Look After a Horse

A horse is a big time commitment. They can cost anywhere from $300 to $800 a month and they can live for 30 years or more. Still, horses are great companions and highly enjoyable, so make sure you're housing and feeding them properly and giving them the right care.

Steps

Ensuring Proper Food and Shelter

  1. Make sure the horse has proper shelter at all times. Your horse needs to have access to shelter throughout the year. This means dry, safe, and comfortable protection from rain, wind, snow, as well as from heat and biting insects.[1]
    • Shelter can mean anything from a windbreak, a shed, or a clean and dry run-in area of a barn.
    • You can also board your horse at a stable. This can cost anywhere from $100 to $500 a month depending on the type of stable (simple pasture boarding tends to be less expensive). Sometimes you can do chores around the barn in exchange for cutting down on the cost of boarding.
  2. Provide bedding material for a more comfortable night's sleep. Although horses can sleep while standing up, they get much better sleep lying down, which requires adequate bedding. The bedding needs to be kept clean so that it doesn't cause problems with the horse. When you put new bedding in the stall, you should only fill half of the stall with bedding.
    • Straw is the inexpensive choice. It's also warm, and comfortable, but can contain fungal spores which can make your horse sick, so be sure you're monitoring your horse's health.
    • Wood shavings (dust free) are sometimes more expensive but can be a good option, because they are clean and hygienic and your horse won't eat them (thus not ingesting anything dangerous or harmful to them).
    • Hemp has started to grow in popularity, because you don't have as much trouble with fungal spores as straw.
  3. Provide your horse with the right food.Your horse, if they're of an average size, will consume about 20 lbs. worth of food every day. Horses have relatively small stomachs and rather delicate digestive systems, so they tend to nibble and graze through the day, rather than eat one or two specific meals.[2]
    • You will want to feed them one half bale of greenish-colored hay, which will be approximately two percent of their body weight. The bale can be grass or alfalfa, or even a mix.
    • Supplement the half bale with grains, oats, or sweet feed twice a day. It's best to feed them around the same time each day.
    • Don’t feed them yellow, dusty, moldy, smelly hay or hay with fine dust, flakes or clumps of plant matter. This can cause colic and respiratory issues.
  4. Offer horses salt to ensure a proper electrolyte balance. Horses need minerals (which they get from salt) to help keep their electrolytes up. Electrolytes help manage the production and secretion of sweat, saliva, intestinal tract fluids, urine and mucus, the function of their nerves and their heart, as well as maintenance of their hydration systems.[3]
    • While a salt block can be a good idea, not all horses will use one, even if they have a craving for salt. If your horse doesn't seem interested in the salt block, you can also add a couple tablespoons of salt to a horse's feed to make sure they're getting the right minerals.
  5. Give your horse clean, fresh water every day. Horses need at least eight gallons of water each day. The water you supply should be fresh and clean. This means you'll either have to refill buckets regularly or make sure that a trough is cleaned out. Try to clean whatever water receptacle you do use at least once a week so that nothing nasty starts growing.[4]
    • If you use a watering bucket be prepared to refill that bucket at least twice a day.
    • Your best option is probably a watering trough supplied by a pipe, because then you don't have to deal with the water yourself. The pipe can freeze in winter, however, so make sure you pay attention to its care.
  6. Maintain your pasture area. Horses need space to wandering around in. They also need to be able to graze throughout the day. This may require you to plant your own pasture or to make sure you know what the pasture is like at the place you're stabling your horse.
    • Make sure that you're planting the right grasses. This depends on your area, the climate, and the time of year. If you're not sure about something make sure that you ask your local veterinarian.
    • Check for holes so that your horse doesn't hurt themselves. You also want to make sure that the fencing is good, that there are no holes for the horse to get injured or escape through. Wire is a good fencing material, but make sure not to use barbed wire, which can cause severe injury to horses.

Caring For Your Horse

  1. Muck out the stable daily. Mucking means cleaning. You have to remove the droppings from the bedding with a shovel and wheelbarrow and level the bedding. Make sure that the place you dump the droppings can't be smelled from the barn or stable area.
    • If horse is stabled you have to clean the stable at least three times a day.
    • Remove soiled bedding and once you’ve disinfected the floor, replace with clean, fresh bedding.
  2. Groom your horse. If your horse is stabled you will need to groom them daily to maintain their healthy coat. You will need to disentangle their mane and tail and gently pick out any burs that might have formed.[5]
    • With a currycomb loosen dried mud or ground-in dirt. Start by using a stuff brush, then finish offer with a softer brush. Also be careful and use a softer grooming tool with your horse's head and the bony areas of their legs.
    • Give your horse a bath on a warm day. Make sure to use anti-fungal shampoo. Since the water repelling oils in your horse's coat are removed during bathing, you will need to bathe them when there won't be rain, or you'll have to put a waterproof blanket or sheet on them before turning them out.
    • Comb the mane gentle using a wide-toothed plastic comb. If there are any bad tangles make sure that you unpick them with your fingers. Using scissors will make a mess that takes months to grow out. Avoid pulling on tangles, because this will thin and shorten a horse's mane and tail.
  3. Exercise your horse. Your horse needs to be exercised everyday. If you can't get to it, make sure that the horse has the option to walk in a field, or you have someone else come and exercise them.
    • A horse needs space to walk and relax in to supplement the exercise you give them when you ride them. This is why having a pasture area is so important.

Making Sure Your Horse Is Healthy

  1. Look after your horse’s feet. Horses can easily develop problems with their feet, especially if they aren't being properly cared for. Make sure that they are being picked daily to get rid of any rocks or objects that might bruise their feet or cause thrush (a bacterial infection). You will also need to get a farrier (a blacksmith) to trim your horse's feet.
    • For shod horses (ones that have shoes) get their feet trimmed every six weeks.
    • For unshod horses get their feet trimmed every eight weeks.
  2. File your horse’s teeth. This is called "floating a horse's teeth." This is incredibly important, because teeth can become sharp and make chewing painful so a horse will refuse to eat. You'll need to have a veterinarian do this to your horse at least once a year.
    • Inspect your horse's mouth frequently so that you don't miss any signs of problems. Check to see if there are any sharp edges. Nasal discharge, coughing, and dropping food out of their mouth can also be signs that there is an oral problem that needs seeing to.
  3. Have your horse checked by a veterinarian. You absolutely must have a veterinarian check your horse at least yearly. A vet will do things like give them inoculations, de-worm them, and look after their overall health. If you don't get your horse checked out it can lead to bigger problems down the road.
    • Your horse should get twice a year inoculations for parasite control: influenza, Rhinopneumonitis, eastern and western strains of encephalomyelitis, and tetanus.
    • Have the vet test and deworm horse periodically. Some things you can do to cut down on the probability of worms, or of them spreading: avoid having too many horses on too little land, try to have rotating pastures, and remove feces regularly.
  4. Keep an eye out for poisonous plants. It's important to make sure that your pasture is free of anything poisonous to horses. If you're taking your horse out on riding paths, make sure you know what to look out for. If you suspect that your horse has eaten something bad, contact your veterinarian as soon as possible.
    • Some spring and summer horse hazards: wilted maple leaves, black walnut (for example: as shavings in bedding), oak, yew, rose laurel, rhododendron, azalea, blister beetles (more common in the Midwest).

Making Sure You’re Prepared for any Problems

  1. Accustom your horse to trailers and to other people. You want to practice getting your horse accustomed to strange things like trailers and halters before you have a problem where you need to get your horse trailered quickly.[6]
    • Make sure that your horse is accustomed to being handled by people other than you. In the event of an emergency you might have to leave the care of your horse to someone else.
  2. Know your emergency responders and the layout of your area. You want to know who exactly you need to contact if there is a problem (your horse is sick, your barn is on fire, those types of things).
    • Knowing the layout of your area (such as your farm) makes it easy to direct emergency responders to the area of crisis and means you know exactly where to move your horse or horses in the event of an emergency (such as a fire).
  3. Get to know the other horse owners in your area. You want to be in contact with the people who might be able to help if something goes wrong and who can disseminate information in a quick manner.
    • This can help spread information quickly, especially of things like infections and diseases being spread among the horse population.
    • Get helping hands when needed. The more people you have on your contact list, the more people will be able to get to you quickly if you need helping hands.
  4. Make sure that important papers are in a safe and accessible place. You absolutely do not want to have to go digging through your records to find your vet's phone number when your horse is having a crisis.
    • Make sure that you have your equine veterinary records in a safe, but available place.
    • Always keep the phone numbers for your vet, and for emergency services, and so on in a handy and easily accessible place.



Tips

  • Don't ride your new horse/pony the first day it comes home, put it in its stall and then the pasture so it gets used to its surroundings.
  • This example only has two bucket feeds; however, horses should ideally be fed twice a day.
  • It is ideal to build up your training with your horse if you have just bought him/her. Start off with a walk, then trot, canter, etc. That way, both of you can get used to each other in your own time.
  • This is only an example stable routine and doesn’t have to be followed exactly.
  • Borrow what you can rather than buying it, at least in the beginning.
  • Some horses can get sick if the hay is on a dirty surface, so get a hay net that is off of the ground.
  • When switching a horse's diet, gradually begin the process by starting off with moderate amounts of the new feed each time, to allow the horse to get used to the new feed.
  • Seek advice from experienced riders.
  • Never give too much food to a horse,give the right amount.
  • Exercise your horse as much as possible. Horses love to run and it keeps them in shape.
  • Eating from the ground is actually better for horses as it is a more natural position and it also helps the teeth wear down evenly instead of having to pay costly equine dental fees twice a year.
  • Purchase your feed in bulk, as long as you store it properly. This can help cut down on expenses.[7]

Warnings

  • Never make sudden movements around a pony that you've just bought, because he needs time to get to know you.
  • Keep a wide berth of a horses hind legs, a spooked or irritated horse can be deadly. Also be aware that a horse can bite and has a very flexible neck that can turn a very swift 180 degrees.
  • No horse deserves to be neglected. Make sure that a horse is REALLY what you want before getting one. Helping out at a stable for a few months is a great way to tell.
  • This is intended as a rough guide only. Horses are not machines and should be respected and treated with a lot of love. Animals should only be handled by or with the supervision of an experienced horse person, or someone that knows what they are doing.
  • Never walk right behind a horse. You might think you know him, but he could kick out at you for any reason.
  • Insure your horse before bringing him home.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.peta.org/living/companion-animals/caring-animal-companions/caring-horses/
  2. ↑ http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/horses/tips/horse_care_guidelines.html
  3. ↑ http://www.balancedequine.com.au/nutrition/electrolytes.html
  4. ↑ http://www.horses-and-horse-information.com/articles/horse-management.shtml
  5. ↑ http://www.horses-and-horse-information.com/articles/0502clean.shtml
  6. ↑ http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/horse-care/top-10-disaster-readiness-tips-horses
  7. ↑ http://www.horses-and-horse-information.com/articles/0899expense.shtml
Retrieved from "https://kipkis.com/index.php?title=Look_After_a_Horse&oldid=357347"