Keeping Your Horse Happy and Health
Owning a horse is not an easy matter. You are accountable for providing for your horse, for meeting all of its essential needs. It isn’t a case of simply supplying food, shelter and exercise, either. There are plenty of smaller needs that might not individually seem to be of great consequence, but are easily as urgent as the basic essentials of food and shelter.
You are doing your horse no good if you keep it confined inside throughout the day. Your pony needs to be exercised each day; he needs to be out in the open air for some time, free to do his thing. If you keep your pony in all of the time, he's going to develop physical and psychological issues, undesirable issues like cribbing, weaving, wall kicking, eating feces and tail gnawing. Nature made the horse an outside creature, and you must try your best to let nature have her way at least to the extent it is feasible for you to do so. When your horse gets time out in a pasture, he gets a chance to let off steam and work out his kinks, physical and psychological. When he gets a regular chance to romp and play, he’s going to be less rebellious when you’re in the saddle!
You get a very content and healthy horse when you give it due overall care. Keeping your pony in physical and mental peak form requires you paying attention to obscure care aspects of pony ownership.
Treat your horse to high quality hay and grain. Feed him all requisite supplements regularly: get an idea of what these supplements are from your vet, who will make his recommendations based primarily on your horse’s age, health and level of activity. The dietary requirements of horses go through changes as they age, so keep current on what is best for your horse at any given time. If you have put up your horse at an equestrian house, you get sound guidance on your horse’s supplement needs from the owner or the manager.
You need to maintain cleanliness with your pony, and part of correct hygienic practice is to change your horse’s bedding each day. You do not want your pony wallowing in his own refuse. Unhygienic living conditions are an open invite to hoof and respiration diseases.
You want to get your horse’s teeth looked at regularly; the older he gets, the more the frequency of inspections should be. Horses ‘ teeth show the effects of time and use, they can develop conditions that cause great agony. Under these circumstances, the horse may have problems in feeding and definitely will resist your efforts to put a bit in his mouth.
The best duration for checking your horse’s feet is daily. If his shoes do not fit well, he’s going to suffer long term from damage created by asymmetrical wear. If feet problems are allowed to worsen, they will result in lameness. Bad shoeing causes corns and fetlock damage.
As a horse owner, you’ve got to adjust yourself to one thing: you’ll be spending a lot on vet services even when your pony is peak health. You need to give him his usual deworming and shots. You have to ensure routine health checkups are made on schedule.
Horses are social herd animals. They do not adapt well to the life of a loner, and enforced solitude will create great depression. If you utilise a stable, ensure that it is a reputable one where your horse will find not just good care, but also the steady companionship of others of his breed.
Horses are Heather
Toms’ passion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100’s
of articles with other horse lovers… like all things about riding hats
Author: Heather Toms
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