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Horse Care Information and Videos
Horse Care Basics: Feeding
Horses are grazing animals and their digestive system is able to take in large amounts of grass. The bulk of a horses diet should be a good quality hay and/or grass.
Other nutritional requirements include; grains, fresh water, salt, and minerals. How much you feed your horse depends on their weight, age, activity, and so on. Your veterinarian can assist you in implementing the appropriate diet for your individual horse.
At our barn, horses are given hay and grain two times daily. Smaller, more frequent feedings are better if your schedule permits-some owners prefer three or even four smaller feedings per day.
The horses are also given free pasture daily as the weather permits. In addition, all are given constant fresh water and our horse has a mineral block in her stall.
Some horse owners also give nutritional supplements in addition to their regular diet. Here is a great site that offers Nutri-Link performance, joint supplements, and vitamins. Nutri-Link has been providing quality nutritional supplements since 1988.
Horse grooming is one of my daughter's favorite things to do with her horse. What little girl doesn't like spending time brushing and caring for a horse or pony? Grooming should be done daily and allows for the opportunity to check your horse for injuries or areas of swelling and irritation. It is an absolute must before and after you ride your horse to remove dirt and grime before you saddle up and sweat after you have ridden.
Supplies that are needed for grooming your horse include; curry comb, stiff body brush, fine body brush, mane and tail comb, hoof pick, and a clean sponge.
Here is a fun video of Trinity caring for and grooming her horse Katie-the first 2 1/2 minutes is of her riding-second half is the grooming, hoof care, stall mucking, and putting Katie in her stall.
Horse stall bedding can be straw, shavings, or wood pellets. We use wood shavings at our barn and clean the stalls daily. Our horse Katie can be quite messy in her stall so we try to clean her stall every time we work or spend time with her before she goes back into it.
The important things to remember when it comes to horse stall bedding is that it should not be dusty and be kept clean. Never use bedding that a horse could ingest and cause illness. Dusty bedding can cause respiratory illness in your horse.
Before bathing you horse be sure the ambient temperature is not too cold-50 degrees or below is too cold and may cause your horse to chill. Also be sure to thoroughly groom her/him before bathing.
Be aware of your horses behavior while bathing to assure they are accepting their bath and not becoming upset. If possible use a non-skid mat for them to stand on to prevent slipping.
Allow your horse to adjust to the spray of water and do not spray them in the face-a sponge works just fine to clean away dirt to the face. A bad experience in the wash rack for your horse can cause ongoing problems so be sure to make the experience a good one for you and your horse!
Our horse doesn't mind her bath, but does prance around a little so I like her held while she is getting her bath. Be sure to use a scraper to remove excess water from your horse and towel dry their legs to prevent bacterial infections.
Hoof care is vital in the care of your horse. I say this from experience because our horse Katie has one particular hoof that sometimes needs extra attention from our farrier.
During the spring, summer, an fall we have horse shoes put on her front feet and during the winter she is barefoot. I personally favor a horse in its natural state, but some horses require the use of shoes due to conformation, showing, or other reasons.
It is important to have a good farrier. I am very pleased with our farrier and he comes every 6 weeks to take care of our girl's feet.
Be sure to clean and check your horses feet daily and everytime you ride for any problems. Your farrier will assist you with any special needs your horse may have with their feet.
Horse Care Basics: Worming, Dentistry, and Vaccinations
We worm our horse every 8 weeks and rotate which wormer we use each time. Our veterinarian comes out annually to give our horse her vaccinations and check her teeth to see if they need floated (filed down if they have become sharp). I also call him if we are having any issues-a good vet and farrier are a must have for any horse owner!
Be sure to check back often for new and updated info!
