I’ve come to the conclusion that horse people just love to complain. You suggest turnout in a field during winter, cue the dramatic outcry: “But the mud! The lack of grass! The cost! The horror!” So, you mention paddock gardens (not as full-time turnout, mind you), and suddenly it’s: “Not enough space! No different from stabling! Still no grass! My horse can’t stand there!”
What people don’t seem to grasp is that change doesn’t happen overnight. Yards aren’t suddenly going to offer perfect turnout unless the law forces them to, and we all know how slow that process is. In the meantime, small adjustments, like introducing paddock gardens, are a step in the right direction for equine welfare. But instead of seeing it as progress, some people just want to whine that it’s not enough.
I’ve learned recently that a lot of yards just won’t do turnout, no matter how much we’d like them to. So, instead of sitting around waiting for a miracle, I’m trying to encourage realistic, cost-effective improvements that actually benefit the horse. But apparently, unless you single-handedly build a utopia for every equine in existence, some people will never be happy.
RANT OVER
Will have a post on paddock gardens and how to build one this evening for anyone interested 
I’ve come to the conclusion that horse people just love to complain. You suggest turnout in a field during winter, cue the dramatic outcry
