02/12/2025
Tune in, turn out.
There are fates worse than death.
This is something you will hear most experienced horse people say at some point. It is often a cautionary reminder when people are looking to rehome their horse.
I have, personally, hit the point where I wouldn't be able to sell a horse.
I have a herd full of horses that belong to people who feel the same, and were only happy with them coming to me, because they know I won't pass horses on to unpleasant situations.
I have had too many experiences of rehoming horses to good people, who truly love horses, only for those people to go through challenging situations and rehome horses to what they feel are good homes. Too often horses end up past around into situations that made me feel guilty about them leaving.
Every person has a different priorities, and evenngood people may prioritize convenience over a horses well-being, because we are lead to believe some things are okay for horses, or even preferable
I thought it might be worth listing those "fates worse than death" we talk about.
This is my list. I mean no judgememt on other people here, and it would be great if I didn't get judged for them. The purpose of this piece is to express how much value I place on the life I choose for horses in MY herd, not to criticize anyone else. I do hope it inspires people to think about some of these fates a little deeper, and consider how some fates sit with their conscience.
1.Stabled for more than 12 hours a day.
My horses live out 24/7. Every move we have ever made prioritizes them being able to do so. I would never move a horse to a stabled environment, but I don't consider stabling for a few hours a night a fate worse than death IF the horses have access to herd turnout.
Some of my herd have PSSM and for them any stabling is a fate worse than death. They have never shown symptoms, and we only know they have PSSM due to breed regulated testing, but if they were stabled they would very likely experience symptoms.
2.Individual turn out
I still see livery yards advertising this as a badge of honour. The mental and physical impact of a horse living without herd interaction is immense. This cannot be eased by them " seeing other horses". They have neurochemical needs that can only be met by mutual grooming. A life of solitary confinement is a fate worse than death. I deal with horses with behavioral issues all the time from this practice, and the effects are long lasting. Even horses that go through extended periods of isolated stall rest make me reluctant for some ( most?) surgeries.
3.Bits
This is a controversial one.
One of the most common responses to me telling people I don't introduce horses to bits EVER, is that every horse should be introduced to a bit ' in case they end up with someone who uses a bit'.
This is based on the assumption that bits are only bad in rare cases with ' bad riders'. That isn't the truth. It us harder to find riders that don't cause pain with bits. I would hazard a guess at more than 95% of riders that use bits cause horses pain, or fear of pain.
Introducing a bit ' just in case', sounds to me like putting ci******es out on your children's arms, while kindly explaining to them it's ' just in case something happens to you and you end up in abusive foster care'.
Yes, this analogy is going to upset people, but that is the weight it carries in my mind after reading the peer reviewed studies on mouth pain AND seeing horses ridden in states of anxiety directly related to that pain, or threat of pain.
For my herd, if I have to make the hard choices, them moving somewhere where they would be ride in a bit would be a fate worse than death.
Death is immediate. Being in pain, or fearing pain on every ride, with no end in sight, is worse.
I know there are rare riders that introduce bits kindly, and only use them as a tactile cue, but I also know that riders that do that wouldn't feel the need to use a bit with any of the horses in my herd. I have never met a horse that NEEDS a bit.
4. Denied access to free choice roughage.
This is a tough one with the rise of horses with metabolic issues.
I have clients who have had vets recommend stabling horses to keep them off grass AND restrict their access to hay. They are extreme cases of grass sensitivity, but I would never put a horse through this.
A horses digestive system is designed to have a constant flow of roughage. More than two hours without it is painful and causes damage to the gut.
For the record, with the help of nutrionists, we have found solutions that don't include this unique form of vet sanctioned torture. I know most vets wouldn't dream of putting a horse through this, but it is worth noting that not everything vet sanctioned is good for your horse. Ask me my opinion of twitching some time, and how I feel about vets that use it as their 'go to'.
I won't even have my horse fast for 12 hours for the sake of a scope. I would rather treat ulcers unneccesarily than risk causing them from a scope. Studies on EGUS ( equine gastric ulcer syndrome) show horses can develop lesions to the gut lining in as little as two hours without roughage through their gut. To have them fast for 12 hours to check for ulcers doesn't add up for me. If they didn't have lesions before, they will after fasting for 12 hours.
The other side of this is horses in ' good condition' that receive 3 to 4 large meals a day to make up for lack of grazing and hay access. They will still be uncomfortable for long periods of every day. This is often the case for ' performance athletes' where trainers want to measure every calory their horses ingest. Just because the horse is fat, doesn't mean it is ' getting the best care available'.
These are just a few of the fates worse that death for horses, in my opinion.
We are fed this lie that horses stabled for 18 plus hours a day, fed large amounts of high energy feed, brushed and polished like brass, and yanked and whipped into submission are getting the ' best treatment out of any domesticated animal' ( to quote the propaganda from one big equine sport).
It is not true if the species appropriate needs are not being met.
I am not against equine sport, but my desire to show will never be more important than the well being of a horse.
I hope this list has people think a little deeper about what makes a happy horse, rather than solicits a guilt inspired defensive reaction.
