Indoor stables

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Snuffles

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Anyone got a horse that is left in on its own in an indoor barn set up? Do they cope OK, may be looking at this situation
in the not too distant future !
 
My stable is in a barn and my mare is fine if she can see another horse, but if she can't she gets very stressed. The location in or out doesn't make any difference - when she's been in outdoor stables it's been the same. Stables that I have thought would be fine actually weren't, because unless the other horse had its head out over the door she couldn't see them, so she's better if there is a stable directly opposite her.
 
Snuffles said:
Anyone got a horse that is left in on its own in an indoor barn set up? Do they cope OK, may be looking at this situation
in the not too distant future !
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My little mare has been in on box rest since August in the indoor barn, she's coped fine but she is normally quite a laid back pony, even when the other horses were going in and out she hasn't done anything more than look over her door.

Food and distractions are probably the best thing to keep them settled, she has a mirror, I double net her hay and she has a treat ball that her hard feed goes into to keep her busy.

I think it just depends on the horse and the temperament.
 
You won't know till you try. My friends chilled out horse couldn't cope in a barn with horses able to see through grids into his box. My own horse spends each day on his own in a small barn and is fine. I can't leave his window out onto the yard as he suffers with ERU and I need to give him a break from his eye mask.
 
As others have said it depends on the horse. There are 8 in our barn and I would say 5 are fine alone, but the other 3 stress out. Wouldn't of thought any of them would be different in an outdoor yard alone though
 
yep absolutely depends on the horse and you might be surprised either way.
My very confident, bold, couldn't-give-a-toss-about-others independent mare absolutely hated it when she had to do box rest in barn.
It changed her character for life :( I had no alternative so had to just find ways of managing her. I needed a top door grill as she used to try to climb out.

Wouldn't do it again, I have 2 horses now so if one had to stay in for injury, the other would stay in too.
 
My cob mare would absolutely hate this at the moment, but my first horse who I had for 5 yrs before injury led him to be PTS, he wouldn't have cared at all!! As long as he had food and a fuss from anyone walking by the stable he would have been fine!
 
Mine are used to others coming and going to be ridden. Both my mare and gelding don't kick up any fuss when left in on their own in the barn, which is handy if I'm out riding or competing one and the other is at home.
 
My old stable was in a barn with others but from where my horse was he was he couldn't see any of them, he can be highly strung and the first day there he completely flipped out and tried jumping the stable door, took him a couple of weeks to completely get used to it and and settle down bearing in mind he came from a busy yard where he was never by himself before moving there. Did notice a difference in him though, he became a lot more confident by himself especially hacking alone and it also meant he wasn't too fussed about being left in by himself however given the choice I would much rather him be able to see others.
 
Most of yours seem to cope then. My cob is a nervous Nellie and having had two horses for some years never had this situation.
Will probably be down to one soon and cogitating on having to get another companion, which I actually don't want to do as finding it hard to cope with two now. Suppose I will have to suck it and see as they say
 
I put a back window in one of mine just in case - it has proved really useful even just for a horse standing in waiting for the vet etc. But it is my property, doubt most livery owners would spend the money it cost me.
 
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