Equine mental welfare, how important is it to you?

It's so important, and I wish more people would realise that. You can tell straightaway by looking at my horse if something has gone on that day that has upset him, whether it's someone who has hit him, shooed him or just made him worried by screaming their head off while he is in the stable nearby!

If someone saw my horse and looked at him, they wouldn't expect him to be the type to get stressed and upset. He's been unwell and on vet orders to try and keep him calm and relaxed, which I can do but unfortunately other people seem to do their best at scaring the cr@p out of him and being really inconsiderate which results making him anxious.

I am on a large yard and it's clear so many are really only there for the social and not the horses, let alone their mental wellbeing. Whilst everyone looks after their horses differently and in their own way, it's horrible when you can see unhappy/shut down horses.

I would always like my horse out for a full day but the grazing doesn't really allow this and he's happy even with 5/6 hours during winter and 12-14 hours during summer, however I have friends whose horses don't go out from around November-April for no reason other than they think they are too valuable despite them having pretty good grazing (better than mine!)

I also think hacking is so good for them mentally. I know each horse is different and a few are just too dangerous or don't have the hacking available, but mine would certainly shut down if he was schooled 7 days a week.
 
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Many years ago we had a pb arab mare who was completely neurotic, our farrier was of the opinion that she should be shot as she was just too unpredictable and frankly quite dangerous. My MIL had bought her as she felt there was a sensitive, lovely horse in there somewhere that had just been lost due to circumstances the mare had found herself in previously. We moved to our own place and my MIL was proved right. With a quiet yard, no children shouting and no constant coming and going of cars, people and other horses she was a totally different mare. She relaxed and enjoyed life, she was safe to handle and ride and lived until she was 35 years old. Her peace of mind showed every day ahd she was a joy to have around. Keeping a horse happy is so important, mine live out now 24/7 all year round in a herd of three horses and three minis, they have about 14 acres of land with fresh running water, wooded areas and loads of natural shelter. I can see the happiness every day. Love my little happy herd.
 
Certainly think my horse shows whether he is happy or not in the way he behaves and I agree that anyone who spends time watching horses can assess their mental state.

My horse doesn't ask for much in terms of physical well-being: he's a "good doer", always warm enough, doesn't mind a bit of wet and mud and, touch wood, doesn't seem to have many ailments. He's out for 12 hours in the winter with his companion and 24/7 in the summer. He goes out after his field mate in the mornings and is completely relaxed about that.

However, we have a very short hack (30 mins) that we do when the weather is wild or it's getting too dark to go far and we refer to it as his "mental well-being" ride, while for his slightly arthritic field mate it's for the benefit of his movement. Both seem much better for their little hacks, mine in terms of behaviour and his field mate in terms of suppleness.

He loves his hacking and this is reflected in the fact that in the space of 30 minutes he goes from a tense (think coiled spring) choppy ride who is liable to bite out of anyone or fidget while being tacked up to a completely relaxed, affectionate (for him) cheerful chappy. He does like to work and the same applies to ten minutes on the lunge, although we've still got a way to go until schooling is a relaxing occupation for him. When I got him, he hated lungeing and now it's almost a comfort blanket because he knows what is expected and what to do. If I add something new in, like poles, he gets flustered and then you can see him go "ah, cracked it" and he becomes that happy, relaxed lad again.

I think owners and riders should "listen" to their horses enough to understand how they feel in any given situation. Mine will cope very well with some things (eg, large lorries, tractors, chainsaws, lawnmowers) but I always know instantly when riding if something is bothering him because he "tells" me. Usually a wither scratch and a song is enough to help him cope with whatever it is.
 
I would argue that a lot of what has been described is simply basic horsemanship. I know how my horse is feeling and reacting because I care for him, spend time and know him. I still hesitate to call this a deep understanding of his mental state. I make decisions on what I think is best for him but am careful to make no assumptions.
 
I'd place mental welfare above physical welfare - I'd far rather see a horse a bit over/under weight, or slightly lame, but happy, than a perfect physical specimen who is mentally suffering. Ideally you'd have a happy, healthy horse - but mental welfare comes first for me!
 
YorksG said:
I absolutely agree with you, mental wellbeing is paramount whatever species we are looking at. I do wonder at those people who cannot recognise distress in a horse(but there are plenty about who don't/won't recognise it in people too ). I believe a lot of the time it is denial as to recognise it would then highlight the cause being the human with responsibly for the animal.
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This. So many people seem to think that because they keep their horse clipped totally, fed expensive feed, and is kept immaculate all the time (usually by stabling 24/7) that its happy because it looks good. I just feel utterly sorry for these horses who aren't allowed to live outside and play with others, so sad. This applies to a lot of pro competition riders too though, I really respect the few who do offer plenty of turnout and just a more natural way of living even to their most expensive horses.
 
It's very important to me, it should be to everybody but sadly not!
Iv seen the horses stabled 24/7 as the owners don't want them out in the mud and the horses look so unhappy. Currently have 3 horses on the yard that are so unhappy they are screaming out but the owner hasn't heard them. They are physical abused daily and mentally are in pieces its sad to see but the owner is so thick she doesn't see any problems.
 
Oh I agree with those who say it is at least as important as physical well being.

My dear little horse has been a great teacher on this for me. I got him just over 2 years ago - he was a bit poor, had lice, but nothing too awful. He was the quietest, least reactive horse I had ever seen. 2 years on, he now lets his personality show. He makes faces if his field mate is out and I am on the yard, if I do anything before I turn him out. (Needless to say I seldom do now!). He never did this in the beginning. Also, i notice that he doesn't mind not being out as long as he is being given attention - sometimes field mate is out at 8 am, and I want to ride at 9 so Bilbo doesn't go out until after. As long as I am there with him, grooming etc he doesn't even put his ears back. In about the last 6 months he has really begun to show how much he loves a good scratch and now will give me the very gentlest of mutual grooming! Also I try to make sure he has varied work - we school 2 or 3 times a week but most Sundays we do a pleasure ride with my 2 sisters and I just know he loves them. I think if he just went in the school all the time he would get miserable. Whereas my daughter's horse Harry is as happy as anything now he is at the riding school and has schooling every day and lots of fuss and attention from everyone on the yard.

I guess seeing how Bilbo has come out of his shell has brought home to me that just because a horse doesn't' behave badly it may not mean he is mentally ok - and it is more important than ever to me to keep alert to those subtle signs.
 
It is probably the most important thing to me. I find it quite distressing if mine show any signs of stress or upset.
I recently got someone to come out and help me with one of mine as he can be a worrier and I was worried this could turn into a problem for both his health and behaviour. In less than two weeks, he has become a different horse who is so much happier in all aspects of his life, and all it took was 10-20 mins a day of working with him to get to this point. Still a little way to go to get him where I want but at least he is happy when he would have previously been worried.
 
At my last yard the owner would not allow my horse to be put in with others when the two horses he was sharing with were moving away.He expected him stay alone in the field to look over a high hedge and a footpath to get a glimpse of another horse.!I soon moved when I found something more suitable.
 
thatsmygirl said:
It's very important to me, it should be to everybody but sadly not!
Iv seen the horses stabled 24/7 as the owners don't want them out in the mud and the horses look so unhappy. Currently have 3 horses on the yard that are so unhappy they are screaming out but the owner hasn't heard them. They are physical abused daily and mentally are in pieces its sad to see but the owner is so thick she doesn't see any problems.
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There's an identical situation going on at my current yard, even down to the number of horses. This owner isn't too thick to see any problems tho, they're getting ribbons and prize money for her kids so she doesn't give a *****. No doubt when they physically break down they'll be palmed off as perfectly fine on someone else like the last one.
 
Unfortunately most horsey people seem to think they are doing their horses a big favour by keeping them stabled, clean, clipped, shod and full of hard feed. This is usually due to having to keep your horse at livery where turnout can be limited. I did exactly this before having my own place and learned pretty quickly that horses love being out regardless of the weather and if you have good grazing then feed is really not required unless you are working the horse hard. My farrier started me on the barefoot route as he thought my horse could cope no problem without them and with just hacking he didn't need to be shod. My horses are happier and healthier now than they ever were and it breaks my heart when I go to yards where horses have none or very little turnout time and worse are yards that have no winter turnout except for an all weather arena. You hear so much about colic these days and it really isn't surprising when the natural eating habits for a horse are messed around with so much, pumping hard feed into them with no chance to forage. Unfortunately it is very difficult to change the minds of most horse people as they genuinely think they are doing what is best for the horse. Peace of mind is everything to me and as long as my little herd remains happy I will stick to my methods.
 
That leads to a good question.

Is there anything that could be done to the setup of livery yards that would help equine mental welfare?

I know that there is a huge pressure on the amount of land available, but could we utilise smaller areas of land better? I am all for properly setup corrals or all weather turnout areas (with hay feeder, water trough etc...), but the horses do need to be in them for longer than the time it takes to muck out. What about all weather track systems? Is barn keeping an option for winter?
 
Obviously an all weather arena turnout is better than no turnout at all but I do think horses like to forage around for tasty things to eat especially in winter when good grass is very limited. I think too many yards have too many horses for the facilities they have and again it's obvious why as keeping horses is not a great money spinner unless you have big numbers. Many horses are fine being kept in especially if they have not known any different but I know from just keeping mine in waiting for the farrier or vet they hate it and will start kicking the doors to let me know they have had enough of being enclosed.
 
Faracat said:
That leads to a good question.

Is there anything that could be done to the setup of livery yards that would help equine mental welfare?

I know that there is a huge pressure on the amount of land available, but could we utilise smaller areas of land better? I am all for properly setup corrals or all weather turnout areas (with hay feeder, water trough etc...), but the horses do need to be in them for longer than the time it takes to muck out. What about all weather track systems? Is barn keeping an option for winter?
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The problem is when there is heavy snow on the ground and the yard owner wont allow big bale outside as it makes a mess and horses have to rely on a haynet before they come out the stables in the morning and that has to last them until the horse owner returns after work in the evening.It was that option or keep them in all day at my last yard.Finding a knowledgeable yard owner aware of the needs of the horse is not always easy.Of course horses need hay when turned out all day in snowy conditions,the yard owner even fed his sheep hay.!He was a livestock farmer turned livery yard owner,and liked to see his fields tidy, hedges trimmed right down ,no field shelters, the grass suitable mainly for cattle and routinely fertilised. Very little effort to cater for the needs of horses yet for a good income.
 
This is a really interesting issue. It seems to me there are some big obvious issues and some much more subtle ones. The vast majority of horses are probably much better with as much turnout as possible all year, regardless of the weather. Psychologically they need to interact with other horses, move around, browse and explore. However, standing alone in a swamp with no shelter, companions or fodder is just not good enough. The needs of the owner should not over-ride the welfare of the horse.

Three in our yard, including young cob are in a winter paddock of about 1 acre that is mostly like a ploughed field at the moment, but does have a large area of hard standing and two old sheds. The horses have ad lib hay on the hard standing, constant fresh water and small hard feeds twice per day. They tend to use the natural shelter of the trees rather than the sheds in bad weather. For many horses this would be 1000 times better than being shut in a stable 24/7. However, they do still seem to get bored. I let young cob out when I'm around. He wanders round the yard, eating the weeds, browsing on the loose hay in the barn, following me round. In my view the opportunity for a little change in scene and the chance to explore and browse is psychologically very important. At rising five he is confident, curious and relaxed when ridden. There are also six in a 4.5 acre field with lots of natural shelter and have adlib hay. They seem settled and content and I think the larger space and wider choice of companions is important.

Someone I know has just brought their long established herd into a barn for a few weeks as their field is a complete swamp. They look settled, relaxed and content, able to move round and interact with each other. In my opinion a much better arrangement than 24/7 in individual stables, but I'm sure they will be keen to get out again as the ground improves. I understand that young stock on the continent are sometimes barn-kept in small groups in the winter, though my information may be out of date or incorrect.

A friend whose horses are normally turned out at night decided to be 'kind' and keep them in when the weather was really bad. One door was obviously not quite shut and the pony was found standing all alone on the track next to his field in the morning. He obviously preferred being out alone in the wind and rain all night that in and next to the others!
 
To me it is of equal importance to physical health. I couldn't bear it if my horses were not content and happy animals. Besides, I firmly believe that stress/anxiety/mental health issues can also contribute to physical ailments in all species.
 
I wanted to update everyone with the good news. The horse in the OP has indeed been rehomed and I'm hoping that it fully recovers and goes onto have a long and happy life.
 
Mental health is as important as physical to me and I have long regarded keeping a horse stabled 24/7 as being the equivalent of imprisonment.
This was brought home to me 5 years ago when we took our 3 to a dealer/livery yard in Spain for the winter months. On the surface everything was fine but 20 of the 28 were kept in barn stables, only able to see the horse across the path between them, and absolutely no view of the outside world. No heads over doors, never able to touch one another. Nothing, they might see another horse when they were exercised , or not.
Half were mares and the others were entire when they went there to the YO dealer. If the entires showed signs of spirit, they were swiftly gelded. A good 80% of the horses there showed signs of stress.
My 3 were kept in a much larger area so they could roam around but even so the youngest, a home bred 4 year old, did not settle, she began to show signs of stress and was one of the principal reasons for us moving north to France. As soon as they arrived here the 4 year old ceased all stressy behaviour.
 
Extremely important.
I moved my previous mare twice due to broken promises of turnout, one yard kept all the horses shut in all the time in winter, and one let them out in the school for maybe an hour a day.

My currently filly, again, moved due to awful turnout (a couple hours in a small hardstanding), she was getting narky.
I'm now back where I ended up with my previous mare, and the filly is now out, muddy and enjoying life.

We did have to do two weeks in her stable due to new livery quarantine measures, which I tried to make as easy for her as possible with multiple haynets, treatballs, jollyballs, hung up swedes, little vitamunch net, and lots of walking in hand and letting her have a good buck and gallop in the school. She was very good, remained relaxed and well mannered throughout, and whilst it's mostly because she's so chilled and laid back to start with, I like to think the consistence approach I had with her, and my efforts to try and keep her mentally occupied contributed to it.
 
A very good thread. To me it is mored important than physical really - as they are connected. I have two horses here, both arthritic, boh living out in a field that could have been designed by a horse for both mental and physical wellbeing, they have thick hedges, a bedded field shelter, ad lib hay, clean water etc. People like my Dad are appalled that I have horses living out in winter. They are both in better condition than they ever were when stabled, they are muddy (very!) but move well and are bright eyed and bushy tailed. They have a lot they can see from their field and never stand by the gate or fence. They are relaxed and replete.
 
Clodagh said:
A very good thread. To me it is mored important than physical really - as they are connected. I have two horses here, both arthritic, boh living out in a field that could have been designed by a horse for both mental and physical wellbeing, they have thick hedges, a bedded field shelter, ad lib hay, clean water etc. People like my Dad are appalled that I have horses living out in winter. They are both in better condition than they ever were when stabled, they are muddy (very!) but move well and are bright eyed and bushy tailed. They have a lot they can see from their field and never stand by the gate or fence. They are relaxed and replete.
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.When I moved from my last yard(described in previous post) that Winter 2010 was the worst not a blade of grass from mid Nov. to March just thick snow.I found a small private yard sharing with two Shelties.My horse lived out all that winter. There was a huge thick belt of overhanging cypress trees for shelter so it was like an outdoor stable dry underfoot and huge haynets were slung between the branches.He was so warm and toasty munching hay 24/7 that all he needed was a rain sheet and he could walk up and down a good length along the trees.I put a few bales of Bedmax down and removed the dung daily.So much healthier for them to be outside I agree.
 
Not much has been said about routine and expectations with regard to keeping horses happy. I'm fortunate that I have sufficient grazing to keep my horses out 24/7 but all my horses are used to a part stabled routine, like to come in when it's wet and windy and will stand by the gate if they think it's time to come in or the weather is particularly bad. Frankly, I doubt they'd enjoy being out 24/7 and in the summer they hate the flies so I have them in during the day and out at night. They have plenty of grass, ad lib haylage when they are in and always have company when in or out. They are handled consistently, firmly but kindly, and have clear boundaries. I feel strongly that this helps them to be happy confident horses. One issue that I feel very strongly about is keeping horses and ponies on their own, I know people who say their horses are happy on their own, but TBH I don't believe one word of it!!
 
oldie48 said:
Not much has been said about routine and expectations with regard to keeping horses happy. I'm fortunate that I have sufficient grazing to keep my horses out 24/7 but all my horses are used to a part stabled routine, like to come in when it's wet and windy and will stand by the gate if they think it's time to come in or the weather is particularly bad. Frankly, I doubt they'd enjoy being out 24/7 and in the summer they hate the flies so I have them in during the day and out at night. They have plenty of grass, ad lib haylage when they are in and always have company when in or out. They are handled consistently, firmly but kindly, and have clear boundaries. I feel strongly that this helps them to be happy confident horses. One issue that I feel very strongly about is keeping horses and ponies on their own, I know people who say their horses are happy on their own, but TBH I don't believe one word of it!!
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And nothing has been said about the role of exercise in keeping horses happy .
Horses need exercise and today's small fields rarely can provide enough for a healthy horse .
Wetter winters and changes in land use will make finding grazing harder particularity in winter IMO Hardstandings do have a role in managing this but there's no way standing about stuffing your face with hay provides enough movement for a healthy horse .
My field has really no grass by now but I don't put out hay I force my horses to move about foraging through the merge offerings when they are turned out I don't want them standing at a hay bale .
Horses need to move to be healthy and that will mean more work for me riding when ( if) I get my hard standing .
How to keep horses not in work moving enough to meet their needs, mental and physical is going become more difficult and the keeping on horse too young or unable to work is going to become harder .
 
Absolute importance. People always comment on how chilled my stallion is - that's because he has 24/7 turnout in a herd, not kept in solitary confinement 24/7.

I have happy horses - they do not stand at the gate waiting to come in (plenty of grass still), nor do they refuse to be caught. They are calm to be around and a pleasure all around.
 
There is a horrific video doing the rounds on FB at the moment of an Arabian stallion being shown in hand in the middle east somewhere. The surroundings are sumptuous, the horse is in excellent condition physically, but it doesn't take a genius to take see how distressed and stressed the horse is.

I like mares - they tell you when they aren't happy!
 
I agree, I think it's almost more important.

I'm sorry but keeping horses stabled 24/7... I could never be ok with that.
 
EQUIDAE said:
Absolute importance. People always comment on how chilled my stallion is - that's because he has 24/7 turnout in a herd, not kept in solitary confinement 24/7.

I have happy horses - they do not stand at the gate waiting to come in (plenty of grass still), nor do they refuse to be caught. They are calm to be around and a pleasure all around.
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My horse is out 24/7. I think back to the lives the stallions had on a stud farm i worked on in the 80s and it must have been miserable for them. They were confined to stallion pens with high fences and outdoor walkways with no contact with other horses apart from when they were serving mares. No wonder they were hard to handle.
 
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