The Best Care For Your Horse
Horses are wonderful animals and their give their owners so much pleasure and even company at times. So it goes without saying that they need to be looked after and cared for in return as well. Here are some tips to keep your horse happy and healthy regarding their food, shelter and more. Horses must have the right food in the right quantities. Horses love eating just like us. Horses like good pasture, hay or dried pasture and grains and pellets. Pasture is not always rich and nutritious and must be supplemented with other foods. Some supplement of grain or concentrates must also be given with pasture.
Work horses are normally fed hay. Good alfalfa hay is nutritious and is often used for both equestrian and race horses. Good quality hay can practically cover all the horse's nutritious needs. Always find a reliable provider for the hay. Hay however, does require proper storage. It must be stored in a dry and well ventilated barn or shed. Moldy hay can cause toxin build up and other health complications. A diet of hay must be supplemented with some good grain or concentrates.
Horses love grains especially oats. Grains are good for them and must be given in measured quantities along with hay after consulting with the vet. Too much grain can make for a fat, lazy horse. Extra rations of grain must be given to high performance horses like racers or to mares when they are pregnant or nursing. The concentrates, usually sold as pellets are also supplements to the hay or pasture and must be given like a treat in the quantities recommended by the vet. Again, an extra ration of concentrates may be given to high performance horses and pregnant and nursing mares.
A well fed horse, not over fed, is a happy and healthy animal. Personally feeding the horse is a good way of bonding with the horse and it will love you for it. Horses need up to ten gallons of water daily, so there must always be plenty of fresh clean water available nearby. In harsh winters, the water must be warm and kept from freezing.
The horse must have a salt block to lick on in its stable for the salt and minerals. The vet should be consulted on additional vitamin supplements, especially when recovering from an illness or antibiotic treatment. Horses love sugar but use it as a rare treat in order to prevent diabetes.
Horses must be exercised either by riding or by making them work. Exercise, strengthens the muscles and helps prevent old age arthritis. The vet can help on a workout schedule.
Both hooves and teeth must be examined regularly and cleaned to prevent disease and injury. The hooves must be picked and cleaned before and after each ride and the teeth checked on a weekly basis with a thorough six month to yearly veterinary check up of the whole mouth.
Groom your horse yourself using the proper grooming tools. They just love the grooming. It's like a massage at the spa. So spoil your horse and groom it daily with special additional grooming for shows. Your horse will love you for it and with all this care, is sure to put its best foot forward when you ride it.
Choosing The Right Vet For Your Horse
Horses, like us are prone to health issues, most of them preventable. In case of a problem, the horse must receive the proper intervention from a fully qualified vet specializing in horses. Often a horse is lost due to medical help not rendered promptly. This is why it is of paramount importance to choose a reliable vet who has specialized in horses for your horse. Some vets have additional specialization in certain breeds.
The vet must be able to answer the owner's questions satisfactorily and must be one whom the owner and the horse are comfortable with. The vet must be able to honestly assess the horse's condition and explain the treatment and management of the case.
It is important that the vet can be contacted easily and can attend the horse at short notice. Vets usually work alone or as a group of specialized vets with fixed schedules. The vet must be able to recommend another vet on call on who works nights for emergencies when the regular vet is unable to take the call.
Check if the vet does house calls and the cost of the call. Often house calls and off hour services are more expensive. It is not easy to transport a horse to the vet and at times house calls may be cheaper than the transport. Check if the vet works with portable X-ray machines. Get a list of horse vets from the area and check out the pros and cons.
Find a vet who specializes in your breed of horse if available. Ask other horse owners about their vets and their preferences. A good recommendation by a horse owner is usually quite reliable. Do not commit to any vet on a permanent basis until you are absolutely satisfied.
Check the vet's qualifications, the payment plans and fees for all types of visits - regular hours, nights, weekends and holidays. Check his contacts for laboratory tests and the charges for the tests. Horses are expensive to maintain and more expensive when they have health issues. Check all insurance plans. It may well be worth it.
Ask the vet for a first appointment and checkup of the horse. Evaluate the vet by observing his assessment, handling of the horse and interaction with the horse. Watch to make sure that he is conducting a full and thorough general checkup without shortcuts. Read up on examinations and ask the vet questions about the examinations to make sure he knows his job.
One of the most basic but important care for a horse is its regular and emergency medical care. Just food, shelter, grooming and training are not enough. Just as with us, good and proper veterinary care for the horse is vital to its health, well being and longevity. Getting the right vet for the horse makes a big difference to the wellbeing of the horse. A well cared-for horse can live longer and provide the owner with many years of service. So pick a good vet.
Equine Dental Care
Equine dental care is important to maintain a horse's health, just as with humans. Horses chew and grind their food and any problem can create nutritional and other health issues. Horses' teeth grow until the age of about twenty-five. Wild horses eat wild tough grass and wear their teeth out naturally. Confined horses are given alfalfa hay and the like which are softer and do not wear the teeth out sufficiently and evenly. This in turn creates uneven sharp edges which can cut the tongue and cheek in addition to preventing proper chewing of the grass.
Most veterinarians recommend dental procedures and checkups every six to twelve months. A complete dental examination includes thorough examination with checks for infection, malocclusion, loose teeth, dental irregularities or any other dental problems. Diseased teeth must be extracted and tooth surfaces shaped and or filled. Sometimes teeth are implanted. Just as with humans, the vet will record all the procedures performed and irregularities corrected or observed as a reference base for future use.
All horse owners must be sensitive to the needs of their horses. Teeth problems must be anticipated along with other problems and the necessary funds for the treatment kept aside. Owners must also be able to recognize the symptoms and signs indicating emerging dental problems. These signs include shyness, dull coat, head tossing, weight loss, foul breath, unwillingness to eat, poor performance, excessive salivation, facial swelling, refusal to take lead and throat impaction among others. Any of these signs is a sure cause for immediate veterinary assistance and check up for the horse.
Getting the horse to the height of its performance levels does not just happen but is a result of constant and continuous care. Care must be regular and not sporadic, as and when the owner wants to or has the funds for, in order to keep the horse in optimum health conditions. The expenses for treating problems are usually more expensive than the prevention of the problem itself. Regular checkups can stop the problem from escalating to serious situations that could even result in the death of the horse. Prevention is always better than cure.
Always remember that to maintain the horse functioning at the optimum level, it must receive the proper and adequate nutrition according to its breed, age and function. The horse must receive all its immunization vaccines, given to immunize it against serious, transmittable, infectious diseases that include influenza, encephalitis, tetanus and rabies amongst others. The owner or handler must check the mouth for sores at least once weekly. During this check, the cheeks must be palpated to check for unevenly worn, pointed edges in the teeth. Check for raw gums and any other bucal problem. Call the vet immediately if any condition is noted so that the horse can get immediate attention. Always have the vet's telephone numbers handy and a substitute vet for any emergencies.
Regular checkups and preventive care will help maintain a horse healthy and problem free, giving the owner years of good service.
Tips For Basic Horse Hoof Care
Daily horse hoof care is one of the most important basics in horse care. It is not time consuming and once mastered, can be done in no time at all.
First and foremost the horse's hooves have to be picked with a pick. It is important to remove the dirt, dung and small stones so that the horse does not get lame or get diseased hooves. A farrier - he's the guy who shoes the horse and who knows a lot about anything related to a horse's feet should always examine and thoroughly clean the hooves when the shoes are changed every six to eight weeks. However, it is important for the rider to pick and clean the hooves before and after each ride in order to keep them healthy, in addition to establishing a close relationship with the horse.
When picking the hooves, one must determine the temperature the horse is comfortable with, a shady yard in the heat or a warm barn in the winter. Checking the pulse by pressing two fingers behind the pastern can serve as a guide. The pulse must be strong and steady.
Examine the hooves for any sign of bacterial infection called thrush - dark ooze, foul smell or abscess from the cleft. Also check for broken, injured, cracked or punctured hooves due to nails etc. All hoof problems must be treated immediately to prevent further damage and lameness. Over the counter medication quickly takes care of most problems if treated early on.
A veterinarian and the farrier must be consulted on a regular basis. The farrier will check for other hoof conditions like club foot, under-run heels or flare in-the-hoof when shoeing and trimming every six to eight weeks. The veterinarian will check the general health and growth progress. Most farriers are extremely knowledgeable about horses and can diagnose many conditions.
The farrier will trim and clinch the hooves when shoeing but the rider must check them before and after each ride so that the shoe does not stick out beyond the hood due to injury or lost nails.
Learn to remove the shoe in case of an injury, sprung or loose shoe. Most farriers will teach the rider if interested and it is not a difficult job. A shoe removed on time can save the horse a lot of discomfort. Keeping a sprung shoe on a horse for any length of time can worsen the discomfort and aggravate the problem.
Good hoof genes make for better hooves but a horse can be helped along with diet supplements to grow healthy and strong hooves. The veterinarian can recommend biotin supplements which can show incredible changes quite quickly in some horses while others may need a high protein supplement.
Checking the hooves for loose shoes or injuries and remedying the problem in time can prevent more serious injuries and recovery time. Remember that the horse's full weight is on its hooves and healthy hooves make a healthy horse.
The Right Nutrition For A Healthy Horse
Healthy horses need a diet which will provide the correct nutrition for that particular type of horse and its activity. Both horse veterinarians and the horses' farriers must work together in order to combine the right ingredients, containing the proper nutrition for a particular type and class of horse. Sometimes the owner might select certain products depending on cost and availability. As a general rule, owners go with the vet's recommended diet combination.
The basic horse's diet is hay or other harvested and dried pasture. Fresh grass must be limited to a minimum to prevent gasses and colic. Good quality hay containing nutrients and roughage usually fulfills the basic needs of a horse. If higher energy is required, other supplements like concentrated pellets or oats are added to the diet. As a general rule, horses require a food intake equivalent to one percent of their body weight on a daily basis, allowing a 2 2.5 % body mass conversion within a twenty four hour period.
Adult horses not involved in high performance activities like racing have less energy requirements and therefore can be given good quality roughage like straw along with the hay. These horses however, do need mineral salt which provides the necessary micro nutrients and minerals.
Pregnant mares on the other hand require a diet made up of a balanced mixture of roughages supplemented with concentrates. These mixtures are carefully calculated and measured for each individual mare. The mare requires the extra calories in order to store body fat for the lactation of the present pregnancy and future rebreeding.
Growing horses that have not achieved full growth need their nutrients calculated for optimum growth and must be balanced to meet their energy consumption needs. The correct feeding of the pony helps develop strong bones and muscles with an overall well developed and structured body, resistant to diseases especially orthopedic diseases.
Foals on the other hand, require special care and supplements before they are weaned. Some mares do not produce sufficient milk for the foal and the foal will grow to become weak and disease prone if not given additional supplements. The owner must consult with the vet and determine the quantity and type of energy rich supplements required by the foal.
The use of growth stimulants, antibiotics and additives for fattening livestock have shown to be beneficial for weight gain in livestock. There is however, insufficient research regarding the benefits of these substances on horses. Some studies have shown a short term effect of these substances. One has to keep in mind that horses and cattle serve different purposes and in horses, temporary weight gain is not the only motivator. Also horses are in service to the owner for many years and have a purpose to fulfill - breeding, riding or racing and working on a farm or pulling a load and not just fattened for the market. A qualified vet must decide on the actual feeding requirements for each horse according to its age and use.
Tips For Training Young Horses
Horses have been trained and used by man for thousands of years. There are many books written on training and just as many experts with their own training methods. All trainers need the proper training methods for a particular horse in order to develop the young horse's physique and behavior for its intended use.
As a general rule, there are some common, effective training routines and techniques that have withstood the test of time and are widely used by all trainers today. Always keep in mind that each horse has its own individual personality and one should always be open to try out diverse techniques and combine different training methods.
The main parameters to keep in mind for training a young horse are: age, breed, regimen and environment. Most trainers will agree that a good age to begin training a horse is around five years. A five year old is young enough to respond to instruction but too young to receive harsh treatment that could damage and hinder their normal physical development. The main focus at this first stage is to train the horse to carry the saddle without rejecting it.
All horse training routines must take into account the breed. Horses too have their differences and some learn quicker than others. Mountain horses can be trained at the age of two years to sustain a saddle and be trained under the saddle. Arabian horses however, are extremely slow in their development and at the age of two are totally inadequate for any type of training. Again within the individual breeds, each horse has its own individual and genetic rate of development. A fast mare can pass on her ability to her offspring. The training must take into account all these differences.
Use a regime appropriate to the age and ability. Even though training can be begun from two to five years depending on the breed, the young horse must never be subject to the harsh, lengthy and difficult training given to fully grown horses. Young horses must begin with training sessions that are made up of fifteen to thirty minute periods. Several short sessions are better than one long grueling session in order to prevent the horse turning taciturn or frightened.
It is important to have the right training environment for young horses. This includes the riding surface. Deep, soft sand for example is not the right surface for young horses as they will have to learn and make the extra effort to move their hooves in and out of the loose sand. Silly as it sounds it is a learned skill. Any training ground with an incline will only add additional stress to the developing muscles and bones in the young horses' growing legs which could cause injuries. A level, not too hard or too soft field with short grass would be the preferred training ground. Stones must be removed to prevent hoof damage.
Remember, a properly trained horse is a pleasure to ride or work with.