As more is learned about horses and a better understanding of their unique language and powerful abilities to provide emotional support, as well as their talent to be our four-legged noble beasts for high-level performance sports and equestrian hobby pursuits, perhaps it’s time to pay more attention to what they have to say to us about our horsekeeping methods.
A horse tied to a wall or rope line with little opportunity to move about or option to lie down had its practical stabling use back in the day. But horses then were commonly actively working for more hours in any given 24 hours than they spent standing in a straight stall. When horses were given larger spaces in which to live, perhaps a 10’ x 10’ box stall without being tied, it was considered a generous and kind protocol for horse care. And it truly was a stride in the right direction.
Environmental stressors have a major impact on all of us, and equines are no different. An intimidating neighbor, noisy surroundings or a hostile environment of any sort – confinement, ambient temperatures, humidity, lack of grazing or forage or companionship can all factor into making a horse’s life miserable. Factors that are detrimental to the horse’s overall physical and mental health and cause warranted bad behaviors.
Smart Horse Trainers Know
While keeping performance horses can require hands-on management of many facets of horse care on a daily or even hourly basis, training them involves more than just careful feeding regimes and a good training protocol. It also involves properly managing each horse as an individual and catering to its particular needs.
As a horse breeder, trainer and importer of horses for 20+ years, I’ve seen my share of so called ‘basket cases’ horse wise. While careful selection of a horse fit for purpose to hopefully climb to the top echelons of equestrian sport, in my case dressage, is important both temperament and conformation wise, there are always surprises and special undertakings required to help ensure a horse reaches its full potential.
For example, one of the young horses I purchased from an Elite German auction, arrived at our barn displaying agoraphobia that would last his lifetime. The gelding simply had no idea what grass was and declined to eat it. Turnout trials resulted in his immediate (sometimes startlingly failed) attempts to jump back into the yard to find a stall. Net result was we hand-walked him several times a day in addition to his work time under saddle for well over a year to acclimate him. We managed to inspire him to learn about grass by scything long grass and placing it in his stall where he could watch other horses do the same and chow down. We eventually taught him what grass was all about and to graze. The horse went on to compete successfully at Grand Prix level and could be turned out for short periods with a pony companion though never completely stopped his habit of jumping out of fenced paddocks.
Identifying existing issues horses experience either learned or innate and then crafting a management technique that works best for an individual equine is an important aspect of horse training that can literally turn a ‘basket case’ into a happy and content horse that is more than willing to comply with your requests training wise.
What Clients Bring The Professional Trainer
In an ideal world a professional horse trainer would be brought a young horse of suitable age to begin its riding or driving career that is healthy, happy and ready to begin formal training. In reality, horses that clatter off the horse trailer are very often sent to professionals for training ‘help’ due to poor behavior or a lack of compliance with the task at hand (either disclosed or omitted to mention). Sometimes horses exhibit behavior that is downright dangerous.
After a period of careful evaluation and intense attention to a new horse in the yard it is essential that aspects of horsey lifestyle are addressed based on the observations. Knowledge of how to manage herd dynamics, proper methods to introduce equines to each other, considerations of proximity of mares ‘in-season’ to stallions etc. are all well-documented and is easy to attain.
Other cogitations can be which horse to train alongside which, for optimal focus and influence. For example, it is often helpful to ride an advanced horse in the same arena as a younger equine and display the movements you wish the younger horse to emulate such as flying changes or a collected gait. Horses do copy each other. So make sure the equine student has the right mentor.
Horses may arrive at the yard and seem reasonably content but later develop behaviors that indicate their unhappiness with a given situation. It could be that the work is making them sore or worried, or that a new equine neighbor has been introduced that seemingly breathes fire through the grilled dividing wall and pins ears at its compatriot when you are not looking, intimidating it on a daily basis as it deals with its own set of emotional problems.
Sometimes environmental stresses are not obvious, and as a professional trainer you need to hone keen observational skills to identify changes in behavior even after initial acclimatization of the horse to its new neighborhood and horse and human community has been completed. For example, if you’ve ever had a stabled horse that begins to continually bump against a wall you might consider that it is stressed by confinement. But it may be less obvious. The horse may simply go very quiet and lose interest in activities around it.
Leave The Door Open
While keeping performance horses beautified and protected from the elements, monitored and handled daily is important, complete confinement is a recipe for disaster. Enter the Dutch door. The solution to stabling issues that suits both horse and rider.
Ironically the Dutch door was designed in the 17th century in the Netherlands in order to keep animals out of the house while allowing fresh air in. A method to lineate life between horse and human. Their primary use today is to keep horses in, but to give them a room with a view.
A barn that is designed with a Dutch door for each stall on the exterior wall offers the opportunity to leave the stall door open. For horses that are kept in a herd environment with one large, shared barn, leaving the main door open is also an option. In both cases the outside space must offer a secure space. From a dry lot to a large pasture, whatever works best either individual turnout or a friendly herd social arrangement, the benefits of giving the horse freedom of movement and freedom of choice can often eliminate many unwanted behaviors in the horse.
The addition of an overhang offers an affordable method to extend the shelter range of the barn beyond the four walls and provides valuable area where a horse can be protected from the heat of the sun or pelting rain and enjoy the beauty of inside/outside living.
KISS – Keep It Simple Stupid
Truly the acronym KISS applies to most things in life, and in the horse realm it is no different. This design principle dictates that systems should be kept as simple as possible. The reason is the less complex a design or system the better the level of user acceptance of it and the more likely the user will interact with it – whatever its nature.
In the case of the horse, emulating lifestyles that the species would have experienced in their feral state as closely as is practicable makes sense. Happy horse. Happy owner.
PLEASE NOTE: AHP members ~ Please share this content without edit. Kindly include URL links included in article, Horizon Structures URL and author’s URL and byline wherever published. Please advise use so we can reciprocate share your publication/posts.
Feel free to contact Nikki Alvin-Smith for further information and high-res photos.
About Horizon Structures: One horse or twenty, there’s one thing all horse owners have in common…the need to provide safe and secure shelter for their equine partners. At Horizon Structures, we combine expert craftsmanship, top-of-the-line materials and smart “horse-friendly” design to create a full line of sheds and barns that any horse owner can feel confident is the right choice for their horses’ stabling needs.
All wood. Amish Made. Most of our buildings are shipped 100% pre-built and ready for same-day use. Larger barns are a modular construction and can be ready for your horses in less than a week. All our barn packages include everything you need –
Horizon Structures also sells chicken coops, equine hay feeders, greenhouses, dog kennels, 1 and 2 car garages, storage sheds and outdoor living structures and playsets.
Headquartered in South-Central Pennsylvania, Horizon Structures, LLC was founded by Dave Zook. Dave was raised in the Amish tradition and grew up working in the family-owned shed business. He started Horizon Structures in 2001 in response to an ever-increasing customer demand for high quality, affordable horse barns.
For additional information about the company or their product line, please visit their website at https://www.horizonstructures.com
About Nikki Alvin-Smith:
Content Creator | PR Partner | Seasoned Writer | Brand Builder |
Major Marketer| Journalist| Published Author
Blogger| Ghostwriter|
PR Marketing Specialist/Strategist|
British American|
Grand Prix Dressage
Competitor/Coach/ Clinician|
Please visit https://www.horseinakiltmedia.com/to learn more about her affordable services.
Media Contact:
Horizon Structures LLC, Atglen, PA
NAS@NikkiAlvinSmithStudio.com
Tel: 607 434 4470
https://www.HorizonStructures.com
Photos are available on request