They don´t get it

[germancowgirl]

We had a friendly visit today.
The Animal Rights organisation had been called by one of the neighbours (we moved about 3 month abo, so we are still newbys).
They told them to check on oure horses bekause these"poor animals are freezing to death outside, they have ounly bad hey and the water is allways frozen"

So they come and checkt the horses and gave us concrats for you happy and halthy horses.
But thats not the point. What makes me realy sick is that people (even some of the old country folk) still think that a horse has to be in the barn the whole winter.
They realy belive that horses are suposed to stand in a 10 by 10 stall all day exept for the 1 hour of exersise they´ll get.
HOW SICK!!! :x

Explanation: Our horses are outside 24/7, 365 days. They are on oure "winter-pasture" by now. We have one pasture with 10 horses (geldings and mares) and one with 5 (colts and stud) It´s muddy, okay, but they have hey, a steam is running thrue each pasture, there are some trees where they can hide for bad wether.
We´ll check on them at least twice a day and they get ridden 4-5 times a week.
If one is sick, it´ll get in one of the barns. (Don´t have sick horses that often...)

First thing tomorow morning I´ll take some pictures so you can you all can tell me if they realy look so "POOR" :x

 

[TR]

Sounds like the animal right folks have some common sense at least. Seems to me that its healthier for them to be outside in the fresh air as nature had intended them to be rather than inside a musty, amonia ridden barn. all day. Makes you wonder how horses ever survived before domestication.

Reminds me of when I was a kid. Folks moved up to Edmonton Canada, and I found a place to ride up there. I would have to trudge through -60 C temperatures and feet upon feet of snow to go catch a horse out in pasture. They'd come up with icicles hanging from their muzzles! Not a blanket on a one of them either. Only thing we'd have to watch was when we brought them inside the barn to saddle, we'd have to wait a bit until the ice/mud balls on the bottom of their feet thawed a bit so we could dig them out and they wouldn't topple over on the side of them. Other than that, they were as healthy and happy as....well....horses!

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

Our horses are in pastures 24/7/365. Each group has a run-in (loafing) shed. We don't have any respiratory problems resulting from their being "couped up" in an indoor (dust/amonnia contaminated) stall/barn. Horses "know" when they need shelter...they're not stupid! Otherwise how come they have survived for thousands of years on their own!!!

 

[germancowgirl]

Thank you so much for both replys!!
Sometimes in winter when it is realy freezing they have ice on they muzzles to. The 2 things we do to them to make it easier is either to un-shoe them or to re-shoe them with winter-shoeinmg (kind a like a pice of rubber between horsshoe and hof, so the snow is noz able to build up) and we have to cut there tails. Otherwise the mud will get hard at the ends and hurt them while walking. During winter they look kinda like drafthorses....
Finaly theres enough light outside to make some pictures, I´ll comw back to you with them

 

[Alan]

My horses get "out" most every day and stay out for most of the day light hours. Not every barn were horses are stalled are dirty and full of contamination and amonia. Alot of barns are very well ventilated and sanatary. Just because a horse is out 24/7 doesn't make it right or wrong it's the care of the horse that matters. Don't get me wrong a horse standing in a stall all day leads to more problems than having it out 24/7. But leaving it out 24/7 without attention leads to big problems also. I agree though that horses aren't meant to stand in stall 22 or 23 hours a day.

Just my opinion.

Alan

 

[germancowgirl]

I knew a lot of horse owners that keep the horses in the barn at night and get them out at day. The stall my dad works at does it this way. They have ounly boarding horses and thats about 50 different owners. So they walk the horses out to the pasture every morning and turn them in at night.
I didn´t want to say that our way is the ounly way to do it, it´s just that we do fine this way for ourselfs. We also need to keep our stud in the barn because he will jump everyting lower than 4 ft. to find his girls. He has an 40 x 15 indor stall and can go out to his 60 x 15 paddoc as much as he wants.
But there are still a lot of horses that do stand in the barn all day long, never see some gras in there live, never get to meet another horse personaly. Thats what make me sick. Why does nobody does anything against it? Law still says that thats not animal-abuse (or however you call it)

And you are right, to have them out 24/7 and dont take care is worse. But not taking care for your animals is llways worse.

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

Relating to the recent replies on this thread: For the record, we take very good care of our horses and they have free-choice access to pasture 24/7/365 as well as free-choice to their sheds.

Just wanted to clarify our care of our horses.

 

[Alan]

Relating to the recent replies on this thread: For the record, we take very good care of our horses and they have free-choice access to pasture 24/7/365 as well as free-choice to their sheds.

Just wanted to clarify our care of our horses.

I never doubted the way you take care of you stock, You can tell alot about people by reading their post.

Alan

 

[germancowgirl]

I hope my post didn´t sound like I wanted to talk bad abou some of you! Thats not what I wanted to say!
I was simply mad and had to ged rid of it.
Thanks to you all for posting replys and reeding my post!

The story had a realy nice end today: the woman that "visited" oure place to look if everything was okay stoped by and asked for riding-lesons for her kids.

 

[WestieGirl]

All my life my family has never put a horse in a barn in the winter...that is till i went to college and took my horse up for the program i was taking..and our teachers MADE us put our horses in the barn at night..and half my class thought that i was crazy cause i didn't blanket my horse while he was out during the day..he did fine before without a blanket iam sure that he can survive now without one too, I told them. But that one year of being spoiled and being allowed in a barn at nights sure turned him into a weaky..though it is getting better now. He is always the first horse outta the herd to 'fuzz' up with his winter coat once in starts getting cold and during the winter he is one hairy little man....But yah around this area, people who put horses in a barn are few and far between....Like my Mom always told us..what doesn't kill you makes you strong..I think that I can apply that to my horse as well!!

 

[Alan]

I hope my post didn´t sound like I wanted to talk bad abou some of you! Thats not what I wanted to say!
I was simply mad and had to ged rid of it.
Thanks to you all for posting replys and reeding my post!

The story had a realy nice end today: the woman that "visited" oure place to look if everything was okay stoped by and asked for riding-lesons for her kids.

No offense taking, I know plenty of horses that do well outside 24/7. I was just stating that not all barns are dirty. I know my chores would be alot shorter if I didn't have to clean stalls everyday.

Last winter I had a neighbor loose a mare to colic because she was out 24/7 and we had a hard freeze, the herd had no water for several days. I had heard of 4 or 5 horses that colic, but only one died, neglect killed that horse.

About two or three years ago a Vet who was on the state Veterinary board was arrested because she had 4 horses stalled and knee deep in their own muck. One had to be put down and she lost the others and her license. Neglect killed the horse.

Both people should never be allow to own animals again. It's not where they are, it's how they are cared for.

JMO
Alan

 

[Alan]

But that one year of being spoiled and being allowed in a barn at nights sure turned him into a weaky..though it is getting better now.

Sorry I'm not following, what do you mean "it turned him into a weaky". What did he do different? I'm not looking to argue, I'm just curious what changes he made.

Oh, this is a little late but welcome to the board!

Thanks,
Alan

 

[WestieGirl]

But that one year of being spoiled and being allowed in a barn at nights sure turned him into a weaky..though it is getting better now.

Sorry I'm not following, what do you mean "it turned him into a weaky". What did he do different? I'm not looking to argue, I'm just curious what changes he made.

Oh, this is a little late but welcome to the board!

Thanks,
Alan

I am just saying that since then he has started getting his winter coat alot sooner then the other horses usually do and he gets alot more winter coat then the other horses too, he physically isn't weaker then he was before..he just kinda got spoiled....but isn't that what horses are there for to love us unconditionally and for us to spoil them....?!

Hey and thanks for the welcome!!

 

[Carlos D.]

aw pack your horses up and move em to canada We have a way of minding our own business here .And youll see lots of horses outside all winter in up to -40 cellcius ,Have a nieghbour who moved from France hes still adjusting to the fact that nieghbours help each other here

 

[germancowgirl]

Canada sounds realy nice.... coustomers of us moved over about 4 years ago and they realy love it. At the very moment it like to beat some of them whith a wodden fence post or something like that. Had another visit from the local vet (not our vet) and she is one mad woman! My mom neary was ready to kick her out... She always keeps her horses in the barn and thats SOOO MUCH BETTER!!! They can get bruises on the pasture.... :shock: Remindet me a bit of the vet alan wrote about... What I´m realy happy about is that we have quite a few good friends that think our way. Yesterday wa had dinner together and that helpt a lot to calm down... ;-)

 

[Alan]

I think I would prefer the wooden fence post when I get nosey neighbor. I believe good fences do make good neighbors, but it good to be on freindly terms with your neighbors.

Wooden fence post in hands,
Alan

 

[RebelCritter]

Where is those pictures you promised us? I would LOVE to see them.

 

[germancowgirl]

I have some trouble with that stupid digi-cam...but i work on it, hope to be able to post them tomorow... ;-)

 

[germancowgirl]

:x :x AHHHHH! I´m getting nuts! Finaly I have tha pictures on my PC, but photobucket and my pc don´t like each other....
I work on it!!!
I hope it´s getting easier after doing it some... :shock:

 

[germancowgirl]

Finaly I was able to get them.....

Okay, I have to size them down.... I´m working on it!