Does a horse really *need* to 'do' anything?

skewbaldpony

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I've noticed a few posts on here really slating people who keep horses and don't 'do' anything with them.
Which raises an interesting point -
Theoretically, if someone had a horse, nothing wrong with the horse, the horse is adequately kept at grass, it's not overweight or underweight, it's feet are trimmed, it's wormed if necessary, it has company, and seems happy.
Why would it need to do anything? Surely that's a human construct? Why can't the horse just be a horse?
Just interested, this is a hypothetical question, by the way, so no hate mail please!
 

brackenhappy

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my horse dont do anything!!
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shes a field ornament!!!
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although i have retired her from ridding as shes a tad to psycho for me and she actually doesnt enjoy it!!
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at the mo shes at stud so really i supose she is doing something!
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her feet are done regular,shes wormed,groomed, has company and she is happier now than when i did ride her!!!
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the amount of comments i get about this in RL is unreal, its my choice what i do with my horse i paid for her!!!
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however there are people in RL who say she should just be PTS!! that annoys me no end.
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dun_in

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I fully agree. I'm sure few if any horses have any great desire to do anything other than eat/socialise etc.

It's the people that want to do things with them/are pressured by others into thinking that they must do something.

Apathy rules - do nothing and be happy.
 
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Donkeymad

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No, I don't believe that a horse has to do something. Some horses may get bored, but plenty will be quite content just grazing and getting daily visits.
 

christine48

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As long as they are cared for ie wormed, fed, vaccinated feet done have companionship etc, I am sure they are perfectly happy in the field. What I hate to see is horses just chucked out in fields in all weathers, no shelter, thin, neglected never see a farrier etc. My retired event mare loved competing and being ridden but I think she's a lot happier now as a brood mare.
 

Fantasy_World

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I don't believe that a horse has to do anything to earn its keep to be honest. I mean look at humans and all the lazy shites who spend a lot of their life on benefits and don't work or do a service for their upkeep. I don't mean genuine claimants btw just the dishonest or lazy ones ( can't be bothered to get a job sort) so please no hate mail or nasty comments.
My point being that if a human does not necessarily have to earn their keep so to speak then why should a horse?
If someone wants to keep a horse as a pet or the horse/pony can no longer be used for riding/showing/breeding etc then why should an owner be shunned for just wanting to let their horse/pony do what is natural to them ie graze, run around and sleep.
I don't agree with the putting down of horses for idiotic ethical reasons either. If a person can no longer afford to care properly for their horse then the horse should be either loaned out to someone who can or given up to a welfare organisation. If a horse is injured or sick/aged to the point in which quality of life is lost then yes euthanasia is the most kindest option.
Imo it is fine to just keep a horse for the pleasure of doing so, as long as the horse's welfare needs are met. Adequate food, water and shelter is provided. Necessary worming and vaccinations are kept up to date. Farrier appointments kept up to date. Teeth are checked and the horse's weight is maintained at a level which will not cause any undue stress to the bodily functions and movements. Regular mots done by the vet ( more important in older age). The horse is groomed or has a grooming equine partner. Finally the horse should not be simply left on its own without other equine company or regular visits by the owner.
I would never shun anyone who decided to no longer work or ride their horse so long as its other needs ( listed above) were met.
Caroline
 

hannahandteddy

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there are lots of horses i know that love the work they get when they get it and are just chucked out in the field, unhealthily fat and shoes about to drop off feet in a state thats what annoys me! horses don't need to do anything in my opinion but do need to be looked after well! i don't puch my mare to do anything she doesn't want to i'm just lucky that she loves being ridden and competed!! but i also know a lot of horses who are happy just to do nothing!!
 

elsielouise

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my question is.... (as an owner with a competition horse with a very satisfactory work:life balance of 22:24 max) .. how do you KNOW your horse likes work/competition?

We anthromorphosise way too much sometimes... yes my mare puts her ears forwards when she sees a jump but to be fair she gets more excited over a carrot.

I justify working her in that, I work too and her life is managed so she never is in need of anything ever.

My other horse is 4, bought as a companion who may or may not ever amount to more than a light hack... depends on how much time I have. Both seem equally happy to me.

I am quite sure both my mares would actually prefer a mixed herd, 20 acres and ad lib hay and shelter and me leaving them alone as long as they were healthy.

In truth I'd cope quite nicely myself with a limitless supply of books, sandwiches, the internet and a few close friends.
 

puddicat

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What a fascinating question. Do you mean physiologically or psychologically do they need to do anything?

Either way we would have to define what we mean by 'need' which is quite fun. How about if we said the definition of 'need' is something that, if absent, causes a reduction in life expectancy. I'm not aware that horses doing nothing in a field have any different life expectancy that horses in work, infact it is possible to imagine circumstances where working horses have reduced life expectacy. So provided nutrition is matched to workload horses doing nothing should be physiologically fine. Mind you, the wild populations of the naive breeds approximate this condition as they are not predated their lives consist almost entirely of wandering over the moors grazing.

Psychologically we might define 'need' as necessary to avoid stress or necessary for mental wellbeing. That is a bit of a fluffy definition but I'm sure you get the picture. So I had a little arab who couldn't stand being in a stable for any length of time regardless of how few calories he was fed. That I think was a psychological need to charge around the paddock. At a more fundamental level, horses are genetically programmed to have sex with other horses but the fact that we mostly prevent them from doing it doesn't seem to cause the amount of frustration and psychological disturbance that it would cause your average bloke if you tried the same thing. So psychologically horses seem pretty tolerant as well, possibly as a result of domestication.

So at a first glance I think you are probably on safe ground, unpredated and domesticated, the modern horse can be perfectly happy eating grass and wandering around a field. And you could argue the case that although horses that compete or exercise under saddle might 'enjoy' the exercise, there is plenty of scope for them to not enjoy the experience due to badly fiiting tack, poor riding etc.
 
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Donkeymad

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There are people who can't/don't ride or drive, for whatever reason, injury/sickness/fright etc. They may still get so much enjoyment simply from the caring of thier animals, and I suspect the horses are happy with this.
 

madmav

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Yes, this question has vexed me too, I'm glad you raised it. Have often heard someone criticise so-and-so because they apparently have this horse with great potential but haven't exploited it.
I don't imagine the horse gives a damn whether it goes out and wins a million rosettes or if it just has a nice time, few hacks, food,shelter, etc.
Ad in horse mags also perplex me when people specify horse should go only to competition home.Again, I wonder, why would horse care -as long as it is well looked after.
 

brackenhappy

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[ QUOTE ]
so you breed from a "physco" uuuummmm right..........
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[/ QUOTE ]


physco due to the way previous owners treated her not her nature. when she is tacked up she has issues as previous owner knocked a tooth out that was next to where the bit goes so bracken does not like anything in her mouth. i do not want to try her in a hackamore as she is a tad headshy again due to previous owner. her nature when not tacked up is lovely. i have had a foal from her before see my sig and her temprement was like her mums sweet as a nut. so to answer your question yes i am breeding off her as its humans that have made her nuts under the saddle not her overall attitude and as i will not be knocking out any teeth in my next foal then the issues bracken has with being ridden will not continue down the line.
 

Onyxia

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For me personally, everything has to have a "job" but that job can be simply to be a much loved pet.

TBH as long as the horse(or any animal) is well cared for(body and soul,some NEED something to think about to keep them sane) then what the owner does/does not do is no-ones bussines.
Some horses love competicion,others hate it,happy horse and owner is far more important then a room full of ribbons!

ETS, I find people who say they "must sell because horse si wasted" odd, the horse doesnt care if it COULD be a grade a but only ever hacks.
 

poops

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My pony doesnt do very much. Either me or my daughters ride her every day but its only hacking or low key exercise in the school. We are never going to achieve anything else!
She is very happy being pampered and loved and looked after.
 

parsley

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I think that when people complain that someone is wasting their horse by not doing anything with it they are really thinking what THEY want to be doing with it.
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ISHmad

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I'm yet to meet a horse who is loved and cared for but not in work complaining about being allowed to live the life of a horse!

Great thread OP, a really good topic.
 

the watcher

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Really interesting post.

Half of me thinks that horses need a 'job', if only to keep them trained to a level where they are consistently easy to handle, and I have met examples that could become quite difficult and destructive when turned away, but seemed happier in work.

The other half agrees that many horses would be more than happy to be field ornaments is long as their day to day needs are being met. Certainly being told by others that you should be doing more with your horse is something to be ignored unless your horse is showing clear signs of being unhappy with inactivity.

Competition horses are another thing. They are often used to a very specific regime and would have real difficulty adjusting to a different lifestyle
 

Tiggy1

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At the end of the day a horse is just an animal.
All it really wants is food, water, minimal stress and socialisation.
Most horses are quite happy just chilling in the field. They only have a job because we gave them a job. Before that they were herd animals which is where they are happiest.
 

Bex7

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As long as the horse is happy then no.

The same can be said of people....some people could never work a day in their life and be very happy, others "need" to work.

Bert and I ride most days, 5 or 6 out of 7. We hack, pop some jumps have a blast to let off steam and have a lesson every other week. He wouldn't care if he was never ridden again as long as he had grass and company.

It is one of my pet hates people telling others they "need" to do more with their horses. If the horse has a large turnout area and grass etc they ar emore than happy in the field. The only time I think a horse needs to do something is if they are stabled 24/7....but that is a whole other debate
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Fantasy_World

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Well said Tiggy I could not agree more with you.
Also competition and racehorses are the way they are because we made them like that through rigorous breeding and training regimes. Horses become conditioned to work because we have made them so.
Horses can be retrained to do other things and live a quieter life. Some will accept their new roles readily whilst others will take longer to adjust. A few may not accept retirement at all and may need to be at least hacked out.
I agree with socialisation though Tiggy as personally I don't like to see horses alone because at the end of the day they are herd animals. You should have seen my two buck, squeal, race around and generally have fun when they were turned back out with their older field buddies tonight. They have been apart for a few months, not my choice btw.
Their owners wanted to get some weight on them and so moved to a field with longer grass while mine stayed on some short to keep their weight down. They were moved in with the two oldies when the weeds had to be cut but then I had to move them back because apparently they had disturbed the mares in adjacent field ( even though mine are well and truly geldings). Anyway they went in the winter field today ( rugged up after a bath at home lol) and were so happy to see their mates. Even the older two who are in mid twenties had a buck and a bunny hop leap or two which was fantastic to watch.
So I have to fully agree with you Tiggy1 horses are at there happiest as herd animals
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Capriole

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i have a 20 year old who was retired while i waas at uni, he took it REALLY badly. started riding him again about a year ago now and he was pathetically glad to be ridden again. went for a quiet hack the first day with another person,and they could not believe no one had sat on him for 4 years!.
i also look after another 20 year old who is retired and does nothing but come in for feeds and grooming etc, and both seem equally content.
 
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