Horses kept in stables face welfare challenges arising from confinement, social isolation, and the mismatch between stable management and horses' evolved needs for movement and social contact.
Stable management welfare represents a significant welfare challenge for the equine industry because the convenience of stabling for owners often conflicts with horses' fundamental welfare needs. Horses evolved as continuous movers and grazers in complex social groups - their digestive systems, musculoskeletal health, and psychological wellbeing all depend on movement, social contact, and access to forage. Stabling imposes confinement that prevents free movement, may impose social isolation, and typically involves periods without access to forage that allow gastric acid to accumulate without the buffering effect of continuous chewing. The result is a high prevalence of gastric ulcers in sport horses, widespread stereotypic behaviour development that indicates chronic frustration of natural behaviour, and musculoskeletal problems from restricted movement. Welfare-conscious stable management approaches that maximise turnout time, provide 24-hour access to hay or haylage, allow social contact with companions (at minimum through visual and olfactory contact across stable walls), and use track systems that encourage movement, can substantially improve welfare within the practical constraints of modern horse keeping.