Horse care

 

equiculture

developing responsible horse ownership

 

 

Responsible horse care

 

Everyone who owns or cares for horses should know at least the basics of horse care. Correct horse care is essential for the well-being of a horse, by owning a horse you take on a duty of care. The basics are introduced here and will be expanded on in future articles.

 

Domesticated horses rely on us totally for their wellbeing. By keeping them in captivity we take away their ability to change their situation for the better. For example – wild living equines can move around to find more feed, shade and shelter if necessary. They can move to higher ground when it is wet, they can move to lower ground when it is dry. In the case of domestic horses they are unable to do anything about their situation if their living conditions are not suitable. If a paddock or stable does not provide what the domestic horse needs the horse is unable to do anything about it. This then becomes a welfare issue.

 

Therefore it is very important horse owners or carers:

 

1. Understand exactly what horses need. This is often different to what people think horses need.
2. Understand how to provide what horses need. This is not always as difficult as people think.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remember that horses are entitled to the five freedoms that all animals should have. These are also listed on the welfare page. They are important enough to warrant repeating here:

 

1. Freedom from thirst and hunger - A horse should have ready access to fresh, clean water and sufficient amounts of the correct foodstuffs. Horse feeding practices must take into account their requirements for a very high fibre diet as that is what they are biologically programmed to eat.
2. Freedom from discomfort - A horse should have an appropriate environment. Adequate space and shelter are important. Management systems must take into account horse behaviours. Horses are herd animals and inherently social and require company. It is timely to rethink management practices.
3. Freedom from pain, injury and disease - A horse owner or carer must know at least the basics of horse care and be able to recognise when a horse needs veterinary attention or is in need of a horse dentist, hoof trimmer/farrier or other horse health professional.
4. Freedom to express normal behaviour - A horse owner or carer should understand horse behaviour. This knowledge is important not only to provide suitable living conditions for the horse/s in their care but also to train them humanely. Understanding horse behaviour is also essential for a rider or a handler’s safety.
5. Freedom from fear and distress - A horse owner or carer should not place a horse in a situation where is continues to suffer stress/distress. Nor should a horse owner or carer use training methods that cause fear, pain or distress. By using humane training methods horses can be trained effectively and safely.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The main issues that horse people need to concern themselves with are:

 

Feeding and watering – Horses need clean fresh water ad-lib (as much as they want – when they want). Feeding is more involved but not necessarily as complicated as it is often made out to be. Horses have evolved to eat a high fibre diet so this should be the main component of any feeding regime. On top of that depends on what extra nutrients the horse needs (if the hay or grass is deficient) and what extra energy the horse needs (if it is working hard).

 

Rugging – Domestic horses may or may not need rugging. They may be unable to move around as much to keep warm. Older and thin skinned horses often also need extra warmth. Rugging in hot weather however can be a welfare issue.

 

Grooming – A domestic horse is often prevented from doing the things that would help him or her to take care of their own skin. Rugging prevents mutual grooming and slows skin shedding among other things. Separating horses obviously prevents mutual grooming. Even though you may not think of this as grooming, your horse certainly does! Grooming, in addition to making your horse look smarter – is essential for the domestic horse.

 

Hoof care – for shod and barefoot horses. Irrespective of whether horses are shod or barefoot, they all need good regular hoof care. Again, the domestic horse is unable to wear down his or her hooves as nature intended. Shoes prevent that wear from occurring at all. Lack of proper movement prevents even barefoot horses from wearing their hooves properly, they too need regular trimming.

 

Dental care of horses. Domestic horses usually eat different quality food to their wild living cousins. This causes them to wear their teeth differently. They also tend to live a lot longer, so they need their teeth to last longer. Poor teeth is one of the contributing factors to wild horses living for less time than domestic horses. Good dental care is an essential part of horse care.

 

Gear fitting – the correct selection and fitting of gear is very important if you want your horse to be comfortable and to work for you without being in pain. It is not always a case of the most expensive being the best. Good gear will last you a lifetime and serve both you and your horse well.

 

Parasites/worming – this subject is one that (along with feeding) is very confusing for horse people. There is so much conflicting information out there. Primarily you need a good worming program and this needs to be backed up by good paddock management.

 

Assessing health – all horse people should know how to do a basic health assessment of their horse so that they know when to call a vet. Learning how to check the hydration status of your horse, take the temperature, check respiration and other vital signs is fun to do and gives you peace of mind. It is also very useful information to be able to give a vet over the phone.

 

Companionship – this is very important for horses but modern management systems often try to disregard the fact that horses need horses. We also need to keep in mind that wild equines can (to some extent) choose who they spend time with and are not penned in by fences and can escape from bullies.

 

Shade and Shelter – in a country as hot as Australia shade is at least if not more important than shelter. Most of the time they are one and the same (i.e. a simple roof will do both as will vegetation). Horses spend a significant amount of their time utilizing shade and shelter, it is very important to them, yet often horses are kept in paddocks with neither. This is definitely a welfare issue.