does your horse get bored?

Both of mine are incredibly bored right now! It's a culmination of many things....can't go out at lot, can't work very much, fed up of hay, weathers bad, feeling rough etc etc
They get very clingy, constantly want attention and can be a little rude.
I hate this time of year as it's just so difficult to keep them entertained! Role on the middle of March when everything starts to look so much better!!!
 
I believe they do, when my lad gets bored he stands on and bounces metal gates till they open, will pull rugs off the wall, mouth at bolts, ropes tying stuff shut, throws buckets around and bullies the others, he's the same in the field, testing fencing and trying to remove rugs from the others and himself
 
I often wonder this, in my experience they do not require too much stimulation most are content if they are kept fairly simply, plenty of forage, either through time out in a decent sized field with access to varied grasses and hedges to browse on and company, with adlib hay when stabled and a proper amount of exercise most days so they are relaxed afterwards having used themselves physically and mentally.
I think that most will be perfectly happy if kept this way, the exceptions being those that have to be seriously restricted to keep their weight down but even those would probably benefit from more work to use up calories rather than toys to amuse them so the owners feel better, an extra 10 mins of trotting each day could make more difference.
 
Just like humans, if horses are kept in a way that prevents them from fulfilling behavioural needs, you'll see frustrated behaviours and some stress. I suppose in humans we label "understimulation" as boredom - and you could call it that in a horse as well.

The difference is that a bored human usually has the option to do something to relieve their boredom. A bored horse isn't normally in a position to do anything about it.
I choose to keep my horse in a large varied area of hills, woods, streams and with a small familiar and good natured herd. He sleeps when he wants, grazes and browses when he wants, grooms, rolls and plays when he wants, sleeps standing up or lying down when he wants.
I have yet to see him looking bored, but then how would I know? :D I do know that whenever I see him, he's pretty busy being a horse and although he seems pleased to see me, and happy to go out and explore, he's not hanging about dependent on my arrival.

So I think horses are perfectly capable of keeping themselves occupied given the right environment. If we meddle with this by removing them from companions, or ability to move around, or ability to choose what and when to eat, then yes, we probably need to think about how to make up for those deficiencies... We don't have to label it boredom, just need to recognize that by shrinking their horizons for our own convenience, we have a responsibility to try to make up for that.
 
Mine looks bored in the field! I get her in and then she looks less bored but then I don't see her at 11pm where she is probably once again quite bored. I hate the winter when she only gets 6 hours turnout so I try to ride lots but the weather does get in the way. However I do remind myself that she is a horse with a much smaller brain and a lot less intelligence than me. So when I think she is bored rigid I then have to think is she really or is she Just standing there thinking nothing at all? She certainly doesn't look bothered! That said I like to put licks etc in her stable to keep her amused.
 
Mine can be quite lazy to school but if i introduce something new and bit demanding, he perks up and suddenly has a lot more energy. He's also more lively at new venues but take him somewhere on a regular basis and he can switch off. Is this showing boredom or something else?
 
Brightbay said:
Just like humans, if horses are kept in a way that prevents them from fulfilling behavioural needs, you'll see frustrated behaviours and some stress. I suppose in humans we label "understimulation" as boredom - and you could call it that in a horse as well.
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Nothing to add to this really! I do believe horses not able to fulfill their behavioural and physiological needs is the prime problem causing element though, this is where the under stimulation, physiological upset and frustrations mainly come from in my view.

ps. New places and things put horses on alert (flight response) they are alert in case they have to flee, it's their natural response in new or unfamiliar situations or things. I wonder if we mix this up with enjoyment at times?
 
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What Brightbay said, in a nutshell.

I was going to start a thread on boredom. Amandap, you beat me to it. I was going to ask some more specific questions around the statement in another thread that "doing nothing can bore a young horse".

Assuming the young horse in question is being managed sensibly and not locked up in a stable, which could easily lead to frustration at not being able to engage in normal horse behaviours, how can doing nothing with that horse lead to boredom? What would the boredom look like?

I'm trying (and not succeeding) to imagine yearlings, for example, in a field and what they could be doing that would clearly indication boredom - such that someone could point and say "Look, that one is bored!" or "All of those horses are bored!".
 
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I do believe that a creature of reasonable intelligence, that has an enquiring mind,a degree of curiosity and a capacity to learn things reasonably quickly (also a remarkable memory function) will also have the capacity to become bored, I'm not sure weather we class boredom as an emotion (probably not) or just a state of being - but I know when horses are given the correct type of physical and mental stimulation - they seem happier and more settled. I think this is is true of most species of animal (speaking as an ex zoo keeper). I know they're not quite up there with chimpanzees, but when we take away animals from their natural state and keep them in artificial conditions - we swap the prairies for a paddock and a stable- we provide them with on tap food and water - they don't have to seek it out - in fact we hand them their wellbeing and survival on plate - we almost 'rob' them of a need to use their intellect. I have noticed that over the years, a lot of the horses I've had through the yard have improved with regular work /mental stimulation. Its not just a horse thing - its an animal thing.
 
I have mine at home and they are kept in a stable herd with very large yards ad barn and shelter (new yay!) access. They are split into two groups at times so some can have field (grass) access so not the most natural environment. They spend their time moving around eating, interacting with each other calmly, resting, sheltering from winds, drinking etc. If something happens on the road or in nearby fields they become alert (heads up looking around or focused on something) and if cattle are driven along the road they will charge around the buildings. They have the odd hoon (usually in Summer) which is most often set off by a particular pony who starts charging about and the others join in but 99% of the time they are just mooching around doing their thing. Are they bored? They don't seem bored to me.
 
I suppose that because all horses are individual, they have different personalities and different needs and some are more intelligent than others (like all animals). Some don't mind just hanging out all day in their paddock and some find the lack of interaction/stimulation/excitement/change of scenery/exercise/education etc etc more challenging. They are all different.
 
ps. There is a herd of breeding Connemara mares and youngsters in the two fields behind my garden. They have been there for 18 months, only taken away on three/four occasions to try to sell and to the stallion. Their behaviour is the same as my lot, they mooch about 99% of the time, eating, sleeping and interacting with each other.

I have learned that this is fairly normal behaviour for horses when left mainly to their own devices.
 
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I suppose we could ask ourselves, how many times have we come back from a really good session with our trusty steeds (lovely gallop, long relaxing hack, fab schooling session etc etc) and have had a real 'sense' that the horse has enjoyed it as much as we have? I know I have.
 
Keep a horse stabled with no view 24/7. Exercise it on a walker twice a day. Then tell me if it is as bright and alert as one who lives in a herd with meadows, woods and streams.

Of course animals get bored.
 
Yes. I believe so and since there is nothing out there to prove otherwise I will continue to provide for my horses a life that is as natural, fulfilled and stimulating as possible.

There is however an overwhelming body of anecdotal evidence cited by lots of professionals as boredom or are the effects of. Wind sucking, cribbing, weaving, aggression, withdrawal and such like. I'm sure one of more of these have touched us all in some way.
 
Yes they do but not from doing things that come naturally to them. They get bored silly going round and round in circles without a change of pace or direction. They get bored if confined in a stable with what amounts to sensory deprivation no sound no view and no interaction with others The probably also get bored of their own company when they are confined to a small pen on there own even if there are other horses over the fence as they physically like to touch each other They do communicate very effectively with others and that has an affect on how they behave
So I can honestly say I have never seen a bored horse turned out in a herd 24/7 with food and water available at all times I have seen some very bored youngsters being ridden round and round in a school in walk for hours before being returned to a cell for the next interminable duration
 
Nessa4 said:
Is that not much the ame?
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What I wrote does read similar. I'm still trying to tease out what I understand by bored in humans and how that relates to horses
When we are bored we can't think of what to do to entertain ourselves. Are we really bored when we lose interest in something? I suppose horses can get bored with a repetitive activity in that sense but I can't see how 'can't think of what to do' translates to horses. Unable to do something they want or need is different to me.
 
amandap said:
What I wrote does read similar. I'm still trying to tease out what I understand by bored in humans and how that relates to horses
When we are bored we can't think of what to do to entertain ourselves. Are we really bored when we lose interest in something? I suppose horses can get bored with a repetitive activity in that sense but I can't see how 'can't think of what to do' translates to horses. Unable to do something they want or need is different to me.
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Well, since we have opposable thumbs it really is a different thing to horses. They can't switch on the xbox or flick a book open and shut and actually, they can't read (although they have not proven that yet :D).

Boredom and depression in humans is very closely linked as many a counsellors will tell you. Boredom = unhappiness = depression = unwanted behaviour = getting fat = getting thin = smoking = drugs = blah de blah...

Since horses can't smoke or go looting Currys, they exhibit this in other ways.

I'm not sure why you even have to ask. Just look at dolphins, orcas, dogs etc in captivity, in testing labs.... It doesn't need a study to work out that they are bored/distressed/depressed/would like to die.
 
I think it's a big leap from boredom to a wish to die. Depression in humans is a clinical condition not really triggered by boredom, lack of motivation might be more appropriate and is a symptom. The term depressed is also used to describe poor function.

We are free to feed ourselves move about at will etc. no matter how bored we might feel. Many horses are not free to live a horses' life for varying periods.
 
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Agree with Be Positive and Brightbay. Mine have, most of the time (when they're not too fat) access to large hilly fields with plenty of trees, hedges and bushes to browse on. All the horses I've had here have been very happy. They are pleased to see me when I turn up but are rarely waiting at the gate for me. They also keep fitter on the hilly ground. Last summer I had the chance to move them to a yard with a school. Whilst the extra facilities were great for me, the flat, featureless post and rail paddocks did not please them at all, they were definitely less happy and a lot more hungry there.
 
amandap said:
I think it's a big leap from boredom to a wish to die. Depression in humans is a clinical condition not really triggered by boredom, lack of motivation might be more appropriate and is a symptom. The term depressed is also used to describe poor function.

We are free to feed ourselves move about at will etc. no matter how bored we might feel. Many horses are not free to live a horses' life for varying periods.
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Well, I'd have to disagree with you there amandap... I didn't do psychology degree but passed at a level and have actually been counselled myself, boredom is something that can lead to depression. It can also work the other way around. Boredom, left unchecked can lead to many behaviours and conditions depending on the situation.

A childs "i'm bored" can be remedied with play.

An adult who is bored at work, may start to dwell on it if they feel that they have lost a sense of direction and can become depressed. Like I was. It could also be the trigger to change your life. That's the beauty of being human. You can change your situation. Animals in captivity can't and so display stereotypical behaviour.
 
tallyho! said:
Well, I'd have to disagree with you there amandap... I didn't do psychology degree but passed at a level and have actually been counselled myself, boredom is something that can lead to depression. It can also work the other way around. Boredom, left unchecked can lead to many behaviours and conditions depending on the situation.

A childs "i'm bored" can be remedied with play.

An adult who is bored at work, may start to dwell on it if they feel that they have lost a sense of direction and can become depressed. Like I was. It could also be the trigger to change your life. That's the beauty of being human. You can change your situation. Animals in captivity can't and so display stereotypical behaviour.
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I will have to bow to your greater level of knowledge in depression and boredom in humans, but feel uneasy it is a significant cause.

I don't believe boredom is the cause of stereotypical behaviours in horses. I can see how many would see it that way and I may be wrong but I believe its much more to do with an inability to engage in normal behaviours, and the impact that has on mind and body.
The problem I have with saying horses are bored, as the problem, is the approach that we take if we believe that. We give them something to do but perhaps don't address their basic behavioural and physiological needs.
 
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I worry about this as mine are retired. They are out at the mo for about 6 hours then stabled rest of the time. In summer they are out all the time but don't have a huge acreage to roam round.
 
amandap said:
I will have to bow to your greater level of knowledge in depression and boredom in humans, but feel uneasy it is a significant cause.

I don't believe boredom is the cause of stereotypical behaviours in horses. I can see how many would see it that way and I may be wrong but I believe its much more to do with an inability to engage in normal behaviours, and the impact that has on mind and body.
The problem I have with saying horses are bored, as the problem, is the approach that we take if we believe that. We give them something to do but perhaps don't address their basic behavioural and physiological needs.
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It looks as if our perceptions of boredom are at different levels. I don't have superior knowledge and sorry of I came across in that way. Embarrassing!

I see boredom as something that can become destructive and part of the same spiral that can lead to those stereotypical behaviours.

I do completely see your point about addressing the resulting unwanted behaviour... Giving them "something" to do conventionally like working them then putting them back in the stable doesn't replace their basic needs for companionship, interaction etc so that they can unwind relax and just be a horse with other horses. A horse stood in a herd doing nothing is not "bored" ime, that are resting which is very much the opposite of being bored.

I value that highly in horses and will always looks for livery that can allow herd turnout and roaming. However much the cost..... that said, this kind of boarding is the very type most people DO NOT want and so it goes much cheaper which is great for me! :D
 
So how can one tell if horses who have access to their basic needs (including space and companionship, of course) are bored? Or are we agreed that a horse with everything it needs (not including people doing stuff with them) cannot be bored?
 
Kept my horse locally for 7 years in a few different yards, all had similar set-ups, turnout with 2 or 3 others, bags of grazing, stabled overnight in winter, no facilities and only roads or stoney bridle paths to hack on, usually without any company. Horse became very lethargic and depressed to the extent that I had vet out to check everything and started him on prascend. Drugs did nothing, maybe even made him worse so stopped after a few months.
Then moved to a new yard further away, more horses, fantastic hacking, a school, clinics etc. He gets less turnout, but its in a bigger herd, we have company out hacking and its off-road with plenty of opportunity to canter/gallop, we have lessons and have started schooling again, and the tranformation in my horse is astounding! He is happy, forwards and enjoying life again, playing in the field with the other horses which he hasnt done for years, quite unbelievable really. I can only assume that he was bored silly before and now he isn't.
 
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