So you think that your horse likes living in a stable?!

emmah1979 said:
Firstly I have no interest in whether people agree with me or not. My understanding of a forum is a place for discussion:)
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You asked people to justify how they kept their horses - that's not inviting discussion.

And actually there's been hardly any discussion in this thread. Merely people saying they do one thing or the other......

And Tnavas,
Booboos and Polarskye - if you have nothing constructive to add to the discussion - don't post.
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- what a singularly unnecessary thing to say. Perhaps it's better for you to not post, if you're not able to cope with differing points of view........:rolleyes:
 
I'm with OP, they definitely prefer to be out generally. Unfortunately due to grazing I keep mine in overnight in winter (7pm until 7am) but they are out 24/7 in spring/ summer and autumn.

I have a friend who keeps hers in 22 hours a day all year round. She says to me "the horse likes to come in, because she stands at the gate after her 2 hours out", to which I always reply "that's because you've trained her to by bringing her in after 2 hours". She'd soon wander off if her owner just left her out there.

Another bug bear, people saying their horses can't go out because they'll injure themselves galloping around. If they lived out all the time they wouldn't find it exciting and they wouldn't gallop round would they!
 
I used to have a few years back a TB and he was an ex racehorse not the best choice he had to be sort of 24/7 stabled because he was nasty towards the others out at pasture I tried placing him in a separate pasture but I had to have the vet called out because he ended up pacing all through the day and night he had pulled a tendon in his hind leg so after that I ended up having to go on light hacks and gradually get him used to being out after recovery even then he would try to bolt in all sorts of directions he was a very head strong horse, but I had to sell him sadly :( due to financial reasons and it wasn't fair that I didn't have the time for him as I wished I had.

But I suppose stabling a horse 24/7 isn't that bad so long you have time for them e.g willing to be there every few hours or so to take out for hacking or just a gallop around the field.
 
Mine comes in at night all year round because it is the only way to control his weight. This is the first year this has happened, and the first year that he is not obese. Works for us, he is healthy and that is all that matters to me. I would never keep him in 24/7 though, he would go nuts!
 
Would have to say that my horse is quite happy to be in! I do put him out during the day all year round as I want him to be able to spend as much time being a horse as possible but when hes in, even if the door is open, he'll wander around inside and go to the step out of the building and look out rather than going anywhere. He paces if I leave him out too long. Being out or in doesn't seem to affect how sharp he is to ride and he seems to enjoy being around people rather than worrying about other horses being there. :-)
 
I fully agree with you most horses in NZ live out year round, I wouldn't be comfortable locking my horse up stables are too small, I would hate to be locked in my bedroom all day.

I have had access to 3 sided shed before and only 1 out of the 20 or so horses I have owned ever went inside it, the rest stood by it for wind protection but that was all.
 
Mine live out all the time, they are much happier now than when I stabled and so am I. I wouldnt voluntarily go back to routinely stabling.
If I now got a horse which preferred to be stabled (and I know they are out there as Ive met a few) that horse would have to be moved on to a new owner as we wouldnt be suited to each other.
 
So... this is a daft thread. It is written as. a challenge. It fails, as far as I am concerned.

Horse 1: No, I don't think she likes living in a stable. But she deals with it very well. I am glad she does, because if she didn't and had free-range access to dairy farm grass, I'd be shooting and cremating her within a few weeks as she is an EMS horse and would most likely develop crippling lami if let loose on the forage I can make available to her.

Horse 2: Totally acclimatised to British climate and grazing. so no evident lami/EMS issues there. But he will break through electric fencing to put himself in his own stable on a regular basis, irrespective of how much food or companionship is available to him outside, where he finds it more comfortable to indulge in his favourite recreation - lying down flat out and falling asleep. And snoring.

Horse 3: Has always lived mainly stabled 24/7. He enjoys going out in a paddock, doesn't like being left out last, can happily stand in for days on end. I would describe him as institutionalised. I would like to turn him away this winter at least for 8 weeks or so, I think that will be a challenge, we shall see how we go.
 
Hen said:
So... this is a daft thread. It is written as. a challenge. It fails, as far as I am concerned.

Horse 1: No, I don't think she likes living in a stable. But she deals with it very well. I am glad she does, because if she didn't and had free-range access to dairy farm grass, I'd be shooting and cremating her within a few weeks as she is an EMS horse and would most likely develop crippling lami if let loose on the forage I can make available to her.

Horse 2: Totally acclimatised to British climate and grazing. so no evident lami/EMS issues there. But he will break through electric fencing to put himself in his own stable on a regular basis, irrespective of how much food or companionship is available to him outside, where he finds it more comfortable to indulge in his favourite recreation - lying down flat out and falling asleep. And snoring.

Horse 3: Has always lived mainly stabled 24/7. He enjoys going out in a paddock, doesn't like being left out last, can happily stand in for days on end. I would describe him as institutionalised. I would like to turn him away this winter at least for 8 weeks or so, I think that will be a challenge, we shall see how we go.
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Amen.

P
 
Tnavas said:
Booboos and Polarskye - if you have nothing constructive to add to the discussion - don't post.
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It's a public forum - who put you in charge? :rolleyes:

My wb prefers to be in at night over the worst of the winter. Makes no difference whether he's clipped or unclipped, in work or not, or how much grazing is available. I prefer to treat them as individuals so when he makes it clear he wants to come in at night - he comes in at night :D He doesn't get hard feed and has haylage available in or out so it is not down to that. Most of the others stay out 24/7.
 
marmalade76 said:
I agree.

To anyone who claims their horses prefer to be in, I would be intersted to see your turnout. Mine is undulating with trees (some edible, my pones love ash and willow), briars and hedges all round. Plenty of plants grow that can be bought dried as supplements (nettles, sticky weed, hawthorn) so my ponies can help themselves. There's shelter from wind, rain and sun and great views. I'd bet that most of these animals who don't like being out are in post and rail squares with limited shelter and a limited variety of plants to graze and browse on.
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My horse lived in Spain until he was six and is massively agraphobic because he's never had turnout. I have two gorgeous, undulating fields with trees and hedges but he stays on the yard because thats where he feels safe.
 
Can safely say my horse prefers to be out! she tells me when shes had enough! normally by booting the stable door!!!! luckily she does live out!!
 
I totally support 24/7 turnout. My arguement is exactly that of the lady who said to your YO that a horse only wants to come in because it'll normally get a hard feed or hay etc. - put that in the field and the horse is happy as larry. I've kept all mine out all year round up here in Northern Scotland, including competing ones - they're all rugged and fed accordingly and have permanent access to open stables. My grey is a little woosy (coming from Portugal) so he will tend to come in for an hour or two in a real downpour but otherwise he chooses to be out in it.

At the moment, I am actually having to stable 2 of mine. My grey did his tendon in March so has been on box rest for months, I told my vet a few weeks ago that I couldnt do it anymore as he was so miserable (and explosive when being led out on his rehab walks) and wanted to turnout in a small field so he agreed. The horse is back to being totally chilled out again. I have also taken on a new horse who arrived last week, the horse was only used to occassional turnout for maybe 20 mins if that a day (for all of his life so far) as they said he would start to gallop about. I'm letting him settle in and then will turnout him out into a pen I've got ready for him with 6ft high steel fencing, in an area small enough he cant canter about in, and on plenty of grass so he'll be more interested in that. I'll put him out in it every morning and just see how he goes, will slowly increase the time out there and area until hopefully before long we'll have him out in a proper field during the day at least, with the aim to be out 24/7 come summer onwards. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that the horse will be far happier as a result.

No horse IMO likes being kept in. They're large animals and stables are pretty darn small! People would be considered cruel for keeping a dog or a cat in a small cage for any length of time so I really dont see why this tradition of stabling is still so acceptable. People use various reasons for bringing in but I think in most cases they're not good enough - like saying you have to bring in to control their weight, why not simply fence off less of the field? Same with those saying their horse gets lami otherwise, I have a cushings pony who is highly sensitive to laminitis - I keep her on a hardcored yard all the time with access to hay and the stables, she loves it. I let her out into the field for 15 mins twice a day so she can have a roll etc. Works perfectly.
 
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My horse has lived out 24/7 this summer but just this week, he has been at the gate waiting for me or he would be on the other side of the field and come trotting over to great me, which he hasn't done since i got him in April this year.

He's turned out with about 14 other geldings, good grazing but no shelter.

Call me soft but he does seem happier, when im leading him to the yard.

:-)
 
Mine are out all day from around 7am to 6pm all year unless we actually have a summer in a ideal world I would have them out . They always stand at the gate ready to come in wanting food then I catch them lying down they have every toy, lickit loads of hay never run out of food they seem to cope very well. It's ideal as they are young they get a good routine and daily handling and if they were to ever be sold they would cope on livery most liverys round here u would be lucky to even get a hour turnout in winter so I feel they have it quite good. We are getting a shelter built so they can live out next summer but in winter the ground gets so bad there would be no grass left at all if they were out all the time. I let them wander around the yard with the field gate open and they go into their stables by themselves. Would love to have the space to let them live how they should but in a way it could be worse and they could have no turnout and no care
 
My poor horse is on box rest this winter due to a tendon injury! She looks so fed up being in although I'm trying to do as much inhand grazing with her to try and keep her happy. She starts controlled exercise next week so at least she will get to stretch her legs twice a day! Next Spring when she is allowed turnout, I will turn her away 24/7 and let her chill in the field. If I had my own land then I would have a field shelter and let them come and go as they please as I know they would prefer that! Horses are designed to be out at grass 24/7! All three of our horses would definitely choose to be out munching in the field!
 
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