Stable management and ensuring horses are kept properly is an important job. Horses are sensitive creatures who are very powerful and need space to move, food to eat, and a clean place to live. Following these tips for taking care of horses will help you get a basic idea to get started.
Video Overview
Feeding
Horses can eat hay, grass, or grain. They also enjoy fruits and vegetables such as apples or carrots, which, along with salt, enhances their diets. It’s worth consulting an adult horse feeding guide to see what else you can give them to maintain their health. You should be feeding them in the morning and then again at night. When in the pasture, they graze at their leisure. But, when they’re inside the barn is a different matter. Horses are gorging animals, so bags of food can’t and shouldn’t be left out all the time or they’ll eat continuously and get sick.
Water
It’s essential to continuously clean out and fill your horses’ water buckets. Regular cleanings will minimize bacteria and algae growth. Water should be refilled in the morning and again at night along with the feedings.
Muck Out the Stalls
Mucking out the stalls means removing manure and urine spots from within the horse’s confines. This needs to be done morning and night, just like the previously mentioned items. Ensuring the horse’s resting area is clean will help maintain an overall cleaner facility, and keep the horses happier and healthier.
Bedding
Replacing bedding frequently is a must. In the winter, blankets should be removed in the mornings and replaced in the evenings.
Pest Repelling
Every morning and evening in the summer, you should spray the horses with fly and insect repellent. In the humidity, pests can get pretty extreme, so protecting your horses from being bitten by swarming insects is part of caring for them.
Hoof Maintenance
Before letting your horses out for the day to exercise and walk around, you should be checking their hooves and picking debris and mud buildup out of them. Horseshoes can become loose when the hoof grows and nails loosen. Establishing a relationship with a farrier who will trim and balance the hooves and a blacksmith who makes quality horseshoes to keep your horses’ feet in good condition.
There are many additional tips for taking care of horses. They need a lot of exercise to maintain health and stretch their legs, get fresh air, and sunshine. It takes a lot to keep horses, so knowing how to do so in the best way will benefit them and you. Grooming and caring for a horse will help them live a longer, happier life.
