Horse Care

Horse Care Guidelines - Horse Health...

What's involved in caring for your horse, proper horse care and horse related problems.

Expense

Even routine horse care is a significant and ongoing expense. In fact, the cost of purchasing a horse is often much less than the cost of maintaining one for a year. Make sure you are realistic about your ability to afford quality care before you adopt an equine companion.

Feeding

Horses need a regular supply of food. In most cases, they need to have hay or pasture throughout the day, with additional hard feed twice a day. An average-sized horse will eat about 20 lbs. of food a day and drink at least eight gallons of water. A horses stomach is relatively small and their digestive systems surprisingly delicate, so horses need to graze throughout the day, rather than have one or two large meals.

Hoof Care

Horses need regular hoof care. Plan to hire a farrier (blacksmith) every six to eight weeks for routine hoof trimming and/or shoeing.

Veterinary Care

Horses need regular veterinary care. At least once a year, your horse will need to be vaccinated against equine flu and tetanus as well as other diseases. Keep in mind that a medical emergency, which are always a possibility, can cost hundreds to thousands of pounds to treat. A good equine insurance policy is essential for todays horse owners.

Worms & Intestinal Parasites

Horses are constantly exposed to intestinal parasites (worms) from the ground they graze on and they must be de-wormed every six to eight weeks. Carrying a heavy worm burden can cause serious illness or death in horses; so regular and timely treatment is crucial to your sound horse health.

Warmth & Shelter

Horses need constant access to a dry, safe, comfortable shelter to protect them from rain, wind, and snow. In warm and sunny weather, the shelter you supply will provide your horse with much needed shade. At a minimum, you should have a well-constructed, three-sided shed (field shelter) where your horse can retreat to at any time. You will need to muck-out (remove manure) from the stable or shelter every day.

Exercise

A healthy horse needs exercise. To supplement the exercise your horse will get when you ride him, he should have a paddock or pasture in which to relax and stroll. Horses shouldn't spend all day confined in a stable, except on a vets recommendation. Your horses pasture should be bordered by safe, sturdy fencing that will keep your horse safe and secure. Barbed wire is not an acceptable fencing material, it has caused a great many serious injuries in horses.