Horses are beautiful and majestic creatures that deserve to be well taken care of. When you take the time to get to know your horse, they can become the best of companions. Indeed, a happy horse induces the owner’s happiness because horses can be entertaining to be with if they’re in good condition.
There are many ways to keep your horse healthy and happy. Without a doubt, horses can be prone to various health issues if they’re not adequately cared for. When you read research on horses, you’ll realize the many ways to help your horse live optimally.
Certainly, owners must know the care tips to help their horses get happier and healthier. Here are five of them:
1. Provide Quality Food
The first step to keeping your horse healthy is providing quality food. Food is the fuel that keeps your horse running. Hence, it’s essential to provide them with quality food to keep them healthy and happy.
For instance, the natural food you can feed your horse is pasture grass. In fact, pasture grass contains silica, the chemical compound that can help your horse’s dental health. Nonetheless, choices such as hay and grains are also healthy for your horse.
2. Conduct Consistent Deworming
Deworming is an integral part of caring for your horse. It helps prevent intestinal parasites from infecting your horse’s digestive tract. These parasites can cause serious health issues, including weight loss and diarrhea. Above all, deworming prevents worms from spreading to other horses in your stable.
If you aren’t treating deworming, the intestinal parasites keep multiplying, making your horse feel uncomfortable until they get large and rupture your horse’s intestines. This can lead to weight loss, constipation, and even colic. Accordingly, deworming should be consistent. Your veterinarian can recommend the best dewormer for your horse based on age, weight, and overall health.
3. Ensure Regular Exercising
Another care tip to keep your horse fit and happy is to make sure they’re getting enough exercise. Whether it’s the largest or smallest horse in the world, exercise is critical for every horse’s physical health and mental well-being. Therefore, it’s essential to ensure they get their daily dose of movement.
Indeed, exercise is the best way to keep your horse’s muscles strong and their bones healthy. When you don’t take your horse out for a bit of exercise, you can end up with health problems such as stall walking and a weaker immune system that could have been avoided. Above all, you should exercise your horse for at least 30 minutes daily. This can be done throughout the day. It depends on how much you understand your horse. More importantly, it’d help if you find a training program to get to know more about using a horse.
4. Always Observe Their Feet
Checking your horse’s feet is a good care tip for your horse’s overall health. It’s essential to check your horse’s feet regularly as you can prevent many problems from occurring. You may want to consider hiring a farrier to do this for you if you don’t have the time or skill to do it yourself.
Horse experts recommend watching your horse’s feet closely as this is an excellent way to tell if they’re healthy. If you notice a change in the size of their hooves or if they seem to be having trouble standing up, this could be a sign of injuries. Above all, if you notice any problems with your horse’s feet, you should contact your veterinarian.
5. Keep Your Stable Clean
Keeping your stable clean is a great way to ensure your horse is happy and healthy. Make sure you’re using suitable cleaning materials and tools. For example, if you’re cleaning a stall with hay, you’ll need to use a different type of brush than if you’re cleaning a bare concrete floor.
Indeed, you can help your horse stay healthy by cleaning up the stable, ensuring its environment is free from harmful pathogens and parasites. Keep your tack clean as well. If you have dirty tack, it can’t do its job, and your horse will be uncomfortable. Ultimately, take the time to properly care for your horse’s equipment to perform at its best.
Conclusion
The most important thing you can do for your horse is to ensure they’re well and happy. Hence, you must prioritize their care. A healthy horse is indeed a great companion. Ultimately, you should always consult with your vet if you have any questions or concerns about your horse’s health as they’re more knowledgeable. Consider the ideas mentioned here as you plan and prepare.
