Husbandry of horses and ponies

What types of housing are there?

Roughly speaking, there are two different types of horse husbandry: robust husbandry and box/indoor husbandry.

Robust husbandry

Of the two types of keeping, robust keeping comes very close to a species-appropriate horse life, as the horses and ponies are kept all year round, usually in smaller groups, in an open stable or in a shelter with an adjacent freely accessible run. This means that they can move around around the clock and decide for themselves whether they want to pursue their need for social contact, play with their fellow horses, cuddle each other or make themselves comfortable in the open horse stable / shelter.

Good robust horse housing can be recognised by the following features:

- Horse stable should have a dry, treads solid surface.
- Sleeping areas must be available
- freely accessible horse stable/shelter must be enclosed on three sides,
- sufficient hayracks or feeding places should be provided,
- Water supply and power supply should be ensured.

There are different types of sturdy stables. A distinction is made here:

1. Open stable (open horse stable/ shelter with freely accessible run).
2. Active stable (see open stable, in addition there are functional areas as well as automated feeding)
3. Pure pasture (without stable/shed, only a fenced pasture)

Our tip on the subject of caring for robust horses:

Robustly kept horses and ponies form a natural protective layer of tallow in their coats. This protective layer ensures that moisture from outside does not penetrate to the skin. Excessive grooming and especially washing of the horse's coat destroys this valuable layer. Of course, the saddle and girth area as well as the places where the bridle rests should be clean in any case, so that no pressure or chafing points occur. Our CareFlex curry comb and CareFlex grooming brush are particularly recommended for this purpose.

Box/indoor keeping

This type of stabling is usually found in more sporty riding stables. Your horse is kept in a single stall and is taken to the paddock and/or pasture by the hour during the day (possibly also at night in the hotter summer months).

- sufficient daylight,
- plenty of fresh air - ATTENTION! but no draughts,
- sufficient space in the boxes,
- a dry surface,
- possibility of social contact with other animals of the same species,
- daily exercise on a paved paddock or pasture,
- a stable aisle at least 3 m wide with a non-slip surface
- safe possibilities to tie up the horse.

There are different types of stalls and indoor stalls. A distinction is made here:
1. Single stall (normal stall)
2. Paddock box (a box with a freely accessible exit to a fenced paddock)
3. Playpen (large box in which horses and ponies can move freely in small groups).

Our tip on caring for horses in stalls:

Special attention should be paid to horse care here. The horses and ponies stand and lie in their stalls for several hours a day and also throughout the night and often also in their faeces. It is very important to remove this unwanted residue from the horse's coat. The best way to do this is, of course, with our Natural bristle hoof brush. It really is a true "dung stain terror". ? Furthermore, it should not be forgotten that these horses and ponies can only maintain limited social contact with their fellow horses. Therefore, most of the grooming is left to the rider. Therefore, extensive grooming is very important.

Of course, there are advantages and disadvantages in all of the above-mentioned forms of keeping and every horse owner should decide where and how to keep his horse or pony for the benefit of the horse or pony.

Please remember: Only a horse kept in a species-appropriate manner is a happy horse!