A Post to Tickle the Brain

People are so concerned with their horse's physical well-being, now-a-days (and why wouldn't we be?). There are thousands of supplements-many of which that do nothing-, special saddle pads, special blankets, heat therapy, cold therapy, horsey acupuncture, massage, chiropractors, special treatments through vets, injections, special shoes, boots--the list is almost endless. Advertisers pander to a market that is so paranoid about their horse's body; if you don't buy their product, then you don't really love your horse.

But what about their mental health?

Horses are gregarious creatures, much like us. It's hardwired into their systems. Not only do they crave attention, touch, and companionship, but horses feel safe with other horses. And unlike dogs or cats, horses place safety before food. Therefore, it stands that anything that makes them feel safe is of enormous importance to them.

Sometimes I think people forget that what makes us happy does not make horses happy. I used to board at an old Polo farm with the most gorgeous cedar wood stalls, with brass fittings, six inches of fluffy bedding, and dutch doors. At night we would bring the horses in and they would sleep tucked in for the night, out of the elements and safe in the barn.

But honestly? Those horses, terrible weather aside, would choose to stay out with their buddies every time.

There are horses all throughout the world that only get social interaction with other horses when they are foals, and when they are retired. And sometimes not even when they are retired--how many show horses do you know come with the label 'can not be turned out with other horses' because they don't know how to act?

Stalled show horses and race horses, the ones with the supplements, the special tack, the special high-dollar vets and the shoes, and fluffy bedding, are often the most stressed, mentally fried, and unhappy horses available (just take a look at ulcer statistics). And it has nothing to do with the workloads placed upon them.

The majority of people view this notion as absolutely ridiculous. The western barn at Findlay housed 300 horses, all in stalls, and the majority of these horses seemed just fine to me. A lot of them had weird habits, but you wouldn't look at them and say they were depressed. Clearly a depressed horse would look like a depressed human.

Horses have so many problems due to lack of turnout. How many times have you read on a forum: "Need ways to manage mild arthritic horse, looking for any way possible to make him comfortable. Turnout not possible so don't suggest it."

Kind of reads like an oxymoron doesn't it?

Horses have it in their makeup for three basic things:

One: They will be in a herd setting for safety and companionship.

Two: They will cover large amounts of ground aimlessly wandering.

Three: They will eat small meals almost constantly.

I don't think I need to list what stalls do to these three basic needs. Why do you think show horses have so many soft tissue problems? Newsflash--it's not the work. They should be walking some 19 hours a day.

I decided to take this post in a bit of a different direction then most people. I'm not going to go on and on about how terrible stalls are. In moderation, I really like them. Great for bad weather, vet visits, feeding time, injuries, hot weather, etc.. A few hours a day, a weekend show--it's not going to drive anyone mad. But it's usually the opposite; the horse gets designated 'turn out hours', alone, and the majority of their life is spent in a stall.

In the US (possibly other places too), solitary confinement is the most extreme sanction that may be carried out, other then the death penalty.

Read that sentence a few times before continuing on.

Prisoners are kept in private cells that are usually about 8x8, with little or partially covered windows. They get an hour of solitary exercise every day--the rest of the hours are spent alone in a room.

Out of 100 prisoners in a solitary confinement facility, 80% reported headaches. 77% reported depression. 91% were anxious and nervous.

Physiological effects include (but are not limited to): back and joint pain; deterioration of eyesight, lethargy, heart palpitations.

Psychological effects include: Depression, including 'emotional bluntness'--a loss of the ability to have 'feelings'; social withdrawal; short attention span; memory loss; poor concentration.

One prisoner writes about the boredom:

"Boredom is a major enemy. Sensory deprivation is a way of life. There is simply nothing to do. Sit in your bathroom alone with none of your intimate possessions and try to imagine years of it, week after week."

From National Geographic, in their series about solitary confinement:

"The brain processes loneliness in the same area as physical pain. Being cut off from others can hurt so much that people will go to extremes in order to connect."

There is so much information and studies out there on solitary confinement. Horses' brains are less complex, and I would not suggest that horses go through all of these problems. For instance, the human brain can dwell on the future, and not knowing the extent of their solitary time can make all symptoms worse. Horses live day-by-day. But I throw it out there to show the importance social interactions have to people--and to horses. Just because something is more convenient for us, does not make it right or acceptable for the horse. They're always clean, they don't have bite marks, you don't have to go chasing horses through pastures, it's faster, you don't need nearly as much space.

Do you think the horse cares for any of those reasons?

Think back on those rank stallions we all hear about. Think back on that 'really difficult' horse that went to the auction, or those young horses that 'just don't have the attention span'. How many of them were completely stall kept? How many stallions, when let into a pasture for turnout, pace the length of the fence for other horses (mares or not?)?

I always think about the quality of life for my horses--I want them to be happy in their job as much as they are in their downtime. Imagine living a life of just complete boredom in a box for years.

I used to have no problem having my horses stall-kept. But now that they are on almost 24-hr turnout, I see them curious every day. I see them play, I see them amble, I see them carry soccer balls around the pasture and 'pass it off' to the other horse. They groom each other in the early morning; Odie shares his grain with the chickens, the goats... anyone who would like to nibble. I see them roll, sleep on each other, move, learn, and interact in ways that are just not possible in stalls.

And in good conscience, I can't justify taking all that away from them--just for the boredom factor alone.