemed thrilled to be in.

I think it's because of his previous regime, it's what he's used to and even after 7 months old habits are hard. Even now he's not a great grazer outside - he'll wander off for half an hour or so then come back and stand by the gate!
 
Fii-ling Festive said:
A lot of people say "my horse loves to be in his stable, he waits by the gate to come in" When in fact they are probably waiting to be fed, as most bring in and then feed, bucket and hay/hayledge.
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Nope, sorry. Caps doesn't bother waiting by the gate he removes it.And he is put out after breakfast. He will live out 24/7 in summer but winter nope.
FDC
 
I'm a firm believer in giving horses as close to a natural life as possible balanced with practicality.

Through the summer my WB and Sec a live at 24/6 (usually come in night before competition when bathed etc) in the winter they have approx. 6 hrs turn out.

The WB hates the dark, rain, fog and smoke (bonfires etc).

The roughly toughly Sec A hates all of the above and rain in all it's forms, he's in a large stable and if anything is falling from the sky he'll zoom around his stable to avoid being caught to be turned out. The other day I turned them out then back the lorry in to unload some hay 15 bales in it started to mizzle and when I came back out to get the next bale pony was inside the lorry sheltering!- also mention he is rugged!

In the snow last year they had 2 hours of turnout which the stood at the gate for waiting to come in.

My too would love to live in- but i'm mean and won't let them x
 
As someone else said above, horses want to come in because usually they get brought in, given a hay net and then a feed so they're happy!

My pony used to love coming in for his tea and a munch but by morning was a total nightmare and desperate to get out again.

Then he trashed his leg and had to be on boxrest for several months. I thought he'd freak but he didn't. We got him into a nice routine with two stables to move between and a calmer and company.

He's totally different now -he spent last winter in over night and out by day (actually, more time in than out) and was as happy in as out. He's no longer a monster in the mornings. He'll live out 24/7 as much as possible this winter as he's come sound now but if he does need to come in overnight for any reason I know he'll be fine with it.

Odd because a lot of horses freak about being in if they've spent an extended period on boxrest.
 
I read the 5 basic principles for keeping horses happy. One of them was freedom to socialise with like herd members to display normal social behaviour.

As I write this it's pissing down rain and I will probably be bringing mine in early. But they did want to go out.

As some have mentioned horses who are not comfortable being in have developed that routine due to handling. Not saying current owners have done that, it's how they are. My mare was in a SJ yard and I went nearly everyday and made sure she had turnout. I was not getting a mare back who couldn't do turnout. If she were to hurt herself so be it. In or out horses will hurt themselves.

I hate to see horses who's owners have driven their horses to a life of confinement. And I mean this in the way of, my baby doesnt like the rain, my baby will get muddy, my baby is to precious. And when you bring your horse in to an empty barn and he box walks and screams for other horses do not lie to me and say it's because he misses people. I have no tolerance for stupid people who act like idiots. That was not directed at anybody on the thread by the way.

Terri
 
Much as I HATE it, I would have to say yes.

I turned out my injured broody on Saturday after 2.5 months on box rest expecting her to be delighted. Not so. In fact all she did was:

1. Double barrell the gate/fence to get at my black cob (clearly having learned nothing from her injury):eek::eek::eek::eek:

2. Come to the gate as soon as she saw me.

3. Then when I did get her in was immensely distressed and went ape when (some 8 hours on) I swapped the mare I had turned her out with for another (as per her usual routine)

She was a mega expensive horse when she came over from Belgium so my bet would be that she never saw grass there. With me she's been out 24/7 for 9 months and I think that's the way I'll have to go - either in or out - and I know which she would prefer!:mad::mad:
 
When mine were turned out on small paddocks with just the company of one or two horses, they were always waiting by the gate to come in during the winter.
Now they have acres of grazing and are part of a herd of 8-10, they are much happier. They have free access to 2 large barns (which they mostly use to escape from the heat in summer) and round bales of hay in the field.
They come in to their stables for feeds but even during the heavy snow, they are very keen to get back to the field, ignoring the piles of hay in the stable.

I guess if the choice offered is a muddy field, limited forage, little space to roam, and just one or no horses to socialise with, compared to a stable with hay and firm footing underneath, then many would prefer the offer of food rather than liberty. Exception being the horse that has been institutionalised.
 
Well I pop a rope around their necks in the mornings and they trudge up to the track to their paddocks giving me a big resigned sigh as I turn them out pretty much rolling their eyes at me, in the evenings a different story, I open their gates and the race past me back down the track and into their individual stables where I have left the doors open for them. If I have forgotton to open the doors there is complete mayhem on the yard.. so as to my lot I can guarentee they would rather stay in... But they do have particulally nice stables with nice views..... lol
 
In my opinion some horses are condition to like being stable 24/7 simply because that is essentially all they have ever known and being creatures of habit they often find disruption to their routine more stressful than the routine itself.
 
my girl loves being out all the time although last year she did have a spell in a ridiculously muddy field which did make her a bit more keen to come in at night.
A friend of mine however has a horse who hates the field & wants to stand in all the time. As others have said this may be a conditioned response to an environment created by his owner.
 
TGM said:
I also think a horse's upbringing can have an effect - if they are brought up pretty much stabled and confined from a young age, then being out in an open field is probably quite scary for them.
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Agree with this, i knew a horse that spent his early years in europe where he was stabled most of the time, when he came over here he just couldn't settle in a field, it was so alien to him it stressed him out. to reduce his stress he was left stabled if the yard was busy but once it went quiet he was allowed to roam the yard and the track that led to the fields, this was as close as he ever got to being 'turned out'.
I think a lot of horses that are waiting at the gate to come in are just used to the routine, we have conditioned them to behave this way by feeding them when they come into the stable, stable = food and food is good;)

I have a friends 2.5 yr old gelding with me at the moment, he was uncatchable so i stabled him, i had to make a grill to go above the door as he was trying to climb out, he'd gone through friends stable window stable when she had tried to confine him:eek: now i have built a pen around the front of the stable and i leave the door open and he is happy, he uses the stable because the haynets are in there:). I put him out in the paddock everyday, he comes in at 3.30 for a feed and stays in the pen/stable overnight, he's waiting at the gate to come in every day but if i try and shut the door on the stable he still stresses and will try to climb over the door!! In the month i have had him i have 'conditioned' him to come in every night, to an onlooker it would look like he can't wait to get in that stable but i know it's all down to food;)
 
In winter months mine queue up at the gate from about 4pm waiting to come in. New boy has not really lived in before apart from 24/7 at a dealers for a couple of months so he wasn't sure at first, I'd have to collect him from the far side of the field even after the others were in! Now he knows he comes in when it's cold and dark and goes out when it's light, he queues with the rest of them. In the summer, they don't queue and seem to dislike coming in, even Lottie who comes in purely to get fed, she can be quite hard to catch in summer!!

Beau screams at me from the moment I arrive after work until she is in her stable in the cold or wet weather, all year round. If I arrive mid day I only have to call her name and she canters over to come in. She usually works in the evening before having any feed, so is coming in to work, not eat.

When it is warm and dry (summer really, this is England!) she just nickers at me and carries on grazing.
 
http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=499613

How do we feel this thread links to here; lab beagles being 'rescued'. Look how unhappy the poor things look when they are first given the option to leave the safety of their crates... Would it be kinder to leave them in there?

Obviously not a direct correlation but I think it demonstrates how institutionalised animals can be. :(
 
FionaM12 said:
I think the only way any of us would really know if our horses prefered to be out or in, would be to have such a set up. Stable door kept open, bed made, hay in stable. My bet would be that in very bad weather or when the grass was poor, they'd use the stable. But if the weather's bearable and there's grass and company outside, most would vote with their hooves.

Maybe there are a few exceptions! :D
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I had this set-up, and some stayed out pretty much all the time, some spent more time indoors. I've picked up a few interesting findings over the years as well

They were more likely to be in the early evenings (flies) during the summer than when it was raining, snowing or windy.

The most popular place was the hedge that ran along one side of the field - they preferred that to their stables during strong winds.

I had 4 huge light airy boxes, and two small low ceilinged pony boxes. Without exception, they all liked the pony boxes best - and I quite regularly found more than one crammed into them.

They were quite happy sharing hay in the stables, but used to fight if I hayed them in the field

Introducing new horses. If I kept everyone in, and let the newbie roam - there would be recriminations later when I let them back out, but if I kept the new one in and let the others chat to it over the door, they were all fine when he/she got turned out.
 
My mare prefers to be in when the weather is foul, she drags you back to her box!!

When she had to be on box rest, for about 3 months after she was almost agrophobic and would get herself more and more upset until you got her in, once in she settled immediately!
 
Kirwil said:
Ours have the option to be in or out and quite often do stand inside but I don't think they'd be happy if it was forced upon them.
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I think this is the ideal situation to give them the option. I wouldn't keep any of mine in during bad weather etc. Pointless IMO, they're horses at the end of the day designed to live out (and with all the high tech rugs nowadays, there's no reason why any woosy horse can't stay warm). Mine live out 24/7 but with stable doors left open so they can come and go as they please. More often than not, they'll be in for an hour or so (as they hay is in there) then choose to stand outside in the peeing rain or blizzard. Their choice.
 
Ours are out most of the time in divided fields, they come in when its hot , v wet or v cold. My ISH is much hardier than my sister-in-laws Percheron cross who feels it when its very cold. Everyday is different sometimes she goes by what the horses are like, if they want to come in they do. Last winter they where in four days and nights due to snow and seemed perfectly happy. They are all so different
 
One my mares is definately agraphobic. She loves the security of trhe wall in her stable and is very calm in. She is turned out evry day but only lasts about an hour before getting agitated, then she is brought back in and immediately settles. Both of my other ones much prefer being out 24/7 but seem to enjoy coming in in the summer when the flies are bad but thats about it :)
 
Mine go out all day, everyday throughout the winter, I believe it's good for their mental state! Sometimes in the depth of winter, if it's really bad weather, I'll put them out for a few hours and then bring them in but otherwise they're out 6.30am until 4pm. I like them to be out as they're not in work and one's arthritic, so stiffens up if kept in for too long. TBH, they're both desperate to get out in the mornings, but after a few hours, they'd happily both come in! I'm mean though and keep them out! If the weather's really bad and I'v got to go out and say it's snowing so unsure if I will get home by 4pm to bring them in (if any later they get their knickers in a knot!) I will leave them in for the day (very rare though) and so long as they've got hay they're okay! I couldn't do it at the minute though, it's not cold enough! They'd be climbing their door!
 
I agree that some horses do not mind coming in to their stables for some food or a lie down etc
However I do sometimes question some owners, I mean would that owner leave their dog in a small cage with only room to turn around for up to 24 hours per day with just one short walk per day?
I don't think they would, so why do they think it is okay to leave their horse in for that long, a flight animal that is designed to travel on average 8 miles per day!! And people wonder why their horses develop perverse habits such a weaving or chewing wood etc

The horses that 'seem' to enjoy being in are more likely to be the ones that just don't know any different, as they have been 'prisoners' to their stables for most of their lives.
It's a shame really.
 
diamondrockharvey said:
I agree that some horses do not mind coming in to their stables for some food or a lie down etc
However I do sometimes question some owners, I mean would that owner leave their dog in a small cage with only room to turn around for up to 24 hours per day with just one short walk per day?
I don't think they would, so why do they think it is okay to leave their horse in for that long, a flight animal that is designed to travel on average 8 miles per day!! And people wonder why their horses develop perverse habits such a weaving or chewing wood etc

The horses that 'seem' to enjoy being in are more likely to be the ones that just don't know any different, as they have been 'prisoners' to their stables for most of their lives.
It's a shame really.
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My horse is NOT a prisoner. She goes out everyday....she asks to come back in. I have witnessed my horse be basically agrophobic until we got her back used to being turned out, but even now she LIKES to come in.

And for the record she lived out 24/7 for some of her life, she knows different, she likes her routine!!

And NO she has NO bad habits either!!
 
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