For me, the worst human beings do to animals is take away their autonomy, their freedom. Stick them in a cage, a crate, a tank, or, in the case of racehorses, a tiny 12×12 stall for the vast majority of their day(s). It is cruelty defined, all the more so for being done to social animals like horses. And, it is profoundly sad.
As part of an ongoing effort to educate the public, I have asked various equine experts to weigh in on confinement. The following comes from Dr. Nicholas Dodman, a world-renowned animal behaviorist, and professor emeritus at Tufts University.
“As a 19-year-old pre-veterinary student, my father arranged for me to have riding lessons. At the end of each session, I would lean on a fence and see all the horses in the barn, heads hanging out of the stall doors. When I got home, I would have a meal, call a friend, maybe go out, watch TV, or converse with my parents. My mind would often drift back to the horses at the barn, standing in their 12×12-foot stalls and looking out to a courtyard with nothing happening and nothing to do.
“The next day I would arrive to see the horses in identical positions, parked like lawn tractors. But they are living, breathing, thinking creatures. How can this be allowed to happen, I would think to myself. How do they cope? How do they deal with the boredom?
“The answer to my questions was not well. Many develop ‘stall vices,’ like walking in endless circles (stall walking), walking to-and-fro (abbreviated to weaving), chewing on the edge of their stall (wood chewing), pawing at the ground for hours at a time (digging), or attaching their teeth to the stall door, leaning back, and grunting (cribbing +/- swallowing air, wind sucking). Others would just become depressed and immobile, in a condition aptly called ‘learned helplessness.’
“To understand why these things happen, it is important to consider the ethology of horse behavior – i.e., what horses do naturally in the wild. The answer is that they spend about 60% of their time walking around grazing and the balance of their time interacting with their herd or resting. Horses are highly social animals, with a strict social structure, and they thrive best in the company of other horses. Note that eating grass is their single most time-consuming activity, something that is not allowed for confined racehorses.
“Captivity in box-like stalls is not natural for them, and neither is their artificial feeding pattern. In barns, feeding is in twice-daily aliquots of hay and grain, which can be consumed rapidly, leaving nothing to do except stand and stare or forage for the odd strand of hay that ends up in the bedding. Twenty-three hours a day of this misery is, in my opinion, cruel and unnecessary treatment, though it may be convenient for the barn supervisors. Reducing time spent in stalls to 10 hours per day by providing turnout with other horses may not be ideal from the ethological viewpoint, but is certainly far better than the all-too-common 23 hours of confinement under these unnatural conditions.
“Imagine yourself in an analogous situation, confined to a small study between meals and occasional walks. It is not right. I applaud those who seek a better life for horses by decreasing this cruel, lengthy confinement. Approximating as closely as possible to a natural existence for horses in our care is the only humane approach. I realize life in captivity is not a patch on life in the wild – where, incidentally, stall vice-type behavior has never been observed – but we can at least do our absolute best for these intelligent, loyal, and faithful animals.” – Dr. Nicholas Dodman
To anyone that thinks confining a horse (or any animal) to a box without the ability to interact with others of their kind, think of this: a severe form of punishment for prisoners is solitary confinement, and studies have shown the lack of stimulation and contact have VERY negative effects on both the prisoner’s mental and physical health.
Why are animals any different?
The Horse
Beauty without vanity,
Nobility without conceit,
Friendship without envy,
A willing servant but NOT a slave.
(Unknown author)
Horses are gregarious animals. Warehousing horses in the way that is considered “normal” at racetracks is abnormal for the horses. But Animal Welfare is definitely not a primary concern when it comes to people exploiting horses for racing and the wagering handle.
Horseracing is Animal Cruelty in so many different ways. It’s vomit worthy to read some of the stuff that some owners and trainers say about what their horses like, because it is dominant human beings imposing their own will onto subservient horses. The horses are the slaves.
Thank you for posting this, Patrick! And thanks to Dr. Dodman for stating this so well. Racing may be the worst, but many, many, show horses, boarding stables, etc. do not have adequate turnout. This is a pet peeve of mine, and for many of my friends who are not fortunate enough to have their own farms and are forced to board their horses. It’s the number one complaint I hear: not enough time outdoors. I’m happy that my horses are at home.