horses get colic?

[Wingnut]

Bill,

wow! You nailed that one right on the head. My wife, the Texan who'd never seen a miniature horse but always wanted some, has kids that're all grown up and thousands of miles away. So ... she treats the dogs and horses like kids.
Yes! The horses, for the winter at least, are stalled for half the day. I've argued until I'm blue in the face (from lack of air, not from the cold) about letting them out every day so they can exercise ... but during a heavy snowstorm, she wants to go out there with a towel and dry them off!!!
I will use your comments and Richards to try and help convince her that horses have lived for millions of years without being in stalls.
I'll have to admit the fault is not all hers ... I prefer to have them inside overnight when the weather's bad ... but otherwise I prefer to just get them in for feed and then let them loose again. - In my case, I like them to roam because I have to do most of the mucking!
Thanks for the info on feed, Richard ... it parallels what I (though I) knew. The feed is a supplement (that I give them for the vitamin, minerals and such) and not a replacement for hay. I've been working the place hard (which is why I justify an L3710 for 7-8 acres) to make sure the nbest possible forage is growing. And I have driven pretty far and wide to get them the best hay I can find ... and the difference shows. They certainly don't waste the "good" stuff.


too bad that common sense ain't

 

[gerard]

I gotta agree. My wife has a lot more horse experieince than I do but sometimes it flies in the face of common sense. If horses were as fragile as she always tries to tell me in my opinion they would have been extinct a thousand years ago!! (On the other hand they DO live a lot longer when taken care of than "in the wild" so there's probably some truth to her ideas). Bottom line is her horses - her call. I'll defer to her wishes on this one even though it sometimes seems contrary to common sense! Re: mucking stalls - I help out a lot there too. We use sawdust and I rigged up a 2x4 frame with 1x2 wire mesh between it. Kind of like a big coarse screen. I just rest it against a wall at about a 55deg angle and shovel all the bedding onto it after removing the wet spots. The sawdust falls through and the manure is too big and rolls down into a pile. Cut my time way down, cost me nothing and really cleans the bedding. Beats picking it out with a manure fork!! (I use a snow shovel or a big grain shovel so you can pick up a lot at once since it doesn't way much. Takes me about 10 minutes per stall)

 

[cowboydoc]

Gerard,
Have to agree with you on her horses her call! You are right about horses that are taken care of living longer but that mostly has to do with them getting wormed, teeth, floated and good feed. All a horse needs is shelter from the snow and rain. There are actually alot of studies, specifically from Colorado State University that show that horses that are stabled have 60% more respiratory diseases than horses that are kept outside. Reason being was the confines of a stall and breathing the urine, barn dust, hay dust, mold spores, etc. Hey to each his own though and if you your wife wants to baby her horses then she should. Just alot of false info. out there as to what horses really need. If you ever get time snap me a pic of that sawdust contraption. I've seen those advertised but they're like $500. I've been going to build one Good luck with them and happy trails on the riding!!!
Richard

 

[Wingnut]

Gerard,
I think it's that mothering thing ... mine is the same way. I have mentioned that horses do quite well in the wild .. but.
Now if she were as conscientious in worming, getting the farrier out, etc ...
I'm interested in that sawdust contraption too ... post a pic. I'm not sure it would work for these little guys (little horses, little horse apples) but adaption is the mother of true invention, so ...


too bad that common sense ain't

 

[cowboydoc]

Wingnut,
The ones that I've seen advertised would work for any size horse. They definitely save time and sawdust if you keep horses in stalls all the time. I've got friends that have them and I think they are a good tool. I just didn't think they were worth $500 plus. Also wanted to tell you that miniatures and ponies no matter how well you keep them are prone to colic and sudden death. Not alot of reasearch as to why this is but studies have shown that they are about 30% more prone to serious disease and death than normal size horses.
Richard

 

[gerard]

I'm still "digitally challenged" but shopping for a camera - I'll post when I get one. Re the small horses ie small "horse balls" you could just use a finer mesh size but if you go to small it might also trap too much of the sawdust so you may be right. (Harv, I got the camera for my wifes emas present but turned out you could only use the serial port for windows 95 and not the USB so I sent it back and now want to find another one. Think I'll actually go to a store for this one!!)

 

[gerard]

cowboydoc,
you're talking about a "stallsifter" I think, same principal but it's wheeled and has an electric motor to vinrate the screen. I agree with you on the price as being a little high which is why my version cost nothing but the cost of some scrap wood and fence mesh. I have no motor - gravity does that!!

 

[cowboydoc]

Gerard,
Yep that's it. I like your idea much better though. I don't stall horses that much so I wouldn't justify the cost of one but your deal sounds ideal.
Richard

 

[GrantMO]

Richard,

You know the other problem with keeping a horse stalled all the time? They get antsy as hell. We had to keep one of ours in for awhile after he slipped and was temporarily lame. He got jumpy and smacked his head on a post and had to have some treatment for a couple small cuts near his eye. Both problems were minor luckily!

Grant

 

[ERNIEB]

As far as keeping a horse stalled.
Ancestors of the modern horse were small, and their only defense against predators was to run. They evolved as runners.
IMHO, there is one reason, and only one reason to keep a horse stalled, and that is to conserve their energy for some particular use.
For example, a racehorse in training is kept in a stall. They are taken out daily to be galloped, or given a workout (breezed or hand riden), and if that can't be done then they are walked. Either on a walker or by hand. And then of course there is race day, when he is in condition. If a horse had been in a pasture all night, taken to a racetrack in the morning and put in an afternoon race, He would have no chance at all.
Same holds true for any working horse. A horse has just so much energy to use in the course of a day, and once thats gone. it's gone.
On the other hand, a racehorse not in training is usually turned out to pasture, or at the very least is given a stall that allows daytime access to a paddock.
A horse needs exercise. The average riding horse doesn't get enough being kept in a stall. They need space to exercise. I'm of the opinion that to keep a horse in a stall all the time and not allow him to gallop and run is cruel. It's what they are born to do. Well, thats my long winded opinion.

Ernie
"It will be appalling to you to learn, and see herewith inclosed our alarming weakness"
James C. Neill, Alamo commander Jan. 1836