# transitioning from pasture to stall board



## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

You just bought the horse and sounds like keeping him at the same stable he has known possibly all his life...something he is used to and thrives at location and care wise.
A stall window to watch the daily activities is great....as is hanging his head over his stall door.
Some put a jolly ball in the stall for the horse to bat around, but honestly the only one I see batting it are the stall workers when they get head bonked _{that be me!}_
The horse is already accustomed to being in a stall for days at a time you say so it is_* you*_ who is having a issue_ not_ the horse.
Incentive for you to appear daily at the barn to groom, exercise with ride or going for a ground walking adventure with your new horse.
Although t/o is a wonderful thing, it isn't as necessary if the horse has the ability to get out, do some exercise and have interaction with others, animal and human.
Some horses also do not like to be tossed out in a small pen to stand in the sun, bake or be chased by other horses...shocking as that may seem. :|
The horse doesn't know anything different has occurred as far as ownership.
He knows he is fed, taken care of, his routine is the same as are his care-givers...sounds like a contented existence. _ 
Only new piece of the scenario is adding you... :wink:

Welcome to horse ownership 101 and fretting that our pet is happy...
:runninghorse2:....
jmo...
_


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

After rereading your post I think you are_ moving the horse...._

So, a stall with a attached t/o size of a round-pen is not "small" depending upon round pen size, yet it is _in addition_ to the stall size so still _not small...._

I think near everything else I wrote still applies...
The horse has been kept in a stall before for days at a time and you allude to he was OK with it...
So...except for no herd turnout of many in together...

I would go for a stall and turnout combined space if possible.
Where I see a difference is not grazing but horses _don't _truly need to eat 24/7 although they will...
They *can* acclimate to a feeding schedule, not stress overly from it as long as they _are_ fed at specific times with adequate amounts...
Many "good" barns feed often during the day hay to their horses so they are not "bored", empty stomach and or "stressing" as many insist is happening.
Years ago....horses were fed 2x a day, ... _that was it._
Our horses not only survived they thrived and were _not_ unhealthy.
Just remember horses can and have evolved over centuries to what we have today...they change with the need...

As for the "toys"....likits are fine...just remember what it is made fromand if you want to introduce that "rush" to the body as once tasted...:eek_color:
I know my gf horse had these and ate them _entirely_ in less than a day..._{she had the sugar based one}_ 
I know today there is also a "salt" based one which makes little sense to me as very few horses are going to stand and lick their salt-block endlessly as a boredom reducer so why spend $ on something with this base product composition...
_As for me_..._*hated*_ the darn thing as it was sticky and left a mess on clothes, forget what it did to my head every single time I went in the stall I got slammed with the thing and lost hair stuck on it!! :twisted:
That thing was "evil" to me... :-|
:runninghorse2:...._
jmo..._


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## Cynical25 (Mar 7, 2013)

Don't stress until there is something to stress about! Many horses thrive in stalls, and yours will get some turnout, so it's not the end of the world. He'll get to stretch his legs every time you visit, too. Pay attention to his behavior as he adjusts to stall life, and be prepared to allow him a few minutes of play time in a round pen if he's extra spunky, before expecting him to focus on work. Once he's into the swing of things, he may be fine to pull out of the stall, groom & go.


If your horse doesn't thrive, then look for an alternative. Never hurts to be on a waiting list for a different barn, you can always decline if a space opens and you don't want it.


Don't buy too many toys, as many horses don't use them. My own gelding was terrified of the jolly ball on his stall floor, so instead of playing he'd stand in the opposite corner of his stall suspiciously eying it all day, until the farm hands told me and we removed it, lol. He never did touch the hanging Lik-It or the wall-mounted Lik-It roller over the year and a half we boarded at that barn, and this was when he was a playful 3 year old. As long as he could see & hear the happenings in the barn aisles he was content.


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