Maintaining good health for your horses allows your equine pals to stay in top condition. It’s essential to care for your horses every day to reduce the risks of your animal friends getting sick. Here are three ways to help maintain your horses’ overall well-being.
Allow Proper Movement
Don’t coop up your horses in their stables for the entire day. Release them in an environment where they can roam free. Exercise should be part of your animals’ daily routine, and standing in a stall all day or all week won’t give them the workout they need.
If your horse doesn’t have access to pasture, you can ride and bring it to a nearby open field. Remember, longeing, riding, and hand grazing contribute to a horse’s mental and physical health. Also, rotate these techniques on a schedule, so you are not doing the same things all the time. Otherwise, your horse might get bored with the activity, and it might not listen to your commands or pleads.
But, if you have access to pasture, ride your equine companion in that environment. Make sure to incorporate bursts of speed and trail-riding during your horse-riding activities. These movements will help deliver positive effects on the animal’s gut, joint, and bone health.
Visit Four Paw Ideas for more information about animal health and nutrition.
Create A Proper Feeding Routine
Horses should have easy access to adequate amounts of high-quality feed and water every day. A rule of thumb is to feed the animal 1 to 2 kg of feed per 100 kg of bodyweight. As for water, a dam or self-filling trough is an ideal solution.
Don’t forget to visit a veterinarian with horse expertise to help you create the right feeding program for your animal friends. For instance, you may need to add supplements to your horse to improve its health. Moreover, don’t use buckets when giving water as the horse can tip the container easily.
Now, here’s a quick guide to help you know the amount of food your horse should have based on its size:
- Pony (200 to 350 kg) – 3 to 7 kg of feed per day
- Galloway (350 to 500 kg) – 7 to 10 kg of feed per day
- Horse (500 to 650 kg) – 10 to 13 kg of feed per day
- Heavy horse (over 650 kg) – Over 13 kg of feed per day
You can feed your horses with fine chaff, hay, or pasture. Also, make sure to give your horses 25 to 45 liters of water per day regardless of their size. You may consider exceeding that amount during hot weather.
Maintain Minimal Stressful Environments
Remember, your horse’s mental health should be just as essential as its physical well-being. This particular animal can develop harmful effects when exposed to significant levels of stress. A stressed horse can be more likely to develop health issues like allergies, infections, and skin disorders.
Furthermore, stress creates free radicals. The oxidation of these substances may damage tissues in the horse’s brain, eyes, skin, and blood vessels, to name a few areas.
It shouldn’t be challenging to create a non-stressful environment for your horses. For instance, you can follow a strict feeding schedule for your equine companions. But don’t force your animal friends to eat if they don’t want to. Your horse should eat whenever it wants. Just leave the food in its stable even if it doesn’t want to eat at the moment.
Also, don’t burden your horse with contraptions that may inhibit its natural way of life. For example, don’t restrict your horse’s movement during grazing sessions.
Last, make sure to offer your equine pal lots of love and companionship. Make sure to visit your horse’s stable every day, and take it out on riding sessions. Also, keep it calm against stressful encounters. Letting your animal friend maintain a composed demeanor can create additional health benefits, such as keeping its digestive system functioning correctly.
Stay away from horse health myths that might make you think about caring for your horse’s health in an obscure fashion. Instead, ensure that your horse’s surroundings have minimal amounts of stressors to help prevent health issues like colic, laminitis, and ulcers.
Conclusion
As a horse owner, you need to ensure your animal friend’s health is always in top form. Make sure that you give your horse proper exercise and eating habits while ensuring it maintains a calm personality. Last, and perhaps most importantly, give your horse lots of love and companionship, and your animal pal will thank you in kind.
