Posted on January 27, 2010.
How to take care of a horse (If you really want!) Everyone remembers the "Simpsons" episode in which Homer besieged - not the walking punchline, it would become in later seasons - almost works itself to death, taking changes in the second Kwik-E-Mart of 'Apu, to provide a pony for young Lisa.
All ends well for the Simpsons, but the care and feeding of horses is not really light work.
Firstly, there is the question of accommodation. After all, your new horse racing thoroughbreds is not exactly going to fit in the closet. The horses need to protect from rain and wind, like a barn, barn or shed, which is especially true if you keep your horse's hair short (the show), in which case you will need a horse blanket. In pleasant weather, your horse needs shade. Your horse must also year-round pastures - usually between 1-3 acres of pasture per animal fills the bill. And there are reasons to exercise all important (keeping a horse locked 24-7-365 is just cruel).
Most horse owners are Americans, not having access to these things, rent a space for their horses at a boarding stable. These, of course, are not cheap - and some horses, especially stallions, are best kept in social environments anyway, because they tend to fight with other animals.
Even if you live in a temperate climate, and keep your horse on grass most of the time she or he needs a place to shelter from the rain, the insulating layer of hair does not work nearly as well when it is wet.
If you can not keep riding on the reasons of your own, make sure, when feeding the horses, pay attention to laminitis, a debilitating disease that can come from food abundant, rapid growth in early spring and autumn grass (grass is high in fructans and other non-structural carbohydrates). Similarly, if you're lucky enough to be able to have a ready source of water nearby natural check every day to ensure that the stream has dried up or gone stagnant developed blue-green algae ( deadly to horses).
Finally, be careful in the choice of fencing materials. Wire is a terrible choice for small enclosures (they run into it), it will double barbed wire, which is condemned in almost all management books horse (but widely used in the American West). If you do not use wire, use a large pen (where the horse will not always be in contact with the fencing), using a slick line and clearly visible (perhaps a closely woven mesh with heavy shutters spaced), keep the openings between the strips too small for a shoe to pass through, and maintain your grill carefully.
To help the issue of visibility, and sustainability of closing, you might consider using a wood best player (no chance to trample that down). wooden fences or synthetic wood to make a little more expensive, but much better, more sustainable choices.
The horses need to eat 1.5-2.5% of their body weight in food each day. The most common sources to meet this nutritional need is heavy grass, hay, grain, pellets and sold commercially. Again, keep feeding your horse is not cheap.
horses' coats must be maintained each day, ideally in the real world, you should at least groom your horse before each trip to avoid friction (for the horse, not you). A system of grooming include the following: A round tool called curry short teeth, used to loosen debris from the horse's coat and generate clean natural oils, farm-dandy brush that cleans the material stirred up more the curry brush body bristles used for dust, brush the mane (usually large teeth, some people just use a hair brush the man for this part), a cure for foot- clean the horse's feet and injury prevention; fly spray, which did not require explanation, a metal or plastic tool, the scraper drive, for, as well, scraping the sweat and scissors lawn.
