General Horse Care

These general guidelines for horse owners are not meant to replace regular visits to a veterinarian. If you have any questions about the health of your pet, please consult your veterinarian.

Nutritional Needs
a horse's digestive system is made to process large quantities of grass, which is high in fiber and water. The basic diet for most horses should be quality and good grass hay, free of dust and mold. In most cases, plenty of fresh, clean water, not frozen, should be available at all times, even if the horse only drinks once or twice daily.

How much is enough? Most of the time, horses should be able to graze or eat hay when they want. An empty stomach is provided with an increased risk of ulcers, which are quite common in race horses and sports. How much to feed depends on various factors such as the condition and activity level, but most horses should eat between 2% and 4% of their body weight in pounds of hay or other feed. You have to see your horse and make sure that you maintain a healthy weight. Your veterinarian can help you decide how to feed horses hold their shape and healthy.

A word about grains
Most horses, even very active, do not need the extra calories found in grains, which are high in carbohydrates. Foals fed "high energy" diets can develop bone and joint problems. Some adult horses develop certain muscle disorders related to excess carbohydrates. It is also wrong to feed a horse extra grain in the winter to keep warm. There are, in fact, produce more heat when digested.

Any change in diet should be gradual to avoid colic (abdominal pain usually associated with intestinal disease) or laminitis (painful inflammation of the hoof associated with the separation of the leg bone of the hoof wall), either of which can be catastrophic. Late in horses or ponies in the barn or to be allowed to gorge on the green grass for the first time since the fall goes to the disaster. If you travel with your horse, bring your lunch along. For some horses, may also have to carry a supply of water that is used to.

Shots and worming
All horses need vaccinations and most need regular worming. The details should be discussed with an equine veterinarian. Each horse must be protected against tetanus. Other vaccines given routinely include eastern equine encephalitis and western equine influenza, rhinopneumonitis (equine herpesvirus), and rabies. Vaccines for West Nile virus are available. Consult your veterinarian if other vaccines are appropriate for your horse.

Worms can cause weight loss, poor coat, and colic, which can be fatal. It is better to have the vet test and deworm your horse, or advise you on what to wear and when. More important than the treatment of parasites is to minimize animal exposure to parasites. Proper management is not to put too many horses on too little land, rotating pastures if possible, and removing feces regularly.
 
Shelter, rest and exercise
Contrary to what you may have heard, straight stalls are not necessarily worse than box stalls if the horses are together, and spend most of their day outdoors. Isolated pit horses may develop behavioral problems of lack of companionship, exercise and mental stimulation. Whenever possible, horses should be outside with other horses every day.

Horses may enter into a light sleep with their legs "locked" so it takes very little effort to stand. In order to achieve deep (REM or dream) sleep, a horse to lie down. No one knows the number and frequency of a horse that has to do this, but take note of any changes in sleep patterns of your horse.

The horses are born to move. In nature you can walk many miles in a day, sometimes at a trot, a gallop, but unless you rarely have to. daily opportunity to exercise is a necessity, but if you are building the horse's strength and conditioning, follow a sensible plan, and little by little.
 
Extreme weather precautions
Unless you are very wet and windy, horses tolerate cold much better than the heat and humidity. If you can not sweat, you can not get rid of heat buildup in their bodies. If the sum of the temperature in degrees Fahrenheit and relative humidity in percentage is over 130, you should be careful with the exercise of his horse. If it is over 150, you should probably rest in the shade, and if more than 180, most horses should not work at all.

Hoof Care
Hooves should be trimmed every six to eight weeks for horses whose feet do not get adequate natural wear. Despite tradition, most horses do not need shoes if the hooves are given the opportunity to strengthen naturally. In fact, some hoof problems are directly related to rackets. However, the changes should not be made suddenly or without expert guidance. Find a veterinarian or farrier willing to discuss all options can be difficult, but worthwhile. In any case, neglecting the feet can be disastrous for the horse.

Teeth
Horses' teeth grow continuously. Uneven wear can lead to points and edges that cause pain and difficulty chewing. A horse's teeth should be checked once or twice a year and "floated" (to make them smoother) by a veterinarian or equine dentist trained, as necessary. Dental problems, from painful points to rotting teeth, can cause difficulty chewing or quidding "which occurs when food falls from the mouth. Other signs of dental disease can include bad breath, undigested hay in the stools, or discomfort from the bit or noseband. Dental disease can lead to strangulation, cramps, and weight loss.

Equine Poisoning Prevention
Veterinarians at the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center has compiled the following list of spring and summer dangers to horses:

* Wilted red maple leaves
* Black Walnut (eg shavings bedding)
* Oak (especially the new leaves of spring growth)
* Species of Taxus (yew, Japanese yew, American yew, English yew, western yew, oleander and laurel rose
* Rhododendrons and azaleas
* Serpentaria White sanicle richweed, white, jimmy weed, goldenrod without light, burrow weed
* Yellow Star Thistle, Thistle St Barnabas, Russian NAPWA
* Blister beetles, which sometimes can be found in alfalfa hay, especially in the Midwest and Southwest)

If you suspect your animal has ingested a poisonous substance, call your veterinarian or telephone 24 hours a day of the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435.