Horses are amazing pets for people who want a companion to enjoy the outdoors with. Avid horse riders know that a special bond must be made between a rider and their horse, and this bond embodies trust, appreciation, and respect. It’s a joyful relationship and you get to stay active together, which is good for your health. Since your pet horse does so much for your health, it’s vital that you honor your pet with the same care. On that note, here is how to properly take care of your horse.
Exercise Your Horse
A horse needs to exercise several times a week. Horses are athletic animals that require physical activity to promote their welfare and health. Much like humans, exercise stimulates horses’ active minds and promotes heart and lung health. Therefore, you want to ride your horse frequently. However, there are ways you can provide your pet with sufficient exercise without riding such as lunging. Make sure you know to safely lunge a horse before attempting to do so, and remember lunging is a way to switch up the exercises and should not replace riding.
Provide The Right Food Twice a Day
Any pet you have requires a nutritious diet, and horses are no different. You need to know what to feed your pet to make sure that they are strong and healthy. Horses also need the right vitamins and minerals in their food and need to eat morning and night. To make sure you are providing your stallion with the right food, the UK specialists at https://forageplus.co.uk/ suggest you include supplements in your horse’s diet. Knowing your pet is getting nutritious value from every meal is key to living a robust and successful life. Although grain is important for the growth of a competitive horse, good quality pasture or hay is sufficient for pleasure pets and trail horses.
Keep in mind that horses tend to gaze around and nibble on what they find, eating grass throughout the day as they don’t regulate how much they eat. So you want to measure accurately and monitor their meals to ensure they maintain a healthy weight.
Groom Properly
Just like dogs, your horse needs a little help from you in the grooming department. This is part of their well-being, so you need to make sure you know exactly how to take care of them. Start by learning how to pick their hooves. You need to establish a mutual relationship with your horse for them to trust you; do not attempt to do this if the animal isn’t feeling calm. Stroke down their leg to instigate a leg lift, then with a hoof pick, you will collect mud, stones, and any other elements that are lodged there. It’s best to do this before and after riding for your pet’s comfort. You do not want to put this off. Otherwise, this can result in serious consequences; sometimes, the weight of the horse can lead to stones being pushed into the hoof.
This, along with other grooming such as brushing and using a curry comb to brush away dirt and debris, must be done daily. Keep brushes and combs clean and don’t use the same brush on different horses. Moreover, remember to brush in the direction that the hair grows.
Keep Environment Clean
Humans cannot live a healthy life in an unsanitary environment and the same applies to your pets. It’s your responsibility as a horse owner to keep their stable clean and provide your horse with suitable living conditions. This means daily cleaning to remove urine spots and manure. Keep the environment clean at all times so that your stallion enjoys their surroundings and doesn’t become disgusted.
Provide Fresh Blankets and Bedding
Another important part of sanitizing the stable is to replace bedding with fresh ones and provide clean blankets in the winter since horses can become allergic to excess dust just like us. The best type of bedding for your horse is wood shavings, chips, or pellets. You can also provide straw, sawdust, rice hulls, or stall mats. Some people consider paper shavings for their pet’s comfort. These are highly absorbent and dust-free which prevents allergies.
Spray with Insect Repellent
Keeping flies and other insects away from your horse’s stable is vital as they don’t want buzzing bugs around them either. However, you need to find one that’s suitable for horses to avoid poisoning them. Make sure you read reviews to choose among the best bug repellents for horses. This also applies when looking to deter fleas from your animal’s mane.
It’s important to remember that, when you adopt a horse, you are responsible for its health and well-being. So, you need to do your research to provide it with the best care possible. Refer to this guide to make sure your horse is receiving everything it needs. Your horse is no different than any other pet and relies on you to keep it safe, happy, and healthy.
