Most people believe that taking good care of a horse and keeping it happy means providing it with the best money can buy, such as a box stall complete with fresh shavings or straw. This is a popular misconception, research has shown that caring for a horse in such a manner can cause stress, a bad temperament, and even health problems.

Horses are much happier being outside grazing with their fellow horses. In its natural habitat, 70 percent of a horse's time is spent grazing. Grazing gives the horse a positive purpose. Being with other horses is also crucial to a horse's well being. Horses have a high social structure; to deprive them of contact with other horses by keeping them in a stall creates an unhappy horse. This has a tremendous impact on the personality of the horse.

In addition, keeping a horse in a stall creates problems such as wood chewing, cribbing, and stall weaving, all a result of the boredom that the horse experiences.

One of the reasons why the horses at Emerald Springs Ranch have such a gentle temperament is because we make sure that all of our horses get grazing privileges every day. We also always make sure they always have a chance to play with their friends.