It can be quite daunting owning a horse, there is so much more to consider than just riding and mucking out. These guidelines, many of which should be common sense, have been compiled to help you understand these tasks and your various responsibilities.
The first thing that you must do is to locate a good vet, farrier and horse dentist. Store the contact details in a sensible place. If your horse is at livery then ensure that the Livery owners have a record of your chosen specialists in case of an emergency. Word of mouth is a wonderful thing so talk to people in your local area and find out who they use. We are always happy to recommend ours, please ask if you would like their contact details.
The remainder of the guidelines have been sorted into categories. Should you have any questions or matters that you are unsure of then please do not hesitate to get in contact with us and we will endeavour to help in any way possible.
Feeding
A horse can eat up to 2.5% of his total bodyweight per day. This means for every 100lb he weighs, he will eat 2.5lb of food. In the wild he will spend up to 16 hours out of every 24 hours eating.
REMEMBER HORSES ARE TRICKLE FEEDERS AND THEIR STOMACHS SHOULD
ALWAYS BE TWO THIRDS FULL TO IMITATE THEIR NATURAL LIFESTYLE
.
Feeding Rules
1) Feed little and often - Remember horses are trickle feeders and their stomachs should always be half full to imitate their natural lifestyle.
2) Only feed good quality feed stuffs - Poor quality feed can contain mould spores that can lead to respiratory disorders or be low in nutritional value leading to unthriftiness in the horse.
3) Feed at regular intervals daily - Within the daily routine the horse soon expects their feeds at certain times. Delay in feeding can lead to frustration and problems such as door banging.
4) Use only clean receptacles for feed - as dirty containers and stale food may put your horse off of eating.
5) Do not feed directly before exercise - The stomach lies behind the diaphragm. When full it will press against the diaphragm restricting expansion of the lungs. At the same time digestion will slow down as exercise starts. Allow a minimum of 1 hour after feeding before exercising.
6) Do not make any sudden changes to the horses diet - The horse has bacteria in its large intestine that helps it digest specific feeds. If new feeds are introduced gradually the bacteria have time to adjust. Sudden changes will upset the bacterial balance, leading to poorly digested feed and possibly even colic.
7) Feed something succulent daily - Succulent feeds are enjoyed by the horse. When mixed with dry feeds, they improve mastication and digestion.
8) Feed plenty of bulk - As the horses system is designed to digest large amounts, plenty of bulk and roughage are needed to aid digestion of all feeds and keep the system in good working order. The horse must never have less than 40% roughage in his daily feed however hard he is working otherwise he will get digestive disorders ie colic.
9) If feeding hay via a haynet do not tie up so high that the horse or pony may get hay in his eyes but also do not hang the haynet to low that he may get his foot caught especially when it is empty. Make sure you use a quick release knot to tie up the haynet and turn the haynet round so the knot is at the back against the wall.
10) In the spring/summer months keep an eye on how much grass your horse eats ie if the grass is very rich/lush you may need to restrict the grazing. Check your horses crest if it is getting firm to hard this indicates you need to restrict grazing. Failure to do this could cause Laminitis.
11) If you see your horse keep looking at, or kicking at its belly this can indicate colic in this case you will need to call the vet. There are many types of colic including spasmodic, flatulence and blockage. Due to certain muscles your horse does not have the ability to be sick.
Watering
Plenty of water is essential. A horse will drink 6-15 gallons of water depending on: his size, the weather, type of work, type of diet, type of hay, how much water is in the grass and their health.
Watering Rules
1) Fresh water must be available at all times - the horses body
will not be able to function properly if not. Approximately 70% of the adult
horses bodyweight is water.
2) Water before feeding - Taking a long cold drink may shock the system, dilute
the digestive juices and wash through the undigested food which will swell rapidly
causing colic and poor digestion.
3) Change water in the stable regularly - It loses oxygen content and absorbs the ammonia fumes in the urine and droppings.
4) Offer chilled water - (water with the chill taken off it by adding a little hot water to raise the temperature to 21 degrees centigrade) Offer to an exhausted horse or one who has done a hard days work.
Shoeing
Horses need their feet trimming/re-shoeing every 6-8 weeks depending on the amount of work you are doing, how their feet are growing and what condition they are in. Road work will wear down the shoes quicker than riding in an arena or field.
Worming
You must put together a worming programme for your horse every 8-12 weeks; also it is advisable to speak with your vet as they will be able to give you precise guidelines to follow. Remember, there are various types of wormers, some have different time frames and treat different worms for certain times of year.
Vacinations
Your vet must vaccinate your horse but here are some guidelines for you:
1st vaccination
2nd vaccination 21-92 days after 1st vaccination
3rd vaccination 150-215 days after the 2nd vaccination
Thereafter annual boosters (365 days)
You must leave 7 days after vaccination before entering racehorse premises.
Manners
Horses are not born disrespectful it is the way that people treat them that establishes their character. Bad manners are easy for a horse to pick up and often not so easy to rectify. The following points should always be adhered too:
1) Be firm and consistent with your horse so he/she understands the routine and where they stand ie do not allow your horse to pull you to eat grass one day and then tell him/her off for doing it the following day. Ensure you horse keeps their manners, this is your responsibility as an owner, if bad habits develop you will need to look to where you went wrong.
2) Always make your horse stand back everytime you enter the stable, do not allow your horse to take mouthfuls out of any bucket until you have put the bucket onto the floor.
3) Avoid giving your horse to many titbits as this can cause them to bite
Care during the Winter months
Time is more limited and it may not be able to always ride your horse so you may need to change your routine. The following points may help you:
1) Treat hacking as a schooling session you can also speak with your farrier about road studs being fitted.
2) As the days are shorter and the evenings are darker in winter, invest in highly visible clothing for yourself and your horse.
3) Consider lungeing, long reining, leading in hand, massage techniques, stretching limbs and playing games instead of riding. You could even practice loading your horse in a trailer/horsebox as you will not be pushed for time so is an ideal time to work on it. Put obstacles, bags and flags etc in the arena to have your horse going through and around them, this could be done with everyone on the yard making sure everything is cleared away at the end.
4) If your horse tends to be a little frisky lunge him to get rid of any excess energy.
5) Do keep your horse warm when exercising him as it takes them a lot longer to warm up in the colder weather, there are many exercise rugs available.
6) Make sure you pick out your horses feet regularly to prevent thrush and exercise your horse regularly to keep the blood pumping around his feet.
7) Make sure you adjust your horses feed to his workload.
8) Remember the benefits of oils and fats this can include cod liver oil, linseed oil or soya oil. IMPORTANT: bear in mind that the horses system takes 10 weeks to adapt to utilising oils efficiently and so introduce gradually.
9) Winter is a good time to prepare for the next season especially competing to watching training videos and attending lecture demos is a great utilisation of your time.
One final guideline, enjoy your horse. The more you put into
looking after your horse the more pleasure and enjoyment you will get back!