Aww. Sid had a super sweet face!
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I remember seeing the horse trails that looked like they went straight up and down in the area around San Juan Capistrano and thinking those trail horses must be pretty darn fit!
Another time, I did the tour at Hearst Castle, and the recording on the bus (by Alex Trebek, for some reason) said that the Hearst family originally would ride horses from the entrance where we got on the bus to the current location of the castle complex, which started out as their camping area.
It took fifteen or twenty minutes on the bus, going on a road with a steep incline and tons of switchbacks, so I can only imagine how long it would take on a horse.
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HOw the heck do you block? Iâve been looking everywhere?
That quote is from this thread in the technical help section of the forum.
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Thank you! I stupidly thought I could just click on the person and it would come up.
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Just asking ⊠Are we more interested in protecting the horse industry or the actual horse?
I am confused by this questionâŠ
I mean, I know what the words mean, I do not understand what the question has to do with the topic.
I will say, just because you (general) do not do things how I do them, does not mean your way is wrong or abusive or any of those things.
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It was in response to a post made by Peggy regarding the lack of turnout in many places. Donât know how to got to you. It was post # 323.
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There were no papers as far as I know. My mom might have known something about his history but sheâs gone. Given that he was owned by the proprietor of a boarding/rent stable in the 1960s he could have come from anywhere. We do know that his former ownerâs name was Sidđ. He may have been gelded late since he deposited his manure in a neat stack like some stallions do, but thatâs not helpful. She did keep him in one if the few box stall with a run as opposed to the many larger paddocks on the property so maybe he didnât appreciate a lot of contact with neighbors.
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Thank you for explaining.
Just a FYI, to make posting easier for you and those reading your posts - If you hit the reply button in the lower right corner (see screen shot below with it boxed out in red) it will add the symbology in the upper right corner that makes it clear who you are responding to and what post. The replied to information allows the read to click it and expand to show the post being replied to (refer to second screen shot below).
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The industry is the protection for the horse, the government certainly doesnât care.
Eliminating horse ownership throughout the urban southwest and vast swathes of California, because it feels foreign to you despite thousands of horse owners doing it successfully, isnât the answer.
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Switched to a computer to answer this so I could multi-quote, but dags beat me to it. No horse industry, or limiting the horse-keeping area to areas deemed âsuitable,â means way fewer horses. It also means little to no research that benefits horses, fewer horse-related products, fewer options for keeping horses, fewer horse professionals, including vets, and so on.
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I donât think this is very relevant when research has shown that horses NEED movement for fitness, gut health, social needs etc etc. Thereâs a good reason why some countries like Sweden and Germany have legal regulations that require turnout for horses.
Land is scarce in some areas, of course, but with proper space management and a little less fuss over turnout booboos and shenanigans there can be improvements. 4 hours⊠8 hours⊠overnight, etc. Anything is better than nothing or, at best, 1 hour outside alone in a tiny limestone lot.
Just because we can, doesnât mean we should.
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But we have, over the years, and they didnât die.
Would I keep a horse this way? I donât think I would. But I have been fortunate enough to live in MD.
Donât let perfect be the enemy of good. Every horse would be better off in a nice meadow in, say, Maryland, without a job. Iâd be happier on a beach without a job 
I donât think (most of) the horses in CA are living a tough life, even if it is not the Elysian Fields.
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I just feel like thatâs a very, very low bar to set.
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Somehow we have gone from establishing what are âoptimal conditions for horsekeepingâ to ânot providing certain conditions is cruelty.â
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Or hyperbole
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There are currently two horses in their 30âs at my very urban barn. One was born there and never lived anywhere else. Two others over thirty have passed in the last few years, also only boarded there. All well cared for and doted on, thrived on little to no turn out when they were ridden, 30-60 minutes in retirement, and maybe a hand walk.
Is it optimal? No. Iâm jealous of the videos on here of horses cavorting in green pastures.
Can horses live long, healthy lives in an urban environment? Yes.
Pardon the profanity. It comes with the territory.
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Yes I know the statement itself is hyperbole, but what it actually means is that itâs âfineâ so long as they have food, water, and shelter.
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I know all about the â3 Fâsâ â but Iâve either ridden, cared for, or owned more horses than I can even estimate â and I can come up with multiple examples of horses that (for their own good) needed to be denied at least one of the âFâs.â I can certainly give you examples of horses than needed to be denied one of each of those categories. We try the best we can â for our horses, and ourselves. And I can guarantee you that generally the horses donât know that they are being deprived.
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