Did you know that 1 out of 10,000 riders dies each year in the United States? Horses are graceful and athletic, and their stunning nature makes them excellent companions.
However, owning these majestic animals takes a considerable amount of dedicated care and time. Without proper care and handling, you can end up with a bad injury. You have to start watching everything about your horse, from veterinary care and food to exercise and housing.
What should you know when caring for a horse? Read on to learn more about how to care for a horse.
Build a Proper Shelter
Regarding housing, your horse will need basic things, some pasture, and shelter. Shelters come in different shapes and sizes, from run-in to lean-tos shelters to stalls and barns. In addition, your pet horse needs to have protection to avoid the snow, rain, wind, and also scorching sun.
The shelter must have a feed bin, bedding, an automatic watering structure, or a water bucket. Whatever the shelter style, cleaning up your horse’s stall is essential for horse health. It will help keep your pet clean, dry, and free of parasites and worms.
While this isn’t a time-consuming method, it will only need specific tools and take 15 minutes two times a day.
Take Care of the Pasture
A horse requires space to move around, exercise, and graze on grass, so pastures are necessary. Unfortunately, most horse owners don’t have the facilities to shelter their horses. Generally, these horse owners board facilities for the care and feeding of the horse and where they could ride in pastures.
So it’s better to research facilities and costs before getting a horse if you have to use one. Whether you could board or house your horse, do a routine inspection of the field. Check for gopher or snake holes, loose wire fencing, and other dangers.
Clean the Water Sources
Always ensure clean drinking water is available, whether you put your horse in a pen or on an open pasture, barn, or stable. Your pet horse will suffer or die within days with no water. Even natural water sources, like rivers, a stream, or ponds, ensure an open supply of fresh, clean water.
Provide Constant Companionship
Horses have to be with other horses since they live in hordes. In taking care of a horse, if possible, your horse must be able to touch and see another horse. Running and playing together is significant, no matter how old they are.
Furthermore, horses even love grooming one another. A horse also could bond with other kinds of animals, whatever is available.
Regardless, another horse is still the most reasonable companion. With no companionship, horses become stressed and may lose weight, run around a lot, and whinnying.
Regular Veterinary Care
All types of horses need frequent vaccinations, the same way as any other pet. Also, horses need vaccines against tetanus, equine flu, rabies, and the West Nile virus.
Horses also have to get tested for internal parasites and worms. These health problems for horses may cause lethargy, weight loss, colic, and more.
Moreover, a dental check-up twice a year is another part of your horse’s general health. Unlike humans, horses’ teeth can have continuous growth. Uneven teeth may grow into sharp ends that could make chewing difficult.
Exercise Is Important
Routine exercise is crucial to a horse’s health. It keeps the joints lubricated, legs from swelling, and back and girth areas toned. Activity will rely on the age and breed of your horse, whether it stays stabled or has access to open pasture, and the weather conditions.
Set a pattern that suits your horse, like a slow warm-up, trotting, and light cantering. Then after you are free to jump, gallop, or spend time on the tracks. For other horses, two hours of riding and exercise is good enough daily.
In rotation, lunging is another method to exercise a horse that you don’t need to mount up and ride. If you prefer to use this way from time to time, be cautious about overdoing it. If you don’t own a confined lunging circle, use a lunge line in a pasture or outdoor pen, with or without a harness.
No matter what training you do, it’s important to think about the gear your horse will wear. Pay attention to what saddle pads you use, how they fit, and the type of bit and reins you choose. It’s also essential to ensure that all of your horse’s equipment is properly adjusted and comfortable for them to wear.
One important aspect to consider when selecting a saddle pad is the material. The right material can help prevent saddle sores and distribute pressure evenly on your horse’s back. For instance, a pad made of wool or fleece can provide cushioning and wick away moisture. On the other hand, synthetic materials like neoprene may not breathe as well and can cause your horse to overheat.
Watch Your Horse’s Food Intake
Horses only eat plants since they are herbivores. Therefore, they needed lots of fiber in their diet, and feeding takes time to gather and chew. So they have to browse and graze for no least than 12 hours daily.
For this reason, they should consume low-calorie, low-energy, fibrous food. Well-controlled pasture with a variety of species is the most suitable feed. If there isn’t much pasture, they’ll need tons of hay.
Depending if they’re performing hard, such as racing or eventing, horses can become fat so fast. If it transpires to your horse, you must lower its calories and sustain the amount of food you feed your pet.
Invest in Your Horse’s Grooming
Grooming is essential to regular horse care and is excellent for your horse’s skin. Primary care involves your horse’s body brushing toward its hair growth. This process will also remove dust and mud.
You must also sort out his feet and clean its tail and mane with a brush. Grooming can be a good chance to inspect your horse for some injuries.
Important Things to Keep in Mind When Caring for a Horse
So there you have it, the fundamental basics of caring for a horse. As you know, horse investment is not only for money; it involves immense effort and time. Horses are excellent companions, full of character and heart, and fun to be around.
Learning all there is to know about horses should be your first move before getting a horse. Where can you learn more about pets and animals? Browse through our collection of articles with many helpful tips and information!
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