Caring for Horses - General

Working with and training animals is a good way to provide good animal care, exercise, mental stimulation, and cooperative behavior. Horses interact with people on their own terms - - until you begin training - than it helps them to interact on our terms. They learn that charging, biting, and kicking are unacceptable around humans. They learn to lift their feet for trimmings and cleaning. They allow us to work in back of them to groom their tails. We enter their stalls and they maintain manners. They begin to understand that the time we are in the saddle - riding - is a time for work - and they are entrusted with our care - and our pleasure. The rest of the time - the feed and care we provide, large pasture and green hay and grass - is for their pleasure. It is an exchange - and very similar to a barter system.

Luckily, we worked with a natural horsemanship trainer. We taught our horses through patience and nurturing. Even when they displayed bad behavior, they were treated with kindness and understanding - until they began to realize that what was expected of them was not that difficult, and the demands not that great.

I believe that animals for the most part should be allowed an environment as close to their natural habitat as possible. Our horses have lots of pasture to roam. More than I have ever seen alloted on the East Coast. In exchange for that, they give me some time to ride. And everyone is happy!

Feeding Tips
Horses need 25lbs of hay per day - for a 1,200 lb pleasure horse - off of pasture. A typical square bale weighs 50 lbs - so half of one bale.

As grazers, they need access to food regularly throughout the day. This means that a horse off of pasture need a steady supply of that hay throughout the day. If you have a 9-5 job, consider hiring a caretaker at least for the afternoon shift.

Horses become dependent on the schedule that you set. Deviations from this could cause upset such as colic - a potentially fatal condition. Stick to a schedule. Our horses are seen and fed at 8am, 1pm, and 6pm in the summer months.

In the harsh winter months they are brought indoors by 2pm. In the bug biting months of summer they spend the hottest part of the day in the cool of the barn. Shelter is very important. Especially during thunder and lightening!

Horses that chew fences are probably not getting enough small meals frequently. Feed less more often.

Unless the horse is a performance horse, sweet feed or grain is fed at a strict ration of one cup per day.

Older horses need softer hay - 2nd cutting - because of teeth - and more grain to keep the weight on.

Always provide free access to fresh drinking water. I like a cut barrel, easy to change and clean the water. Big enough for many horses and small enough to empty easily.

Safety Tips
Rather than having to lead a horse out to pasture - try setting up a corral between the barn and the pasture so that horses walk out on their own in the morning, the friskiest part of the day. Ours trot out of the barn and I never tire of watching them move - whether it be running, prancing, or bucking!

Stalls must be strong - in the event a horse kicks - you do not want them to penetrate the wood.

All breakable objects must be eliminated. Glass windows and lightbulbs must be out of reach -set at least 9 feet off the ground.

Always have a bucket of feed handy in the event of a loose horse. You can't catch em but you can sure get their attention with a shake of the feed bucket!