by Lisa Allen

Horses are usually considered active animals who should be kept out in the open rather than in four walled shelters. However, they shouldn’t necessarily be kept outside all the time.

Open fields and bright light are appropriate for horses but at the same time, they also need proper shade/shelter to rest and sleep in. Vigorous exercises and sunlight can be both tiring and harmful.

Horses need a comfortable space for them where they can go and have a cool down time after an exhausting day. For a healthy lifestyle, your horse should be provided with a balance of both light and shelter. They need a comfortable shelter along with the natural environment to lead a stress free, safe and physically fit life.

There are numerous reasons that indicate the necessity of a shelter for your horse. These include:

1. Protection:
The weather can be cold, harsh, rainy, or even hot. With different seasons and varied intensity of each kind of weather, your horse needs to be protected and sheltered.
The shade will not only protect them from the weather changes but will also ensure that they remain safe and sound. Sheltering keeps away overheating, skin burns, cold and eye diseases (caused by overexposure of sun).
Apart from the weather, horses also need to be protected from insects and flies that might plague and disease them.

2. Comfort:
Comfort is yet another aspect that horse owners sometimes forget about. Taking proper care of your horse is not just about a healthy diet and exercise. Comfort and warmth also needs to be considered.
Shelter provides your horse with a comfortable environment where it can go and relax after a tiring day. The shade also works as a warm and cozy space where your horse can stay to keep itself heated and pleasant in the cold weather.
Talking about comfort, the shade gives your horse a homey and snuggly feeling which not only brings them comfort but also keeps them happy and loving towards you.

3. Tethering:
Where horses are usually kept in the open and allowed to move wherever they want, they need to be tethered safely to a place that makes them feel sheltered and protected.
Shades enable you to tether your horse i.e. lets you tie your horse with a comfortable rope or chain to a certain place in order to keep your pet in one place.
People usually do not prefer confining their horses to one space, but it can be of great help when you want to carry out certain activities like bathing, grooming, inspection, etc. Tethering also works great in terms of your horse’s security and shade provides a steady, internal stable and solid support for the same.

4. Behavior:
Every horse has different likes and dislikes. While some might like being around other horses, some might want to have their own personal space. Shelters can affect and change the behavioral patterns of your horses.

Horse in stable

5. Diet Control:
There are chances of overeating and under eating witnessed by horse owners when they let their horses graze on large pasturelands. While over eating can make your horse obese, lazy and inactive, under eating can lead to weakness, inactivity and malnourishment.
You need to ensure that your horse gets the right amount of food. Building a stable can help you control and check your horse’s food intake.
Horses are usually fed a high fiber diet to keep them healthy and active. In summers, that kind of food gives off a lot of heat while exercising and digesting. And when that is the case, a stable can help in cooling down your horse and can also avoid losing a lot of heat and energy.

You might wonder how to provide your horse with a proper shelter while you are traveling or covering a long distance. In such a case, sheltered double horse trailers can be of great help as it will not only provide shade but also protection and comfort to your horse.
Taking all these aspects into consideration, a shelter is definitely required for your horse. Be it any kind of scenario, there are always going to be numerous reasons why keeping your horse in a shelter is better than letting it live in open space all the time.

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Lisa Allen works at Cheval Trailers as a community manager. Cheval trailers has been designed and developed to provide high levels of comfort and safety for the horses being transported, easy towing, and handling qualities for the trailer users since 1995. Cheval Liberté trailers is a leading manufacturer of horse trailers, single and double horse trailers across the UK and Ireland.