04/04/2025
You can have all the facilities in the world, but if your horses can’t go out for 6 months of the year… what’s the point?
I came across a post this morning advertising a high-end yard:
• Olympic-sized outdoor arena
• Huge indoor arena
• Roofed horse walker
• Weekly clinics and shows
• On-site vets
• Even a café
And yet no winter turnout Oct to “Dry Spring” meaning April Time, that’s 6 months of no turnout just ridden and walker.
Because the fields are “clay.”
Look, I get that clay is difficult. But if you can invest six figures in show-standard arenas, you can invest in all-weather turnout or sacrifice paddocks. It’s not about money. It’s about priorities.
Turnout isn’t a seasonal perk. It’s not optional. It’s a basic need, for movement, for mental health, for socialisation. Horses aren’t machines you keep in a stable and bring out for work. They’re living beings who need space and freedom. A walker and a schooling session don’t replace that.
What really got me? The owner proudly says they sleep with their window open so they can hear if horses are door-kicking at night. That’s not charming, that’s heartbreaking. Horses shouldn’t be so stressed or frustrated that they’re banging doors all night long.
If we really care about horses, then we need to put their welfare before the wow-factor. The priority should never be human comfort or prestige over what the horse actually needs.
Stop building palaces for people and start building environments that let horses be horses.
FYI do you know what’s starting to be a big selling point for stable yards now, turnout, invest and use it to your advantage.
