SA Saddle Horse 6th Edition - Flipbook - Page 57
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
CONCLUSION
We all want to give our horses those three Fs—the things they
need to be happy. But what does that look like, practically, in the
real world?
Modern life has challenges for horses as well as
people. While domestic horses live longer,
healthier lives than their feral counterparts, care
must be taken not to compromise their
psychological well-being. With a few practical
tweaks, though, we can all improve our
management to give our horses happier lives.
Providing forage might seem simple; ad-lib access to hay and
grazing is a consideration for most stable managers. However,
obesity is an equine problem almost as prevalent as ulcers and
stress. Feeding unlimited high-nutrient hay can cause significant
health problems for our good-doer friends. Solving this issue
requires a little creativity, such as using slow-feeder nets, turning
horses out on sparser pastures, purchasing less nutritional hay, or
soaking hay for long periods to remove starches.
Simply feeding plenty of hay or allowing horses to graze in
manicured paddocks might not be enough, either. Feral horses
browse a wide variety of grasses, shrubs, and other plants. Variety is
essential in the forage we provide. Feeding a mix of different hays
or seeding pastures with mixed grasses can help alleviate
boredom.
Most of us know to turn our horses out with friends, but getting to
spend time in a paddock with another horse might not be enough.
With most of our stabled horses in South Africa spending around
eight to twelve hours outside, that means the majority of their time is
spent alone in stables. While stables might not necessarily be the
enemy—one study found a reduction in chronic stress in horses
who lived on a combined system, compared with horses who lived
out in a herd—it’s essential that stables still allow visual and
physical contact between horses. Solid walls between stables are
isolating and claustrophobic, whereas bars might provide more
contact.
Throwing a bunch of horses out in a herd is not necessarily the
answer, either, especially when herds have equal numbers of
mares and geldings. Many geldings will fight over mares; other
horses have personality clashes and need to be separated. Wellbalanced herds with strong lead mares—or bachelor bands with a
role model older gelding—are key.
SOURCES
Mazzola, S. M. et al 2021, “Do You Think I Am
Living Well? A Four-Season Hair Cortisol Analysis
on Leisure Horses in Different Housing and
Management Conditions,”
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC830069
7/
Hampson, B. A. et al 2010, “Distance traveled by
feral horses in ‘outback’ Australia,”
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21059064/
Image by Kev from Pixabay
AUTHOR BIO
Firn Sadler is a dressage rider and qualified
equine behaviorist running a small stableyard in
Heidelberg, Gauteng.
We might not be able to grant our horses absolute freedom, but
we can cater to this need in a variety of ways. The larger and more
spacious their paddocks or pastures, the better. Allowing plenty of
movement (both in terms of self-exercise and, soundness allowing,
in groundwork or riding) is central to the horse’s physical and
emotional health. Many horses enjoy outrides that provide variety
and interest to their work. Stables with plenty of windows and, once
again, bars instead of solid walls give a more open and airy
impression to the horse.
Image by Ludovic from Pixabay
