Your horse shouldn’t be too hot or too cold, but that leaves a big range where temperature variation is fine. Yes, it’s colder at night. Your horse is not a soufflé.
Your horse is not necessarily happier indoors. Rugs or shelters keep the wind/rain off, moving around & constant eating are great for generating heat and health, pig oil can help stave off the dreaded mud fever. Still not a soufflé.
Sometimes it’s more convenient to keep your horse indoors. That’s OK too.
Your horse is not wasted. Bored, maybe, unfit yes, tubby even, but he doesn’t dream of what might have been. He likes food and a bit of exercise, that’s about as far as his ambitions go.
Your unlevel horse is not necessarily in pain. Your level horse is not necessarily sound. You’re his first line of defence – you notice change, you know what’s normal – good for you. Play safe when it comes to check ups, time off and vet calls, but no one ever fixed a horse by worrying.
Your horse is not evil. He has a fairly weak grasp of good and bad, but he has completely nailed cause and effect. Your motivations are often a complete mystery to him, and he’s trying his best to get you trained. Don’t take it personally.
Your horse may not need hard food. He might not need shoes. He might not need rugs. He might not need a full clip. You know best. Maybe you’re only motivated by budget or convenience – if well-being is not compromised then why not? It’s your leisure activity. No horse was ever embarrassed by his trace clip.
Not all horses are the same. Just because it worked once/ for Ben Maher/ didn’t work for your last horse, doesn’t mean this horse isn’t going to make you look like an idiot by flying against all your previous experience. We’ve all been there, we’re only laughing cause this time it wasn’t us.
Nothing is difficult because the steps are so small.