It’s dark out at 5pm and all I want to do when I get to the barn is stand around with horses under the stars. I don’t want to ride, I don’t want to set up poles for them to step over, I don’t even want to take them out of the field. I just want to stand with them.
Is it acceptable to let a horse get out of shape during the winter months? In some western states they turn horses out into hundreds of acres of pasture in large groups for the winter. They then round them up again in spring. On the east coast we don’t have the space to turn out large herds of horses over winter. The best we have is small pastures stocked with round bales so the horses don’t graze down the pasture grass too far over winter. They don’t go roaming for miles, and many don’t even have hills to walk. Flat, boring pastures with a round bale in them is the norm.
So is it fair to not do anything all winter? I’m unsure. I know that some horses legitimately don’t want to do things in the darker, colder months. Yet when I lay on the couch for a few days around the holidays I end up with a sore back and a stiff neck from lack of movement. Where is the balance between letting the horses do what they want, which is to stand in one spot and eat, and doing what will make the horses’ body feel better in the long run? I still don’t have a good answer, but it is a valid question.
Don’t forget that Standing in a Field With Horses is now an audiobook as well! Available through Audible, Spotify, and other audiobook retailers.
Maeve Birch Home 