Just spotted this in the Guardian yesterday-
At Nottingham Trent University they have conducted some research that indicates that horses stabled excessively in darkened conditions may suffer from SAD?
Yet another reason to convince people that horses ought to do what horses do best and live out!
Helen
I saw this in the mirrior and was quiet interested, anyone who goes on the ihdg recently will probably be aware how much I dislike stables. I agree its definatly another resaon to turn horses out, it also raises questions for people who stable horses by day in summer.
I saw it in the Mirror too and would also be interested to see the full research paper if anyone knows where to get it from.
It is very interesting reading but I did wonder how many other factors where playing a role in the 'moodiness' that the horses apparenly showed when stabled. The article I read said that the research was carried out in riding schools - I wonder if any other research was done into other types of yards.
I too am for horse being out in fields as much as possible, however I accept that in some circumstances this is not always possible. In these cases I believe management is the key to keeping our horsey friends from suffering depression. A lot can be done to a stable to make it more interesting than a box, for a horse. Toys can be added, food balls, branches for nibbling, hay can but scattered on the floor, where possible windows can be put between stables, they should be exercised and mentally stimulated as much as possible.
At present my horse only gets stabled on winter nights but he has been stabled 24/7 in winter months on previous yards. There have been occasions when I have found him to get depressed (I am not sure I would suggest this was SAD but possibly lack of mental stimulation), but through trial and error, experimenting and using my imagination I have combated that through a programme of exercise and keeping his stable as interesting as possible.
Ideally every horse should be given as much turn out as they need and want (I say this becasue in winter my boy is more than happy to come in out of the cold and snuggle down in his play pen!), realistically not every area is able to offer such luxuries - maybe yards have old fashioned mind sets, maybe (is was the case in the area I moved from) the ground was not suitable for 24/7 turn out becasue it became too boggy and dangerous, maybe land is seperatedm, but there is no excuse for not making whatever environment a horse lives in as mentally stimulating and comfortable as possible :O)
I shall have to make an effort to read this/ look it up. I had observed that there are two stables on my yard which are completely indoors, in what to me seems a very dark area even in broad daylight. I haven't spent a winter there yet so I will be interested to see how the horses which are stabled there change. Will try and remember to add to this in 6 months!
Hi there, I've emailed the people that did the research asking for more details, will let you know how I got on. I think it was somewhere in Nottingham, can't remember where, I did a search on Google.
I have to say that in my experience when given unlimited access to turnout, shelter and stables with ad lib feed available and suitable places to lie down available both out and in, horses tend to chose not to spend much time in at all.
I think some horses often appear to enjoy going in because the stable is a source of food for them.... it always interests me to see what happens when routines are changed.
Anyway I'll let you know what i hear, if anything.
Helen
The depth perception comment came from a horse and hound article (which I don't normaly read but happened to pick up) from at least a year ago, I'm afraid I no longer have the magazine but maybe a google search would highlight it. Or you could try ringing horse and hound and asking for the 2003 issue were they ran a feature on natural management.
The comment also came from my personnel experience of horses who I've know that have been kept extensivly stabled. They seem much more iclined to bang their heads on walls and fences than turned out horses and I have seen a few horses have fairly serious falls when they literaly diddn't see dips in the ground that turned out horses would have avoided easily.
When I got my horse she'd been kept in an american barn for 3 months as she'd come over from ireland in the foot and mouth crisis and the dealer/farmer haddn't been selling scince (I bourght her from devon and live in cornwall) she was in poor condition and really miserable. When I got her home a week later she went out in a 5 acre field with two others and for the first few days stumbled and tripped up over rocks and stones constantly. She also bumped into you when takeing food or being led. Fortunatly she quickly improved once she was out and has been fine ever scince.
Was the stumbling due to lack of depth perception though or was it due to proprioception probelms possibly brought on by confinement or it could also be lack of familiarity with uneven ground.
Any scientists how there able to explain in lay terms how depth perecption would be negatively impacted by confinement.
pit ponies and rag and bone men's horses. Were they all depressed or did the stimulation of their work, the obvious affection between the two species of workers, offset depression? I do think we all have this rose coloured glimpse of what we think is best for the horse, sunny fields, galloping around with head and tails high. A beautiful picture. But on the other hand there are horses turned out all year, with no attention, no stimulation so what use is turnout to them? I think, as in all things, it depends!
often you see pix in newspapers from other countries where half starved horses/ donkeys are overloaded , wearing ragged harnesss made out of old chains etc ... but they are following their ( impoverished ) owners without any bridle or halter ...
Perhaps happier than the dressage champion stabled 24 / 24 in a cage type stable ?
Sutton's post made me remember the trip to a coalmine back in my school days. It was one of the last working mines in the North West and contained two shetland pit ponies that were quite old. They had remained underground as it was thought that taking them up after so many years below (they were born underground and I think were about 30) would cause them severe distress/illness, as they would find it too difficult to cope with UV light. I was only 11yrs old, so can't really remember their 'state of mind', but they were certainly paid a lot of attention!