Please reassure me there is a horsey forum left with sense!

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mystiandsunny

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Been elsewhere today where, apparently, I'm totally mistaken in thinking horses need company and shouldn't live on their own. Totally mistaken in thinking they should at least have sight of other horses.

People here don't think that, do they???????? Please reassure me, as mods, the lot, said 'no, horses don't have to have company.....'?!
 
Most horses do need company I expect they could learn to live without it but I know if I turn one of mine out where it can't see the others it jumps the fences to get back to the stable.

There is the odd horse who would probably be fine without company, my old pony didn't do friends and preferred human company but she was and is a freak
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Although despite this I think she'd probably miss it after a bit.
 
Well most horses wont actually die if they dont have company. So essentially they can live without it. But it would be a pretty miserable existence for a horse if long term.
 
Horses should have company.There are exceptions though where some horses can not socialize and are best kept alone,but these are rare exceptions.There is a horse up the road from where I live who is kept on his own.He is permanently miserable,windsucks on the fencing or stands looking really depressed with his head hung low.I have sometimes been past the field in the morning,come back 5 hours later and he is still in the same place looking miserable.Personally I think it is completely unacceptable when the horse is that miserable about it.
 
I would always do my upmost to have company for my horse, we have had to keep one on her own for a short period of time but she is very level headed and didnt seem too bothered, but i wouldnt keep her like that for longer than a few weeks.
There is a reason people advertise companion horses.. there is a market for them.. ie. people try not to keep horses alone!!
 
Years ago I had a really stressy mare who would jump out of anything if she was left alone.

The yard I was on put her out with a herd of cows and gave her a stable in the cow barn.

She didn't bother about the horses any more, she was happy to be with the cows.

Bit smelly though
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I wouldn't usually keep a horse alone but I have seen plenty who dont seem too concerned.
 
My horse is on his own,we on livery yard but he grazes on his own because he can be naughty boy,He doesnt seem to mind most of the time and his stable is pretty isolated too as he has the habit of biting anybody that gets too close
 
My biggest hate, the poor horses that are forced to live in solitary confinement, mostly for the owners convinece.
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Of course horses need friends! There are always the odd few who are messed up and can't tolerate other horses (either through stupid humans fault in earlier life, or something akin to autism) but most would much rather have friends.

Sure, most horses will tolerate belong on their own (like they have a choice
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) but very few are happy. There's always fools who think thet poor horse is 'fine' as it's not running around screaming, but the wretched animal usually looks so dispondant and depressed. And lonely!
 
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My biggest hate, the poor horses that are forced to live in solitary confinement, mostly for the owners convinece.
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Of course horses need friends! There are always the odd few who are messed up and can't tolerate other horses (either through stupid humans fault in earlier life, or something akin to autism) but most would much rather have friends.

Sure, most horses will tolerate belong on their own (like they have a choice
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) but very few are happy. There's always fools who think thet poor horse is 'fine' as it's not running around screaming, but the wretched animal usually looks so dispondant and depressed. And lonely!

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Ditto.

I think the word "Herd" gives it away, maybe some arseholes get the word Herd mixed up with the word Hermit, and think the Horse should be kept on it's own away from all others, if they are that thick maybe they shouldn't be allowed to keep Horse.
 
Most horses are kept alone here as people canot afford to own more than one. They are working farm animals, they are usually tethered by a foreleg or neck out in the field as the way land is divided up means fences, other than electric tape, are not usual (very medieval). To be fair many of them can see other animals (cows, horses etc) but they are still alone. In the village I'm the only person with two horses living together - except my next door neighbour who has a mare and her foal.

I don't like it, I have kept FB on his own but he wasn't happy and I got him a companion as soon as I could as he stresses without an equine shaped friend. To be fair he and Ari don't get on that well (Ari is a bully) and they spend most of their time at opposite sides of the field, but they are a herd in their eyes.
 
there's a gelding at my yard who doesn't get on with other horses hes parked by him self but can see all of the other horses and he don't really look bothered

my old yard believed in own turnout even though they could see each other Benson hated it and now im at new place he become a bugger to get out of park
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We used to look after a horse for neighbours as she hated being with other horses. Couldn't even be in the next field to their other horse, so she stayed at ours.

Most horses would prefer a herd life, but I think many can be fine on their own.
 
I do not think that any horse should be kept alone, as others have said, the clue is in the term herd. It is the same with any herd animal, unfortunately we now have only one sheep, the remnant of a flock of 3, she is relatively happy with a herd of 3 horses, but I am aware that her 'sheepy' needs are probably not being met.
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I would not leave a horse without company, messes with their heads imo
 
I have three who have been together for about 4yrs, and it is really noticeable how much they enjoy social contact, particularly physical contact.
They are always touching each other, mutually grooming, standing touching at hip and shoulder, rubbing heads on each others sides, resting heads on the others' backs etc.
Having said that, some horses are not properly socialised when young so may dislike/fear others.
S
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I think it's terrible to keep a horse alone, horses (in general) are sociable, herd animals - you get the odd exception who cannot integrate but then this is probably due to how it has ben kept by humans from the outset.

There is one horse near us who used to have a companion but that has been sold. It is now on its own in a big field. I jsut think it's horrid - fancy that, solitary confinement for the rest of your days. It has no horses in neighbouring fields, not even a cow, sheep or similar. They apparently did try put it in with another neighbours horse but when the other went out the one left went barmy (quite understandably).

I want to ask theowner about it really - suggest she loan it to someone cos, not only is it on its own, it is no longer ridden or even taken out at all! I don't think there is anything wrong with it and it's not over the hill yet (maybe late teens) and I just think someone could be having fun on it instead of it being stuck there - it was always just a happy hack. i just the owner had sold him when her brotehr sold its companion.

Such a waste.
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I know a lot of people keep horses alone and honestly think they are happy as long as they graze, have a canter etc. It's often only when they are put back with other horses that the trauma comes out with ridiculous levels of separation anxiety, fear of being stabled alone or aggression/ fear of other horses. So the horse can appear perfectly happy, but underneath psychological scars are forming, and they're harder to undo than to prevent.

I think someone on here was saying when they moved their horse from being kept alone for years, to a herd then they realised how much it had affected them.
 
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Most horses would prefer a herd life, but I think many can be fine on their own.

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Define 'fine'




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...... It's often only when they are put back with other horses that the trauma comes out with ridiculous levels of separation anxiety, fear of being stabled alone or aggression/ fear of other horses. So the horse can appear perfectly happy, but underneath psychological scars are forming, and they're harder to undo than to prevent.

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And then, if they are seriously unlucky horses, the idiotic owner can't deal with it and puts it BACK into solitary living because it's easier to manage
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Poor animals just shown how desperatly unhappy it was on it's own but it's too much hassle
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We've taken on a little pony who spent 10yrs living on her own, with nothing in sight.
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She seemed to be 'fine'. Quiet and a bit withdrawn, but 'fine'. She now lives with in a little group of ponies and she's a totally different horse - active, alert and friendly. She spends hours grooming and playing -something she must have desperatly missed. She initially had serious sepertaion anxiety and some %*$%wit suggested putting her back on her own because it would be 'easier'
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My old horse was quite anti-social with other horses, and lived in a field on her own, but she could see and touch the other horses over the fence. I know exactly what Bronya is on about, and I can tell you, its not worth wasting your breath as the person concerned won't listen to you one little bit and neither will their little gang of knicker-wavers..
 
My horse was on livery before at a yard where she was kept in a paddock on her own, granted she had sight of other horses, but each horse had individual turnout. Now i know this is standard practice, and i had my last pony at this same yard in the same way and he was happy as larry, but Milly absoultely hated it. Since we have moved yards, she is in a group of 3 mares and she is the most relaxed lovely horse now. its lovely to watch them together they are all so happy and chilled. I feel theat horses should at the very very least have sight of others, but are best kept in a group where they can behave as comes naturally to them -i'm sure a lot of behavioural issues would be resolved if people just let their horses BE horses!!
 
It makes me very sad to see a horse living on it's own with no company - There's one by us and he's a lovely old boy - but totally isolated and I feel for him everytime I see him
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Kate x
 
It does upset me a bit to think of a horse or pony being kept for years on their own. I know we don't keep horses 'naturally' per se but when I go up of a morning, there will be at least a couple of mine lying flat out sleeping with one on guard. Can a horse on its own truly relax and snooze like that? And of course the interaction they all have with each other in the everyday herd dynamics is invaluable I think.
 
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I can tell you, its not worth wasting your breath as the person concerned won't listen to you one little bit and neither will their little gang of knicker-wavers..

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PMSL at 'gang of knicker-wavers'!!!!!!!!

ROFL - lots!!
 
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