How long do you keep your horse in a stall for?

1. 61

   vikkijovposted 8 years ago

   How long do you keep your horse in a stall for?
   
   I have a mini-horse and towards the late afternoon, she gets anxious to go in her stall.  I open the gate and let her go on her own into the stall.  She will actually run full speed as if that is where she would rather be.  When I bring her in because of bad weather earlier during the day, she walks very slowly and not in a rush at all.  What is the right amount of time she should be in the stall?.  My normal practice now is I bring her out at 8:00 a.m. and bring her back in at dusk.  It appears that she is unhappy with the length of time (10 hours) she is in the yard and not in the pen.

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2. 80

   PurvisBobbi44posted 8 years ago

   Hi vikkjov,
   
   I never had a mini--however, I've experience in thoroughbred horses because my husband was a manager on a thoroughbreds ranch.
   I did not read in your question if the mini was in a paddock with larger horses.
   
   If so, I  personally would separate her/him from the larger horses because they might make her/him nervous.
   
   I would try letting her out in the morning, and bring her in to her stall about noon. If you feed her/him once a day, then divide her food into two parts so when she is brought in she can have something to eat. Then let her/him rest and then let her/him out in the late afternoon when the sun is not so bright; for a little while.
   
   She runs full speed, because she does not want to stay outside for an all day outing.
   
   We babied the thoroughbreds by taking them out to the paddock after their breakfast. They would stay until about 2:00 pm, then we would bring them in and feed them. If any horse did not want to go outside we searched for the reason.
   
   I believe your mini gets tired and wants her comfortable stall. The sun might be too hot on her/him. You might think about building a shed with poles with a tin top--but I would not let her out to get under the tin on a cloudy day. In Florida we protected the thoroughbreds from lightning by not letting them stay out if rain was in the forecast.
   
   I don't know if this helped you or not, but I hope some of it did. You are lucky to have minis--spoil and love them--I envy you.
   
   Have a wonderful day.

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   1. 61

      vikkijovposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      I actually tried your suggestion today and it was much better.  Dani didn't make a run for it but instead walked alongside me. I guess she needs a rest like you suggested. Dani is so much fun and I enjoy her so much.  Thank you for your help.

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3. 88

   Terrielynn1posted 8 years ago

   I would only over night, unless the horse was ill then longer. They need to be out running around. I would check to see what could be bothering it. Mini horses can have a similar personality to ponies. Being both high spirited or stubborn. You might want to consider building pen, the yard might be too over welming.

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   1. 61

      vikkijovposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Terrie - thank you for your answer.  I have a three sided house for her but she never goes in it. When she was younger it didn't matter how long she stayed outside but I see her changing and yawning!  HA, so I'm giving her a mid-day break in her pen.

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   2. 88

      Terrielynn1posted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Oh ok. They change a lot as they age. Like the rest of us, lol. I hope she is ok. We are looking at buying more horses right now and adding more fences. I hope to get a foal this year too. Have a nice weekend.

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