Keeping A Horse Stabled Is Unfair Or Is It?

newforest

newforest

Well-Known Member
Mar 15, 2008
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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.
 
SOME horses should live out 24/7, here it would kill them. SOME should be stalbed in foul weather.

I would not keep horses if they could not have at the very least 12 hours a day turn out in winter and 24/7 in summer if they wanted it. I think the most important thing is ton have the turnout available all the time.

Ljosfaxi would not thank you for a stable, he hates it,
 
I don't care either way, whatever works. However if I had no access to stables whatsoever I would find it very hard to get 6 hunters clean, plaited and on the lorry before 9am!!
 
Neither of mine would thank you for stabling them - even for a few hours. They like the doors to be left open so that they can decide whether they want to be in or out

Am finding it hard at the livery yard as they are out 24/7 and dont have a shelter to use - bet they cant wait to come home

I know a horse who lives in pretty much 24/7 but he is elderly and has cushings amongst other things - he's more than happy to be in
 
Being on a yard is useful for me. Our summer field only has natural shelter but the winter has a lovely warm and dry barn to go in and out.
Learning how to make a bed was the first bit of fun! I made it and groom kindly pointed out I may want to look at the other beds she had done, I took this on board and now my cob has a bed that does the job. To start I think she sank, deep didn't really come close!
I may have over 20years experience around horses but even the riding schools had the old stalls and no bedding.
I didn't need to make a bed for my exam just discuss types of bed. Think would have failed if I had done :giggle:
 
It has it's place for certain horses I guess but I'm very anti stabling. If I had to, I'd rather have a big barn area inside for him and let him choose what he wants. Stables just seem so small and boring for such big animals.
 
Sunshine-x said:
I don't care either way, whatever works. However if I had no access to stables whatsoever I would find it very hard to get 6 hunters clean, plaited and on the lorry before 9am!!
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6 on your own before 9am!! what on earth time do you get up!


I personally would not keep a horse in 24/7 ( unless for medical reasons)
 
Out as much as possible in a suitable herd. There are circumstances where I'd stable if needs be but my preference is to make being out 24/7/365 work.
 
Our young TBs make it very clear that a run around for a few hours is ok on a fine day but will stand with doors open saying no thanks to going out if it is damp...only tried once leaving them out overnight...they broke the fence back into the yard and took themselves to bed.

On the other hand we have many who live out all year round.

There is no right or wrong way just the way that suits the horse you have.
 
Stabling is an essential part of our routine, and my horses are generally quite happy to come in and spend time in theirs, especially in the winter. I stable for as little as I think I can get away with, usually to maximise hay intake when the grass isn't growing, or minimise grass intake when it's growing fast. I never keep them in for longer than 12 hours out of 24, and they see their stables as somewhere pleasant where they get nice things and are content to spend time in them.
 
Our pony Zeb hates being in, cribs, box walks and rears up at the door, if in for any length of time also becomes very difficult to handle, well more difficult I should say.

I think the other 4 could handle it as long as food and company were at hand, not a life I would choose for them though.

I get a great deal of pleasure watching my lot in the field, their funny little ways, for example if one rolls all the rest quickly decide they need a roll too, most things are a group activity.
 
Flipo's Mum said:
It has it's place for certain horses I guess but I'm very anti stabling. If I had to, I'd rather have a big barn area inside for him and let him choose what he wants. Stables just seem so small and boring for such big animals.
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Yes I used to be anti stable. I have always had mine living out with suitable shelter, feed and rugs.
But, never had to stable for health reasons.

Being in allows me to monitor hay intake, if out sharing you foot really know who gets what. It will also allow her feet to dry out being barefoot. I hope that in the next month her grazing will be allowed to be increased to where she is out all the time. Not got to winter yet, depends on results and weight.
I have got used to having her in and she was stabled overnight from birth by previous owners.

When out she has 20 acres with mixed herd of 10. Definitely enjoys her time out.
 
Denbenj said:
6 on your own before 9am!! what on earth time do you get up!


I personally would not keep a horse in 24/7 ( unless for medical reasons)
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I try to clean all the tack, bath everyone and plait at least half up the night before so that in the morning I only have 2 or 3 to plait, then I can wash off stable stains, put on tail bandages and tack up to have them on the lorry for 9. If I get up at 6 I can manage it, but its the tacking them all up that takes the time! :)

If I plait all 6 before 9am I have to have someone else dealing with stable stains and doing all the tacking up!
 
I'm pretty anti-stabling too. If you replace the word 'stable' with the word 'cage', which is effectively what it is, it doesn't sound so nice.

Although I do think I would struggle without any access to a stable or shelter at all. I do use it occasionally, but not to stay in.
 
I'd love Raf to live as naturally as possible, however he has other ideas. He loves his stable and likes to watch what's going on in the school, which is in the same barn. He was kept in (being entire and on a stud) before I got him, so I suppose he's just in his comfort zone.

However, I do keep trying to get him out and socialising more but he can't seem to get on with other horses so is usually turned out on his own and every time someone passes his field he comes running to the gate asking to be brought in.

Last year we managed to get him out in a herd of four geldings but he spent all his time moving the other horses about - he guarded the water and the gate too. After a couple of weeks he became ill with a virus and had to be brought back in to get some rest, so it wasn't a great success and we haven't repeated the experiment yet - may have another go if the weather ever picks up and the fields are decent. But then again, if he hassles the other horses he could get a nasty kick and obviously I don't want that either! He's already had one to his chest - if it had been his leg it could have been broken, he's so small and dainty compared to the others.

On the other hand there are horses on the yard that hate being stabled, and YO keeps her brood mares out 24/7 365 days a year. If they come in to foal they go out again as soon as possible - YO thinks that's healthiest for both mum and baby.
 
Last year we managed to get him out in a herd of four geldings but he spent all his time moving the other horses about
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Put him out with a couple of old mares, they will teach him his manners and tell him what's what.
 
I don't think it's "unfair" or cruel to keep a horse stabled but I don't consider it to be ideal either. Personally I prefer horses to have a more natural lifestyle if possible, and my personal definition of "natural lifestyle" includes full-time or almost-full-time turnout. Mouse lives out 24/7/365 and I definitely want to keep it that way, because he's happy and healthy and it works for him - and I have absolutely no doubt that he will continue to be happy, he has now survived a long winter living out in the snow / heavy rain / sub-zero temperatures with no rug so I don't expect he will suddenly start to struggle with living outside :giggle: I don't want him to live in a stable so I will always do my best to ensure that I don't have to!

However, I'm fully aware that living out full-time or almost-full-time doesn't work for some horses (or owners) and sometimes full-time stabling is the more suitable option. If I found myself owning a horse who couldn't or wouldn't live out for whatever reason, I would be fine with keeping him stabled BUT would make sure that he had plenty of physical and mental stimulation to avoid him getting bored / stressed - taking him out for exercising obviously, and grooming / handling / groundwork, and turnout even if just for an hour, and also giving him things to eat and play with in the stable. I don't have a problem with horses living in, providing they receive adequate stimulation (and some horses will need more than others). What I don't agree with is horses living in and not "doing" anything.

Over here it's quite normal for horses on yards to live in, and to have a more "artificial" lifestyle. Riding horses tend to be stabled and not get a great deal of turnout. There are horses who live out, but most of them are youngstock / broodmares / retired horses / horses who are ridden once in a blue moon - around here at least it's unusual to find a leisure horse in regular work who lives out 24/7. I do agree that horses are "made" as outdoor animals, but in some places this simply isn't a part of horsekeeping culture and I fully accept that things are different in different places.

We have 14 boxes on the yard and those horses all live in. We have 7 individual paddocks at the yard, which means we can get them all turned out each day, half in the morning and half in the afternoon. They are only out for around 3 hours though, but this is what they're used to and happy with so it's not like it does them any harm. In addition they are also exercised twice a day (either ridden, lunged, loose-schooled or put on the treadmill) - this means they have time to stretch their legs and things to keep them occupied, it's not like they're in a stable for 24 hours without any physical or mental stimulation.

If there is one day we don't do anything with them - for example if we're having a day out (which is very rare btw!), or when it was snowy/icy and we couldn't ride or turn out because of the ground conditions, or Christmas Day when we gave ourselves a holiday - they are perfectly settled in their stables all day as long as they have hay to nom. Many of them will just lie down and sleep. But the following day they will be showing signs of impatience & when they get their turnout they bomb around like lunatics, have a good roll and generally make the most of it. They are never "abandoned" like this for more than 1 day and I wouldn't find that acceptable.
 
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I like my horses to live out 24/7.

Note: I say 'I Like' My ponies on the other hand seem to say 'I don't like!:giggle:

Harvey was used to being stabled 24/7 when i bought him. I tried to make him live out but tbh he just couldn't cope and still doesn't. We have got it so he will live out in the summer but in the winter he loses far too much weight and gets extremely grumpy and miserable. He doesn't grow a proper winter coat so is clipped anyway. (either grows one not much thicker then a summer coat or grows one that looks fluffy but is not waterproof so when it rains he gets soaked to the skin) He also gets very 'tired' to the point of foal yapping and blinking his eyes rapidly. So this year and from each year on now he will live in at night during the winter. He loves his stable and like eml's tb will often stand at the back and refuse to come out! (but he still does even if i have to drag him to the field) In the summer he does live out but still has hay as well as grazing and still gets a small feed a day to keep him a ok weight.

Ellie was used to being in at night when i got her and this winter being our first she has done a mixture of living out and being stabled overnight. She is living out at the moment. Again she is quite a poor doer although does grow a nice coat so will see how she goes next year but she will probably come in at night with harvey and live out in the summer lami permitting.
 
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