27/07/2023
Your horse does not love his stable. Sorry.
A few weeks ago I shared this post and it went viral. It reached 1572985 people.
Due to this reach, unsurprisingly I saw alot of comments along these lines
"My horse loves his stable"
"He waits at the gate to come in"
"You don't know my horse, he hated living out"
"My horse would be dead if i didn't stable him"
For some of you, stabling is likely your only option. I understand how hard it is when you are on a livery with certain rules and management practices, and I also understand if you are doing it for welfare reasons. No horse should be stood in knee high mud, or subjected to lush grass when they are lami prone and a stable is a good way of preventing this.
However. Have you ever thought there might be a better way?
For me, shutting my horse in a stable without free choice is just not something I am ever willing to consider again.
This started when I was lucky enough to have my horses at home for the first time, around 2012.
I remember one night I decided to go out and see my horses in their comfy beds at around 10.30/11pm. I strolled over in my pajamas, opened the barn gate and was shocked to be greeted by neighs and empty haynets.
I didn't turn out till 6-7am the next day... That meant another 7-8 hours of standing in a square with nothing to eat. Horses only sleep for a few hours a day, so the time they spend in a stable is mostly stood still, staring at four walls.
Yes we can improve this by adding enrichment, slow feeder haynets, multiple haynets spread around the stall, a window to touch the horse next door etc, but is this really all enough?
No, its not.
There is no other large companion animal we subject to this kind of imprisonment too. Yes some of you might crate our dogs overnight, but dogs need even more sleep than us and sleep through the night. They aren't designed to move miles a day or eat constantly.
It's no wonder we have horses exhibiting so many stress behaviors in a stable. Weaving, cribbing, box walking or losing their minds completely and thrashing around. Arguably one of the worst coping mechanisms is shutting down, which is exactly what my horse used to do. He would stand, facing the back wall completely still and silent. Giving off the impression that he was fine, when he was far from it.
The humanizing part of me LOVED my horses in stables. They were clean, they had their comfy beds, and when I first brought them in they seemed happy to be there. Munching on their hay and standing quietly while I brushed them and changed rugs. They even waited at the gate to come in.
Ever thought why your horse waits at the gate?
Ever thought its because their field is lacking something? Or because they are very easy to get into a routine? Or because they are positively reinforced by food when they do come in?
Try putting the things your stable offers outside... Make sure there is ample forage, friends (other horses!!), shelter and give them their feeds outside. Leave the stable door open and give them the choice WHEN to be in, and how long for.
Often horses wait at the gate as there paddock lacks these things. They know they will get a feed and hay in their stable, but this does not mean they want shutting in there for hours on end. Horses don't think into the future, so they don't think 'if i come into that stable now it means I'll be in there for hours, better not'.
My mission is to educate people so they learn that stables are not enough and there is a better way. We are depriving these animals from how they are designed to live. Constantly moving and foraging and being with other horses.
Anthropomorphism is so dangerous. This means the apply human values onto an animal, and its exactly what people where doing in most of the comments on that post.
I don't want to hear your excuses for why your horse loves his stable or how its your only option, I want to challenge you to ask yourself why you feel the need to defend yourself? And challenge you to consider another way.
As I state in my book:
"For all the horses that suffer from being confined to stables, without adequate forage, freedom or friends"
Shameless plug: buy my best selling book and learn how to make your horse an enriching environment that fullfills them both mentally and physically. TURNOUT INTO A BIG FIELD IS NOT THE ANSWER.
Horse Track Systems: A 'How To' Guide to a Healthier Horse in Body and Mind https://amzn.eu/d/13hSSMr
Follow my page to keep learning. Your horse will thank you 🙏
Artist of drawing (shared with permission)
https://instagram.com/trailtrotterdesign?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
