Dani Waldman admits to never turning out horses

[crackerjack]

For sure. Horses can get injured anywhere. I’ve known career ending injuries occurring in paddocks and in stalls. One of mine even did the same injury twice while being in a stall- one was during stall rest and the other during a clinic. Where ever a horse is is where they can get injured.

I think most of us do the best with what we have. If there are land or weather considerations, that’s one thing and you work around that, but to say I’m never turning out due to the chance of injury is ridiculous.

[endlessclimb]

Agreed. Mine are out every day, rain or shine. If they come in nicked up so be it.

[Brokegirl]

A couple months ago she posted an Instagram reel explaining how one of her mares got injured and can no longer ride. I guess the mare took up to kicking the stall walls and damaged her joints. Seems to me that injuries can also happen in the stall.
Now I cant say paddock injuries dont happen. My mare spent the last two months healing from a freak injury from her paddock. That is still not going to stop me from turning her out.
Something I think we should be looking at is why she feels the need to control her horses every movement. Maybe there is something deeper and more physiological going on with her which she should be going to therapy for.

[endlessclimb]

@Brokegirl

Something I think we should be looking at is why she feels the need to control her horses every movement. Maybe there is something deeper and more physiological going on with her which she should be going to therapy for.

Well that’s a stretch, eh?

[endlessclimb]

Same famous person who had the horse fracture a coffin bone… had a mare spook at something in middle of the night, go through the 4 board fence, and end up on the road with fatal injuries - she was found in the morning down the road and it took people awhile to figure out who owned her. The other horses who were in the pasture with her were fine.

It really is a damned if you do, damned if you don’t type thing.

[Brokegirl]

Not really, the need to be so over controlling with her horses can stem from feeling out of control in other parts in her life.

[endlessclimb]

I think you’re extrapolating quite far.

I think no turnout is a load of BS, but I’m not going to stoop to the level of shredding her mental health over it.

But hey. You do you.

[Brokegirl]

I kind of think it would give her the benefit of the doubt. Its kind of like helicopter parents who need to micromanage every accept of their kids lives, there are enough studies on that to show there are different mental issues that lead to that behavior so why wouldn’t it be similar for her situation?
If anything its better than what everyone else is doing, by noticing a behavior and identifying it instead of just being mad, there may be a reason she is the way she is. There is nothing wrong with pointing that out and looking at the bigger picture. Those who refuse to take notice at stuff like that are the reason there are people who go into later life without a formal diagnoses or helpful therapy.

[Brokegirl]

I am curious at why you would think that pointing out how some concerning behaviors might be linked to something deeper is “shredding her mental health.” Now if I came out blaring fingers and calling names I would understand that. I think that talking about mental health is still hard for a lot of people and for some it is still taboo subject, which is too bad, but it is so important.

[Jealoushe]

The poster calling her out works at the track and they don’t turn their horses out. Seems hypocritical to attack someone then work for someone who does the same thing?

[endlessclimb]

I just think you took a turn into left field going at it from that angle first.

And I also think you’re continuing to read into everything too far by now going off on a generic “mental health is hard to talk about” tangent.

I would imagine it has far less to do with control/mental issues… and a lot more to do with risk management (right or wrong). But again… you do you.

[no.stirrups]

My two cents: it can be perfectly healthy for horses to have no turnout, but usually it involves being out of the stall multiple times per day for riding, hand walking, longeing, grazing, or being on a treadmill or theraplate. All this is labor intensive and therefore expensive unless you are retired and can spend all day at the barn doing it yourself. I wouldn’t have a problem with Dani’s post if she mentioned that.

[Victorious]

@anon510129

You either think of horses as partners or machine

This^^^^. I think all my issues with the horse world boil down to this dynamic right here. The Machine mentality is what brings out the most disgusting aspects of our sport, IMO. Poling, doping, chips in boots, electric spurs etc etc

[Brokegirl]

Well the fact bringing up mental health is “shredding her” kind of is reasonable to want to bring up the importance of talking about it.
Now if it were just wanting to keep her horses safe, her view on turn out would have changed when her mare injured herself in the stall. Looking at her responses she expressed a need to keep her horses movements managed. Maybe its from a money stand point but it may also be coming from something else which its a “stretch.” There are a lot of expensive horses that get turn out or even ring turn out at the minimum, their riders/owners dont have an issue. So why is she having a hard time with letting a horse be a horse? It may be nothing but it may be something else that should be looked at.

[katherineyyyy]

Oh i dont actually know any of those people at all. Yeah definitely seems hypocritical!

[fordtraktor]

Speculating on other people’s mental health is really not cool.

[Arelle]

Can I add my two cents when we’re 130+ responses in?

I agree with a poster up thread who said there are more important hills to die on. I think anyone who insists on an ALL OR NOTHING approach to horse care (IE: “ALL horses love turnout”, “NO horse should be kept without turnout”) are probably not living in the real world.

I don’t know Dani, and I don’t follow her - aside from seeing the occasional photo of her with the feathers in her hair. I haven’t heard of any major scandals and her horses look to be happy and healthy.

I personally think horses need some time to themselves - I ask mine to behave when they have any kind of lead on, we don’t act a fool in hand, or on the lunge line, or obviously under saddle. BUT when the lead comes off - they’re free to do whatever they want. Most of the time, they have a few moments of “jump up and strike into the air” or “throw themselves on the ground to roll and then jump up and take off bucking and farting”. My personal opinion is that a horse is absolutely fine to be kept to no turnout - it’s easy with a full program to keep them out of the stall and worked and getting in enough exercise, but I don’t know how you can let a horse do their loveable, stupid horse antics in a eurociser or hand walking.

I do find it cruel if the horses cannot be with one another. I don’t know her stall situation, but I know I’ve had a mare laid up since mid February with a catastrophic, near fatal injury. She’s being kept in one of my full bar stalls, so her buddy doesn’t mess with her healing wound - but the night she came home from the hospital she let him lick her face through the bars for nearly an hour. Several of my other horses are in my shedrow type stalls that have half walls, and I’ll check the cameras at night and see them giving each other scratches or playing bite face – they’ve got the protection from kicks and privacy to lay down of the half wall, but they have the freedom to be social with each other.

[Equkelly]

@Jealoushe

The poster calling her out works at the track and they don’t turn their horses out. Seems hypocritical to attack someone then work for someone who does the same thing?

She has been a part time exercise rider for a local track in her area. She’s hardly someone who makes a living off the race track industry. But even still she’s very outspoken about problems at the racetrack. She does use her platform to advocate for OTTBs and for healthy management practices including turnout.

In any case, I don’t think it matters a whole lot. IMO the practice is wrong either way and I’m glad some people are calling attention to it.

[scrbear11]

Who on this thread has a million dollar horse? Or even a high six figure horse? Or a six figure horse at all?

[enjoytheride]

My barn got in a filly who had NEVER been turned out. Her owner bred her and kept the broodmare at a facility with zero turnout unless you paid for it and she didn’t. So the mare and foal only got turned out in the indoor arena for 30 minutes a few times a week if that. She legit did not know that grass was edible.

When the mare came to my barn she was horrific in her stall. Kicked, spun, total neurotic behavior, trashed the stall daily. We started turning her out in a group for a few hours up until she hit a full day. For several months she’d walk the fence line endlessly and she dropped A TON of weight.

But this was the only option for the boarder and the only barn she wanted to be at so we kept at it.

I think it took about 8 months and the horse’s stall habits vanished, she was neat and tidy, and she LOVED being turned out. If she was kept in more than 12 hours due to something she was nuts in the stall.

So I think of that when people tell me their horse doesn’t like turnout. A horse who isn’t used to bugs, or grass, or being turned out at all is going to have a hard time adjusting.

I broke the mare out and eventually we sold her to a home that had zero stalls period. Last time I saw her she was fat and happy.