Keeping a horse alone, how do you feel about it?

somebody starving a horse doesn't physically harm me either, doesn't mean I would accept it.
Loving the dog/child argument though. They generally just need bedding changed weekly, so perhaps we can all condone only mucking out weekly too. And kids & dogs manage fine on just meals, so let's ditch forage for horses too. Yes, the majority keep horses for/in a manner that is convenient. But when convenient is prioritized over welfare, its no longer acceptable.
I can easily accept Goldenstars situation, given its unlikely anyone would isolate a horse on a yard for any selfish reason. (also from Goldenstars posts I doubt it was a choice made from anything other than real necessity, but putting that to one side to give an unbiased view on the post on this thread).
 
Littlelegs said:
somebody starving a horse doesn't physically harm me either, doesn't mean I would accept it.
Loving the dog/child argument though. They generally just need bedding changed weekly, so perhaps we can all condone only mucking out weekly too. And kids & dogs manage fine on just meals, so let's ditch forage for horses too. Yes, the majority keep horses for/in a manner that is convenient. But when convenient is prioritized over welfare, its no longer acceptable.
I can easily accept Goldenstars situation, given its unlikely anyone would isolate a horse on a yard for any selfish reason. (also from Goldenstars posts I doubt it was a choice made from anything other than real necessity, but putting that to one side to give an unbiased view on the post on this thread).
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lol unbiased. No such thing as an unbiased view/opinion :D :D :D

Again LL Ill agree to disagree with you on this one, im sure my 22yr old veteran is perishing from the 5 years he spent on his todd, his health has certainly deteriorated the way hes always bouncing about like a spring chicken :D

Anyways off to bed soon nighty all :D
 
Our pony is currently on his own
Tbh its not something I'm totally happy about and I'm in the process of either finding a companion (probably a goat or 2) or better still a field with other ponies/horses as we have to move him next month anyway.
He does seem happy enough,lays down in field,happy as long as he can eat :) and hardly bats an eyelid when someone rides by his field. He can see/hear a horse nearby also
. But I would feel better for him+me if he had company.
Ideally would like to convince my OH to get another pony but he's having none of it :p
 
This is all getting a bit extreme.

If people can accept that other humans (who are just as social an animal as horses) are happy with just a dog/cat/horse for company, then why is it so hard to accept that a horse can be the same?

I think it's far more arrogant to assume that horses can't make connections with different species.

There has to be consideration that some horses don't fit into the neat little boxes that some are assuming they all inhabit.
If some people don't like other humans, why can't there be some horses who don't like other horses?
 
Surely a lot depends on the temperament of the horse concerned? I think we all agree keeping a horse on his own is not ideal - but sometimes it is necessary. If you want a horse and know he will be on his own his ability to deal with this should be the priority of what you are looking for....
 
Fortunately for most people, the majority of horses are passive in their temperament and behaviour. This is why people get away with keeping and treating them inappropriatley.

When a dominant or lead horse turns up, thats when the problems start. All the horses fault of course.
 
I used to look after a veteran kept by himself, the first few months he was alone and although he didn't outwardly show any stress.. We managed to convince the owner he needed a friend. So she got a welsh pony and he straight away was a different horse even though you wouldn't think he even liked her in the field, he used to kick off when I took her out of the field to exercise her.
They weren't best buddies but they needed each other!
 
tuonodeb said:
My filly is kept alone, but then so is my dog should I go out and buy another dog too? Oh and btw my grandsons an only child should my Daughter have another child?
I really do love you Horseyier than thou lot.

It's not ideal but life seldom is, the alternative is we sell her and she ends up where ? In a much worse place than she is now........
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I'm afraid that some people such as myself think that a home where a horse is kept alone is a bad home. So yes, I think she would probably be better off sold.

Your comparisons with dogs show how little you understand about animal psychology and the differences between species. Yes, if you keep a dog outside alone, that would be bad, and it should have company. However, dogs are completely happy with human company, and in some cases actually prefer it to other dogs. Horses, on the other hand, are prey animals. No matter how good a bond you have with your horse, it will always prefer the company of its own kind. Horses kept alone sleep less than horses that are kept together. Some horses may lose condition, others just shut down and appear content to their owners. Sadly, it is psychological torture for a horse to be kept alone except in very rare circumstances.
 
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Wagtail said:
I'm afraid that some people such as myself think that a home where a horse is kept alone is a bad home. So yes, I think she would probably be better off sold.

Your comparissons with dogs show how little you understand about animal psychology and the differences between species. Yes, if you keep a dog outside alone, that would be bad, and it should have company. However, dogs are completely happy with human company, and in some cases actually prefer it to other dogs. Horses, on the other hand, are prey animals. No matter how good a bond you have with your horse, it will always prefer the company of its own kind. Horses kept alone sleep less than horses that are kept together. Some horses may lose condition, others just shut down and appear content to their owners. Sadly, it is psychological torture for a horse to be kept alone except in very rare circumstances.
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Well explained Wagtil, let's hope that some people take this on board (although I doubt they will unfortunately)

Aarrghimpossiblepony said:
This is all getting a bit extreme.

If people can accept that other humans (who are just as social an animal as horses) are happy with just a dog/cat/horse for company, then why is it so hard to accept that a horse can be the same?

I think it's far more arrogant to assume that horses can't make connections with different species.

There has to be consideration that some horses don't fit into the neat little boxes that some are assuming they all inhabit.
If some people don't like other humans, why can't there be some horses who don't like other horses?
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Very, very few people live with no human contact AT ALL. If they did we would call this 'solitary confinement' and even the worst politicl regimes recognise that this is inhumane treatment longterm.
Those who live with a dog or cat and rarely go out of the house usually have a radio or television, so can at least hear the spoken word and will in many cases have a carer coming into the house a few times a day.
Horses have no choice whatsoever in how they are kept and don't have contact with their own kind at intervals when kept as lone horses.
 
Basically, the horse is forced to live as is easiest for the keeper. The the justification is that this particular horse has special needs which just happen to fit in with how the keeper wants it.

The rest is just bull.
 
This is interesting. My main comp horse when turned out is turned out in his own paddock, he can see other horse but cannot get to them. He is very riggy and becomes a pest/causes problems when around mares and he play fights with my other recently gelded pony. This just isnt safe as he is a good 16.2 and the pony is 11hh!

He is stabled most of the winter due to the fields and is always around horses but isnt fussed if he ends up the only one left on the yard, his behavior and performance does not change.

Even in the summer he only has a few hours out a week. He is imported and wasnt turned out there either. He goes out to play and nibble and at best lasts a couple of hours, after that he runs around wanting to come in and if I dont go and get him he jumps the field and the yard gate! He is too valuable to me to be put at this kind of risk

My mare is much more simple. Will live in or out, alone or in company. She just isnt fussed and her behavior doesnt change.
 
I feel sad when i see a horse stood on its own.
There are a couple round here.
I don t know the owners and i don t know the circumstances so although i feel sad i think it s none of my business.
 
Littlelegs said:
It's completely & totally wrong, & pure selfishness on behalf of the owner. In an ideal world I'd have any owner who keeps a horse out of sight of others (except for very extreme circumstances & only then short term) prosecuted for cruelty. With a prison sentence served in solitary confinement.
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Got this far and just wanted to say will you volenteer to put your horse in with Herbie then? :eek: ;)
Don't get me wrong I do think most horses should have company. Yes they are hurd animals naturaly. Merryn loves living with other horses and I try my best to make shore he has company. He is currently out with two other horses.
Herbie on the otherhand HAS to live alone. He is very very agressive and I don't just mean alittle bossy. He will try to kill anyother animal who enters his field. Afew months ago I saw him try to stamp on one of those lovely little wagtail birds just because he landed near him :eek: :eek: When Herbie lays into a horse he doesn't stop. I've witnessed it twice. Once when Merryn axcidently got into Herbies paddock. Herbie just wouldn't stop. I had to open the gate into the next field call Merryn to run through it and slam it shut before Herbie followed him. :( Herbie doesn't care if he can see other horses or not infact he seems happyer if he can't see any at all.
Out riding he is happyer on his own. If in company he has to be at the back. you cannot ride side by side as he will randomly attack another horse.
As I said above I don't keep other horses this way but Herbie isn't a normal horse ;) People always tell me i'm crule for keeping him alone but i'm doing whats best for Herbie. People just can't see it. :( Not ALL horses are the same and people shouldn't judge without knowing all the facts. I've tried it all to get Herbie to acept other horses but the fact is he just won't and is happyer alone. :o
 
Ok I think most of us should release our horses back to the wild in their herd, not ride them with a saddle on their back, put shoes on their feet, feed them strange manufactured feeds, vaccinate, keep them stabled, rug them etc. That is not natural. How can posters criticise others for keeping a horse on its own if its well cared for. It could be in a much worse place. At end of day ALL of us are using these animals for our own benefits. They would much rather be with their mates out on some wild plain, hill somewhere. And not be pedigreed for human use to sit on its back. So is that bull as well?

But there are worse things that happening to horses. At end of day its down to the individual horse, owner etc. If you can afford a companion and have time to care for it 100% 24 hours a day etc then go for it. If not dont have one. I have experienced both alone and company and it can work both ways if it suits.

What a load of tosh.
 
LauraWheeler said:
Got this far and just wanted to say will you volenteer to put your horse in with Herbie then? :eek: ;)
Don't get me wrong I do think most horses should have company. Yes they are hurd animals naturaly. Merryn loves living with other horses and I try my best to make shore he has company. He is currently out with two other horses.
Herbie on the otherhand HAS to live alone. He is very very agressive and I don't just mean alittle bossy. He will try to kill anyother animal who enters his field. Afew months ago I saw him try to stamp on one of those lovely little wagtail birds just because he landed near him :eek: :eek: When Herbie lays into a horse he doesn't stop. I've witnessed it twice. Once when Merryn axcidently got into Herbies paddock. Herbie just wouldn't stop. I had to open the gate into the next field call Merryn to run through it and slam it shut before Herbie followed him. :( Herbie doesn't care if he can see other horses or not infact he seems happyer if he can't see any at all.
Out riding he is happyer on his own. If in company he has to be at the back. you cannot ride side by side as he will randomly attack another horse.
As I said above I don't keep other horses this way but Herbie isn't a normal horse ;) People always tell me i'm crule for keeping him alone but i'm doing whats best for Herbie. People just can't see it. :( Not ALL horses are the same and people shouldn't judge without knowing all the facts. I've tried it all to get Herbie to acept other horses but the fact is he just won't and is happyer alone. :o
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As I said a couple of posts ago, in very rare circumstances, some horses are all right alone. However, you have to ask what made them this way. The only horse on our yard that cannot be turned out with others, spent a year alone as a four year old. Hs owners were very novice and did not realise this was wrong. However, the damage is done and he does not have the social skills to cope in a herd and will single out and run down certain horses in the herd and kick them relentlessly. Yet, I am sure that he is happier kept at least next to other horses than in total isolation. I suspect that Herbie's antisocial behaviour is due to some period of isolation in the past.
 
I would never choose to keep a horse on its own as they are herd animals and in most cases I think they would prefer company. When we lost my Arab mare a few years ago it left my homebred on her own and to be honest that was only for a week and I borrowed a friend's retired mare to keep her company until I bought the cob. Also when I bought the first mini and my big horses didn't accept her that only lasted a fortnight before we bought another mini to keep her company. Saying that a neighbour of mine had two very elderly geldings and when one died he kept the other on his own and he was a very contented horse. Owner didn't want to get another as horse was very old and he didn't want to take he chance on having him bullied. I think because the owner gave him lots more attention to compensate he loved every minute of it. I don't think there is a right or wrong answer its just personal preference and each horse is individual and some will cope on their own some won't.
 
Another interesting thread!

I am with those that say horses should not be kept alone and have refused to sell to someone who didn't want to get a Shetland as company for the pony they were intending to buy because they "didn't want to go to that expense"! (I saved them even more expense that day by not selling the pony!;)). But then mine are kept in a herd and have company from birth.

Interesting, too, about it being illegal in Denmark to keep a horse on its own.

So let's play Devil's Advocate and pose the question whether that logic should be extended to the keeping of all social animals? Should it be illegal to keep a budgie on it's own? Don't laugh!:D They do naturally live in huge flocks but are generally kept singly as pets. I wonder how many dogs are left alone all day? And, no, they often still pine but cope by sleeping a lot -- or barking and howling all day!

I do think that perhaps being accustomed to being alone, albeit temporarily, ought to be included into basic horse training. Mine aren't but i've thought about it. Perhaps isolating them for longer and longer periods each day so they don't go nuts when out of sight of another horse? Any thoughts on that? I don't suppose any horses are born anti-social or, on the other hand, with separation anxiety, are they? Most will cope well if they have learnt that the separation is only temporary.
 
Wagtail said:
As I said a couple of posts ago, in very rare circumstances, some horses are all right alone. However, you have to ask what made them this way. The only horse on our yard that cannot be turned out with others, spent a year alone as a four year old. Hs owners were very novice and did not realise this was wrong. However, the damage is done and he does not have the social skills to cope in a herd and will single out and run down certain horses in the herd and kick them relentlessly. Yet, I am sure that he is happier kept at least next to other horses than in total isolation. I suspect that Herbie's antisocial behaviour is due to some period of isolation in the past.
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Don't know fully about Herbies passed. He changed homes alot and was a stallion till he was 7. He was probably kept alone most of his life and when I bought him he lived alone in someones back garden. So he was deff in isolation for atleast 6 months (thats how long his last owner owned him)
Lucy spent time on her own. She prefured it. Once she was turned out with 10 other horses who had free roam of several fields. Lucy was often found out of sight of the others as far away as possible. This was her choice, she wasn't agressive to other horses and would live with a hurd but she just liked her own company most of the time.
What ever the reason for Herbies behavour he is like he is and I keep him in the best way I can for his saftey and the saftey of others. I am just abit sick of being judged for it. All horses are inderviduels, just because the book says they should be kept in hurds doesn't mean they have all read the book, Herbie certanly hasn't. ;) :p :rolleyes:
 
Some horses crave company more than others but I still hate to see a horse on it's own unless in extreme circumstances.

Zoomy doesn't mind being on her own.......but I much prefer to keep her with company. She was briefly on her own (3 weeks) when her loan home fell through unexpectedly. She was fine, but I noticed she would spend most of her time standing by the fence chatting to the cows so I think even the most aloof horses still desire some company.

Poor Percy has been on his own for 3 days :( We separated him from Zoom and arranged a companion for her and a new home for him with a herd of other colts. BUT.....the little turd wouldn't go on the lorry :( :(

It kills me to see him on his own, he is noticably lonely :( It's alright though, we are armed with ACP and lots of patience so he WILL go to his new home this week :) I am also housebound with a broken ankle so have been spending loads of time out in the barn with him to keep him company.

That does prove that you can't always judge people keeping horses on their own though. I'm sure anyone driving past would be horrified to see a poor little yearling in a small muddy paddock on his own. But it is definitely not by choice!!!
 
LauraWheeler said:
Don't know fully about Herbies passed. He changed homes alot and was a stallion till he was 7. He was probably kept alone most of his life and when I bought him he lived alone in someones back garden. So he was deff in isolation for atleast 6 months (thats how long his last owner owned him)
Lucy spent time on her own. She prefured it. Once she was turned out with 10 other horses who had free roam of several fields. Lucy was often found out of sight of the others as far away as possible. This was her choice, she wasn't agressive to other horses and would live with a hurd but she just liked her own company most of the time.
What ever the reason for Herbies behavour he is like he is and I keep him in the best way I can for his saftey and the saftey of others. I am just abit sick of being judged for it. All horses are inderviduels, just because the book says they should be kept in hurds doesn't mean they have all read the book, Herbie certanly hasn't. ;) :p :rolleyes:
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I've come across this with Forest bred ponies Laura. Don't know whether there's a direct correlation or just the lines some are bred from. I had one little beggar who wouldn't stay put no matter how many others he was in with!

Fantastic ponies though. Love 'em :D
 
My horse is kept alone. He was a colt when he came and had to be in a field on his own. He has been cut now but still in a field on his own.

He has horses he can touch and nuzzle over the fence and has a horse either side when comes in at night.

He's very friendly, not depressed, doesn't whinny etc.
I like the fact he has his own field, which I poo pick, when no one else on the yard does, I worm mine regularly and do not have to worry about people not bringing their horses in so I can get mine thought the gate etc.

If I move him to a new yard he will go out with a heard but where he is ATM the best place for him is in his own space.

It also means that he is not clingy when a horse is brought in. Nothing more annoying than a horse with separation anxiety.
 
Fellewell said:
I've come across this with Forest bred ponies Laura. Don't know whether there's a direct correlation or just the lines some are bred from. I had one little beggar who wouldn't stay put no matter how many others he was in with!

Fantastic ponies though. Love 'em :D
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Lucy was a welsh ;) :p :D :D She was born wild on the welsh hills though. maybe it's a feral pony thing.
 
LauraWheeler said:
Lucy was a welsh ;) :p :D :D She was born wild on the welsh hills though. maybe it's a feral pony thing.
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No, I think that's just a Welsh thing :D (I've got one of them) Joking aside, the feral thing is interesting.

One thing's for sure, horses just don't read the same books we do;)
 
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Dry Rot said:
Another interesting thread!

I am with those that say horses should not be kept alone and have refused to sell to someone who didn't want to get a Shetland as company for the pony they were intending to buy because they "didn't want to go to that expense"! (I saved them even more expense that day by not selling the pony!;)). But then mine are kept in a herd and have company from birth.

Interesting, too, about it being illegal in Denmark to keep a horse on its own.

So let's play Devil's Advocate and pose the question whether that logic should be extended to the keeping of all social animals? Should it be illegal to keep a budgie on it's own? Don't laugh!:D They do naturally live in huge flocks but are generally kept singly as pets. I wonder how many dogs are left alone all day? And, no, they often still pine but cope by sleeping a lot -- or barking and howling all day!
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I think that birds should be kept at least in pairs. However, I am against keeping any caged birds. I think it is cruel. They should at least be in an aviary where they are free to fly.

Also, if a dog will be on it's own for more than a couple of hours on a regular basis, then they should have another dog as company too.
 
Fellewell said:
One thing's for sure, horses just don't read the same books we do;)
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Had a good lol at this :D Wonder if thats where we are going wrong, Ill maybe need to get my gelding an NH book to show him how he should be acting when hes out of sight of the others in the paddocks, make him realise that hes just not acting like he should ;)
 
lpeacock said:
My horse is kept alone. He was a colt when he came and had to be in a field on his own. He has been cut now but still in a field on his own.

He has horses he can touch and nuzzle over the fence and has a horse either side when comes in at night.
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Then he is not kept alone, is he? :)
 
lpeacock said:
Technically no but he is in a field on his own. So 'technically' alone.

I would not keep him alone without contact over the fence and stables etc.
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I think this thread refers to horses kept in isolation from others. Yours is on 'separate turnout' and many horses are quite happy with this so long as they can see and touch others.
 
Wagtail said:
I think this thread refers to horses kept in isolation from others. Yours is on 'separate turnout' and many horses are quite happy with this so long as they can see and touch others.
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Good because this thread was making me feel slightly quilty! Even though he seems happy I have wondered if I am being selfish!
 
Amazing, horses are herd animals and always have been. Yet the number of people who have horses that cannot be allowed with others, or are too aggressive. Too valuable to mix with others. Whatever else
Congratulations, you've driven your horses insane.:mad:
 
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