Selfish Owner or Caring owner?

Sadly the YO has been away for the last month and will be away for several months. Although this mare has been stuck in 24/7 since march.
The YO had told her she has to turn the horse out.
I have told her that the horse needs to go out..
How can we get her to listen?
We have tried everything.. all to no avail.. It's ridiculous.
I agree, I'd rather see a horse out 24/7 with basic care than a 'show pony' that's there to be beautiful.
 
Can you not section off a section of field for the mare to go out in? That way she can have contact with the other horses, but out of harms way. Perhaps the owner has had a bad experience with turning her horse out in the past. I do agree that the horse does need to go out - it is cruel to keep her shut in, especially at this time of year. At worse, she should at least graze her in hand for some time each day.
 
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Can you not section off a section of field for the mare to go out in? That way she can have contact with the other horses, but out of harms way. Perhaps the owner has had a bad experience with turning her horse out in the past. I do agree that the horse does need to go out - it is cruel to keep her shut in, especially at this time of year. At worse, she should at least graze her in hand for some time each day.

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I can't section any field off, the YO won't let me. But the YW has offered to catch and turnout the mare for her.. she's too ignorant to agree i believe. I agree about how some owners shouldn't have animals..
 
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can't understand why your YO hasn't insisted that the mare be turned out. I know I would have done so

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YO could insist, as the poor mare is damaging the stables.

Also under the Welfare Act 2006 she is not complying with normal behaviour patterns, as has no exercise, and no interaction

the purposes of this Act, an animal’s needs shall be taken to include—........
(c) its need to be able to exhibit normal behaviour patterns,
(d) any need it has to be housed with, or apart from, other animals, .......

how to take it further, see
http://www.horsetrust.org.uk/pdfs/Protocol.pdf
 
QR

I know this may be going against what a lot of people have said but I don't think you should get quite so angry at the lady. I totally agree that it is distressing the horse and I totally agree that if the facilities are there then a horse should be able to be a horse a much as possible.

However, on the continent a lot of horses are stabled 24/7 or with limited turn out and that is the norm here. People do see this as the 'normal' way to do things so don't think there is anything wrong with it. My girl is kept in most of the time and is perfectly happy and healthy. But, I do not have access to grazing like this woman and if I did she'd be out all the time. The point I'm trying to make (in a rather long winded way) is that rather than get angry, it may be a case of re-educating. And yes, a lot of horses are very happy being stabled all the time but they generally do have company and this arab clearly is not.

I'm not sure what you could do on a more practical level but I do think you should try and be gentle with the owner. Going in all guns blazing and telling her that everything she knows/learnt/been told is wrong isn't going to make her the most receptive listener. Maybe suggest you just pop her out for an hour for 'a bit of fun' or something. Then maybe if she actually sees the mare having a blast she'll realise that its good for her. It certainly doesn't sound like she doesn't care. I just think if you turn round and call her cruel you'll just completely shut down the path of communication here and much as you may feel like doing that, for the wellbeing of the horse, the communication has to stay open for any changes to be made.

Edited to add: also, as its France a lot of the legal animal rights may be different. I've no idea as I'm not a lawyer but I'd have thought there would be some changes as Britain is well known for being very hot on animal welfare.
 
I have an idea. Turn the horse out with the 'excuse that there have been straw mites/some terrrible disease (invent a strangles quarantine or summat!), which involves all the stables being vacated and disinfected. Even better if you can have some expert point out the dirty bedding as a possible cause! Hopefully it'll be a few days before she finds out, and the owner can say that it's on that day she was first turned out. This does require a lot of sneakiness, but she couldn't argue with the stables being disinfected, could she?
 
Can the YO put up the cost of being in - a little financial encouragement for the horse to be out might help?
 
Before we all start plotting on how to get the horse out - are we sure there isn't a reason for it being stabled? i.e grass allery, sweet itch laminitis

Mine is stabled during the day to keep away from the midges. I put them out at 11.30pm and bring in early, so someone not at the yard may think they are in 24/7.

Also it is fair to say the english are obsessed with turning their horses out, ever since Black Beauty.
 
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Before we all start plotting on how to get the horse out - are we sure there isn't a reason for it being stabled? i.e grass allery, sweet itch laminitis

Mine is stabled during the day to keep away from the midges. I put them out at 11.30pm and bring in early, so someone not at the yard may think they are in 24/7.

Also it is fair to say the english are obsessed with turning their horses out, ever since Black Beauty.

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There is no reason for her to be in her stable.
 
If you have this much concern over this horse then contact the www.ilph.org. They have inspectors all over the world and will be able send one to takle alook at this horse and have a chat with the owner as to how to improve its wellbeing. They will not reveal who has contacted them and made the complaint.
 
If i were in your position... I would print this thread of - ALL of it, and pin it to her stable door for her attention - Maybe you wont get through to her but the fact other horse owners find her actions so cruel that they would call animal welfare - maybe that would wake her up.

Also agree the YO has a duty of care and should make her put horse out OR exercise it daily - or ask her to leave.

Poor horse sounds like its in prison
 
OMG LOOK AT THAT DOG
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in the sig! He's gorgeous!!! Can I have him vicki1986? pleaseee
 
Totally selfish owner IMO. I dont see how she can be seen as caring in any sense. She's like those people who feed their dogs too many "treats" and they end up obese which is obviously dreadful. She needs to wise up to the obvious upset behaviour of the horse. She must be totally blind to not see how unhappy it is. Id say something, Id just be blunt about it.
 
Could you leave in a strategic place a book or article on horse care that details stable vices, what causes them and how to resolve them? Has France got an equivilant of the BHS manual of horsemanship?
 
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Welfare Act 2006 she is not complying with normal behaviour patterns,

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I'm sure that's a UK act and the french would most probably laugh it all the way out of court if you tried to quote it.

It sounds absolutely terrible what this little horse is going through and I imagine it must break your heart every time you see her
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it really is up to the yard owner to either kick her out or demand that she complies with yard rules (then make up a rule about horses going out!) If she kept the horse at another yard then her mare might have company and settle a little better?

I don't agree with 24/7 stabling in the slightest, it just not normal for a herd animal to be kept in solitude all the time. Yes they do take this approach on the continent but how many wind sucking dutch warmbloods have you seen? I have lost count of the number of wind suckers, cribber or weaver I have seen then been informed it was imported from the continent! it's obvious these horse have bad habits because of the environment they have been raised in. So sad, if you don't have any where to put your horse out for a few hours a day then just don't have a horse I say! Even the police and army give their horses holiday from the stabling and their horses are out the stable working for hours every day!

Bleurgh it makes me sick
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Well you can't just turn her out as if anything happens to her you will be liable. It is the responsibility of the YO or whoever the YO has left in charge to ask her to leave if the horses welfare is being jepordised. This is probably for the best all round as hopefully she will move to another yard where the YO will either insist on some turnout or there will be other horses in 24/7 so the little mare will at least have some company in her cell. However, as others have said if there are empty boxes and the YO is getting paid, she will no doubt not want to lose the custom.
 
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