Equine mental welfare, how important is it to you?

Meowy Catkin

Meowy Catkin

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I'm asking this question due to an ongoing situation I am aware of. The situation is in the process of being improved IE the horse being rehomed and I hope that it fully recovers with time.

The situation has clearly brought to my attention to how important mental wellbeing is. For me it's just as important as physical wellbeing, but in this situation the current owner seems completely and utterly oblivious to the obvious mental anguish that their animal is suffering, due to how it's kept. Physically it's in A1 shape. They also have more than one horse, so why this one has been picked out and treated differently from the others, I just don't really 'get'. I have heard the excuses, but they are frankly ******.

It's easy for everyone to recognise an emaciated horse or one that's dog lame, but how about recognising one that is suffering mental welfare issues?
 
Yes.

I threatened to leave my current yard last year as they refused to turn my horse out til May fron November. Now nothing else went out all winter til March but it got to the point that my horse was the only one in and the whole entire rest of the yard had been turned out for WEEKS. Raging isn't the word. I was too scared to move her as she hadn't been out and may injur herself on the travel.

I now have all year turnout as I told my YO I was worried about the mental implications of my horse being stabled.
 
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.
 
The pleasure in keeping horses for me at this point in my life is in seeing them thrive, in every way. I want that relaxed gaze of contented recognition - and if I don't see that, I will endeavour to work out what is wrong. A happy partnership is the aim.
 
To me it's very important. So many horses have issues due to be being stressed or unhappy.

Example. I know of a TB mare who had some lameness issues. She is now sound and coming back in to work but the owner is paranoid about her being turned out so the poor girl is in her box 24/7 except for the odd half hour when she's ridden. That cannot be a happy horse :( Staff have commented that she is beginning to exhibit behavourial issues which weren't apparent before.

Another horse I know is well cared for from POV of feed, turnout, etc. But his owners never come to see him. He's not ridden although physically he's fine apart from being big bellied with no muscle through lack of work. He gets no individual attention. As a result, he displays quite thuggish behaviour but underneath is desperate for attention and a job in life.

Neither of these are extreme cases I know but do show that mental wellbeing is as important as physical.
 
For me its very important. I know someone who keeps her horses in a way which I would be very unhappy with. This womans attitude to horses mental well being is awful, and has actually had an impact on the physical well being of her horses due to her beliefs in feeding and other things. She thinks she is doing everything as 'professionals' do it, and now has several lame horses as a result.
I have never met such an unhappy bunch of horses. She has also been known to single out one horse that she doesn't like and treat it very badly, including withholding water and food. Sadly these horses look in ok condition so no welfare group would do anything.
 
Thankfully this horse has now been sold. I find it very strange too, but the person in question has several mental issues, as does her mother. This person sadly keeps her horses on her own property.
 
I went to view a horse once that was kept in an old barn type building, it was only four and kept in a tiny stall tied with a short rope. It had thin filthy straw over a cobbled floor and the barn was so dark I could hardly see it. I heard a chain rattle and saw a poor little whippet in the gloom that could hardly lift its head because the chain was so heavy.

They both had such kind eyes and I wanted to bring both of them home with me, it was heartbreaking and still haunts me years later. Both were in good bodily condition, but downright miserable. If an animal is happy mentally then I think it is more important as physically they can heal given time and treatment usually, mental scars can be far more damaging for a longer time.
 
It is for me equal to physical welfare. One owner at my yard drives me crazy with her attitude to her horse - turned out 1/2 hour a day and the rest of the time cooped up in a tiny stable because she can't cope in case he goes mad in the field! Not ridden in over a year (she's too scared). Poor horse had chewed, kicked stable, rolled excessively and finally shut down but she always has an excuse for his behaviour. He screams 'unhappy horse' but has given up shouting I think. It's so sad :( Of course he has food hay and water so essentially his 'needs' are met. Rarely has a rug change and never has a groom or feet picked out.........god I'm just getting cross again now!
 
touchstone said:
If an animal is happy mentally then I think it is more important as physically they can heal given time and treatment usually, mental scars can be far more damaging for a longer time.
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^^this
And sometimes it may not be immediately obvious that a horse is mentally suffering as they are such stoics.

My little cob was kept alone before i got her. On the face of it she was a quiet horse who was happily stuffing her face day in, day out with not a care in the world. The more time I spent with her, the more it became apparent that she had been deeply affected by living on her own and it took her a long time to lose the 'hunted' look in her eyes and for the tension to leave her body. Her other odd behaviour was no doubt a product of this too.
 
As with Hetsmum, mental and physical welfare of my horse are both equally important to me.
I try hard not to keep him in if I don't have to, as I think it is damaging to a horse to be stood in a stable 24 hours a day. I also make sure he can socialise with other horses (in same field) and has a variety of jobs (SJ, dressage, hacking, etc) to keep him interested.
 
I have natives out 24/7, and in winter I have to make a choice between physical and mental wellbeing when the grass has pretty much gone:

If I do nothing, there's enough forage to keep them alive, as they're good doers. They'll spend all day mooching around, happily investigating anything with calorific value, finding tasty little shoots, chewing bark off the willow trees, and fishing for pond weed in the stream. Happy ponies, who'll be a bit ribby heading into the spring.

If I feed hay in the field, they get the calories, but spend much of the day hanging around the gate looking for more, or competing for who gets best access to what's been given. They're fatter, but are they happy?

Obviously I have to feed if they need it, but I'd rather they were thin, but active and happy.

This year I have a different problem. A couple of them are still too fat, despite being on the old pasture, with no grass. Come spring I'll have the choice between restricting them ( :( sad pony), and working the legs off them. That's going to be one very busy Shetland...
 
This is hard to define and we must be careful not to start to attach emotions and reactions when there are none.

I think if you honestly try to do the best for your horse and keep them fit, warm fed etc etc, then you are well on your way. Some horses benefit from company, some are better turned out on their own. I gritted my teeth to turn out my rugged, oiled horse so he could have time out in the field with his friend. He planted going down to the field so I suspect he may not have shared my enthusiasm today.

You do get to "know" your horse and then read the signs if they are off colour/sore etc but I would hesitate to state that you can clearly read your horses mental state. We can't do this with humans, yet alone animals.
 
It's important to me, very important. I was in catch 22 with this just recently though, my mare was on box rest for ligament issues, it ended up in 8 months of it! She was miserable towards the end and her behaviour was shocking. It got to the point where I was seriously considering euthanasia as she was so miserable. Thankfully I gritted my teeth held out the remainder of the time and now she is getting turned out again and slowly returning to her old self. It's early days yet however if the issue reoccurs j will not put her through it again.
 
Good equine mental health is imperative to a horses health - it's very important!

It's not all about turnout though - or rather, where turnout is restricted there are ways to encourage a better level of mental wellbeing than stabling alone would cause.

Lots of interaction (interpersonal and interequine where possible), grooming, groundwork, walks, trec obstacles, games, loose schooling, lunging, playing, along with hacking. There are a lot of ways to enrich their lives and when we have caused restrictions to their natural behaviour, I believe it's entirely our responsibility to find ways to keep them happy and keen and that this is just as important as meeting their physical care needs.
 
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I don't believe you can't read horses mental state by knowing them and looking at them .
Research has just proved that horses can read our emotional state by looking at our faces I refuse to believe that humans with brains several times larger than the horses can learn to do the same in return .
A happy confident relaxed horse was a softness to the way it holds the muscles in it's face their eye look wide open and there's a softness in the way they look and in the way they turn to look at you , they give a vibe of relaxed softness in their stance .
There so many ways they tell us what they are thinking .
 
Paramount. I knew my boy backwards and inside out. Making sure he was happy and relaxed and confident was key to keeping him physically well. If he was unhappy, I was unhappy . . . and trying to work out why and fix it.

They are in our care - their mental well being is so inextricably linked to their physical well being that I don't understand how owners/managers/carers can't make it a priority.

P
 
Goldenstar said:
I don't believe you can't read horses mental state by knowing them and looking at them .
Research has just proved that horses can read our emotional state by looking at our faces I refuse to believe that humans with brains several times larger than the horses can learn to do the same in return .
A happy confident relaxed horse was a softness to the way it holds the muscles in it's face their eye look wide open and there's a softness in the way they look and in the way they turn to look at you , they give a vibe of relaxed softness in their stance .
There so many ways they tell us what they are thinking .
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This. Their faces and bodies are so very expressive - if we only take the time to read/listen.

P
 
There seems to be an obsession with buying the right food, the best rug, the deepest bedding which of course must be the cleanest on the neatest swept yard.
These may be important to humans but all equines need are water, forage and company, with hopefully the chance to have a bite and scratch. They are not bothered about mud and dirt and will stand the worst of the weather with company and plenty to eat and these animal very rarely develop stereotypical behaviour. But of course there is very little to brag about with a scruffy looking muddy hairy beast and they look as if no one cares which is often far from the truth.
 
I worry about mine. He recently lost his best mate (who went to live elsewhere) and he seemed lost. He's buddied up with another horse who is also leaving soon. Mine is sociable, he will be friendly to anyone, but I like him to be with another particular horse. Maybe I'm anthropomorphising?

I think we'd be horrified at a horse not being turned out for ages, but it seems abroad is different and horses can be kept in for months.

I think work is not enough to keep a horse happy, it needs time with the owner, turn out and a good diet.
 
Winnie needs to be kept happy and in a routine with plenty of turnout and she's sensitive so things have to be done quietly with her and lots of turn out. Buzz hates going out if it's to wet or cold and prefers to be in, he also thrives in work and loves to be busy. He's been unhappy out the last few weeks so he's had a few days in with lots of attention and exercise. We jumped today and he was squealing with excitement, silly 23yo loony i have. Winnie was out next to her arab friend and was playing happily over the fence.
 
Equine mental welfare, how important is it to you?


Very.

It is on a par with everything else as far as I am concerned, all part and parcel of the same thing.
 
Mental wellbeing is paramount for me!

You cant expect an athlete to compete at any level if they are not happy mentally. No matter what level! It's unfair and completely un-natural to deprive them of play time and company of other horses. They need time to be horses! Mine are out as much as possible in winter (usually 8 hours a day) and out full time in summer. I've never had a problem competing them straight from grass and they definitely seem more co-operative and happier when they have been out :)

I actually know of a stallion in training near me thats not allowed out much ... if ever. His owner reckons he had fun time till he was a 3 year old and now its time for him to work. Strangely enough hes not going very well....
 
Mental well being is equally if not more important than physical. Buy a skinny horse and, providing there are no underlying health issues, you can get weight on easily; buy an unfit horse and you design a workload to get it fit etc etc. But mental issues can take a long time to fix, indeed some are impossible to fix.

We bought a small pony that had been mentally abused in that she was fed erratically, teased with food, and constantly shouted at and bullied, among other things. She was shut down and a very sad little girl. We had to move her to my daughter's place as she associated our livery with her problems, and it took a long long time for her to fully relax and become the pony she always had the potential to be. It used to be that OH and I were the only people who could catch her, now the farrier can walk into the field and trim her loose and my year old Grandson can catch her with ease. The very last sign of her being stressed was a very tight, pinched mouth and it was a good eighteen months before that fully disappeared.
 
This is a great thread. Equine mental health is of paramount importance. My WB had lost all faith in humans to the point of aggression and then indifference. It took 18 months of giving him the time and space to be a horse and rebuild trust. Now he's just lovely but he was one very very troubled horse before. He is demonstrative so I can see both in his eyes and via his behaviour if something is causing him angst. It is in my opinion our responsibility as owners to learn to read the mental health of our horses. All of my horses come to me willingly at anytime of the day, whether that be for food or to work or for a scratch. To me that Is a sign they are happy with what I do with them. I don't want an anxious horse. I have a little young mare who has ringbone and was put in foal which she lsadly lost just 2 days after birth. I gave her time to grieve, but she always looked like she wanted to be doing a job, watching from her gate.
Her ringbone is now fused, she was backed and ridden away for just 4 weeks 2.5 years ago. I can see she is itching to be with me and do something so we started a little in hand work. My daughter rode her around our maneg and then out on a nearby track at the weekend. The mare behaved impeccably, she looked so proud and bold. A really joyous moment for me because I can see her happiness.
I have for a long time wondered how fair it is on a horse mentally when an owner is particularly nervous or anxious or indeed has mental health issues themselves. I know horses make us all feel better, but surely we should be careful not to regularly bring our troubles to them?
 
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It is just as important to me as physical health and it makes me so angry when people don't recognise the importance of it. Last year I bought a young horse from person on our yard. He was too much for her and she just didn't have time for a youngster. He was in no way neglected in physical sense (on part livery) but he was completely shut down. He was so bored and so wanted a connection with someone, rather than just the grooms bringing in, turning out etc. Since I have had him, 6 months now, he is a different horse. He just needed to have someone to trust, to teach him things and to take him out. He has a personality now. Before he just looked sad all the time.
 
Very important. As important as physical wellbeing.

I am not happy unless my horse is happy. Currently he isn't overly happy and while i have a number of theories as to why, i am saying nothing on here until i know for sure. It could actually be all of them or none of them (hopefully not none as I am screwed then).

An unhappy horse isn't motivated to work for you and they are sad. It's also depressing for the owner to see them that way, well for the owners who care. I swore that harley would always be happy with me after he wasn't with his old owner and now broken that. But we will figure it out, hopefully it is just the easy fix.
 
I moved from my own field and stables to a very big yard so my horses could have a herd environment to go out in as that's what suited them, personally I would have been happy to stay on my own little yard, but I moved for their mental health.
 
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