“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” Martin Luther King Jr

Imagine standing with one foot higher than the other for a prolonged period of time. How do you think you would feel? Would you get sore, or find parts of your body aching? Can you imagine the extra strain going through one leg compared to the other? If you did this day after day, could you see how standing this way could lead to joint issues?

This picture shows a rare case of a deep bed that goes all the way to the door. Most beds that I come across are not this deep, and so this is not a relevant issue. However, for those of you who do prefer your horse to have a deep bed (and there are several good reasons for doing this in some cases), it’s important that the bed goes all the way to the door.

When a deep bed stops a foot or two short of the door, or is brushed back a couple of feet, the horse spends much of his time standing on unlevel ground. Most horses will want to spend a considerable amount of time looking out over their stable door. If there is no bedding by the door, then the horse’s front feet are lower than his hind feet. This puts extra strain on the legs and the back, which could lead to discomfort, and could aggravate any underlying dysfunction.

It’s a simple (if time consuming) thing to do. Simply make sure the bedding goes all the way to the door. If necessary, put a piece of wood just inside the door to stop the bedding spilling out every time you open the door. Or keep a brush and / or shovel nearby to tidy up whenever needed. Often a horse who is on a deep bed needs the bed as part of his rehabilitation or recuperation, and so it is even more important to do what you can to help him to be comfortable.

I hope you’ve found this helpful, and that you’ll share it with someone whose horse needs them to read it!

© Sue Palmer, The Horse Physio, 2021

Treating your horse with care, connection, curiosity and compassion