Stabled horses and the Animal Welfare Act...your thoughts??

[twiggy2]

The individual turnout thing is a hard one I like all my horses to go out in a group but there's no doubt turning out fit horses together is a considerable risk .
I brought my new horse home today he's an expensive horse (advanced eventer ) he's used to going out alone , what do you do for the best ?

surely the fact that he is expensive should be irrelevant , owners should still do the best for the individual horse?
we have an eventer at work that has come from a yard where he was out 24/7 all summer in a mixed herd of approx 30 horses, he is turned out alone here as he runs everything ragged and the mares will kick 7 bells out of him- he needs to be on a bigger busier yard with lots of others to go out with -if he was mine I would move yards or sell him. he is surrounded by the other horses and on the face of it seems ok with that but he does like to play and is slowly wrecking the place whilst trying to entertain himself

 

[ljohnsonsj]

surely the fact that he is expensive should be irrelevant , owners should still do the best for the individual horse?
we have an eventer at work that has come from a yard where he was out 24/7 all summer in a mixed herd of approx 30 horses, he is turned out alone here as he runs everything ragged and the mares will kick 7 bells out of him- he needs to be on a bigger busier yard with lots of others to go out with -if he was mine I would move yards or sell him. he is surrounded by the other horses and on the face of it seems ok with that but he does like to play and is slowly wrecking the place whilst trying to entertain himself

If the horse is used to being alone I see no problem. In the case where a horse is wrecking things because he is that bothered about being alone then maybe small group turn out, 1 or 2 other horses. It is different for every single horse that is why I think the 'act' is a bit of a shambles. Turning a horse out on its own is not an act of cruelty or wrong for it's welfare, as the 'act' suggests.

 

[twiggy2]

If the horse is used to being alone I see no problem. In the case where a horse is wrecking things because he is that bothered about being alone then maybe small group turn out, 1 or 2 other horses. It is different for every single horse that is why I think the 'act' is a bit of a shambles. Turning a horse out on its own is not an act of cruelty or wrong for it's welfare, as the 'act' suggests.

he was in a small group at work but the he runs everyone ragged so he gets beaten up as he wont leave them alone, he is wrecking the place because he is bored.
I agree it is different for every horse but i hate the 'my horse competes therefore it is automatically in my horses best interest to stay in 23 hrs per day and be turned out alone on the rare occasion turn out happens'

 

[SpringArising]

Horses become accustomed to their lifestyles and to enforce change because a human being puts human thoughts into a horse brain is pretty stupid aka cruel.

Except we're not doing that. Those of us who don't like stabling are doing the exact opposite of that. It's the people who stable who are putting human thoughts into a horse's brain.

They think their horses want to be 'tucked up in bed', wearing their 'pyjamas'.

chuck your horse out in your acre of clay sludge, let it stand around and get mud fever, cold and stiff from not being able to move freely through said sludge, and then try and tell me THATS not a welfare issue

And horses in stables can move around freely? At least in the field, they have the option to if they want.

My horses live in all the time, and are ridden for at least an hour each day, and led out for 10 mins morning and evening. My horses seem content

So that's an hour and twenty minutes out of the stable, per day, in total. Would you be happy with that, if you were in your horse's shoes?

Most yards have horse walkers these days. Horses don't stand around looking bored at le Cadre Noir

Gee! Great! Half hour walking round and round on a concrete slab. What fun that must be.

Personally I think the risks of no turn out far outweigh the risks of putting them out.

I agree it is different for every horse but i hate the 'my horse competes therefore it is automatically in my horses best interest to stay in 23 hrs per day and be turned out alone on the rare occasion turn out happens'

Agree. IMO there are two very different types of horse owner.

 

[pinkypug1]

Except we're not doing that. Those of us who don't like stabling are doing the exact opposite of that. It's the people who stable who are putting human thoughts into a horse's brain.

They think their horses want to be 'tucked up in bed', wearing their 'pyjamas'.



And horses in stables can move around freely? At least in the field, they have the option to if they want.



So that's an hour and twenty minutes out of the stable, per day, in total. Would you be happy with that, if you were in your horse's shoes?



Gee! Great! Half hour walking round and round on a concrete slab. What fun that must be.





Agree. IMO there are two very different types of horse owner.

Totally agree!!

 

[Goldenstar]

You may consider his cost irrelevant , perhaps because you have not just written the cheque to buy him.
My OH's first house cost less than he did so keeping him safe is a big issue and if he gets injured I won't be able to get another all my eggs are truely in this basket ,he is used to being protected I don't know if he has any social skills at all.
Single turnout has probably been his lot for a long time , to impose group turnout on him on a new yard might well end in injury to him or one of my existing also very precious ( to me )horses .
The case of the horse you describe is not relevant that horse is clearly unsettled in it's management it needs less hard food or more work or different work or something else , my new new horse is in every situation well mannered and settled he's been with very good yards all his life ,he's a lovely well adjusted horse .
He's standing resting in the sun ATM sheltered by a big hedge , I wish he was grazing a bit more but he looks content .
He's been out since quarter to nine , I rode out at seven fifteen then turned him out so he was not too fresh in strange field .
It's a question , as all competition horse management is , of balancing all the priorities to get the best plan for each horse .

 

[Moomin1]

Many warmbloods do not thrive living out in the cold and wet. I have competition horses that I have bred, reared, produced and several kept in their retirement in their 20's. As youngsters they spent most of their lives outside except in the worst of the wet winter weather. As competition horses they spent most of their lives in stables with daily turnout. As retired horses they pretty much have the choice. What do they choose? As soon as it rains they hang about by the gates calling to come in. If I leave a stable door open often they will not even venture out onto the yard. If left out they will often jump over the gate and put themselves away. I think that says it all. Horses become accustomed to their lifestyles and to enforce change because a human being puts human thoughts into a horse brain is pretty stupid aka cruel. We now have a breed of horse that is bred for sport work and to insist that that horse lives the lifestyle of a native pony may be failing to provide for its needs as much as failing to feed etc.

How handy. I have yet to come across a horse (let alone more than one in a yard) who actually will regularly jump a gate and put itself in the stable if it chooses, or stand in an open stable and never venture out of the door. Where do you get horses that do that? Lol, it would save an awful lot of time and effort each day.

My horses live in all the time, and are ridden for at least an hour each day, and led out for 10 mins morning and evening. Our land isn't great, not even in summer. and most horses I have known in many different yards are keener to come in in the evenings than go out in the mornings. My horses seem content, no stable vices, ride well, and are very mannerly. So I don't consider myself cruel at all.
Also, surely a dog, living in a family home, shut in a house (whether in one room, or the whole house), especially if people are at work all day, and on a lead for walks, also has its freedom curtailed? A hamster or rabbit in a cage, a bird in a cage, isn't it all cruel in the same way as a horse in a stable?

Yes, you are quite correct. Shutting a dog in a house 23 hours a day with only an hours exercise out of the house would also be extremely unreasonable and a welfare issue. As for rabbits and birds in cages...don't get me started.

How come your horses aren't turned out? Is it just a land issue?

 

[FairyLights]

my horses love their stables and are in no rush to go out in the mornings i often have to insist. they have plenty to eat outside. but they do go out every day for 8 hrs minimum. rugged and warm

 

[twiggy2]

he is used to being protected I don't know if he has any social skills at all.
Single turnout has probably been his lot for a long time , to impose group turnout on him on a new yard might well end in injury to him or one of my existing also very precious ( to me )horses .

******THIS I AGREE WITH^
you need to get to know him******


The case of the horse you describe is not relevant that horse is clearly unsettled in it's management it needs less hard food or more work or different work or something else ,

******......he is not on any hard feed, he has been with us a year and in that time different feeds have been tried-he cannot cope with sugar or too much protein, haylage gave him hives and made him very grumpy-he is really sociable and mentally very busy, he is worked 6 days per week but if he were mine he would be doing a lot more than he does- he really needs to be out in a herd with lots of others-I have never meet such a busy brained horse in all my years with them, if you put toys etc in the field he plays with them once then is bored but if someone leaves a wheel barrow out there then he stamps on it till it is broken, he takes the slip rails down, he barges the yard gates open, he plays with the hose but only if the water is running through it creating vibrations in it.....******

It's a question , as all competition horse management is , of balancing all the priorities to get the best plan for each horse .

the purchase cost of the 3 horses/ponies where I work adds up to just shy of 50k (+a free shetland) and the 2 (1 of which is broken) girls are now living out full time together, he cannot go with them as he just does not let anything rest and the broken one is supposed to be healing-they would paste him if he ran them ragged anyway.
I agree the best plan for each horse but I believe that should be regardless of financial cost of the horse. my mare goes out with anything anywhere, she had been kept in a stable for 24 hrs per day for a year before I bought her as a 2 yr old, she was out of my friends mare but had been sold a s a yearling, she is turned out every day for at least 5 hrs regardless of weather and waits to come in but she comes in to easy food if the stable was empty she would probably choose to stay out.

 

[Goldenstar]

he was in a small group at work but the he runs everyone ragged so he gets beaten up as he wont leave them alone, he is wrecking the place because he is bored.
I agree it is different for every horse but i hate the 'my horse competes therefore it is automatically in my horses best interest to stay in 23 hrs per day and be turned out alone on the rare occasion turn out happens'

I don't think anyone has said that my horse has to stay in 23 hours a day because it's a competition horse .

 

[stormox]

How handy.
How come your horses aren't turned out? Is it just a land issue?

Yes, I only have an acre, including my house, and it is extremely difficult to rent around here. In a perfect world they would be in at night, get fed, mucked out and groomed- then ridden and turned out for a few hours before coming in.
It is much more convenient to ride a horse from a stable than it is from a muddy field too. Also, I wonder how any people whos horses are turned out all the time actually pick feet out (VERY important), and groom properly, checking for injuries etc EVERY DAY?

 

[Moomin1]

Yes, I only have an acre, including my house, and it is extremely difficult to rent around here. In a perfect world they would be in at night, get fed, mucked out and groomed- then ridden and turned out for a few hours before coming in.
It is much more convenient to ride a horse from a stable than it is from a muddy field too. Also, I wonder how any people whos horses are turned out all the time actually pick feet out (VERY important), and groom properly, checking for injuries etc EVERY DAY?

I'm a bit perplexed by this statement. The answer would be, quite easily lol. You simply catch horse, tie up somewhere, pick horse's feet out, groom, and check for injuries...daily. Job done. And in any case, horses don't need grooming daily. If living out, it's actually detrimental to groom them daily as it strips the natural protection from the coat, including mud, which is a natural protector.

But like you say, if someone doesn't want the inconvenience of having a muddy horse which they have to groom before they ride then that's up to them.

ETA, I don't agree with keeping horses when you don't have the appropriate facilities to provide their needs. If you only have one acre, and are not able to rent more, then I'm afraid IMO you should not have more than one horse. And tbh, even for one horse only, one acre is pushing it.

 

[Cortez]

As usual this has turned into the 24/7-ers VS people who stable their horses some/all of the time. In an ideal world I suppose horses would have free access to field and stable all the time, but it's not an ideal world is it? There have to be practicalities. I have in the past had stables and/or shelters open to fields; a few horses never went into their stables; some horses preferred to stay in some of the time (one reprobate only ever went in the stable to pee); one or two spent hours in, or came in at the slightest hint of "weather" - very individual choices. I do not exist to pander to my horse's whims, but I do wish to take care of him responsibly, IMO a combination of stabling and turnout is best for both the horse AND the caretaker. As long as the horse is fed appropriately, exercised enough (and this is key), and kept with sufficient, clean bedding then I believe his needs are met.

Whether the UK's animal welfare act really has relevance to the care of horses I cannot say, but I have a feeling it was not designed to dictate to responsible horse owners.

 

[stormox]

Apallingly to some people, I suppose, I have my horses for MY pleasure, I spend plenty of money on feed, hay, shoes, vets etc etc- I want to look after them as well as I possibly can, I get up at unearthly hour every morning, rush home from work in my lunch hour, and look after them before I feed myself.
I have worked/known plenty of yards and a lot of horses are stabled ALL the time.
I have seen many horses out 24 hours of a day who have rugs on that no one ever changes according to the weather. Miserable horses standing shivering in fields seeking whatever shelter they can get. horses with rain scald due to heavy NZ rugs not being taken off/changed.
My horses are always happily munching hay, dozing, lying down asleep or working. Any injury, skin complaint, whatever is instantly picked up on and treated (and I know fro other threads this isn't always the case with horses in fields).
I am sure they are 'happy' - at least as happy as a lot of turned out all the time horses! But is 'happiness' an emotion a horse feels? I tend to think horses feel contentment, or need, but that happiness is a human emotion.

 

[sport horse]

How handy. I have yet to come across a horse (let alone more than one in a yard) who actually will regularly jump a gate and put itself in the stable if it chooses, or stand in an open stable and never venture out of the door. Where do you get horses that do that? Lol, it would save an awful lot of time and effort each day.

Well Moomin I have more than one. Where do I get them. I breed them mostly. You have not come across one - well you are unlucky aren't you. Perhaps in time you will,maybe not, but please do not be so sarcastic or disbelieving of others. I have always found it better to keep an open mind and accept that there is more than one way that is right and it may not always be your way.

 

[SpringArising]

ETA, I don't agree with keeping horses when you don't have the appropriate facilities to provide their needs. If you only have one acre, and are not able to rent more, then I'm afraid IMO you should not have more than one horse.

Completely agree.

Apallingly to some people, I suppose, I have my horses for MY pleasure, I spend plenty of money on feed, hay, shoes, vets etc etc- I want to look after them as well as I possibly can

No, it's not appalling. Let's face it; we all have horses for our own pleasure. But what I despise, is the 'I pay a lot of money to keep a horse, so therefore I am going to do what's convenient for me, and if my horse's welfare might be compromised, then he'll have to deal with it' attitude.

Your horse doesn't know/care he's expensive.

I have worked/known plenty of yards and a lot of horses are stabled ALL the time.

So?

My horses are always happily munching hay, dozing, lying down asleep

Well, what else is there to do in a stable?

My horses are always happily munching hay, dozing, lying down asleep or working. Any injury, skin complaint, whatever is instantly picked up on and treated

Honestly, I'd rather see a few marks on my horses than think even for a second that they were bored stiff, spending their life standing surrounded by four walls.

For me, there's nothing better than watching a group of horses having a gallop around in the field, grooming each other and playing.

I think the least we can do for our horses, after all they do for us, is ensure their most basic need is met.

 

[express_75]

Apallingly to some people, I suppose, I have my horses for MY pleasure, I spend plenty of money on feed, hay, shoes, vets etc etc- I want to look after them as well as I possibly can, I get up at unearthly hour every morning, rush home from work in my lunch hour, and look after them before I feed myself.
I have worked/known plenty of yards and a lot of horses are stabled ALL the time.
I have seen many horses out 24 hours of a day who have rugs on that no one ever changes according to the weather. Miserable horses standing shivering in fields seeking whatever shelter they can get. horses with rain scald due to heavy NZ rugs not being taken off/changed.
My horses are always happily munching hay, dozing, lying down asleep or working. Any injury, skin complaint, whatever is instantly picked up on and treated (and I know fro other threads this isn't always the case with horses in fields).
I am sure they are 'happy' - at least as happy as a lot of turned out all the time horses! But is 'happiness' an emotion a horse feels? I tend to think horses feel contentment, or need, but that happiness is a human emotion.

This ^^
My horses are stabled as our turn out is so wet but do get to go out there when it's not so bad, they are healthy, content, get schooled, hacked, hunted, shown, left alone to be horses and as much as id love them out for most of the day and in at night, it's just not possible (at the moment) as it would cause more hassle than it's worth. Their stables all have grills so they see each other, they have the company of chickens & cats wondering around for their amusement too...

 

[debserofe]

I think it depends on the horse and the circumstances - I have an ex racehorse who, although he has the choice to leave his stable and interact with others, chooses to stay in a stable - I am lucky that, in really bad weather, I have a courtyard where my horses can all interact but have shelter available to them - my ex racer comes out of his stable and walks straight into one of my other horses' stables and then stays there for the rest of the day! It seems that a change of stable is all he needs!! I should add that all my stables are 16 by 16 with the top half of the interconnecting walls open to allow interaction (except for the one between my boys and my mare - she likes her privacy when in her stable!) I think that the size of the stable is more important than the time spent in it - if they can move around and get out into a school or whatnot to roll and stretch their legs at some point during the day, they seem quite happy to be sheltered from the elements - they can wander around the courtyard if they want but, in really bad weather, you will find them all sheltering either under the stable overhang or in any one of the stables - sometimes all in the same one!

 

[Goldenstar]

Well I say honestly I keep horses to use them, not be a form of equine slave and they are easier and nicer to use when kept on the combined system .
I really believe for horses in work / being trained the combined system offers both the horse and human the best of both worlds, although it is undoubtedly much easier on the human to have them out all the time .
I have one who only comes in to work although he costs me much more to feed than my others he costs far less in time .
He prefers out with a shed , he's quite a damaged difficult horse I think out suits him best but who knows , interestingly he spend quite a lot of his youth stalled and I wonder if that impacted on him.
I had one who did not like being out at all ,the most you get her to do was three hours in warm still weather ,she just jumped back in or stuck her leg through the gate (a sure fire way to be brought in ) .
I worked for a family that had a little Irish horse that jumped back onto the yard as well ,you often would find him back in his stable and the paddocks there where lovely he would jump away from company to come back to the yard .
My best horse used to jump into the garden when she saw me working there and lie down on the lawn close to me , I loved that it felt like a real honour .

 

[stormox]

Spring Arising, where are you? because some places have more available land with less restrictions than others.
And Moomin1 - there is a horse welfare crisis at the moment. Horses are being abandoned here there and everywhere. The rescue homes and charities are full.
If you deny normal people, who work hard, pay taxes but don't have the luxury, or ability to acquire land, or have nearby yards with turnout, the right to keep horses to the best of their ability, and those horses are perfectly fine in the way they are cared for, whats going to happen??? EVEN MORE HOMELESS HORSES

 

[eggs]

Just to weigh in to this thread

I've got five fit competition horses (advanced medium dressage and BE100 eventers). They go out in the field together at about 7.30 and come in any time before dark. They then spend the night in their own stables although they can interact with each other due to 3/4 height walls between the stables. In the summer I switch around and they come into the stable in the morning and go back out into the fields together early evening.

However I keep them at home in a static herd (ie. no new horses turning up to be integrated). What I have noticed is that the youngsters are happy to stay out in all weathers (they have access to large barns and live out 24/7) but the adult horses tend to start hanging around the gate about an hour before they are due to come in and if it starts raining they go galloping down to the gate to try to convince me they will dissolve in the rain. Fortunately my fields hold up well but I will get them in early if they start fannying around at the gate (like someone else mentioned - putting a hoof through the bars of the gate is a favourite trick).

I do think the majority of horse adapt very well to the routine they are kept in.

 

[Moomin1]

Spring Arising, where are you? because some places have more available land with less restrictions than others.
And Moomin1 - there is a horse welfare crisis at the moment. Horses are being abandoned here there and everywhere. The rescue homes and charities are full.
If you deny normal people, who work hard, pay taxes but don't have the luxury, or ability to acquire land, or have nearby yards with turnout, the right to keep horses to the best of their ability, and those horses are perfectly fine in the way they are cared for, whats going to happen??? EVEN MORE HOMELESS HORSES

Believe me, I am more than aware there is a welfare crisis. I have spent eight years working on the front line of animal welfare/cruelty/neglect cases.

The fact that there is a crisis does not mean that you or anyone else are exonerated from having to meet a horse's needs to a reasonable standard. I have no doubt whatsoever you care for your horses to an excellent standard by the sounds of it. However that doesn't make right IMO the fact that they have spend their entire lives couped up in a stable.

As far as the homeless horse situation goes, that's an entirely different subject.

But that is my humble opinion.

 

[Tobiano]

duplicate post

 

[Tobiano]

I am dead against keeping a horse on its own. I know there are a few horses who dont seem to mind this but IMO it is cruel. Thats not to say that individual turnout, where they can see other horses and interact over a fence, is cruel though.

As for stabling / turnout - again personally I believe that it is cruel to keep a horse stabled 23 hours a day unless it is for veterinary reasons.

In my (admittedly very limited compared to some of the posters on here) experience, my horses let me know if they are unhappy with their routine. My youngster was acting up without enough turnout so he has now gone out 24/7. My other horse won't go out on his own (dont blame him); hates staying in if he sees another horse put in his field, (tries to jump over his stable door: that was when he was on box rest and we had run out of sedalin - he went out!) and although he is the best natured and most well behaved horse 99% of the time, he really lets me know when he doesnt like something. Weirdly, although he wont stay in the field on his own, even if I am in there with him, he is happy to be grazed in hand next to the field and after 20 minutes or so seems to feel he has got what he needs and will happily settle in the stable. This only happens if the fields are waterlogged or his field companion is not available.

Perhaps I am lucky to have expressive horses but I think most horses show if they dont like how they are kept.

 

[GemG]

As Cortez says this has maybe turned into a stablers vs out 24/7 ers debate.

...the reality is that we ALL subject horses to an unnatural lifestyle as they are all in admittedly varying different degrees of unnatural ness -making up my own language here! But as soon as we started segregating, inflicting our routines, feeds, tacking riding and then competing on, working etc the list goes on, we, as in society have put our ideals and needs above the horses.

That doesn't mean we are all cruel. But I think we are blinkered if we think we all keep our animals the way nature intended, as we quite simply do not.

Mine are NOT kept as nature intended, this could lead to another debate about riding etc and that's not what I intend. Simply to say even me, myself fails to provide that twenty four hour herd environment etc, especially with one being a stallion, he has to be isolated to a degree, albeit he has a wife that is running with him at the mo. They are also worked etc.

Does that make me cruel. No I don't think so. ...

 

[Moomin1]

As Cortez says this has maybe turned into a stablers vs out 24/7 ers debate.

...the reality is that we ALL subject horses to an unnatural lifestyle as they are all in admittedly varying different degrees of unnatural ness -making up my own language here! But as soon as we started segregating, inflicting our routines, feeds, tacking riding and then competing on, working etc the list goes on, we, as in society have put our ideals and needs above the horses.

That doesn't mean we are all cruel. But I think we are blinkered if we think we all keep our animals the way nature intended, as we quite simply do not.

Mine are NOT kept as nature intended, this could lead to another debate about riding etc and that's not what I intend. Simply to say even me, myself fails to provide that twenty four hour herd environment etc, especially with one being a stallion, he has to be isolated to a degree, albeit he has a wife that is running with him at the mo. They are also worked etc.

Does that make me cruel. No I don't think so. ...

I would have thought it was common sense though that none of us can keep horses or any domestic animal in an environment which is identical to nature's intent.

Where it becomes debatable IMO is when it is to extremes. This could mean both keeping horses stabled 24/7 or it could mean turning out and leaving completely unhandled/unchecked for weeks on end. Both IMO are completely irresponsible and unreasonable methods of keeping horses. If we have animals, we should make sure we keep them to the best of our ability, with a happy compromise on the animal's mental and physical welfare, and on our convenience. IMO, it is not conducive to the welfare of a horse to have them couped up 24/7 with only an hour's exercise, unless it's for veterinary reasons/absolute necessity. Keeping them in permanently simply because someone doesn't have the available land to support horses is not acceptable and 'I keep my horses for my enjoyment/pleasure' is not an excuse.

 

[glamourpuss]

Horses like resting they do it in a field they do it in stables .
I simply don't get these anti stabling fundamentalists .

One of the most sensible posts I've read.
Yes stabling does make things more convenient for owners but it's not always the hideous, evil, cruel thing.

One of mine is currently stabled pretty much all the time. I'm not risking his legs in the deep clay & he wouldn't keep his shoes on & again I'm not risking knackering his feet before the event season starts. My horse, my choice.
That said because I choose to keep him this way I do everything to keep him stimulated & happy. He is worked hard with a very varied routine including lots of hacking. He goes on the walker, he is hand grazed & has lots of contact & company with other horses. He is on a busy yard so lots to watch, has constant forage & is regularly massaged & treated to keep his body supple.

I honestly don't think he would prefer to be on the postage stamp mud bath with the other horses down the road. Even if the owners do gleefully boast they don't ever stable their horses.

 

[SpringArising]

...the reality is that we ALL subject horses to an unnatural lifestyle

Exactly! So surely, the least we can do is make it as natural as possible for them?

He is on a busy yard so lots to watch

This is really not a compromise and I think it's a very poor attempt at trying to make light of a horrible situation for a horse. I wouldn't feel happy being shut in my room just because I could see lots going on outside.

I honestly don't think he would prefer to be on the postage stamp mud bath with the other horses down the road.

Do you really, honestly, in your heart of hearts, think that your horse would rather be locked in four walls, than be out in a field, in a herd with other horses, free to wander about where and when he wants?

 

[glamourpuss]

Exactly! So surely, the least we can do is make it as natural as possible for them?



This is really not a compromise and I think it's a very poor attempt at trying to make light of a horrible situation for a horse. I wouldn't feel happy being shut in my room just because I could see lots going on outside.



Do you really, honestly, in your heart of hearts, think that your horse would rather be locked in four walls, than be out in a field, in a herd with other horses, free to wander about where and when he wants?

This horse isn't stabled constantly all year round. He lives out in the summer, he was turned out in the day up until Christmas as the fields weren't deep & likely to cause injury. He does go out if the turn out isn't too deep so does go out but at the moment he does spend a lot of his time stabled with the compromises I listed. I should've been clearer in my post.
Of course, for a horse, the perfect scenario would be the one you describe but very few horses anywhere get that.
Is my horse happier than the ones I see down the road? Absolutely, hand on heart, I think yes. They literally stand around in thick gloopy mud, I see no wandering about or interaction. Just peed off horses stood with their bums to the weather chewing on hay.

When this horse goes out he has a buck & a fart, a good roll, he will graze or groom & play with his companion.

My other horses live out 24/7 as I have a great field at home that drains beautifully. If they need to come in it's into a barn separated by half height partitions into huge seperate stables.

 

[Princess16]

Yes, I only have an acre, including my house, and it is extremely difficult to rent around here. In a perfect world they would be in at night, get fed, mucked out and groomed- then ridden and turned out for a few hours before coming in.
It is much more convenient to ride a horse from a stable than it is from a muddy field too. Also, I wonder how any people whos horses are turned out all the time actually pick feet out (VERY important), and groom properly, checking for injuries etc EVERY DAY?

Mine is kept out 24/7, checked twice a day, feet hoof picked regularly but groomed only once a week in order to protect the oils in his coat because of being out which I would have thought most horse owners would know . Nevertheless his rugs are changed daily so body is fully checked then. We are all not imbeciles that keep ours out.