Tethered horses...what can i do?

Jemima Askin, perhaps I should have qualified my statement with the obvious. So, for the purpose of clarity, my horses don't get water or food while I am working them. Etc. Wicked, eh.
 
jemima*askin said:
I'm always interested in the statement "access to water at all times". Does this mean that you travel your horse with access to water? How? Perhaps you don't hack for more than, say 15 minutes without finding something for him to drink? What happens if you have an hour long lesson or clinic? or are warming up and then doing a dressage test? Are you happy about your horse having a good drink of water just before going XC or for a fast hack?
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Was just thinking of posting the same but you have said it better.:)

The thing about tethering (if the welfare is good) is that it's far closer to what a horse would do by choice and in the wild. Wandering around and eating grass most of the time, that hasn't been grazed constantly. Having to wait until it was time to make their way to where they could access water.

I sometimes get the feeling that finger pointing at what other people do with their horses, is a way of making people feel better about what they do with their horses, rather than welfare.
 
Maybe I can rephrase this: like the OP I would be very concerned if I believed horses within my sight were going 8 or 10 hours without access to water.
 
Again i believe that the steps OP has taken is admirable however, we cannot be certain they are going 10 hours without water as OP doesn't sit there staring out the window for 10 hours judging by her work achievements. Also regarding the tethering those saying it isn't natural or fair we could also say riding horses isn't naturual nor fair, keeping them enclosed in a field etc.

-puts hard hat on and hopes for the best-
 
tessybear said:
Again i believe that the steps OP has taken is admirable however, we cannot be certain they are going 10 hours without water as OP doesn't sit there staring out the window for 10 hours judging by her work achievements. Also regarding the tethering those saying it isn't natural or fair we could also say riding horses isn't naturual nor fair, keeping them enclosed in a field etc.

-puts hard hat on and hopes for the best-
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So do I it's good that people do phone WHW or whoever they choose if they are worried about something.
About the natural thing if you think about it theres nothing natural about most of our horses non of mine are in the least natural having been bred by man for work for century's .
 
Ancient Hacker said:
Maybe I can rephrase this: like the OP I would be very concerned if I believed horses within my sight were going 8 or 10 hours without access to water.
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And if that was accurate then she was right to contact the WHW.:)

Which is slightly different to a generalised attack on tethering which the OP hasn't done but other posters have.
 
Goldenstar said:
So do I it's good that people do phone WHW or whoever they choose if they are worried about something.
About the natural thing if you think about it theres nothing natural about most of our horses non of mine are in the least natural having been bred by man for work for century's .
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Better to be safe than sorry, it's what they are there for. :)

Oh defo i agree, our cob is far from living a natural life , she has a rug on and today she even had polos.... :D
 
Well, I'm glad the horses have been moved/watered. 10 hours is still too long though, my horses must be very thirsty as I see them drink all the time!
 
Ancient Hacker said:
I quite agree; which is why I mentioned my views on access to water, only!
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It's a bit of a bug bear of mine. We are on the edge of the NF and it drives me nuts seeing the ungrazed verges just outside the cattle grids especially when it's been a hard winter.:D

All that grass going uneaten and the council has to mow it.:eek:
 
Aarrghimpossiblepony said:
And if that was accurate then she was right to contact the WHW.:)

Which is slightly different to a generalised attack on tethering which the OP hasn't done but other posters have.
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I think it's fair enough to have a general disscussion on tethering on a thread like this.
Personally I hate it , saw too many miserable little mites tethered at one time but I also hate as much livery yards where horses are not in work and there's no turnout I think that's unacceptable.
And lots of things I am a grumpy old women .
 
There are Horses tethered in my area next to a busy road. They are moved, watered an hayed, have even seen them rugged in bad weather. I wouldn't want mine so close to a road, but can't thought the way they are looked after. Don't see a problem with it myself. Plenty of non travellers who treat their Horses much worse IMO.
 
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