Basic Horse Care Tips for the New Horse Owner

Buying a horse can be a dream come true, horses are magnificent creatures and owning one is a true privilege. Horses are herd animals by nature and as such they need companionship, as your horse’s owner, you are responsible for providing your horse the companionship he or she needs. If you plan on keeping your horse at a boarding stable then this won’t be a concern, but if the horse is to be kept alone in a barn or a field, you will have to provide the horse with companionship of some sort as well as a lot of mental, emotional and physical stimulation.

Horses in their natural state are grazing animals, this means they spend a lot of the day grazing and moving around, they were not made to be kept cooped up in a stable; in fact a horse that is not given sufficient exercise will develop a myriad of health problems and will not thrive. Be prepared to spend a considerable amount of time exercising your horse every day because if you neglect to do so your horse could potentially die.

If your horse is to spend time in pasture you have to check for poisonous plants such as sorghum, star thistle, horsetail, locoweed, castor bean meadow saffron, privet, laurel, bracken, acorns, buttercups foxglove, ragwort, deadly nightshade and the most dangerous of all – yew. You will also have to check for potholes and anything that could harm or injure your horse such as glass and sharp objects. Make sure your horse’s pasture is securely fenced and avoid using barbed wire as it can cause serious injury to your horse.

If you intend on keeping your horse outdoors, then you must provide him with a secure shelter from the elements. A horse kept at pasture won’t require as much grooming as a horse kept in a stable. Excessive grooming will remove natural oils in your horse’s coat, these oils help keep your horse dry and warm.

Your horse must have access to fresh, clean water at all times and you must check your horse’s water supply during the cold season to make sure it hasn’t frozen.

If you decide to stable your horse you must provide him with suitable bedding. Straw and wood shavings are popular bedding materials. Always make sure the bedding you use for your horse is fresh and sweet smelling. The stable will have to be cleaned (mucked out) on a daily basis, this entails removing any droppings and soiled bedding. After removing soiled bedding, sweep and disinfect the floor and add fresh bedding when the floor is dry.

The feeding of your horse will depend largely on the individual horse’s needs as well as how you intend to keep the horse, but basic daily requirements are hay and alfalfa as well as grain. Make sure you get your horse on a regular de-worming programme to ensure he is getting the most of his feed. Regular de-worming is vital as internal parasites can cause many health problems.

As you can see, owning a horse is a huge responsibility, they require a lot of time and care and you must be prepared to spend time on your horse’s care and upkeep on a daily basis. Neglecting to do so will result in an unhappy and unhealthy horse, so please don’t even think about buying a horse unless you have the time and money to take proper care of the animal.