Turnout for Horses
Having been a horse owner for several years now, in addition to being a lifelong equestrian, and traveling equine professional - I have had many experiences to witness a variety of management styles for horses, barns and properties.
One consistency within the horse world that I cannot wrap my mind around is the lack of turnout that is purely driven by human convenience.
Stalling horses originated for the sake of human needs and desires. It obviously makes it easier to fetch the horse, feed them and keep them safe. However, this is all done at the expense of the horses mental and emotional well-being.
Not only is being stalled stressful for a horse but any inconsistencies or deviations from a standard routine is incredibly disruptive for them. Horses rely on consistency in ALL forms.
“Stabling is more a human thing than a horse thing,” says Karyn Malinowski, PhD, professor of animal sciences and founding director of the Rutgers Equine Science Center in New Brunswick, New Jersey. “Too often horses work and then spend the rest of their time in a stall. The schedule is really for the convenience of owners, trainers and riders.”
It is not uncommon for performance and professional horses to get zero turnout. Often this is justified by the owners desire to keep them safe from injury. Whether the horses gets out of the stall for exercise or not - that does not provide them with the freedom of movement and expression that they deserve.
Impact on Social Skills
Horses who have been stalled their entire lives (take racehorse for example) often lack the social skills that are needed to be with other horses. Many adjust just fine, but for those who have lived this way for the majority of their lives, they might be more prone to developing anti-social or likely to develop separation anxiety tendencies.
This is all entirely backwards considering that horses are natural herd animals. They are social beings that rely on each other for comfort, safety, security - and fun.
Do you know where the saying “why the long face” came from?
Excuses
I have heard every reason under the sun as to why horses aren’t turned out regularly, for very long, or even at all. Many of these are driven by human convenience. Several of them are signs that that the horse has been conditioned to rely on their stall as their safety net or have other issues that should be addressed.
“We don’t have enough space to turnout all of the horses for longer than 1-2 hours per horse/group.”
”Our property just isn’t big enough to support turnouts in addition to the barn.”
”Only solo turnout is allowed.”
”They have runs on their stalls.”
“It’s raining and muddy.”
”Their hooves are going to be wrecked.”
”They’ll rip up the grass.”
”He’s happier by himself.”
”The bugs are so bad and my horse won’t keep on the fly gear.”
”My horse doesn’t like being out of his stall.”
”She just stands by the gate and paces wanting to come back inside.”
”I don’t want her to get injured, by herself, or with friends.”
”It’s difficult to feed them when they’re out together.”
”She doesn’t drink water out in the pasture.”
”My guy takes forever to catch, it’s easier to leave him in his stall.”
Risks of Stalling Horses
There is an increased risk of colic due to the lack of movement which impacts gut motility.
Stalling horses is also linked to more susceptible to developing gastric ulcers.
Studies have shown a reduction in the bone density due to lack of movement.
Poor ventilation and dust may wreck havoc on the respiratory system.
Harder to escape from a natural disaster (such as a barn fire, wild fire, hurricane, etc.).
Higher chance of developing thrush & white line separation due to the concentrated amounts of manure and urine.
Soft tissue and joint wellness suffers.
Grass Management
Prioritizing grass growth in your horses turnout, over their well-being is actually quite backwards. Horses do not need grass to survive and while it is cheaper than feeding hay (& looks nice), it might actually wreck havoc on their bodies (especially hooves) depending on the nutrient analysis and sugar content.
I urge you to reconsider your practices! It is always worth exploring other methods of horse keeping including track systems and including various gravels and footing options such as mud control systems in your horses turnout.
I’ve personally had the pleasure of seeing many horses thrive in full-time turnout with knee-deep mud through a harsh winter.
Their hooves and bodies looked unremarkable and they were incredibly happy.
