15/12/2025
Things that should not still be controversial heading into 2026 but are:
1. Horses are social herd animals and being able to socialize with other horses is a key component for their welfare. When they are unable to do so, their welfare suffers.
2. Horses are made to be MOVING. Excessive confinement, especially when paired with isolation, is damaging. Confinement and inability to move increase colic risks, make horses more unpredictable and difficult to handle and also impact overall wellbeing. Stalling is well studied and when horses are stalled in excess, there are many physical and mental health problems associated with it.
3. Horses are trickle feeders. They’re meant to be intaking food on a near constant basis. Even with horses who have a tendency to gain weight easily, we need to find means of enabling access to forage for most of the day. This can be done with slow feed nets and other means of slowing hay intake.
Ultimately, what humans currently have access to providing for their horses does not change the facts.
I understand how helpless people can feel when navigating the boarding systems and how hard it can be to take in this information when you don’t feel you have options available to improve the care of your horse.
However, how we feel about the facts does not change the facts.
What we are able to provide for our horses does not change the findings of research that have been replicated for decades now.
The facts are:
- horses are herd animals. Socialization is a crucial component for wellbeing.
Despite this, they’re commonly isolated and kept alone. Common does not equate to normal or healthy.
- horses are commonly kept confined and their lack of ability to engage in free movement contributes to many of the common issues with see with horses.
And, lastly,
- people often use tradition, what they perceive as normal and what they feel capable of providing (or what is most convenient for them) as an excuse to reject factual information.
But, rejecting the information does not change the experience for horse.
We need to sincerely start to reflect on the ethics of much of the horse industry because despite the fact that us humans love horses and want to have them, our desire to do so should never come above meeting basic needs.
We shouldn’t be getting social animals if we cannot meet their social needs.
We shouldn’t be getting large farm animals intended to move lots if we cannot provide this.
Riding cannot and will never make up for autonomous movement and socialization.
It can be a tough pill to swallow, but it’s necessary nonetheless.
