10/06/2026
We call them boxes.
It's such a normal word in the horse world that most of us have never stopped to think about what it says. We're keeping a living, social, roaming animal - in a box. And we've been doing it so long it just feels like what you do.
Here's the thing: we've known for a very long time that it doesn't work well for horses. A vet wrote about it in 1884. Research shows stabling can affect respiratory health, gut health and immune function - and in one study, two-thirds of horses stabled for the first time developed stereotypic behaviours within two weeks. Their pastured companions, none.
So if we've known this long, why does so little change?
That's one of the questions our new paper - the Horse Welfare 12 - tries to answer. Not by blaming anyone. Most of us adore our horses. But by looking at the system that makes the box feel like common sense, and asking what it would take to do things differently.
If you were starting from scratch, how would you house your horse? We'd love to hear.
Link to the paper in the comments.
