Natural Horse Care and Boarding: Difficult But Not Impossible

After about 12 years of being absent from the horse world, I bought a horse and put her into the first of several stables at which we would end up boarding. While I was not new to horses, there was still a lot of information that I did not know and had never learned from my high school and college days of playing with horses. I had no idea about the many challenges and learning experiences that would come with boarding a horse. What follows below are some points to keep in mind, assembled from someone who learned by trial and error and had a few "daycare nightmares" along the way. It isn't rocket science, but there are some basic principles to keep in mind and try to follow as best you can.

First and foremost, it really is critical to strive for a living environment that is as close to natural as possible and to balance that with your own personal circumstances. I am a boarder myself - have always been a boarder - so I understand. I would love to have my horse on pasture in my backyard, but right now that is not possible so I found the next best thing - pasture boarding at a quality, well-run facility. That works for me and for Sage. However, I showed a horse in high school who was stabled and frequently showed, fed alfalfa, wore shoes, and never had pasture turn out - and she had no apparent chronic illness and only died in her late 20's when I was away at college due to a freak riding accident when a young girl was trying to jump her (she was a western pleasure horse and not a jumper). I saw her just about every day in high school and I believe she knew how much she was cared for, and I think that goes a long way with horses. There may be some horses that grow up in a stable environment and do well and have adapted to that and have a loving herd leader in their human. If you feel guilty and get down in the dumps about your horse's situation after reading a bunch of information about how horses should live naturally, it won't do you or your horse any good. Use it to make some changes if you can and should, but every person and horse is an individual, and you need to find what works for both you and your horse. Ultimately, strive for being the best friend and leader your horse has and see him/her frequently. That being said, here are my suggestions:

It has been my experience that driving further or paying more for horse boarding (though not in themselves a guarantee) are well worth it if you avoid some expensive vet calls, have peace of mind about your horse's well-being, and have a happy, healthy horse. Never feel bad about trying to do the best for your horse. You are your horse's leader, and they are literally at your mercy. If you choose to keep horses, you owe it to them to learn as much as possible about how to keep them healthy and happy. A very large part of that is where they live and where they spend most of their time; that can impact every single aspect of their health and welfare.

Living in a stall is just not natural for a horse; thus, the term "natural boarding" is an oxymoron. However, you will have a happier and healthier horse if you try to get something as close as possible to what your horse would consider natural (minus the predators of course...). Stress impedes healing as well as leaving the body susceptible to disease. Your horse may not ever see a wolf or a cougar in its stall, but perhaps it feels just as unsafe simply from being closed in with no escape from the four walls and bars especially if it cannot touch or see another horse. Your horse has no say in the matter of home and will be living there 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Try and think about his home from his perspective. When choosing a boarding facility, remember these key points:

· Horses were meant to walk for miles every day foraging for food eating small amounts of food all day long; their digestive system is not set up for two big meals with nothing in between. Aside from boredom, there are physical consequences to not feeding a horse the way it was designed to eat. They secrete acid continually, so the acid will sit there and potentially create ulcers or you will set up a situation ripe for colic or other illnesses.

· Horses are herd animals that need - and ultimately thrive on - the companionship of other horses; they were not designed to be isolated in box stalls and taken out for a ride once or twice a week. Make sure your horse can be turned out with, or next to, at least one other horse that it can build and maintain a bond with.

· If you keep your horse in a stall, these should be as large as possible with an attached paddock. If you truly cannot find an arrangement that has pasture with shelter or, at minimum, stalls with large attached paddocks, make sure that the turnout is frequent (daily) and for long periods of time and that the stall is as light and airy as possible.

· Freedom to graze and run seven days a week for a few hours is not too much to ask for if you are a horse - especially if your facility has only box stalls without attached paddocks (which do not by themselves offer enough room to exercise) - but this unfortunately may be hard to find. If turnout is for fewer then seven days a week, then try to get out to see your horse especially on the off days when they would be standing in their stalls.

· Feeding at least three times a day is ideal and best for the horse's mental and physical well-being, but again, it will be hard to find; the usual is two times per day. Ideally, a horse will be in some kind of pasture turnout with a chance to graze in between the AM and PM feedings.

· Feed a high quality supplement to provide any missing vitamins or minerals in the horse's diet, and always provide free-choice salt/minerals and fresh water. A high quality daily herbal mix can have numerous health benefits to counteract some of the physiological effects of the stress of living in a stall.

A couple of other points bear mentioning: it has been my experience that the barns that advertise frequently are doing so because they have high-turnover - please do your due diligence and be wary. High turnover happens for a reason. Also, most barns seem to be the funding for the owner's horse habit and the financial support for their own horses - each situation that I have been in like this has had financial woes and thus the boarders get frequent increases in board and sometimes the hay was less than acceptable among other problems, so again, be wary.

Finally, remember that you are the needle of the compass; you determine the kind of care that your horse gets which includes coordinating the expertise of veterinarians, farriers, trainers, and stable management where you board. It is up to you to voice your concerns and pay heed to your instincts. Trust your guts – your horse does.

It is possible to find caring, reliable stables at which to board, but you must be vigilant about this and about your horse’s needs as well as be willing to speak up – or move - when there is a problem. It took me almost seven years to find the right spot for my horse, but I am glad that I never gave up; I learned a lot on our journey, and besides, I am here now to give advice for people struggling with the same issues that I had for so long :).