Over my many years of horse ownership I’ve been through a lot of different situations with my horses. From agisting as a child when all I had to do was show up and love my horse, through to young adulthood where it was entirely my decision where I agisted and how often I saw them.

I’ve been to different agistments depending on where I lived and my needs at the time. From places with big indoor arenas through to a quiet paddock where I could visit anytime I liked.

Very few of those places looked at a horse's biological needs when setting up their agistment paddocks. They were built for convenience.

Usually having single horse paddocks or at most, a pair. Rotating paddocks only to stop them turning to mud, not to ensure the horses had appropriate grazing. Feeding and rugging based on time of day and the amount of money the owner paid, with far less focus on each individual horse's needs.

In short, it’s a business.

Stables mean more horses on less land, and that means more money.

But horses are large animals, with complex social and biological needs that include a suitable herd, space to roam, and free access to food, water and shelter.

Let’s run through a few things horses DON’T need;

To be ridden

To be whipped

To be dressed up for seasonal photos

To be tied up so people can brush them, or worse, just to ‘teach them to tie’

To compete

To have a job

To be stabled

To be bred for profit

There are exceptions to every rule. An injured horse might need to be rested in a small, secure area such as a stable or yard. Even if that’s the case, it’s best to try and adapt the environment to be as appropriate as possible. For instance, keeping friendly horses nearby, and using novel and enriching toys to keep the horse occupied and happy.

While horses generally don’t need rugs, it can be appropriate and helpful to rug horses who are sick, elderly, or are especially bothered by bugs or extreme weather.

But these things should be the exception. They should be approached with caution, with consultation of equine professionals, and with thoughtfulness. Always prioritising the horses needs over the humans convenience or their ‘wants’.

The horse industry isn’t set up to benefit the horse, but my paddock is. I hope yours is too.

Written By Madi Holmes of the PPGA Equine Sub-Committee