In a public ordnance dated 5 June 2014, published in “Het Staatsblad van het Koninkrijk de Nederlanden” issue 210, year 2014, is a clearly defined ban on the keeping of horse in stables or boxes.
Specifically:
Article 1.6 The Keeping of Animals
1. An animal’s freedom of movement may not be restricted in such a way that the animal experiences unnecessary suffering or injury.
2. An animal must be provided with adequate space for its physiological and ethological requirements.
Article 1.8 Housing
1. A building where animals are kept, must provide adequate light and darkness to fulfil the ethological and physiological requirements of the animal.
In order to fulfil its ethological and physiological requirements, a horse cannot be kept in a box or stable. Lighting and darkness in stables and boxes and the space they offer is inadequate for the requirements of the horse.
Sadly. the law, and the interpretation thereof, are two different things. It is unlikely that the animal police will take any action where the majority of horses are stabled, even where the boxes are too small.