What are a horse's Five Freedoms?
Before we dig into the specifics of winter, let’s just refresh what the famous “Five Freedoms” actually are. These were first distilled in the 1960s in the UK and later expanded by bodies like the Farm Animal Welfare Council and reflected in the Animal Welfare Act 2006 (Equine Guelph, 2024; GOV, 2018; Here4Horses, 2020). Put simply, every horse should enjoy:
- Freedom from hunger and thirst
- Freedom from discomfort
- Freedom from pain, injury, and disease
- Freedom to express normal behaviour
- Freedom from fear and distress
These may sound basic, because they are, but in winter, each can get quietly compromised if caretakers aren’t proactive.
Factors That Can Compromise These Freedoms in Winter
Winter is tough - mud gets everywhere, water freezes, and turnout time can be seriously restricted. Let’s look at some key issues:
1. Frozen, stagnant water
When troughs freeze solid, horses lose access to fresh, clean water, clearly infringing on freedom from hunger and thirst. The government’s welfare guidance mandates providing feed and water regularly and keeping troughs free of ice.
2. Mental health from lack of turnout
Reduced daylight and wetter ground often mean horses spend more time stabled. That curtails their social interactions, foraging, and movement, undermining their freedom to behave normally and freedom from fear and distress (BHS, n.d.).
3. Lack of space and environment to socialise, move, and display natural behaviours
If pastures become waterlogged and poached, turnout becomes unpleasant or impossible. This creates a double whammy affecting both physical and psychological welfare (Yard Owner Hub, 2024; BHS, n.d.).
Solutions to Ensure Your Horses Stay Happy and Healthy
Fortunately, a few thoughtful tweaks can make a world of difference, and our product can solve a few of these non-negotiables.
1. Keep water flowing with anti-freeze solutions
Using anti-freeze troughs or automatic mains-supply drinking systems ensures horses always have access to fresh, unfrozen water, even on the coldest mornings. This safeguards their freedom from hunger and thirst.
2. Protect high-traffic zones with quality matting
Preventing field poaching is crucial. Placing ground mats (like HIT Top Clean mats) in gateways, feeding zones, or shelter entrances creates firm footing and keeps hooves dry, cutting down on mud fever and abscesses (FS Animal Health, n.d.). Covering wet-prone areas early on saves a ton of hassle later!
3. Provide alternative movement and social spaces
If inclement weather puts paddock turnout out of the question, consider adjoining pens for stabled horses to maintain contact, or allocate purpose-made areas surfaced with sand or mats. These allow horses to move and mingle without turning fields into mud pits.
4. Enrichment inside the stable
Prolonged stabling can lead to boredom and stereotypies (crib-biting, box-walking, etc.) (Yard Owner Hub, 2024; BHS, n.d.). Enrichment doesn’t need to be complicated - a treat ball or low barrier where stable neighbours can see, smell, or touch each other goes a long way.
5. Rotate or rest paddocks strategically
Resting pastures is a popular method used across the UK. If you rotate which fields are grazed or designate a drainage-friendly area for winter use, you help your pasture, and your horse’s legs, recover rather than deteriorate.
Conclusion
Winter turnout in the UK can feel like a balancing act. Our heavy, wet soil, limited space, and relentless weather conspire to push horse health to the back burner. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
By laying mats early on, investing in anti-freeze water solutions, setting up adjoining pens or surfaced zones, and adding a sprinkling of stable enrichment, you ensure your horse’s Five Freedoms stay front and centre, come rain or shine. In other words, a little forward planning means horses can remain healthy, comfy, socially fulfilled, and mentally happy all winter long.
Reference List
British Horse Society (n.d.) Winter care. Available at: https://www.bhs.org.uk/horse-care-and-welfare/health-care-management/seasonal-care/winter-care/
Equine Guelph (2024) Horses 101. Available at: https://equineguelph.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Horses_101_ebook-with-cover_FINAL.pdf
FS Animal Health (n.d.) Top tips to prevent poaching in wet weather. Available at: https://fsah.co.uk/blogs/news/top-tips-to-prevent-poaching-in-wet-weather
Gov.uk (2018) Keeping farm animals and horses in extreme weather. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/keeping-farm-animals-and-horses-in-extreme-weather
Here4Horses (2020) The five freedoms. Available at: https://here4horses.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Here4Horses_5-Freedoms_Hi-Res-1.pdf
UK Government (2018) Code of practice for the welfare of horses, ponies, donkeys and their hybrids. Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5ad4b5f5e5274a76c13dfb33/horses-welfare-codes-of-practice-april2018.pdf
Yard Owner Hub (2024) General equine well-being guide. Available at: https://yardownerhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KBHH-General-Equine-Well-Being-Guide.pdf
Header image: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1INfZI254TZMk_BaSGyg6-fIss402nGV1/view?usp=drive_link
Body image: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CTvNxiZxzfPZuodM81MaP-ZabKCwBw6z/view?usp=drive_link