Have been meaning to ask for opinions on this since i saw an article in a horse mag before christmas urging horse owners to try and keep the horses normal routine over christmas.
How important is it for a horse to have a particular routine?
Can they be badly affected by a change in daily routine? How dramatic does this change need to be?
And if routines are important, and disruption is quite negative, then how do we minimise this in difficult circumstances (e.g. car breaks down on way to yard, or a family emergency?)
I tend to keep my horse in as little of a routine as I can, as if kept in a very orderly routine he gets extremely grumpy when you change it (even for one day). E.g if he was always fed when brought in, but one day I decide to ride first, we get major stroppage. So I always vary the time of day I go up, the order/combination of things I do (some days i just feed, some days i groom whilst feeding, some days i ride first). It is easier to do as he lives out.
Just after opinions on how important people feel it is
How important is it for a horse to have a particular routine?
Can they be badly affected by a change in daily routine? How dramatic does this change need to be?
And if routines are important, and disruption is quite negative, then how do we minimise this in difficult circumstances (e.g. car breaks down on way to yard, or a family emergency?)
I tend to keep my horse in as little of a routine as I can, as if kept in a very orderly routine he gets extremely grumpy when you change it (even for one day). E.g if he was always fed when brought in, but one day I decide to ride first, we get major stroppage. So I always vary the time of day I go up, the order/combination of things I do (some days i just feed, some days i groom whilst feeding, some days i ride first). It is easier to do as he lives out.
Just after opinions on how important people feel it is