Proper Horse Care Saves Lives

Horses are dying all the time in our country — whether it’s natural causes, euthanizing, or even slaughter — because people don’t take care of them. Most times, it’s not because the owner is purposely abusing the horse, it’s because they just plain don’t know any better.

So many people think that getting a horse is like getting a dog. Give it a pasture and water and a little bit of attention and it’s good to go. And that is just not the case.

When I was young, my mom met a woman who had decided to buy two Quarter Horses and a Shetland pony on a whim one day. She had ample land to pasture them on, and that was about it. Smoke was seven years old at the time, and he was smart enough to know that his owner didn’t really know what to do with him. He knew how to get out of work by rearing or bucking every other step and intimidating people until he got to go back to the pasture. And if you know horses, you know that the shetland pony wasn’t any better. So one day, the owner discovered that my mom had a horse background and invited my mom to come work with the horses. This was the start of a long a fruitful partnership for me and Smoke (once he had a little retraining from my mom).

Recently, a man pulled into Little Neshannock Stables with a trailer and a skeleton-looking horse, wanting to know if anybody would buy her. LNS owner Mary had to tell him he couldn’t sell a horse in that condition. So she adopted Ruby and fed her back to health.

We found out that Ruby and several other horses belonged to a man in his seventies. When he suffered a stroke and was hospitalized, no one thought to take care of the horses. There were left in the pasture without a water supply for several weeks. And it wasn’t that somebody treated them cruelly on purpose; they were simply forgotten. Eventually the man’s son was called to the house and informed of the situation with the horses. So he hired a guy to come pick up the horses and haul them to auction. Unfortunately, this guy was a cattle man and didn’t know anything about horses. With so little experience and the sad condition of the horses, he was unable to catch any of them and left. Eventually they were able to catch a few of the horses and tried to sell them to people in the area. When Ruby was led off the trailer to a nurturing home at LNS, she drank over seven buckets of water without stopping. Months later after receiving loving care and good food, she is starting to look and act like a normal horse again.

I drive around Ohio and Pennyslvania and see horses galore living in backyards. It’s obvious which ones are receiving sufficient care and which ones aren’t. But unless they are being extremely abused, they are stuck with good but clueless owners who don’t know any better.

There is much more to caring for horses that tossing them some food and water every once in a while. There are all kinds of horse care things you should learn, but here are the basic needs every horse owner MUST know. It may seem like a lot, and it is, but all of these are 100 percent necessary for the basic health of your horse.

Clean Shelter
Even if your horse is hardy and lives out in a pasture, you must provide some shelter for him. Either give him access to the barn or to a run-in shed in where he can be protected from the sun, wind, and rain if he chooses.

Also, you need to clean up after your horse. He should never ever have to stand in his own mess. Stalls that are regularly occupied should be cleaned daily, and if a specific areas of a pasture (including a run-in shed) are highly frequented, clean them up once in a while too. If you don’t keep his living areas clean, he can get sick and develop problems with his feet and legs.

Feeding
Horses are grazers. They need to have access to grass or hay almost constantly. If your horse is pastured 24/7 and has access to plenty of grass, it should only require hay in the winter when the grass is dead or if it doesn’t provide all of the necessary nutrients. If your horse is stalled for any part of the day, it needs some hay. This is necessary to keep it in good weight, to keep it from getting bored, and for the health of its teeth.

If the necessary nutrients aren’t available in your hay and grass, or if you horse is worked regularly, it needs some kind of grain. Grains are higher in calories and are a good source of energy for horses. Do your research or talk to your vet and find out what type of grain and how much is best for your horse based on his living conditions and amount of exercise.

There is no exact formula for how much to feed a horse. Variables like size, weight, and breed affect how much your horse should eat. Some breeds like Tennessee Walkers and Quarter Horses typically gain and hold weight easily and don’t need as much to eat. Thoroughbreds can be very difficult to keep weight on, so most need as much food as they will eat. Ponies rarely have issues with being underweight. It’s imperative that you pay attention and consult with your vet to ensure that your horse is keeping in good weight and receiving the nutrients that he needs.

Water
It is imperative that horses ALWAYS have access to water. Always.

Hooves
Horse’s hooves grow just like your finger nails. Not all horses need shoes, but some do. Either way, you should have a farrier visit your horse at least once every 6-8 weeks to care for your horses feet. Their hooves need to be trimmed regularly by a professional whether or not they have shoes. They also need to be cleaned out regularly to remove stones and dirt and to check on the health of the hoof.

Vaccines
Like with any pet, your horse needs yearly vaccinations. Talk to your vet about which ones are necessary for your horse based on your location and what you plan to do with him.

De-worming

Just like you give your dog a heart worm pill every month, horses needed to be de-wormed on a regular basis. Wormer typically comes in a syringe-like plastic bottle in a paste that you squirt into the back of your horse’s throat. The amount your horse receives depends on his weight. Horses need to receive this treatment once every two months, and it’s a good idea to rotate the type of wormer you use to help them defend against different types of parasites. When worming, be sure to hold your horse’s head up for several minutes and make sure he swallows. Sometimes they’ll cheat and hold it in their mouths and spit it out with their hay when you aren’t looking.

Teeth
Did you know that horses’ teeth grow? Well, they do. Constantly. Also, they don’t chew up and down like we do. Horses grind their teeth from side to side to chew. Sometimes they push harder on one side of their mouth than another, and their teeth develop sharp edges. To keep the teeth blunt and comfortable and from getting too long, horses need to have their teeth floated once a year. Floating sounds fancy, but it’s just a great big metal rasp that files down the teeth. There are horse dentists out there who solely perform this function, or your vet can do it. Floating is a must! Horses can get very uncomfortable and have trouble eating if you don’t.

Grooming
Last but definitely not least, you need to regularly groom your horse. This serves to get rid of all that dead hair and dirt, gives you a chance to check them over for injuries, and provides great bonding time with your horse. Do this at least several

times a week.

Resources

• Information from horse experts on proper care of your horse
• More details on basic horse care
• Information for the at-home horse and rider
• How to report horse (and other animal) abuse