Tips For Providing Horse Care
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Tips For Providing Horse Care
Article Source: http://myblogi.tumblr.com/post/63822006566
Horses are just like any other pet. They have basic needs for shelter, food, water, and exercise. Practicing proper horse care is the best way to ensure the animal lives a long, happy, and healthy life.
Animals living on a ranch or farm are often working during daylight hours. This usually provides them with enough exercise to stay healthy. Some owners keep horses as pets and will ride them only occasionally. These animals are at risk of gaining weight if they are not active enough. They may require a modified diet to make up for the lack of activity.
Most experts recommend a horse have roughly one acre of land to run, walk, and play. Before leaving any animal alone in a pasture, it is important to inspect the area for any hazards. Trash, holes in the fence, and certain plants can pose a threat to the animal’s health. Many plants are poisonous to horses, including deadly nightshade, yew, star thistle, buttercups, oak leaves, locoweed, and laurel.
Fencing is a basic requirement to keep horses with horse bits confined and keep other animals out. Many people like the look of wood rail fences but they are difficult and costly to maintain. A plain wire fence is adequate as long as strong wood posts are used to secure the fencing. Barbed wire is not recommended due to the risk of injury.
Shelter is another basic requirement. Horses must have somewhere to stand that offers protection from the sun, rain, and wind. An enclosure with three sides is the best configuration. The back wall should be placed to block prevailing wind.
The best bedding for horses is hemp, wood shavings, or straw. A sturdy rubber mat will provide cushion against the hard floor but covering it with bedding is necessary for warmth. Straw is the most affordable option but can contain fungal spores that are harmful to the animal if it eats the bedding.
Constant attention to the stable is a necessity. If the animal spends all day in the stable, it should be mucked out three times daily. This involves removing any droppings using a shovel and leveling out the bedding so it covers the entire floor.
A nutritious diet and clean water are essential to proper horse care. Providing a water trough supplied constantly by a pipe is the most convenient but the pipe will have to be inspected regularly during the winter to make sure it has not frozen. Following these tips will provide any horse with a long and healthy life.
Animals living on a ranch or farm are often working during daylight hours. This usually provides them with enough exercise to stay healthy. Some owners keep horses as pets and will ride them only occasionally. These animals are at risk of gaining weight if they are not active enough. They may require a modified diet to make up for the lack of activity.
Most experts recommend a horse have roughly one acre of land to run, walk, and play. Before leaving any animal alone in a pasture, it is important to inspect the area for any hazards. Trash, holes in the fence, and certain plants can pose a threat to the animal’s health. Many plants are poisonous to horses, including deadly nightshade, yew, star thistle, buttercups, oak leaves, locoweed, and laurel.
Fencing is a basic requirement to keep horses with horse bits confined and keep other animals out. Many people like the look of wood rail fences but they are difficult and costly to maintain. A plain wire fence is adequate as long as strong wood posts are used to secure the fencing. Barbed wire is not recommended due to the risk of injury.
Shelter is another basic requirement. Horses must have somewhere to stand that offers protection from the sun, rain, and wind. An enclosure with three sides is the best configuration. The back wall should be placed to block prevailing wind.
The best bedding for horses is hemp, wood shavings, or straw. A sturdy rubber mat will provide cushion against the hard floor but covering it with bedding is necessary for warmth. Straw is the most affordable option but can contain fungal spores that are harmful to the animal if it eats the bedding.
Constant attention to the stable is a necessity. If the animal spends all day in the stable, it should be mucked out three times daily. This involves removing any droppings using a shovel and leveling out the bedding so it covers the entire floor.
A nutritious diet and clean water are essential to proper horse care. Providing a water trough supplied constantly by a pipe is the most convenient but the pipe will have to be inspected regularly during the winter to make sure it has not frozen. Following these tips will provide any horse with a long and healthy life.
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To know more about quality horse equipment and gears, just visit us at www.kalmsaddlery.com.
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Tips For Providing Horse Care
Article Source: http://myblogi.tumblr.com/post/63822006566
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