I agree. It is healthier for a horse to be turned out to graze, it's only natural for them. They need time turned away to unwind, stretch and socialise with other equines. Couping them up in four walls is terrible! You might think the horses there already are happy, but they are not really, they just don't know any different. You can't just ride a horse and put it away in a stable (garage) like a car! Horses are herd animals and require this turnout time to relax and be horses. Would you want to be stuck in a room all day and night, only getting out when someone brings you out? It would drive you mad! Well it gives the same ammount of mental stress to a horse. I can't urge you enough to get a field! Perhaps you should arrange everything first before looking for a horse of your own. Or don't get one, and get a field for the existing horses. Owning a horse bears a lot of responsibility, time and money. Are you ready to commit to that, because a horse can live a long life. Think about it!!!!

just a thought on this re expenses as we have found out with our 20 year old she can no longer be insured for vet bills, just third party fire and theft so to speak and our laminitus bills 3 years ago nearly bankrupt us. so you can never tell or evaluate how much a horse is going to cost. at the mo ours are eating us out of home with hay although they have a 3 acre field and are out from 8.,30 in the morning to 5 at night, it is so cold there is nothing in the grass and they need hay even in the field we dont have a car cause its the car or the horses !!! and at £5 a bale and going up[ hay is getting very very dear. our supplier tells us that it can go to £7 a bale next winter. so think HARD they are not an acquisition they are a lifestyle and a financial drain. We have had our 20 year old 15 years now and she is very much part of the family but I think if I had known how costs were goiong to rise I would have been appalled. We are lucky we have a field with our house and a stable but having had them in livery for many years its an expense. On that note wouldnt be without them for the years of fun, love, trodden feet and all.

jenn

Jenn, I totally agree!! This winter has been a big struggle for every horse owner I know and it is only going to get worse. I have been getting by this winter, just, and am not looking forward to next year at all with costs rising!
But it is a choice all horse owners have to make: Can you afford it or cant u? I can but it means a lack in a social life and struggle to pay bills BUT all that said I love Star dearly and would never sell. I am the process of sending back my nice brand new car because having both is a sturggle and out of the two my choice is her evertytime!
You need to know you have money for vet bills should they occur, insurance (wont cover all vet bills and also would be a matyter of paying out the money to vet to be claimed back after all paper work completed in the event of an injury or illness) , farrier, vacs, wormers, mine also has shiatsu every other week and osteopath every 6 months to a year, and then dentist, and that isnt even mentioning feed, hay, straw, rugs, tack etc etc the list is never ending!!
A horse living out is also a hell of a lot cheaper than a horse living in. Not that I would EVER keep my horse in 24 hours a day but if I did I couldnt afford to keep her and I know that for a fact because my horse is in from 6pm to 7.45am and has 5 sections hay a night, 10 sections of hay is nearly a bale and if she was in day and night I would use 10 sections a day so roughly 70 sections a week so your looking at 28 bales of hay a month and if you pay what I do, £4.00 a bale, thats £112 a month just in hay at the miniumun too!
Think very carefully about your decision top buy a horse with limited funds. This isnt having a go at you or trying to change your mind but just advice from us who already own horses and know what the actual costs are like

It's not the initial outlay of paying for the horse, thats the easy bit.
You then have insurance (excess will apply), vets bills, vaccines, teeth, farrier, wormers, tack, rugs, feed, livery etc etc to consider too.
Like Melx has pointed out the price of hay is going up all the time & horses can not go without.
I have my own land with shelter so i don't pay for livery but it is very expensive to keep a horse.

XxX

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I decided to stay a third day at the stables an just watch(as well as do my chores) -ever since starting this thread I have thought alot an seen the stables in a new light, learning about monty roberts helped too-, during my brake I saw my fave pony make a dive for the grass after her time grazing time was done (cant blame her)so the guy leading shouted at her then smacked her with the lead rope, i didnt like it but you know it wasnt evil, but he wouldnt just leave her be, he hit her 3 more times and shoved her into her stable I wouldnt have noticed cause I'm soposed to be muking out, but I came early so I could look, and they got a new horse that is very young and is clearly bored yet gets told off and shouted at ALL the time

I'm not impressed.

Hi I have just read this thread and want to tell you my experience.

When I first started out, I got a horse and stabled on the yard where I had my lessons, I thought the way this yard did things was the norm.....The horses were not turned out and only came out there stables when the owner came up to muck out/groom/ride etc and turned out in the sand school for half hour a day...My horse turned into a vicious horse, lunging out the door to bite, kicking, and on the times i took him out to lead he would bolt. when I rode it was like being on a wild horse~bolting, rearing, bucking!!

I came to a financial difficulty and found a half loan which meant I moved to their yard which meant turn out at 7am till whenever you brought them in!! within a week he was calmer, easy to ride, sooo much better to handle all round!!

I learnt what my original yard did was wrong...and also against the law!

I learnt the hard way, and he has since died, and boy do I feel guilty about that year of his life being locked up in one little room.

I now have a pony who lives out 24/7 and is the happiest little thing. I would never leave my pony, or any future horse, indoors again (unless vet required)

they need there space and time for themselves to be horses!!

Please dont keep your future horse indoors>he will have alot of pent up energy and frustration leaving you with an unhappy, hard to handle horse!

The owner of my present yard told me that to own 4 horses you need at least 2 acres of land, and an acre for every horse after...so for ten horses you would need 8 acres at least. (please correct me if I am wrong, just what I have been told)

I wish you all the best in your horse search!!

Horses living indoors 24/7 is not a natural thing and I know for a fact if my horse was left like that she would be un manageable and an absolute nutter!
When you look closely and speak to others it isnt hard to see why peoples views are so strong on the subject, some people just dont care if there horses are happy or not!

Sounds like you should keep well away IMO.

i honestly cant agree more but i dont have much sayy in the matter, and it has been a couple of years since this thread was started and i have reacently taken up natural horsemanship, and they are impoving the current grazing witch was not good, so they will be getting some turn out, im currently loaning a horse, the stables and my situation has changed, for the better there is a horse i may be getting but she will go on working livery were she is curretly, not at the place that i go to mostly any way i hope that you will be pleased to here this.

xxx

honestly? they could not care enough were i go, they do everything possible you only have to see how happy the horses are when handled by the owner to see that, like i have said they are fixing upp some old land at the back to make a 2 acre field the already have a 1 acre one, but they are extending it to make it bigger.
please dont suggest that they dont care