What is wrong with tethering?

[Shilasdair]

Hi
Tethering horses is perceived to compromise horse welfare, but is this really the case?
Does it compromise welfare in terms of increased physical injury?
Are there behavioural welfare issues (relating to the 'five freedoms') due to lack of interaction with conspecifics?

You could argue that a lone field kept horse, is subject to exactly the issues of boundary and injury. So why is this more acceptable?
Discuss
S

 

[jrp204]

I think their are far worse 'abuses', 24 hr stabling with little or no exercise being one of them.

 

[MDB]

Hi
Tethering horses is perceived to compromise horse welfare, but is this really the case?
Does it compromise welfare in terms of increased physical injury?
Are there behavioural welfare issues (relating to the 'five freedoms') due to lack of interaction with conspecifics?

You could argue that a lone field kept horse, is subject to exactly the issues of boundary and injury. So why is this more acceptable?
Discuss
S

In my wee corner of the world horses are taught to be tethered from a young age and are quite accustomed to it. I don't like to see a horse continually tethered up for days, weeks or months on end (which I do see here), but personally I don't have a problem with tethering for short periods. Incidentally, I had to tether my riggy gelding last year whilst we looked for a companion for him as he would repeatedly jump my and my neighobur's electric fence and I was concerned he was going to seriously injure himself. if they are taught from a young age and are calm and accustomed to being tethered then I see no problem.

 

[Dry Rot]

Back in my youth (>60 years ago!), I didn't have horses but my friends kept ponies tethered. I did ask about this as I was curious and I was told they get used to it and quite clever at not getting caught up. But they were checked several times a day and woe betide anyone who didn't check their ponies. Personally, I don't see a problem and it could be a solution to obese ponies over eating. Are the welfare organisations protesting? I thought they didn't bother if the animals were in good physical condition? Mental health doesn't seem to matter. A woman went on holiday locally leaving a dog on a chain for three months with someone attending once a day. The SSPCA had to be kick started to do anything.

 

[booandellie]

Tethering removes their option for fight or flight and horses as a rule choose flight. How about tethering yourself for a few days and see what it is likeif you are of the opinion it isn't so bad!!

 

[Equi]

I think it depends on the horse. My mare would happily tether and stay very calm about it if not a little grumpy. My gelding would have himself wrapped up in a bow in about 6 seconds and then sit and wait for help. I don't think i would ever be happy tethering a stallion.

 

[Cobbytype]

This is something I've pondered from time to time as I see both sides of the coin in my locality.

There is a large travelling community in and around my local town, so there's also a lot of horse tethering. From a positive point of view, we have local traditional gypsies who travel through the villages during the summer months. The horses pull the bow top wagons at a steady pace and are then tethered on wide grass village verges the remainder of the time. The horses are clean, healthy and well cared for, and I always think it must be a lovely life for a traditional cob - they are with their owners for the vast majority of the day, they are clearly cherished, they get fresh, natural grazing each day and lead an interesting life. The gypsies are known locally and there are many homes and farms that allow them to fill water containers for their horses.

Then we have the other horses that are tethered in our local town. The favourite place is on the edge of a council estate. It's a very busy road with a 60mph speed limit, the grass verge isn't wide, so the horses are within a metre of the road and their owners are seldom present. The tethered horses have to endure the local thugs throwing stones, taunting and frightening the horses; there have been a few instances of fireworks being thrown at the horses. And because the horses are so spooked, more often than not they kick their water buckets over. It's a sad and worrying sight. Their are some lovely horses, but generally they look thin and unhappy. The police do sometimes intervene, but within a few weeks the horses reappear and the whole sorry tale starts again. The police did have a serious purge a few months back and most of the horses disappeared, but over the past month or so they are back again.

It's a difficult one isn't it. In an ideal world tethering would be fine, but in reality I'd be inclined to think that tethering should only be allowed if the horse owners are present (within sight) of the horses. Sadly, there are too many morons around these days to make tethering a safe option.

 

[YorksG]

Tethering removes their option for fight or flight and horses as a rule choose flight. How about tethering yourself for a few days and see what it is likeif you are of the opinion it isn't so bad!!

How is that different, in effect, from a horse being in a stable, no more space to move (possibly less) than when tethered?

 

[kassieg]

I have an issue with it purely for mental reasons because they most get bloody bored being in such a small space & having no interaction with other horses. I also have an issue because a lot of the horses around here are tethered in dangerous places. There are however 1 group of travellers who use a large field near my dads work set back from the road, the horses are well looked after on long ropes always have water, & in the winter get hay & carrots as well. Sometimes the youngsters are even rugged if they are a bit thin ! - this although I wouldn't keep my horses like this isn't neglectful.

I have just as much of an issue with people who keep horses in 24/7 in winter. There is no way that it is right & riding for an hour does not make up for it. Even a couple of hours of turnout every day makes such a huge mental impact on a horse. I know because my old pony is proof of it. He was a renowned "nutter" couldn't get on him outside the school or he would rear & ****** off etc (I had him on loan at a yard & wasn't allowed to move him & they were in from October to April) no turnout allowed in the schools either. When I bought him I moved him straight away & 2 months down the line he was a different pony. 6 months later he started teaching my friend to jump, that his how much of a difference a bit of winter turnout makes

 

[Goldenstar]

It's perfectly possible to tether well the issue is most of the time it's not being done well .
Provided shelter ( from flys and weather ) water and plenty exercise is provided I think there's much worse ways to keep a horse and as long as the tether is moved about.
It's not how I would keep my horse but then I would not keep a horse in half an acre of mud and weeds and call it turnout and that seems to be the norm in lots of places .

 

[booandellie]

Yorks g, i@m sorry i don't know how to do the quote thing but in reply , i don't think being stabled 24/7 is any better and strongly disagree with that but the question was about tethering. Apart from the fight/flight issue they also cannot find shelter from heat, flies or rain. i have seen them being chased by dogs and it is upsetting. I am sure there are those that move the tethers regularly and try to be responsible about it but i have also seen them tethered in the middle of roundabouts and on the whole they are neglected mentally and physically

 

[Prince33Sp4rkle]

It's perfectly possible to tether well the issue is most of the time it's not being done well .
Provided shelter ( from flys and weather ) water and plenty exercise is provided I think there's much worse ways to keep a horse and as long as the tether is moved about.
It's not how I would keep my horse but then I would not keep a horse in half an acre of mud and weeds and call it turnout and that seems to be the norm in lots of places .

this exactly.

its not the tethering, its how its being done and in what conditions. The actual rope collar is not the issue!

 

[Kaylum]

Some are at the side of very busy roads, its a danger to traffic and the poor horse if it gets free or even set free. Most are not tethered correctly I bought mine lad from an allotment had been tethered using a headcollar. Had a massive bleeding sore on his cheek which needed attention. Many of these people are unable to pay vets bills so ignore whats going on.

Kids also go up to tethered horses thinking they are ok or even worse throwing stones, the poor animals have no way of escaping. Plus paddocks are hopefully looked after, would you let your horse grazing on any old land not knowing what has been sprayed on it or if there is ragwort. If you haven't got the facilities don't have a horse. Its quite simple.

I live in York and its actually got a lot better due the recent accidents, but now we have fly grazing where travellers are fly grazing in any field. This is potentially as bad as tethering. Horses with strangles have been let into fields with healthy horses, gates have not been put back on properly so horses have got out onto roads again.

 

[Dry Rot]

Some are at the side of very busy roads, its a danger to traffic and the poor horse if it gets free or even set free. Most are not tethered correctly I bought mine lad from an allotment had been tethered using a headcollar. Had a massive bleeding sore on his cheek which needed attention. Many of these people are unable to pay vets bills so ignore whats going on.

Kids also go up to tethered horses thinking they are ok or even worse throwing stones, the poor animals have no way of escaping. Plus paddocks are hopefully looked after, would you let your horse grazing on any old land not knowing what has been sprayed on it or if there is ragwort. If you haven't got the facilities don't have a horse. Its quite simple.

I live in York and its actually got a lot better due the recent accidents, but now we have fly grazing where travellers are fly grazing in any field. This is potentially as bad as tethering. Horses with strangles have been let into fields with healthy horses, gates have not been put back on properly so horses have got out onto roads again.

With all due respect, the problems you have high lighted would also be an issue if these owners kept there horses in small temporary enclosures (taped mini paddocks?) so the issue is not so much the tethering but how and where it is done. In the circumstances you've described, I'd be anti too -- but that's not really the question, is it? So I see nothing wrong in tethering per se so long as all other welfare issues are addressed.

 

[rowan666]

I think their are far worse 'abuses', 24 hr stabling with little or no exercise being one of them.

^ agree with this 100% but then i would never tether a horse either, well not as long term arrangement anyway though i have certaintly felt like doing it to my pain in the arse shire who walk through fences for fun in the past but honestly would rather have PTS than have him live out his days so restricted (luckyily managed to loan him to someone with mains electric fencing) but i can see how short term/part time basis it may be a usefull and viable option for many reasons

 

[Polos Mum]

Bransby (a lovely national charity) this week rescued a tethered horse - look fine from a distance but apparently the smell was horrific - headcollar was embedded in his head - must have been so painful - there's some nasty photo's going round facebook trying to trace the owners and their website has a piece on it .

As others have said - like most stuff in the horse (and wider) world! Done well there is no problem - but it's difficult to do well and easy to do very badly

 

[ycbm]

How is that different, in effect, from a horse being in a stable, no more space to move (possibly less) than when tethered?

I think that a horse in a stable knows that it is safe from predators, because predators don't come through walls, a tethered horse doesn't.

I have no problem with teetering as part of a genuine traveler lifestyle where they have a lot of exercise and are tethered close to their wagon. I hate seeing horses tethered with no supervision and I would like to see it banned.

 

[Woolly Hat n Wellies]

When I was very little we used to tether my first pony on the grass at the side of the drive, as it's open to the drive and crop fields, unfenced, and he used to do a great job of keeping the grass tidy. He'd be moved about til he'd got it all, he could see the other ponies in the field next to the drive, and obviously he had shelter, water, fly spray, regular checks, etc, etc. He was absolutely fine, but then he was absolutely bombproof, aged somewhere between 20 and 100, and never in his life showed any desire to move faster than he absolutely had to, or at all if it could be helped. I wouldn't tether any of my current lot, because I know they wouldn't deal with it.

There's a coloured cob tethered near to my work, on the side of a busy roundabout. Yes the road is very busy, but the horse always has water, is close to a line of trees for shelter, poo seems to be picked daiyl (at least, I've never seen more than one or two), and when the weather is wet or exceptionally hot, he disappears. He is tethered on a collar but wears a headcollar with big thick sheepskin-type pads on the nose and over the head. He's not spotless by any means, but is in good condition and has a lovely natural gloss to his coat. He always looks totally contented, munching away, every time I drive past.

I think tethering is fine, provided the horse is well cared for and checked regularly, and is of the right temperament and experience to cope with it.

I can't agree that a horse is better off or feels safer in the stable, having been almost flattened by my horse freaking out in the stable because he saw a deer in the field opposite (I despair, I really do...). He definitely didn't feel safe, but he has seen deer running through his field and met them out hacking, and been totally unconcerned.

As with so many things, I think you have to know your horse, and what it will and won't be happy with. Tethering works for some ad not for others. Neglect, on the other hand, is unforgivable.

 

[Polos Mum]

http://www.bransbyhorses.co.uk/news/news-recent.html#Melvin

We might all drive past a horse looking like the first picture and think all was OK - can you imagine how he looked that good while being in so much pain !

 

[Cinnamontoast]

Bless, his hoof is cracked virtually all the way up! It's not the tethering that was the issue, he's been horribly neglected.

 

[Fun Times]

Things that upset me about tethering:

1. If the horse has a wound (e.g from the headcollar being embedded).
2. If the horse gets its legs tangled and is unchecked for lengthy periods.
3. If the horse has no access to shelter.
4. If the horse has no access to water.
5. If the grazing is unsuitable.
6. If the area is unsafe in some way (bits of rubbish on floor, in the middle of the A1 etc.

Things that upset me about horses kept in fields:
See above. Exactly the same issues arise. Its not the method of keeping them, it whether or not they are properly looked after.