<I had 24 horses and ponies in a 800 square meter arena.
<They had no roof and no wind protection.
<In the winter (Israeli winter is 3 months long, temperature never drops
below zero),
<They get wet and they are standing in the mud.
<I speak from experience that one does not need to
worry too much... a horse is a horse and a human being is a human being. We do
not <have the same needs.
Gabi,
I think you are lucky that your horses suffered no ill effects from
standing in mud for three months. Most horses would get thrush, scratches, or
abscesses from that. Did you actually check all 24 horses hooves every day to
make sure they were indeed healthy? You are right a horse is a horse
and in the wild a horse would be roaming constantly over various
terrain, not penned up in an 800 meter muddy arena with 24 other horses, so by
penning them up you have changed the natural balance of their world. By penning
them up you have become the caretaker. As such it is your responsibility to
insure they are as healthly in your care as they would be otherwise. Do you
really believe they were happy and healthly standing in mud for three months
with their butts to the wind? I am glad you've finally moved them into stables.
I hate to tell you this, but people in the USA sometimes report situations like
that to the Humane Society.
