Keeping A Horse Stabled Is Unfair Or Is It?

Sunshine-x said:
I guess its not that different from going on a hack from somewhere though? You don't know the horses at a riding school before you ride them. The hunters know their job, you just have to let them get on with it :)
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Riding stables and trekking centres cater for all abilities. I would have thought this woulda the same to hire. Not that I ever would pay to do so, I can go for free where I am.
 
My lot love being stabled, Squire was well used to it with his former show life and then living in Cumbria where it was too wet for full turnout in winter, Heidi has been ised to being stabled with laminitis management and wee Dave must have been stabled at some point as he is quite happy to go in and lounge.
They will have duvet days and be happy and demand to get in if its miserable too.
Horses for courses and all that.
Others I've had in the past were out 24/7.
I only stable when miserable or health anyway so its not every night for winter.
 
I know Scarlet likes out and 24/7 in summer but winter...well she is no longer a tough welsh pony and does like her stable comforts when its horrid outside. They all seem fine when the whole herd are in the barn together. nice to listen to happy munching noises from all stables while rain and wind batter the place :smile:

KarinUS said:
lol
actually from the riding schools I've been to we've always been expected to get the horse in ourselves and groom and tack up. It's probably just a 'what you are used' sort of thing. :)
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Wish I'd gone to some where like that, when I bought S I hadn't ever groomed or tacked up before putting the deposit on her, me jumping in at the deep end never! :giggle:
 
We prefer them all to be out 24/7, but its not practical for us now.

Tess is better out for health reasons (COPD) and this year has had to have no medication for it at all - no coughing or heaving so far - she has been out 24/7 (rug on only once for a week at the worst period) hardly any hay as plenty of grass on the winter field - a bit of natural shelter but she tend to stand with her back to it in the middle of the field, hence why she had the rug for a week ( made us feel better!).

Acorn although sound now and lammi free for a couple of year has been left with muscle issues, only evident if he gets really wet/cold or has an injury - he spends 8 months approx out 24/7 the rest of the time he is in on a night and our during the day (December through to March ish), he has a rug on when out 24/7 if the weather is like it is now, normally he would be in but can't be as Charlie is!

Charlie seems to be susceptable to abcessing over winter - and until we have his feet right is having to come off any really wet ground - so he is now in on a night and out during the day in the top paddock where the conditions suit him - so 24/7 is a problem.

we now have a dilema in that although we have stables for them all - Tess can't come in and suffers bad seperation anxiety if on her own, so we have now taken the plunge and we are picking her up a companion on Wednesday
who has lived out 24/7 for the last 10 years at least - so hopefully next winter we will not be juggling them about.

all are natives so most would say chuck em out thats what they are designed for, maybe they are but nature has intervened and not all would survive 24/7 365 - so we make the most of it to ensure all remain healthy.
 
Lemme said:
We prefer them all to be out 24/7, but its not practical for us now.

Tess is better out for health reasons (COPD) and this year has had to have no medication for it at all - no coughing or heaving so far - she has been out 24/7 (rug on only once for a week at the worst period) hardly any hay as plenty of grass on the winter field - a bit of natural shelter but she tend to stand with her back to it in the middle of the field, hence why she had the rug for a week ( made us feel better!).

Acorn although sound now and lammi free for a couple of year has been left with muscle issues, only evident if he gets really wet/cold or has an injury - he spends 8 months approx out 24/7 the rest of the time he is in on a night and our during the day (December through to March ish), he has a rug on when out 24/7 if the weather is like it is now, normally he would be in but can't be as Charlie is!

Charlie seems to be susceptable to abcessing over winter - and until we have his feet right is having to come off any really wet ground - so he is now in on a night and out during the day in the top paddock where the conditions suit him - so 24/7 is a problem.

we now have a dilema in that although we have stables for them all - Tess can't come in and suffers bad seperation anxiety if on her own, so we have now taken the plunge and we are picking her up a companion on Wednesday
who has lived out 24/7 for the last 10 years at least - so hopefully next winter we will not be juggling them about.

all are natives so most would say chuck em out thats what they are designed for, maybe they are but nature has intervened and not all would survive 24/7 365 - so we make the most of it to ensure all remain healthy.
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Totally agree, and having the lami prone although been clear for a while she shivers like a bloody leaf when wet and cold so is always nicely rugged and stabled when really miserable. I've even had to rug her occasionally in summer too as she suffers the cold.
 
Interesting thread..I bought a book a couple of weeks ago published in 1864, and there is a whole chapter on the Evils of stabling horses!! when i get home will put some of the guys thoughts on here.
Bearing in mind in those times horses were in stalls mainly, not so-much satables as we know them now, and, a very interesting fact that was noticed is that.. in the wild horses will normally rest with there front feet lower than the back ones when they can,but, when stalled they reversed this and stood with their back legs lower!!! (stalls have a step down)
 
I know one horse and although she will stay out she prefers to be in and about the hustle and bustle of the stables with her head over the door watching the world go by.
 
newforest said:
Riding stables and trekking centres cater for all abilities. I would have thought this woulda the same to hire. Not that I ever would pay to do so, I can go for free where I am.
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Riding schools however cater for people learning to trot and canter wheras this is not an option out hunting, you need to be able to w/t/c safely and competently. We had one girl back in Jan/Feb who told us she was the dogs bollocks, could ride anything blah blah of which we were doubtful as the cocky people are always the worst we've found, and true enough, she fell off twice.. cantering!! Just cantering she literally slipped off the side. I wouldn't let a total beginner out hunting as its just not safe. All of the horses are snaffle mouthed and dont buck/rear but theres only so much you can guarantee a horses safeness. They will tend to follow the rest of the pack unless you tell them otherwise but you really do get some numptys hiring!
 
newforest said:
What do you feel, think and why based on your experience and knowledge, views.
Have these changed? Why?
Horses should live out 24.7 as naturally as possible, your thinking on this.

My circumstances have caused the biggest dramatic management change for the cob, anything I have ever known has changed, from only ever having horses living out, I now have one living in. Since this has happened I have noticed other changes as a result of this, one of them being that stabling will not kill my pony. Living out 24.7 will.
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I have limited experience but here goes...
Over the years I have realised there isn't one hard and fast rule. Eg, Joe was an older tb, he HATED with a passion rain. He begged to come in and actually relished being indoors. He was happy, healthy and mentally well too. He was a wise old bird that loved his comforts. When he became extremely poorly and couldn't go out for months he was happy. Weirdly happy. He was content to while away his hours with me for company and Storm nearby. He was happy in the tiny paddock. I know this, because I knew him like the back of my hand. So longas he got his daily roll he was just fine (used to take him to the arena nearby).

On the other hand, I know Storm really really really needs out. She willingly comes in at night, but only cos she knows there is food to be had, and it is sometimes wet and cold and windy and she thinks it willl be nice to spend a few hours in the dry. Open her door and back out she will go................

I think the ideal situation is one where you can ask them to come and go as they please, ie with field shelters or keeping their stable doors open. That is rare though, as not everybody has the luxury of stables so close that this is a viable option (on a yard this is rare).

Yes, they are meant to live out - but only to a point. Yes they do cover huge amounts of ground in a day in the wild, but, I might be wrong here but hands up on here who has a "wild" horse????????! I think we all obtained our horses from dealers or private sellers and that they were bred in captivity. (Somebody is bound to shoot me down now!).

There is a happy medium in all things - it is just finding it with horse keeping and the way we do it.
 
I like my horses out as much as possible, weather and their happiness permitting.
As for 24/7/365 living out - personally it's not for me. I like the security of knowing I have a stable if I need it in an emergency. If there's not a lot of natural shelter in your fields then standing out in driving rain and wind, even if suitably rugged, can be exhausting for the horses. Also, there are many things that could happen that would require the use of a stable - cuts that need keeping clean for risk of infection, pulls/strains, bruises, laminitis, chills....the list goes on.
Mine are stabled overnight September - May (there or there abouts) and during the worst of the weather they hardly go out at all - they are lunged, ridden or loose schooled. Currently it's like the monsoon season where I live, so today and yesterday I haven't bothered putting my horses out (except Truffs who goes out in a little paddock behind the farmhouse with the YO's old pony). The fields drain well but the sheer amount of rainfall we've had over the last few weeks have been too much for them to take and they're at risk of becoming mud baths. I can either turn out at 6.45am before work and bring in at 5pm after work, or not put them out at all so I have opted for not at all. Tommorow and Sunday they can have a few hours out and it depends on what the weather does as to whether they go out next week. I may do every other day with them until it dries up a bit. I fail to see how standing in deep mud at the bottom of the hill or battling slippy mud up the hill in the wet and wind will be beneficial to their wellbeing :smile:
 
Trewsers said:
I have limited experience but here goes...
Over the years I have realised there isn't one hard and fast rule. Eg, Joe was an older tb, he HATED with a passion rain. He begged to come in and actually relished being indoors. He was happy, healthy and mentally well too. He was a wise old bird that loved his comforts. When he became extremely poorly and couldn't go out for months he was happy. Weirdly happy. He was content to while away his hours with me for company and Storm nearby. He was happy in the tiny paddock. I know this, because I knew him like the back of my hand. So longas he got his daily roll he was just fine (used to take him to the arena nearby).

On the other hand, I know Storm really really really needs out. She willingly comes in at night, but only cos she knows there is food to be had, and it is sometimes wet and cold and windy and she thinks it willl be nice to spend a few hours in the dry. Open her door and back out she will go................

I think the ideal situation is one where you can ask them to come and go as they please, ie with field shelters or keeping their stable doors open. That is rare though, as not everybody has the luxury of stables so close that this is a viable option (on a yard this is rare).

Yes, they are meant to live out - but only to a point. Yes they do cover huge amounts of ground in a day in the wild, but, I might be wrong here but hands up on here who has a "wild" horse????????! I think we all obtained our horses from dealers or private sellers and that they were bred in captivity. (Somebody is bound to shoot me down now!).

There is a happy medium in all things - it is just finding it with horse keeping and the way we do it.
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This ^^

Stevie is exactly like that - come winter, he goes into hibernation and hates being outside for long. He hates mud (except summer puddles which are great for wallowing!) and he hates rain and he REALLY hates wind.
 
Wally said:
One thing you cannot have here is an open barn or building in winter. The roof would be off. So it's either in or out.

A lady moved here from the south of England , going to breed Arabs. Telling us how tough Arabs were and how they could survive minus 20 in the desert, blah blah, blah. When asked about where she was going to stable them she informed us they were to live out 24/7. We said that would be madness, she told us we were all mad and didn't know what we were on about.

She left the next spring having lost 3 horses in one storm. The stallion, a mare and a yearling filly. Stabling has it's place, as does turnout. All done appropriately, all done in moderation.

This is what happened to a friend's {prta cabin she was using as a field shelter on Xmas day. It was lashed down too. It was the right way up and next to the house, she found it 2 fields away. This was the same day Sparky Lily got picked up and thrown across the park and broke her finger.
Alisportacabin.jpg
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:eek: :eek:

How did they die in the storm? :cry:
 
They were found dead, I did not go into the finer points, I don't think a PM was done. It was a night of hurricane force winds with rain and sleet.

Shetlands manage fine, Icelandics manage fine. Arabs cannot cope, they need rugs and stables here, Why do people have Arabs and warm and hot blooded horses here? god alone knows.
 
God that is sad Wally. Is this a really stupid question, but do you get the bad winds up there EVERY winter? Do people have stone built stabling?
 
Oh Wally that's so sad. I guess they got hypothermia or something :cry:

I think I may give my horsies an extra hug tonight :unsure:

When I worked at Gleneagles the weather was brutal enough there, in Perthshire in Scotland. Can't imagine being where you are!
 
As others have said, I think it is a question of a routine and balance that suits certain horses.

I have kept Puz in 24/7 before now, the RS I learnt to ride on didn't have any turnout and we bought her through them, it actually helped in an odd way as she was so grossly overweight it helped to control her food. I should also add that this was the only place I had ever been so in some ways also didn't really know any better. We then moved to a yard with morning turnout in the summer but in over winter (all the surrounding yards were also like this) and it suited her down to the ground.

Since then we've been at various yards with 24/7 turnout in summer but either still in over winter or with restricted turnout. Puz has been pretty happy in all situations....but that is just the kinda gal that she is!

Inca on the other hand would struggle with a stabled 24/7 lifestyle, it's just not her! She will suck it up and put up with it for a few days if she has to, but she doesn't like it.

I think Bella will be a pretty flexible kinda horse as she matures, she had to be on 3 weeks box rest when her bog spavin first came up and she didn't complain one little bit! She was a bit lively when she came out, but nothing to write home about. I doubt she'd been in a stable before we got her, the first time we put her in with a nice clean bed and a pile of hay you should have just seen her little face, if a horse can show relief then she certainly did. Two seconds later, she was snuggled down in her bed, thoroughly happy!! She's not much different even now, as soon as she's finished eating, she's flumped out on the floor having a doze!
 
OOh Wally my poor boy can't go out for more than a few hours because of him being laminitic.If I could find 1/2 acre of red ash he'd be out all year round but sadly livery yards around here don't have the facility for lami ponies,especially as we're on cow pasture & that is all there is round here.His routine is breakfast, groom , ride,then out for approx 2hrs spring & autumn & 5hr winter 4hrs summer,all turnout in a muzzle all year round. Last year tried turning him out in a muzzle overnight once the grass had lost it's oomph,managed just over a week & he developed a very slight digital pulse at which point he came in again.Actually Wally if we came & lived with you no doubt he'd be able to live out!:wink:
 
My yard you have a paddock and how or when you keep your horses out is up to you. If they are out 24/7/365 and you trash your field you don't get another one that's it.

My boy is out 2/7 from end mid dec to end of feb this year. I know he is happy out he waits by the gate to come in to be ridden and fed and then pushes on his stable door and is very keen to get back to his field but in the winter he adapts fine to being in from 8 til 6 in the morning.

That said my old Arab was in 24/7 during the winter as she would get mud fever all up her white socks and would need vet care every winter no matter what I did. So she stayed in and was exercised every day and let in the school for a roll. She was happy.
 
I have no problem with stabling IF THE HORSE IS HAPPY. I've probably been as guilty as the next person as using the expression "tucked up in a warm, cosy stable". But if you substitute the word stable for cage, it suddenly doesn't sound so cosy... and that's effectively what it is... a restriction in a confined space. Now WE know that we have our horses' best interests at heart by sometimes insisting they remain confined.... but they don't.

Jack hates the stabling where I am. He is herd leader and the only place he can keep watch is by having his head over the door... the windows are high which is great for letting the light and ventilation in, but bad at reassuring a horse that has space issues. I insist he remains in his stable to eat his tea daily - purely because if I didn't, the little Welsh piglet that shares my field would also tuck into his dinner... and he'd let her! He copes for short bouts but really isn't happy.

There are plenty of horses that have been conditioned and enjoy the home comforts that stabling brings.... Sweetpea is one of them. Boo is now 11 days old and I have only picked up ONE poo in her paddock since he was born.... and I'm mucking out the shelter twice a day! They get shut in overnight too... for comfort and the safety of a newborn foal.
 
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