When you hear about foyers with marble floors, bronze pony statues as centre piece and tongue n'grooved walls of wood with mirrors here and there, you start imagining things. And when you're told that there are also railings of polished brass under hanging baskets of ferns, with an entranceway leading off to an enclosed swimming pool at the side, you are probably wondering which mansion belonging to which member of the bold and beautiful set is being described. Well, we are really describing a stable; if that humble name can actually be utilized for this structure? Built by Kenny Rogers in the 1980s for his horses.
Now contrast that picture with a simple bare-bones barn, bleak and cheap, all practical and with little in the way of decoration. What structure would you go for? In fact what structure would your horses go for?
The truth, that might jar a lot of folks, is that your horses wouldn't give a hoot. Your pony is least worried about pricey decoration and fittings. He is concerned with comfort and safety accompanied by regular and satisfactory feed and water. So long as these needs of his are being met, he is positively disinterested with the trappings. Moneyed effects are for human consumption, not equine.
In their natural state, horses roam in herds in the open outdoors, with no air temperature controlling devices, no blankets, no rubdowns and no body or hoof clipping. They survive well in these conditions. They have bodies that adapt nicely to cool weather and hair that insulates them from colder weather conditions. I don't have any doubt that if you were able to set up a good two-way communication with your horse and you asked him whether he preferred life outside or indoor, he would name out of doors without the smallest hesitation. The sole outside condition a pony would balk at is when conditions are both cold and damp.
On my grandfather's ranch, horses were free to stay outdoors or go into a barn at every point of the year. Usually, they had a preference for outdoors, and they entered the barn of their own volition just when the weather turned really cold and sleety. At all other times, they stayed outside.
When you confine a horse to a stall, you are forestalling it from warming itself through movement when the weather is cold. You are not giving it the liberty to look further into anything that excites its curiosity, nor are you giving it the room to escape from anything that scares it. Horses kept confined for lengthy amounts of time tend to develop unacceptable habits like cribbing and weaving, wood chewing, and pacing. At the least, the pony is going to go bonkers with monotony. I've known physical complications to arise in horses that've been kept inactive for extended periods of time. It is ironical that no human being would be cosy if restricted to a tiny room day in and day out, month in and month out, year in and year out, and yet humans expect horses to be in a position to live comfortably in the same circumstances. And to top it all, we expect them to be perfectly fit and full of stamina when we ride them after releasing them from spells of enforced idleness.
In reality barns were initially designed more for people's convenience than for horses, folk find it agreeable to have quick and handy access to their horses. They're pleased that they have arranged for their horses to be kept neat, because the horses can't roll on a favored mound or patch of mud or dirt. Folks also find horses prettier to take a look at when their coats and manes and tails haven't been bleached by the sun.
Barns allow folks to methodically store and issue feed, and to lay out tack neatly. Barns also provide people with a setting for showing off horses and for making time with buddies. It is silly, but barns are really a symbol of status for people. For horses, they are usually equal to jails.
You must actually consider the option of permitting your horses open space with a barn attached, so they can seek shelter from bad weather when they feel the need. Without the slightest doubt, you are going to have horses that are far perkier psychologically and physically.
You also benefit in that you have got less to labour over in terms of barn chores!
Now contrast that picture with a simple bare-bones barn, bleak and cheap, all practical and with little in the way of decoration. What structure would you go for? In fact what structure would your horses go for?
The truth, that might jar a lot of folks, is that your horses wouldn't give a hoot. Your pony is least worried about pricey decoration and fittings. He is concerned with comfort and safety accompanied by regular and satisfactory feed and water. So long as these needs of his are being met, he is positively disinterested with the trappings. Moneyed effects are for human consumption, not equine.
In their natural state, horses roam in herds in the open outdoors, with no air temperature controlling devices, no blankets, no rubdowns and no body or hoof clipping. They survive well in these conditions. They have bodies that adapt nicely to cool weather and hair that insulates them from colder weather conditions. I don't have any doubt that if you were able to set up a good two-way communication with your horse and you asked him whether he preferred life outside or indoor, he would name out of doors without the smallest hesitation. The sole outside condition a pony would balk at is when conditions are both cold and damp.
On my grandfather's ranch, horses were free to stay outdoors or go into a barn at every point of the year. Usually, they had a preference for outdoors, and they entered the barn of their own volition just when the weather turned really cold and sleety. At all other times, they stayed outside.
When you confine a horse to a stall, you are forestalling it from warming itself through movement when the weather is cold. You are not giving it the liberty to look further into anything that excites its curiosity, nor are you giving it the room to escape from anything that scares it. Horses kept confined for lengthy amounts of time tend to develop unacceptable habits like cribbing and weaving, wood chewing, and pacing. At the least, the pony is going to go bonkers with monotony. I've known physical complications to arise in horses that've been kept inactive for extended periods of time. It is ironical that no human being would be cosy if restricted to a tiny room day in and day out, month in and month out, year in and year out, and yet humans expect horses to be in a position to live comfortably in the same circumstances. And to top it all, we expect them to be perfectly fit and full of stamina when we ride them after releasing them from spells of enforced idleness.
In reality barns were initially designed more for people's convenience than for horses, folk find it agreeable to have quick and handy access to their horses. They're pleased that they have arranged for their horses to be kept neat, because the horses can't roll on a favored mound or patch of mud or dirt. Folks also find horses prettier to take a look at when their coats and manes and tails haven't been bleached by the sun.
Barns allow folks to methodically store and issue feed, and to lay out tack neatly. Barns also provide people with a setting for showing off horses and for making time with buddies. It is silly, but barns are really a symbol of status for people. For horses, they are usually equal to jails.
You must actually consider the option of permitting your horses open space with a barn attached, so they can seek shelter from bad weather when they feel the need. Without the slightest doubt, you are going to have horses that are far perkier psychologically and physically.
You also benefit in that you have got less to labour over in terms of barn chores!
About the Author:
Horses are Heather Toms passion and she
enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100s of articles with other horse lovers, like all things about horse rugs
enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100s of articles with other horse lovers, like all things about horse rugs
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