05/21/2025
This is why a majority of our horses live outside and the ones that are stalled, get 12 + hours of turn out a day with their friends!
๐พ ๐๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ซ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐? ๐พ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ป๐๐๐๐ ๐ผ๐ ๐จ๐๐๐๐ ๐พ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฏ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ป๐๐๐๐๐
Every day, we make choices for our horses: what to feed, when to ride, and where they spend their time.
Some horses sleep in stalls with soft bedding and controlled routines, while others spend their days under open skies, moving, and interacting with a herd.
Both options come with good intentions. Both reflect care.
But beyond tradition and habit, what does research reveal about how these choices affect our horses - inside and out? The answers go deeper than you might think.
๐ฆด ๐๐จ๐ง๐
Research has found that stalling, even over short periods of time, can lead to a loss of bone mineral content and increased bone resorption (loss) compared to horses with pasture access, regardless of age.
๐ Hoekstra et al., 1999; Logan et al., 2019
๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐ข๐ง๐ข๐ง๐
A study evaluating 2-year-old Arabians beginning training found that pastured horses adapted to training quicker, required less time to reach training objectives, and had fewer undesirable behaviors under saddle compared to stalled horses.
๐ Rivera et al., 2002
๐ช ๐
๐ข๐ญ๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ
When comparing pastured horses to those stalled with and without exercise, the stalled horses without exercise lost fitness, while the pastured and exercised horses maintained their fitness.
๐ Graham-Thiers and Bowen., 2013
๐ง ๐๐๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ข๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ
When weanlings housed in paddocks or stalls were compared, paddock-housed weanlings had time budgets similar to feral horses, while stall-housed weanlings displayed more aberrant behaviors, including licking, chewing, pawing, bucking, and rearing.
๐ Heleski et al., 2002
๐ ๐๐ญ๐๐ซ๐๐จ๐ญ๐ฒ๐ฉ๐ข๐๐ฌ
Horses were more likely to develop stereotypiesโsuch as pawing, weaving, wall kicking, cribbing, and prancingโwhen stabled or housed in a corral compared to those kept on pastures.
๐ Kรกdรกr et al., 2023
๐ฆ ๐๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐จ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐๐ญ๐๐ง๐๐
Horses moved into single-housing experienced a decrease in white blood cells, indicating that social isolation is a stressor that can weaken immune function.
๐ Schmucker et al., 2023
๐ค ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ญ๐ก
In a study of 327 horses in Sweden, stall-kept horses had higher incidences of respiratory problems, colic, and skin injuries compared to group-housed horses.
๐ Yngvesson et al., 2019
๐ก ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ
We all want whatโs best for our horses, but when it comes to choosing between stalling and pasturing, the science offers a clear perspective: ๐ฏ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐ ๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐โ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐.
At the end of the day, stalls offer us convenience, structure, and control, but they were built for our lives, not theirs.
This isnโt about blame. Itโs about awareness and reflection.
I will update to add that as with any managerment practice, there are always exceptions. While turnout is generally healthier for most horses, some individuals may require stall time due to medical needs, safety concerns, or management of specific conditions. Good horsemanship means recognizing and adapting to the unique needs of each horse.
๐๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ก๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ก๐จ๐จ๐ฌ๐, ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ข๐ซ ๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐?
๐จ๐๐
๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐?
โ Dr. DeBoer
Hoekstra KE, Nielsen BD, Orth MW, Rosenstein DS, Ii HS, Shelle JE. Comparison of bone mineral content and biochemical markers of bone metabolism in stallโvs. pastureโreared horses. Equine Veterinary Journal. 1999 Jul;31(S30):601-4.
Logan AA, Nielsen BD, Sehl R, Jones E, Robison CI, Pease AP. Short-term stall housing of horses results in changes of markers of bone metabolism. Comparative Exercise Physiology. 2019 Oct 9;15(4):283-90.
Rivera E, Benjamin S, Nielsen B, Shelle J, Zanella AJ. Behavioral and physiological responses of horses to initial training: the comparison between pastured versus stalled horses. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 2002 Sep 10;78(2-4):235-52.
Graham-Thiers PM, Bowen LK. Improved ability to maintain fitness in horses during large pasture turnout. Journal of equine veterinary science. 2013 Aug 1;33(8):581-5.
Heleski CR, Shelle AC, Nielsen BD, Zanella AJ. Influence of housing on weanling horse behavior and subsequent welfare. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 2002 Sep 10;78(2-4):291-302.
Kรกdรกr R, Maros K, Drรฉgelyi Z, Szedenik ร, Lukรกcsi A, Pesti A, Besenyei M, Egri B. Incidence of compulsive behavior (stereotypies/abnormal repetitive behaviors) in populations of sport and race horses in Hungary. Journal of Veterinary Behavior. 2023 Mar 1;61:37-49.
Schmucker S, Preisler V, Marr I, Krรผger K, Stefanski V. Single housing but not changes in group composition causes stress-related immunomodulations in horses. PLoS One. 2022 Aug 17;17(8):e0272445.
Yngvesson J, Rey Torres JC, Lindholm J, Pรคttiniemi A, Andersson P, Sassner H. Health and body conditions of riding school horses housed in groups or kept in conventional tie-stall/box housing. Animals. 2019 Feb 26;9(3):73.
