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

To avoid further confusion, when I say I'd share turnout with her as I have in the past, I mean as my mare has shared, not that I've shared turnout with Laura wheeler.
 
I run 9 herds at the moment so all my horses run with others. I live in very farmy area of the country though and many of my neighbours own one horse each and their horses are kept alone on their respective farms. Most of them/us ride out fairly regularly. The lone horses don't appear to have any anxiety when leaving to go home. When I ride past their fields, they may look up from their grazing momentarily but only one of my neighbours horses comes over to say hello. Most of those horses have come to my farm temporarily when their owners have gone off on vacation and they've settled in well with whichever herd I think will suit them best. When they leave at the end of the month, they go home without any shouting or relunctance and they appear to settle right back into their living alone again. Have to say the lone horses I know seem to be pretty well balanced horses.
 
My mare would never cope on her own,she gets tuturned out with her best friend and they love each other very much my mare rules the field. When she was on box rest she was horrible as she kept trying to groom me.

I would never personally use a yard with individual turn out but that is personal choice.

I've known horses thst have issues and just cant be turned out with others else they will fight to the death.
 
I don't agree with horses being kept alone either.

I don't class a horse kept in a seperate field where it can see and touch others as alone, especially if on a yard with horses around it in it's stable, going passed etc. I think that generally, horses that cannot be turned out with others because they're nasty etc are caused by the way they have been looked after in the past.:(

I have two examples- friend's neighbour had a pony kept alone for years. Very calm, very friendly, no problems. Six years later, their daughter dumped her child's pony on them, it went in the paddock with the original pony. The original pony was bessotted straight away, following the new pony around, and distraught when new pony went out on rides etc.

Our neighbours keep an old broodmare on a 50 acre field, alone with sheep and cattle. She has been there, seemingly happy for over 10 years. Yet if you ride past the field and let your horse stop to talk to her she goes into frantic grooming mode (obviously desperate to communicate). She has also climbed across a huge drainage ditch and got stuck to try and reach my gelding. She spends most of her time in the top part of the land, where she is next to one of another neighbour's fields that sometimes has horses in. Despite her seeming fine, she is actually a desperately lonely horse IMO.
 
I love how there are some posters fretting that their horse is on individual turnout thinking they are being persecuted here (FYI I think individual turnout is fine and in some cases even preferable) and some saying it is absolutely 100% impossible that their horse is unhappy staring into a blank landscape for about 20+ hours of the day/night. I agree it is owner convenience that has made anyone think it is acceptable.

I think cows/sheep are better than nothing, that is not the same as being totally alone.

I also think a horse that lives alone is better off being stabled at night for a sense of security and adapt to 'nesting'.
 
unfortunaly mine has to kept alone as he is vile with other horses,he has a scar on his shoulder where he broke through two fences to attack another pony,and before anyone asks no it wasn't for company it was to attack it we were asked leave after that,dont blame the yard owner,now at a farm in field with the bullock or used as a nanny for the weaned calves,quite odd watching over a ton bullock being groomed by him and the bull using him as a scratching post would love to be able to mix him with other horses but people wont
 
It is undeniably cruel to keep a horse alone, there's no getting away from it.

Anyone who says otherwise is only kidding themselves.
 
You just don't keep herd animals isolated, simple as. Sorry if this offends people, but it's an utterly blatant welfare shortfall. Look at the worldwide outrage caused by keeping that lone elephant in Manila zoo.
 
Wigwam_bam said:
This is because they feel like they are being persecuted, look at the replies people have had if they have said their horse is alone.. :)
Click to expand...

Yes but I think this refers to them being actually alone as opposed to individual turnout next to other horses. I don't think anyone is saying that individual turnout is really cruel, even if not ideal. Even LL agrees with that and she'd have you all in detention!

I agree that it is cruel to keep a horse on its own with no company (as in no horses in sight anywhere) at all, but I am prepared to accept that sheep, cows and other animals, being in a busy farm environment may be adequate and provide some sort of stimulation/sense of security, although have no experience of that myself.
 
as i have said i would love mine to be able to live in company of other horse but i can't ,people pay a lot of money for there horses/hobbie and dont wont there horse attacked even when i take him out for a walk we pass stables and there is no response and he was raised in a herd,maybe some horses are like people and just happier alone who knows
 
But at least your boy has a companion! The thought of those poor souls stood by themselves all day staring into the distance is so depressing. We used to pass one in a field by the motorway, and it was heartbreaking to see.
 
Pigeon said:
You just don't keep herd animals isolated, simple as. Sorry if this offends people, but it's an utterly blatant welfare shortfall. Look at the worldwide outrage caused by keeping that lone elephant in Manila zoo.
Click to expand...

Is that comparable? An elephant who never sees any of its own kind, who lives in a tiny enclosure, resembling no form of its natural environment. Presumably, like some of my neighbours, the posters who keep their horses on their own see and ride out and interact with other horses? Certainly I wouldn't class my neighbours horses as 'isolated'. Yes they may live in their fields alone but they're ridden out most days for hours on end with other horses. They're all on working farms so there's always something going on for them to look at, and people passing to interact with them.

Now I'm not saying I would choose to keep any of mine on their own but as someone looking at the horses living close to me I have to say I'm not concerned about any of their psycological well being; they always seem very content horses to me.
 
I can't even lead another horse past one of my horses without him having a paddy! If he is turned out without company but with horses next door he jumps out!!! Pain in my butt tbh! Any ideas on what to do with him?!
 
I wouldn't keep one completely alone. Ideally in a herd situation but failing that in a field next to another horse. Unless of course mine was one of the rare individuals that hated being turned out with other horses or was inevitably bullied
 
I kept a horse on his own for many years. He loved our neighbouring cows with a passion and had a very happy life.

Turned out he was one of those "one person ponies" who hated sharing. Although we later kept him with another horse, he spent the whole time mounting her and going for gold (12.1 on a 14.2, he never made it!) so I'm not entirely sure he was a companionship type of man either!
 
Wagtail said:
Yes I think it is selfish people keeping a horse on its own in a paddock. If you can't afford to keep a companion then you should either get a livery in yourself or put your horse in livery. Keeping horses' needs met is expensive. Equine company is one of a horses basic needs.

.
Click to expand...

And I agree whole-heartedly with you!
My horses live at home and tbh, I think that livery-yard owners either need a medal or certifying, so I'm certainly not trying to get more customers. I do however spend a lot of time watching our and the neighbours' horses interacting. One of the saddest sights ever was the pony who was put on a fertilised field on his own. There were mares and foals within sight but not within touching distance and other horses riding past frequently. This pony spent hours walking the fence-line, until he had made a track along 2 sides of the field - he never went near the other 2 sides, which were away from the other horses. After several months he got used to his lonely existence and spent more time grazing although I never saw him lying down. After a couple of years this poor thing had to be pts with severe laminitis because his numpty owner had kept him on very lush grass with no exercise.
Now if that wasn't cruel, I don't know what is!
 
PeterNatt said:
Every horse is different and some horses are quite happy to live in a field by themselves where as others just can not cope. For some of us it is a big advantage having a horse that is quite happy to be left in a field by itself.
Click to expand...

When I brought my mare home after being on livery she seemed serene and relaxed on her own, almost nicer to be around than usual, and the only time in her life she has been great to catch. If anything, MY life was a lot easier when she was on her own .That said, I would never keep her like that, we very shortly afterwards (a week or so) got a companion, then some liveries, and now have just one other. If something happened so that we were left with a sole horse, it would be sent off on livery and we would rent the yard out rather than having it on its own.
 
I think isolation means different things to different people for a start. Isolation to me is a horse completely on his own with no horses around to see or to touch. It is not a horse in his own paddock surrounded by horses in and out.

For those that say a horse eating grass can't possibly be happy it's just that he has to eat, well he doesn't. He/she can and will react to the situation which clearly shows he/she is not happy. Running fenceline, not eating, shouting, ect. But again, I would never keep horses in what I term isolation.

What if you have one horse which can't be on any grass even nightime. Only a drylot and soaked hay. The other horses you have can graze at night. Do the others have to take one for the team? Is that not quite miserable for others?

Even correctly raised youngsters can push and go over boundaries with older stock. So now you have an absolute brat of a horse causing havock. Do you get rid of the horses that can't keep brat in line and get a new set that can keep brat in place? Or do you just go buy a new horse that can do the job.

See my problem with everyone else speaking in absolutes means you all think this is a total human failure just because it works for you. Again I can't stand horses without company. I also have 5 horses that I can work around to have a good combination. I do have one mare that needs sharp reminders from her mates now and again of her place. If she were to suddenly be on top the herd would not be a safe place. But as it stands it's a happy setup.

It's not just aggressive horses that you think people have failed. The mare described above. As a yearling I had to take her out of yearling company. The same company she had her whole life. She was a bully and liked to enforce this daily. A false Alpha. Put her in with a 2yo and a 3yo. Her siblings. That smartened her up rather quick. So on that basis do you recommend people have 6 or 7 horses to meet the changing needs of herd dynamics? Curious. Because I'm still getting the feeling people think all horses would get along no matter what. And this has me puzzled. I think it rather strange to assume it's always a people problem. And just because something has worked 10 out of 10 times doesn't mean the 11th time will be the same. Boss horses get older and sometimes things change. But most of the time you can say that it's all fine.

I'm puzzled by some responses I guess. I never talk in absolute with horses. They have their own personalities with or without humans.

Terri
 
As ive said my horse had to stand on his own for a year.
A lot of posters on here would have turned on me and my horse if they saw the damage he was capable of.
It took one kind person to allow me to turn him out with his larger herd and it was sorted.
I ve read a term on here called false alpha and that is how i would describe my horse, he was determined to be alpha without the confidence to back it up.
He became alpha instantly with his new herd but his bad manners were not tolerated. For the first two months or so he was sent to coventry by the rest of the herd...and learnt better social skills as a result. Now he uses his ears and body language to assert his status.
He is much , much more settled both in and out of the field, but let s face it how many people would be lucky enough to have the opertunity i was given?
I don t like to see horses stood on their own, but without the help of that one person there really was no option for my horse.
Lucky, luckyoldme indeed.
 
Honey08 said:
Our neighbours keep an old broodmare on a 50 acre field, alone with sheep and cattle. She has been there, seemingly happy for over 10 years. Yet if you ride past the field and let your horse stop to talk to her she goes into frantic grooming mode (obviously desperate to communicate). She has also climbed across a huge drainage ditch and got stuck to try and reach my gelding. She spends most of her time in the top part of the land, where she is next to one of another neighbour's fields that sometimes has horses in. Despite her seeming fine, she is actually a desperately lonely horse IMO.
Click to expand...

Oh that is so sad. It has actually brought a tear to my eye. How can people be so cruel? :(
 
Spring Feather said:
Is that comparable? An elephant who never sees any of its own kind, who lives in a tiny enclosure, resembling no form of its natural environment. Presumably, like some of my neighbours, the posters who keep their horses on their own see and ride out and interact with other horses? Certainly I wouldn't class my neighbours horses as 'isolated'. Yes they may live in their fields alone but they're ridden out most days for hours on end with other horses. They're all on working farms so there's always something going on for them to look at, and people passing to interact with them.

Now I'm not saying I would choose to keep any of mine on their own but as someone looking at the horses living close to me I have to say I'm not concerned about any of their psycological well being; they always seem very content horses to me.
Click to expand...

How is it not comparable??

And I mean alone, as in can't reach other horses over the fence.
 
Last edited:
The popular assumption seems to be that a horse needs one horse for company.
My point is that my horse would terrorize a lone companion.
My friend had seen his behaviour and welcomed him into his herd, i was the one with reservations.
1) the herd was very settled and calm..I was concerned that my horse would send shockwaves throughout,
2) I really valued the friendship and did nt want to loose a good and knowledgable friend.
My friend never waivered , he was adamant that his herd would sort my horse out.
Watching how the herd dealt with my horses behaviour was a real education it was so interesting.
Having seen my horse deal with his new life with a larger group of horses i really do think that he needed to be in amongst an established herd to learn how to behave.. and it worked wonders.
The point is I could have bought another horse for mine to rip to shreds, but one horse just would nt have cut it... and there must be other poorly socialised horses like him.
Its not quite as simple as buying one more horse and the chances of finding someone like i found are slim for most people.
 
We recently had a new addition to the yard. He is a 20 year old who had been kept on his own for several months beforehand. His introduction was quite interesting. He got inspected and tested by the other geldings and the mare gave him a good thump to let him know who was boss. He quickly settled into his place in the herd; above the oldie and the youngster and below the mare.

On day two the owner was asked if F would be ok on his own in the yard if the other horses were put out in the paddock and she said yes. However when F saw the other horses leaving he panicked and tried to break free to join them. It was very clear that having been returned to a herd situation he was not going to loose it again. Before this he had been, according to his owner, very happy with being alone. He still panics out hacking if he looses sight of the other horses.
 
Lucky, glad you had a chance like that for your horse. Having your own established herd is so helpful in learning on why things work and don't. That's why I don't talk in absolutes. The one gelding I have has been brilliant for putting manners on youngsters that push bounds, but insecure ones not so much. He sets rules and they are to be followed, but equally he can be that bit too hard on less social horses.

Equally having your own herds or herd means you don't sweat the small stuff. Generally if I see one get a "talking to" for not following rules I'm not going to panic. This can mean a bit mark or even a kick. I know this is how horses are. If you're in a livery situation human emotion plays more of a part in the decisions made. You have the horse who can't follow rules and he gets nicks, you're going to be mad at the publishers and their owner. Also less social horses get nicks and bumps too so again the people are the ones with the emotion. I'm not saying that's wrong but it's got to be very difficult if you have a horse that keeps having vet bills or worse. And sometimes things escalate and horses get seriously hurt because there may not be many company choices. I mean if I put Abba on livery and she somehow ended up on the top of the pile my life would be hell and I'd be the hated livery so yes I'd choose solo turnout to save injuries and earful a from unhappy owners.

Anyway, it's just a tough topic. But no horse should have to live in total isolation.

Terri
 
I haven't read the whole thread but mine is on his own. He shows very little interest in people hacking past his paddock which is most days and anyone who comes to ride out with me rarely even gets a sniff and and acknowledgement. The only time he gets wound up by other horses is the hunt and it's the sound of the hounds which sets him off. He was in a trailer accident when he was young and got a bump on his head which seemed to affect his personality. In his previous home he hated being in an internal stable with just bars separating him from his neighbour. He always has sheep in his paddock but isn't interested in them either, unless they go near his food, then he wants to kill them.
 
As a rule ours generally go together in pairs at all times and are very happy.

Last year before I sold my coloured, I brought him up to ours by himself, he had been on loan and was very withdrawn after spending a few weeks on a large livery yard, he just hadn't settled. He stayed alone most of the winter and seemed a lot happier in himself than he had been down at the previous place. I've never kept him alone and he seemed very content. As I say it isn't something we usually do and I think the others would have screamed their heads off, but he saw other horses often and was quite chipper.
 
Haven't read the whole thread but . . . I would NEVER keep a horse alone. If I won the lottery tomorrow and could afford to buy a house with land so I could keep Kal at home, I would a) get a couple of companions for him (probably a pair of shetlands); and b) offer friends some livery so he had plenty of horsey company.

P
 
Horses come in three flavors, passives, dominants and leads.
Passives and dominants can be mares, geldings or stallions, leads are always mares.
I know there will be those who think they have a lead gelding, you don't. You may think you are the exception, your not. You have a very dominant horse but not a lead.
Fortunately for most owners, most horses are passives and are content to be treated like a bicycle.
The dominants and leads cause a problem for owners. These are the horses who often end up labeled and isolated.
Of course we confuse the issue by feeding the wrong types of grasses and hard food, so they are constantly on a sugar high, then we tip the feet in steel to make sure any damage is as bad as it can be.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top