Epona TV on horses and erm, rabbits! lol

Agree, 100%. I literally can't understand the logic behind keeping a horse stabled 24/7, when there is so much scientific evidence proving it is not mentally or physically healthy for the animal.
 
Nice article which I agree wholeheartedly with, but .....

The UK is a very small country with a very high horse population and very little spare land, which land is owned by very few people. I think many more horse owners would love to be able to give their horses more access to turnout all year round but are severely restricted by yard policy which is often in itself is dictated by available space, type of land, number of liveries required to make a (often meagre) living. This is a welfare problem but it doesn't have any easy fix.

For instance, if we say to those who have less than ideal access to turnout (say 2 hours a day), go and find somewhere else, there may in fact be nowhere else in reach of their home and work (and we do have to take that into consideration whether we like it or not). For these, if we say "then you must sell your horse as you're not a fit owner" who to? There is a glut of horses in the UK, and already not enough owners who are able to afford to keep a horse healthy in body (if not in spirit).

I consider myself incredibly lucky to have my own land, allow my horses to live out 24/7 barring injury and illness requiring box rest and whereas I'd love everyone else to be able to do this, I understand the limitations. The process of looking after the emotional well being of a horse has already begun in the UK with some competition yards leading the way for others to follow. I sincerely hope that more and more owners are able to find yards in which there horses can live a more horse like life and that this encourages those yards that can to offer more turnout to their clients horses. Realistically, that won't be all of them and indeed livery prices will have to reflect the lower number of spaces in order to provide that turnout. And again, where do the rest go? Sadly, we don't live in an ideal world :(
 
Blurr said:
Nice article which I agree wholeheartedly with, but .....

The UK is a very small country with a very high horse population and very little spare land, which land is owned by very few people. I think many more horse owners would love to be able to give their horses more access to turnout all year round but are severely restricted by yard policy which is often in itself is dictated by available space, type of land, number of liveries required to make a (often meagre) living. This is a welfare problem but it doesn't have any easy fix.

For instance, if we say to those who have less than ideal access to turnout (say 2 hours a day), go and find somewhere else, there may in fact be nowhere else in reach of their home and work (and we do have to take that into consideration whether we like it or not). For these, if we say "then you must sell your horse as you're not a fit owner" who to? There is a glut of horses in the UK, and already not enough owners who are able to afford to keep a horse healthy in body (if not in spirit).

I consider myself incredibly lucky to have my own land, allow my horses to live out 24/7 barring injury and illness requiring box rest and whereas I'd love everyone else to be able to do this, I understand the limitations. The process of looking after the emotional well being of a horse has already begun in the UK with some competition yards leading the way for others to follow. I sincerely hope that more and more owners are able to find yards in which there horses can live a more horse like life and that this encourages those yards that can to offer more turnout to their clients horses. Realistically, that won't be all of them and indeed livery prices will have to reflect the lower number of spaces in order to provide that turnout. And again, where do the rest go? Sadly, we don't live in an ideal world :(
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I see where you are coming from but I think that there is more that can be done with a small amount of land in order to make it better for horses. Large barns, yards with adlib forage, a track system all use less land and allow more movement and socialising than a small square stable. Stables are convenient and 'safe' we need to change our way of thinking and management people like stables they are cosy and nostalgic (imho)
 
I do think it is awful that many horses get little turnout, mine love coming in to the stables for a few hours a day, but they live out for the majority of the time. Of course some people do not have the land to accommodate this lifestyle for the horse, but if you went to a zoo and saw a bear locked up in a small cage that had developed behavioural isses- you would be horrified and call animal welfare, if we see a horse in a stable with behavioural issues we just call it a "stable vice" and accept it as normal :(
 
Cloball said:
I see where you are coming from but I think that there is more that can be done with a small amount of land in order to make it better for horses. Large barns, yards with adlib forage, a track system all use less land and allow more movement and socialising than a small square stable. Stables are convenient and 'safe' we need to change our way of thinking and management people like stables they are cosy and nostalgic (imho)
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I agree :)

Although I keep my horse out (you know, in the mud pit with his hooves like slippers ;) ), I used to have this mental "heuristic" that went "Turn out = grass. Grass = fragile and churned up. Therefore stable in winter if you don't have enough land". Then one day, I woke up and had a thought. "Turnout does not necessarily equal grass".

So if you acknowledge that horses need movement, companionship, forage, water, shelter - even with limited land it is still possible to provide all of these. You just need to stop thinking that moving around and grass are synonymous.

I'm working slowly at creating winter turnout for my horse (and his companions) that will allow them to choose whether to be in or out (open shelter), movement (an all weather track), forage - hay that would normally be provided in a stable provided along the track, and companions. If liveries cottoned on to this, I think there might be a revolution in horse keeping (and all the laminitics/EMS/Cushings horse owners would have somewhere safe to put their horses...).
 
Brightbay said:
I agree :)

I'm working slowly at creating winter turnout for my horse (and his companions) that will allow them to choose whether to be in or out (open shelter), movement (an all weather track), forage - hay that would normally be provided in a stable provided along the track, and companions. If liveries cottoned on to this, I think there might be a revolution in horse keeping (and all the laminitics/EMS/Cushings horse owners would have somewhere safe to put their horses...).
Click to expand...

This is what I hope to do some day if I ever get my own land.
Vive la revolution!
 
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