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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think a lot of horse owners don't deserve their animals?

114 replies

Goodnurseorgremlin · 16/02/2025 21:20

I keep my horse on a DIY livery yard. We have access to daily turnout with no time restrictions throughout the entire winter.

For the last three months the vast majority of the horses on the yard have had little to no turnout. Some literally stand in their stables for days/weeks at a time, with the owners mucking out around them. I could count on one hand the horses that are regularly turned out aside from my own

It just makes me so so sad. These poor animals being imprisoned for months at a time for no good reason. The owners basically can't be arsed to turn out and bring in because they don't want to walk to the fields or get themselves/their horses muddy.

AIBU to think these people don't deserve the privilege of caring for these amazing animals if they can't even be arsed to meet their basic need for freedom?

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LammasEve · 16/02/2025 21:25

I agree 100%, they should get toy ones if they can't be bothered to turn them out. My main concern when looking for somewhere for my horses is as much turnout as I want for them, with no restrictions regardless of weather. Ok, mine look like they're semi feral at the moment but they live out 24/7 which they are very happy with.

Surely it's easier to turn them out than have to cope with the extra mucking and stressed horses, too?

ChancesAreLow · 16/02/2025 21:26

Does turn them out mean taking them out?

sanityisamyth · 16/02/2025 21:28

ChancesAreLow · 16/02/2025 21:26

Does turn them out mean taking them out?

It means putting them in the field for exercise, fresh air and grazing.

bellsend · 16/02/2025 21:28

I was once basically held hostage to this when my old boy was pts. My younger one was in a field with two others, belonging to one lady. She brought them in every single afternoon for the night, no matter the weather or time of year. Which meant I either had to leave my young boy distressed on his own or stable him too! Couldn’t get out of that place quick enough, it was awful.
she also majorly over rugged hers in the winter but that’s another story

ChancesAreLow · 16/02/2025 21:29

sanityisamyth · 16/02/2025 21:28

It means putting them in the field for exercise, fresh air and grazing.

Show quote history

Thank you!

That seems cruel to not do that at least once a day.

A dog is treated better.

Ineedanewsofa · 16/02/2025 21:29

Where is this mythical yard with unrestricted winter turnout?!
It’s so frickin wet here most yard owners are insisting the horses are in, we are lucky that our yard is still allowing morning turnout (8-1)
But I agree that unless advised by a vet (or due to yard owner decree!) all horses should be allowed to be horses and out as much as possible with adequate rugs and shelter

Original poster
Goodnurseorgremlin · 16/02/2025 21:32

@lammasEve Well some of the owners only come to see them once a day! I've had horses nearly all my life and never known anything like it!!

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Original poster
Goodnurseorgremlin · 16/02/2025 21:33

@Ineedanewsofa I've never been on a yard that didn't allow all year turnout. They do exist I promise 🙈

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Needanewnameidea · 16/02/2025 21:34

It ought to be regarded as animal cruelty, equivalent to keeping a dog in a crate all day every day. Unless medically necessary (and even then I think if they’re on box rest for long periods there’s an argument to consider if that’s fair to put them through) they should have access to turnout daily, ideally with others. Not every horse will want to be out for long and not every horse plays nicely with others, but it should at least be tried for. And if for some reason field turnout isn’t feasible for periods (flooding etc) then they need other exercise and stimulation.

If you can’t cope with mud or your horse being muddy you simply shouldn’t have horses. I bet those owners then think it’s appropriate to ride the horse that’s stood doing nothing all week too…

Original poster
Goodnurseorgremlin · 16/02/2025 21:35

@bellsend I don't get people bringing in for night in summer (unless for health reasons) My boy is out for the summer as early as allowed. I'm counting down the days🤣

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Original poster
Goodnurseorgremlin · 16/02/2025 21:36

@Needanewnameidea Yes they'll ride and complain the horse is 'naughty' when they do🙈🙈

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Bambam2019 · 16/02/2025 21:40

Yep! Sometimes I would love amazing facilities that come with some yards but my horse is in a rented field so 24/7 turnout with natural shelter and a field shelter that we built and hay as required. In a small herd. It makes riding through the winter a bit awkward, but she’s not remotely bothered, and the days I can ride it means she’s not wild because she’s been stood in a box for days on end.

SabrinaThwaite · 16/02/2025 21:43

On DIY livery we used to have them out during the day in winter and in overnight, and out most of the time in summer - maybe in during during the day if was very hot or if flies were bothering them (used to get nasty little black flies in their ears).

elastamum · 16/02/2025 21:47

That's why I built my own yard. Ours are on daily turn out with hay in the winter. They are out at least 5 hours a day. Clipped and rugged and as happy as larks. They live out from April to October coming in for a snooze in the day if it is hot or flies are bad. They are all very chilled.

hattie43 · 16/02/2025 21:49

I agree . My area has a lot of concerned Facebook posts about horses living in dire straits and some in paddocks literally under water . The trouble is too many are trying to keep horses on a shoestring budget and these people can't really afford a horse .
To keep a horse in good condition in the tight livery is expensive . It's the cheap purchased horses in rented fields that tend to slip through the net because there's no-one around to keep an eye on them .

Glitchymn1 · 16/02/2025 21:51

No YANBU but we ill treat /abuse all animals.

hattie43 · 16/02/2025 21:52

To add I have my own yard on 7 acres and could rent it out everyday of the week . It's only 2 stables / storage barn but around here very few horses have this amount of land per horse .

bellsend · 16/02/2025 21:53

Goodnurseorgremlin · 16/02/2025 21:35

@bellsend I don't get people bringing in for night in summer (unless for health reasons) My boy is out for the summer as early as allowed. I'm counting down the days🤣

Mine are now out all year round all day and all night. The field is muddy but I have hard standing for feeding. I’ve got stables I can use but they are natives and hardy. The stable is mainly used for me to pee in 😂

Bayonetlightbulb · 16/02/2025 21:56

elastamum · 16/02/2025 21:47

That's why I built my own yard. Ours are on daily turn out with hay in the winter. They are out at least 5 hours a day. Clipped and rugged and as happy as larks. They live out from April to October coming in for a snooze in the day if it is hot or flies are bad. They are all very chilled.

So stuck in a stable for 19 hours a day?

Girlmath · 16/02/2025 22:12

YANBU. Horses are designed to be moving.

Poppinjay · 16/02/2025 22:12

Where we are there is masses of good quality year-round turnout and there are unworked natives breeds rugged 24/7, turned out for no more than an hour a day and then given huge feeds full of beet and mix. They are overweight and laminitic and it's heartbreaking to watch.

Lots of people have told them how cruel it is but it falls on deaf ears. I'm sure they think they're being kind to them, despite what people tell them.

Shame there isn't the resource for anyone to regulate livery yards.

Ihatemondays1962 · 16/02/2025 22:19

Ineedanewsofa · 16/02/2025 21:29

Where is this mythical yard with unrestricted winter turnout?!
It’s so frickin wet here most yard owners are insisting the horses are in, we are lucky that our yard is still allowing morning turnout (8-1)
But I agree that unless advised by a vet (or due to yard owner decree!) all horses should be allowed to be horses and out as much as possible with adequate rugs and shelter

I have had horses on three different yards over a 20 year period and they have all had unrestricted turnout so it's pretty common.

RiderGirl · 16/02/2025 22:24

YANBU. We were incredibly lucky and managed to buy our own bit of land 2 years ago. When setting up the stables my main concern was that our horses should be able to come and go as they please, so that's what we did! They've got free access to the yard (with 2 big open shelters and loads of hay), but can come and go from the field as they please. I would never, EVER go back to a livery yard if it meant they had to be stabled all the time. Zero excuses for owners who simply can't be bothered to turn them out, poor horses.

Original poster
Goodnurseorgremlin · 16/02/2025 22:34

@poppinjay Don't get me started on the clipping and rugging. Horses fully clipped out that barely do any work. Then smothered in rugs.

My boy is unclipped and unrugged. He's the only unrugged horse on the yard!

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Original poster
Goodnurseorgremlin · 16/02/2025 22:35

@Ridergirl Well I did rent my own place for years when I had more horses. Livery yard life has certainly proved an eye opener!

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