This has been killing me....

Well I wont say your wrong but who ever keeps their horses in a stall with no bedding and concrete floors should be slapped in the face. The horse could slip on its urine and hurt itself really bad!!!!

Now I think that horses now a days are considered domesticated and us humans alter all domesticated animals like cats, dogs ect. That yes I think its well better to stall at night than not too. Like my horse want to come in at night they stand at the barn door and just paw and paw til I let them in. I feel safer that my horses are in that way they can have some down time and let there gauds down. Also get a good night sleep unlike they would get outside always watching there backs for danger. Plus I do not heve an out door shelter so if it rains there nice and warm not wet and cold.

Another thing is I do use hay racks and I do use feed boxes because if I didnt my horses would waste their hay by pooing and peeing on it and they would spill there grain all over the floor. Its just so they have pleanty to eat without them wasting any. I do this all for my horses well being and comfort. Not so its easy to grab them or to keep them clean!!! Like you said its my thoughts

Also sorry im a really bad speller so sorry if my grammar is off!!!!

Oh yes I went back and read like almost everyones post and forgot to say in the summer time my guys are out all the time unless its a really bad storm and they are only stalled in winter unless there is no wind out!

I have to agree.

I also admit that I find it pretty hard to believe that any barn kept horses on concrete with no bedding of any kind. It would be a cleaning nightmare for the horse and the floor. Urine would go every where. Plus, the horses would have pretty nasty hock and elbow sores.
I am also shocked by the OPs statement that most places do it this way.

My horses are currently out 24/7 with access to stalls.
My gelding has lived 24/7 in a stall at a show barn. Ridden almost every day with occasional short turn out.
He seems fine with either.

I have no issues with stalling horses, I have no issues with 24/7 turn out for horses. Both can be bad, both can be good.

Far more things go into the long term soundness of a horse than them living inside or outside. Conformation being the biggest thing.

I think my horse would go nuts the longest he's been in a stall in 3 days but I always walked him around between classes

And don't worry this forum is made for things like this

Yep, I definitely like to keep my horses stalled when I have the chance (if they can stand being in there without going crazy/picking up stall vices/etc) but I would never, ever have my horse stalled without turnout and bedding.

I agree 100% that turn out is best for horses in general. I know mine are happier turned out; however, we moved about 6 weeks ago, and we do not have fence up to turn out, so sadly, ours are all up in stalls and have been with some paddock turnout time (which hasn't been much because of the rain and the paddocks are a foot deep in mud most days). It is 100% temporary, but I still feel bad because I know they are better off all the way around on turn out.
The stallion will have to stay up unless weather allows for turn out in the large paddock - but his stall is a 12x16 stall with an additional run out that is about 12x6, so he is really okay.

Totally agree with you.

Welcome! Glad to see some who have common seance.

In this case I would assume the extent of the damage was done because of the concrete floors, that said I agree - Stalling is a cruel and unusual punishment to any horse. (With the exception of medically requiring a stall, however a small paddock outside would be by far my choice of confinement)
My 22 year old QH mare would cripple right up if stalled even for 12 hours with 12 hour turnouts. Its un-natural. I do not care if your stalls are bedded with $100 bills and feather pillows offering fans, AC/Heat and automatic water tanks lined in gold. I do not care if the horse is a $500,000 show stallion or a $50 flea bitten pony A horse is a horse is a horse. Horses were meant to roam, they do not stall themselves in the wild. I cannot be convinced that any horse wants to be stalled. Its been trained to be stalled. A horse who has been stalled is fed in its stall. Its groomed, praised, loved, cared for, grained, fed and all other goodness in its stall, hence it thinks stall = "Let me in!" A brand new foal will not pop out of the womb thinking "Hmm, two acre pasture to play in and nibble on grass or a wooden box to stand around in.... WOODEN BOX! Yippie!"
Stalling instills bad behavior. It creates bored horses who paw, chew wood, crib, pace, weave and otherwise go out of there minds. Then people by candy lik it toys and busy balls in attempt to give the poor animal a piece of mind rather than -God forbid- Letting the horse out?!
Being confined in even a well vented barn causes respiratory issues. Your tack gets covered in dust, every thing in the barn is coated in the same wonderful dust and people choose to have the horse breath this every day for a period of time, then wonder why the barn yearly has the snots going around?
Has anyone noticed its the stalled horses who turn up lame after a good romp in the pasture? Read stories and pay attention the catch is "I was on my way to bring the horses in and I noticed Wildfire limping...."

If someone can give me a list of reasons why a horse should be kept in a box I could use the laugh....

Well during the winter I compete and hunt so I do keep her in a stall that is well bedded up and she gets let out nearly all day and comes back in for a workout then cooled off and put back inside for her feed gets fed in the morning then let out again she loves it and is great I would never not use bedding that is wrong.

The barn I used to be a Working Student at, had a fabulous BM the first 2 years I was there.

The rule was, horses came in when it started to get dark, and horses are turned out by 7:00am.

I had to work with 30 horses a day.

The stalls, were not only lined with thick rubber mats, but also a good amount of shavings for bedding. The majority of the pile of shavings went into the middle, and during the time the horses are in the stall, they sort out the shavings themselves through their movements.

The horses were not only out on turn out in LARGE paddocks for the majority of the day, but were in their stalls for short periods of time, well padded.

Then that BM left, and a new one came in and that was when things went to pot.

The horses were left in their stalls, but when the last BM left, she took all her rubber mats - which left the horses standing on cement floors, with straw, instead of shavings.

The horses were left in for longer periods of time, instead of out at dawn and in at dusk, they were in for up to 13 hours a day.

Nelson would come out of his stall, stocked up, swollen and stiff.

We left.

Now Nelson is out for the most part, 24/7 and he has been the most happiest horse ever since I met him.

Pasture all day. Brought in at 4:00pm for dinner. In a padded stall, with shavings.

I get there after work 5:00pm, and ride and then he gets turned back out with all his companions for the rest of the night.

They come back in for breakfast, and turned back out until 4:00 and then turned back out.

He is the most healthiest.

I wholeheartedly agree, horses should be turned out for the majority of the time.

It would be impossible for me to leave my horses out 24/7. Both my show horses sun burn EAISLY in the summer, so they are in during the day with heavy duty fans, becuase it gets up into a heat index of over 100 degrees most of the time and they sweat just standing outside. And in the winter, it rains, freezes over and snows, so they are in with thick beds and blankets on. We also have the best possible flooring you can get, it's boncy and pervids support to the legs and drains and ventalites itself. Our horses do get alot of turout though too. They are out all night during the summer and all day(weather permiting) in the winter.