From: ckw0@aber.ac.uk (Carl Keri Williams)
Newsgroups: rec.equestrian
Subject: Re: Letting Run Loose
Date: 6 Oct 92 18:19:47 GMT
Organization: University of Wales, Aberystwyth

In article <1992Oct5.153125.7652@sol.ctr.columbia.edu> lbm@avs.com (Linda B. Merims) writes:
>My "Morgan Horse" magazine just came in.  It has an article on 
>run-in sheds.  The article mentions some data from a series of
>experiments conducted by Dr. Katharine Houghp (sp?) at Cornell
>University (she is an animal behavior expert).
>
>When left in a position to choose, horses choose to spend
>85-95% of their daylight time outside.  These figures are not affected
>by cold.  They are affected by wet.  In that case, the time
>outside drops to an average of about 75%.  No data was given
>for night.  Horses alone spend more time inside than horses
>with companions.  The article said the "key thing" was that
>the horse be able to see other horses.
>
>The article also made the usual points that horses turned out
>have fewer stall vices, fewer digestive ailments like colic (from
>browsing all day rather than eating in lumps), and better overall
>health, particularly respiratory, than horses kept largely inside.
>
>Linda B. Merims

I think it depends a lot on the individual horse, too.  My old gelding will 
only voluntarily use a shelter to keep out of the sun, whereas the young 
mare (pure Arab) will seek out bits of wall which will reflect heat and 
stand there happilly soaking in the heat from all sides ( I am in Wales, UK, so
heat might not the word you would use for our hottest days, but even so...).
Our new field shelter cum stables is nearly finished now, and the mare will 
spend ages hovering outside it looking in over the door asking to go inside
and was first over the threshold when we left the doors open whilst fitting 
the hayracks.  She seems to confuse the words 'domestic' and 'domesticated' 
and gives the distinct impression se would like carpets and curtains and 
hanging baskets installed.  She is also the sort of horse who turns and runs 
for shelter at the first drop of rain so I guess she'll be making full use 
of her new abode this winter.  The interesting thing is that both her mother 
and her grandfather were renowned for their hatred of being kept indoors
(I later found out that her mother weaved, but fortunately Mari has shown 
no sign of such behaviour) and when I was phoning around studs trying to find
a new mare who could live out to keep my old boy company, her breeder couldn't
beleive her good luck.  She didn't let on for a while, just made comments like
"I'm sure she'd be so much happier outside" and "I have to keep her mother out 
as she kicks the doors down if I try to keep her in." 

Another gelding I had in for breaking would run into his shelter at the first 
drop of rain and refuse to come out again until it had finished, and this was
within three days of his being introduced to it!  He was half Thoroughbred,
but the pure Arab mareith him would stand happily outside in the wettest of
weather and only come in when it was too hot.

Just a few observations...

Esther, Rickie, Mari and baby Non, who is banished from helping build the 
shelter uyntil she has learned NOT to chew the lead for the drill! 
-- 
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