Pampered Pets

Is your horse favouring his front feet? Does he seem to be having problems with flight patterns? How does a ride on him feel presently – comfortable or not? Is he stumbling or tripping over his own feet?

What about his attitude, is he exhibiting obvious changes in attitude?

And here is the big one: is he showing evidence of back issues?

If any of the questions asked above seem to be familiar territory to you, you must keep on reading to get some insights.

I have had long experience with horses, and among the sure things I have learned one is that with horses, health concerns could not always be what they seem to be externally. You can make wrong surmises as the problem may be something deeper or the symptoms visible may be some misleading side-effects. Obviously, it makes sense to address the root cause, not the symptoms.

Most people have observed that almost all of the common illnesses that trouble horses, like lameness, arise from disparities in the horse’s bone structures. People have also observed that lameness issues start at the feet and work their way up right through the horse’s body until his entire being seems to be affected. When this happens, the pony is either unable or not keen to perform any normal action because of the pain being felt.

Obviously, if all systems are good and the pony is feeling no discomfort at all, he is going to be in a position to perform at peak capacity. He’s attentive to his surroundings and to what is expected of him by his owner, hander or rider. He sometimes enjoys life, and the sight of him doing that gives you much joy also.

Horses are no less influenced by discomfort or lack of discomfort than homo sapiens.

If you catch’em early, you can cure them

In recent times, there has been a noticeably growing tendency among both pony owners and horse-related professionals to try to stay alert to horses showing evidence of foot-related pain and treatment as soon as possible.

Even after good care of the feet and hooves, your horse may show signs of tenderness, stiffness. He could also show changes in behaviour. This may be due to the corrections the horse is making to recent changes. You might need detailed information in the context of feed, gear fitting and any other area of concern that will contribute to a fast and complete recovery of your horse.

Wrapping up

You must have gone thru events where you were full of questions about a horse’s situation and its probability of a full recovery. You could have been told that there was nothing that could be done. Due to this advice, you had to pay no mind to your instincts. Lots of today’s farriers either are oblivious of or are indifferent to the indisputable fact that they themselves may be a prime cause of the afflictions the horse is suffering.

You need to keep looking for answers. As you broaden your knowledge base, you will find that there are lots of simple measures, like palliative care, that you can take up yourself, without the help of a farrier. Never cease to give top priority to the well being and good health of your horses. There’s a lot of new information and new strategies out there that have improved the quality of care and expedite fast and complete recovery. Keep abreast of all developments.

Your persistence will get you into that category of folks that are actually capable of special and correct revelations into horses and their ailments. It does not take huge amounts of study, but it does take passion and dedication.

Horses are Heather Toms passion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100s of articles with other horse lovers, like all things about stable rugs

Owning a horse and riding it around the stables and close by areas is a pleasurable experience. But this alone isn’t sufficiently exciting for plenty of horse owners. The many horse conmpetitions all across the country offer a delightful chance for riders to show the grace, speed, style, and endurance of their animal.

The question is: in what way will you transport your horse? Remember that events and contests can be anywhere in the country, and even though these places are nearby, planning and professional vehicles to transport your horse safely is still required.

Transporting a horse can cost serious money. Aside from the floats, the costs of fuel can be highly pricey as well. The extra weight of the horse and the float leads to a higher use of fuel because of the additional load, which is a cost that owners often don’t consider.

Horsemen and women who board their horses at communal stables regularly share transportation vehicles also. An arrangement like this permits you to reduce the prices and potentially acquire a superior quality transportation vehicle than if you get one yourself. A good example is when you purchase or rent a horse float and share it with an owner and run a time share arrangement, or the two of you invest in a twofold float and transfer your horses jointly, which will let you share the cost of fuel.

If making an investment in a horse float is too dear for you, or you only occasionally compete in contests, you may want to give though to hiring the services of a trustworthy horse transportation company. The staff who work for these corporations are professional equine handlers. Never hesitate to ask them about their certifications or licenses, as their capability to watch over your horse and always ensure that it is safe is extremely imperative.

To find local horses and equipment check your Australian online business directory.

Like with such a lot of things in life, your decision on whether you get a horse like you’ve always wanted to will be affected by economic factors. Can you afford to get a pony, and beyond that, are you able to afford to maintain a pony?

It is very hard to give definite answers to those questions. There are too many variables that contribute to the price of keeping a pony, though not so much to the cost of procuring a pony. Managing a horse may need modest layouts, or it may ask for an enormous purse.

A lot also depends on how much you wish to spoil your horse. If you are least bothered about cost, you can purchase an expensive pony of high pedigree, build him a posh stable, put up some high-priced fences and keep a vet on a contract, so that he comes over every now and then to check on the pony whether there’s a problem or not. It is easy to get yourself a pony trailer by denting your checking account considerably; you would also require a nice truck with a powerful engine to haul your trailer around. That would do more damage to your checking account.

You may also dump money on a stable for lease away from home.

Or you can do it the humbler way.

You are able to save considerable money by housing your horse at your own grounds with all the basic requirements , rather than putting him up at a professional enterprise. While this save you cash, it will definite demand more time and labour. If you have got no issue with giving the effort and time needed, either as you are free and capable of it, or because you have employed some staff, this arrangement won’t just save you money, it will allow you full time access to your pony and more opportunities to bond well and truly with him.

The cost of boarding establishments will change depending on the services and facilities they supply, and their location. The more urban the location, the more dear the enterprise. Most establishments also charge separately for additional goods and services like grain along with hay or extra care from an assistant. The majority of these stables are in high demand, and so don’t be surprised to find yourself placed on waiting list for 1 or 2 months before you find your pony a place.

You will also need to consider the price of travelling to the stable. The further away it is from your home, the more you would be spending on gas. Never forget that you got a horse for the enjoyment of riding him. If he lives too a long distance from you, you aren’t going to be able to ride him as frequently as you want. It is worth taking extra time to look for a stable that is a match for your budget and deals with all your horse’s wants and also is sufficiently near to enable you to hop over quickly for a cession with your pony.

You are also going to be spending continually on tack. The saddle is the single most pricey item of tack, but it isn’t the only item in the list. You can’t risk buying cheap tack, you can land up paying a vicious penalty for your blunder. You would like quality, comfort and safety for both your horse and his riders; you’ll have to pay for it. A good saddle can set you back between $1000 and $3000, and even more. Bedding for your horse will cost no less than $6 to $10 a bag a month. Hay may come with a price tag of about $15 to $20 per bale. Then you’ve got the ongoing costs like trimming of hoofs and shoeing. These items could lessen your purse by $50 for trims and $200 for shoes every 2 months or so. In truth, the better experts will most likely cost more. You will also need to think about supplements. A bag of 50 lbs of grain or feed may cost between $10 and $30.

These are cost factors that are constants in feeding a horse at home. There are variables like veterinarian costs and medicine costs. In no way is my article complete; there will always be some expense no-one can anticipate.

Horses are Heather Toms passion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100s of articles with other horse lovers, like all things about riding hats

One of the questions that is asked of me most often in the context of horses is: how often do I wash my horses? My own opinion is that horses could do with a load less washes. I see a bias in horse owners to overdo it. They virtually seem to wash their horses because they are bored, with nothing else to do.

Think of a wild pony in his natural setting. How often do you think he gets washed?

In their natural habitat, horses most frequently get washed when it rains. Clearly, then, the frequency of their getting washed would rely on the frequency of the rain. Wild horses also get washed when they’re forced to swim across an area of water. Neither a rain wash nor a river or lake wash is taken by a wild horse out of choice , and they seem to get along quite well whatever their frequency of washes is. I definitely don’t see any way wild horses suffer for absence of washes. The same speculation carries over for tamed horses, too. Folks use cold water to hose down horses that are hot and sweaty after a tough work out. They don’t notice that they might be causing harm to the horse’s health due to the unexpected change in temperature. Think of yourself when you’re actually hot and flustered, and the sweat is pouring down your body and limbs. What kind of water would you ideally like for a bath? You would prefer to begin with luke warm water and move to cold water in progressive steps. That is the healthy way to do it, and that advantageous way applies for horses, too. Quite frequently, when my pony is sweating hard and radiating heat after a tiresome work out, I content myself with hosing his legs down. When he cools off, I may sometimes hose water all over him, if he showed that he liked it when I did that with his legs.

It’s also absolutely needless to use soap or shampoo on a pony every time he’s washed. Soap and shampoo can rob hair and skin of their natural oils.

The best practice is to walk your horse slowly around after a laborious ride. Wait for him to dry off, then groom him a bit. Quite often, I simply unsaddle my pony after a ride and let him loose to roll around in the pasture. I am going off to clean his stall as an alternative. My pony will have cooled off considerably by the point I return to halter him. He gets a good brushing from me then; I ensure I remove all sweat marks on him.

I think the only exception is occasionally when you are showing with your horse. If your season is busy, you wish to keep your horse looking his best at all times, and that’s when you can give him a lot of baths. When you have done with washing him, be totally certain to scrape off all excess water and take him out to dry where it is not cold. If there’s a chill in the air, cover him with a blanket.

Use a lot of elbow grease and go at it hard with a brush and a curry comb to give your horse the absolute best grooming. This type of grooming also allows you to bond closely with your horse, because he is going to be relishing the grooming and will most likely be in an exceedingly receptive mood. Let him have a little bit of additional petting and attention.

Brushing is not normally a lengthy procedure. Ensure your horse is brushed before you saddle him. Things like hay or stickers will need to be brushed off, especially if he’s been rolling around. If they are not taken off, you risk getting thrown off when you get on. Be certain to give your pony some brushing after a ride, too , so that sweat marks are removed. Test to work out if your horse is feeling any tenderness by running your fingers down his spine.

Horses are Heather Toms passion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100s of articles with other horse lovers, like all things about country supply

This article is going to attempt to give the reader a good idea of what the disease laminitis is, and its identified causes. It must be clarified nevertheless , that there’s a lot that’s unknown about this illness. It is understood that laminitis affects old as well as young horses. It affects horses that are presently being put to strenuous levels of near daily training and conditioning, i.e, horses that are at absolute peak condition, just as much as it affects horses that live less strenuous lives or even inactive lives. No breed of pony is safe from this ailment.

As the disease’s name itself indicates laminitis is a soreness or an inflammatory reaction in the hooves of horses. There are only a few clinical indicators of the disease. Research has been extensive on the condition, and it looks to have links to several other illnesses that horses are exposed to, but most of the time, there seems to be little question that laminitis is primarily due to poor management of horses.

Stages of laminitis

The beginning of laminitis is identified by 3 distinct stages: the development, the acute and the chronic stages.

The developmental phase begins with the exposure of the animals to those elements that are likely to bring about the condition. This stage prevails till such time as the initial signs indicating onset of the next stage appear.

There isn’t any identifiable time period over which the acute stage develops. While this phase can see the illness setting into all four feet of the pony, it is normal for the front feet to be affected more. A pulse is clearly seen at the back of the fetlock, and also in the pastern area. The horse is in obvious agony, with the affected feet giving out higher than usual emanations of heat.

The chronic stage may be said to come into effect when the horse’s coffin bone, in the foot, starts rotating downward, or if excruciating pain has been felt by the pony for at least 48 hours. This stage signals the onset of the most unpleasant phase for the pony, and can go on for just days, a few weeks, one or two months, or at the acute, the whole life time of the pony.

What Factors Trigger the developmental stage?

Causes that set off laminitis include:

• The inclusion of cereal grains in the horse’s diet to a level that is much more than necessary. This situation is also called “carbohydrate overload”;

• Unexpected introduction of the horse to new or lusher pastures than it is used to. The pony consumes grass of composition that it has not had so far. This phenomenon also is called “excessive intake of legumes”;

• Allowing a pony to drink a large amount of really cold water within a short period of time right after it has been through a demanding work load and is experiencing great thirst;

• Infection of the horse by a bacteria called “Septicemia”;

• Working the horse for too much time or too hard on really hard surfaces, where the feet are subject to abnormal impact and concussion, a situation known as “road founder”;

• Hormonal changes, for example, the type that are triggered by foaling;

• The frequency of conditions of high fever, which force undesired after effects in the guise of an attack of laminitis, also known as “viral” reaction.

• Reactions to injections. Injections of corticosteroids in the main. This expression of the illness is alleged to be “pharmacologically induced”.

Horses are Heather Toms passion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100s of articles with other horse lovers, like all things about tack shop

Each time the season changes, we deworm our horses. Some pony owners don’t even wait for a change of season. They deworm their horses every month, each week, and often, for a couple of days continuously. I find this a shocking piece of negligence. I presume these horse owners act on the assumption that it’s cheaper to deworm a pony than to confirm with a costly faeces test that he needs deworming!

Tell me, would you take an aspirin if you had no headache at all? If you wouldn’t why would you feed deworming medication to your pony if he has absolutely no worms? Horse deworming has become some sort of confounding mania. Where will all this lead straight to? I’ve heard several veterinarians and other people of a scientific background expressing the concern that all this excess of deworming is going to create new strains of super worms immune to ordinary deworking medicine.

If that eventuality becomes a fact, what will we be able to do for our horses?

I have seen boarding stables impose rules about worms and deworming that all stable users are expected to obey. Some of these rules make absolutely no sense to me. Why, for example, do stables demand that if you deworm one horse, you deworm them all? I absolutely disagree. I believe that it’s way better to get faeces checks done routinely, so that deworming medication can be administered only to those horses that have worms. Certainly, a stable with plenty of horses can get extremely low price quotes for faeces checks, based totally on quantity?

To all horse owners who are sufficiently fortunate to have their horses housed on their own property, I advise that you speak with your vets and get their comprehensive feedback on worm management in your horses.

And I wrap up this with a bit of guidance that all pony owners should take seriously indeed: get totally rid of horse dung from horses that’ve been dosed with deworming medication. The manure is not safe and should not be utilised for composting under any circumstances.

Horses are Heather Toms passion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100s of articles with other horse lovers, like all things about horse blanket

The white line illness that troubles horse hoofs appears to have become something of an epidemic. White line disease causes corrosion of the inner hoof wall. Unless early action is taken, white line disease builds up until it brings about a full break between the hoof wall and the laminae, which ends in coffin bone rotation.

This illness is not connected to stable or hoof conditions like cleanliness. Cracked hooves are far more liable to develop the illness, as are hooves that have gone through a traumatic experience, are unbalanced or suffer from deep-rooted conditions like abscesses. All kinds of pony are susceptible, and the disease can manifest in just one hoof or more.

White line illness is caused by a mix of bacteria and fungi that are generally commonplace in the pasture or the barn. They turn pathogenic when they find their way into a cracked hoof, and they flourish in symbiotic partnership in anaerobic conditions.

In its initial days, the diseased does not lame a pony. In fact when the pony becomes lame, the disease will have inflicted major damage.

Initial symptoms include abnormal bulges in the hoof, hollow sounds when tapped and a soft, chalky white line along the roof. You need to suspect white line disease if your pony loses a bit of hoof together with a shoe.

You can determine the ideal treatment by consulting a veterinarian and a farrier. You’re going to need to get the inside hoof and the coffin bone x-rayed to determine the quantity of disease spread and damage. These x-rays will be needed by the farrier if he has to do some therapeutic shoeing.

The outer hoof wall must be resectioned to permit access to the affected inner hoof wall and damaged tissue. If needed, using therapeutic shoeing measures like a heart bar shoe will help support the weakened hoof. Areas affected need to be kept open to air and light. Merthiolate, betadine and 2% iodine are the major medicine that are used on the affected area.

The extent of damage should establish the quantum of post-resection exercise the horse is allowed.

Care must be taken to keep the affected hoof area dry and dirt free. There should be absolutely no traces of dung or mud. In summer, if the horse is given a bath anytime soon after resection, the hoof and the affected area should be made totally dry with a towel; extended moisture isn’t at all sensible.

The horse may develop abscesses after resections. This susceptibility will continue until the resection has grown out. If horses have had white line resection, drawing hoof poultices and packing should be kept at hand. Abscesses can be indicated by “broken leg lameness”, when the horse shows absolute lameness in the leg that had a resection done.

Treatment of abscesses can create a catch-22 situation: the best treatment is soaking in warmed water with Epsom salt. However , the hooves of horses afflicted with white line illness must be kept dry. It is better to consult a veterinarian and a farrier. They may advocate poultices or alternatively heated bandage pads.

A pony owner with a pony which has undergone a resection has no option but to let the cure run its course till the damaged hoof has grown back entirely and ensure his horse’s affected hoof is kept clean and dry. The farrier should be making routine check up visits post- resection.

Horses are Heather Toms passion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100s of articles with other horse lovers, like all things about stable rugs

While you might think this is an easy thing to do – feed your horse – you would be stunned at the number of horse owners that do not know about the fundamentals. There isn’t any real rough guide for feeding, as each horse’s nutritive desires will change depending on age, weight and level of activity. To start with, your horse naturally uses forage as a first part of their diets. It happens to be one of the MAJOR must haves for properly functioning guts. When we talk of forage, we usually mean natural pasture and cut hay. Mature horses often eat about 2 to 2.5 p.c of their body weight in feed each day. So a 1,000 pound horse will eat approximately 20 to 25 pounds of feed a day. This means top of the range feed, not sub-standard high fibre feed (which can interfere with proper digestion).

In an ideal pasture world, your horse should eat at least 1 % of his body weight in hay/pasture forage daily. If your pony does not do much work, they will do nicely on precisely forage, with no grain thrown in. On the other hand, growing, breeding, or working horses must have supplements as well as forage – such as grain or a supplement concentrate. Consider it this way, forages should ideally supply at least one half or more of the total weight of the feed eaten daily for optimum growth and development.

Before it is possible to feed a well balanced “meal” to your horse, you have to know the nutrient content and quality of your forage. When you know that, you can work out the correct amounts of each to meet nutrient requirements.

The number one source, and the least costly one for summer feed is your pasture. And, in most cases good pasture on it’s own can offer all the nutritional needs your horse wants. How does one figure out how much pasture is needed to feed a horse? Here is a rough suggestion to help you: (using a weight of 1,000 – 1,200 pounds)

Mare and foal 1.75 to 2 acres Yearlings 1.5 to 2 acre Weanlings 0.5 to 1 acre

Winter feed naturally would be cut hay, and again, top of the range if you can provide it. It should be cut early, be leafy and green in color and as free as practical of dust, moulds, weeds and stubble. This feed is usually rich in protein, vitamins and minerals.

Yes, you can use alfalfa hay, but watch out about the higher protein content if you’re feeding to young growing horses, as it may contain an exorbitant amount of calcium in relationship to phosphorus. Too much calcium is not good for growing horses. If you are not sure about hay quality, have it analyzed.

Harriet Harman is a horse enthusiast and correspondent on horse racing systems, including well-liked manuals and software such as The 5 Step Lay.

For equestrian hopefuls perhaps the very first thing they should need to know is the simplest way to tell a superbly healthy pony from one that isn’t. Before horse riding or sport and dressage competitions, an equestrian first needs to identify a sickness or developing illness properly. Besides, you will have to be well placed to notice the difference when owning a pony for the first time.

Healthy Horses

A wonderfully healthy horse both in body and mind would exhibit the following healthy signs:

-She will stand on all 4 feet squarely, without the need to rest forefeet. Her hind feet she’ll relax every now and then when bored.

-Her coat should be soft, shiny, and smooth.

-Her eyes should be open and you can see a flicker of salmon color inside. This colour would also be present in the nostrils and gums of the horse.

-Limbs and joints shouldn’t be swelling or hot to the touch.

-She ought to have a normal appetite and would be glad to munch on grass hay.

-The skin of the healthy horse is moist, although not sweaty.

-Her breathing, even if asleep, should be quiet, and her heart beat steady at roughly 33 to 40 bpm (mares and geldings), to 28 to 32 bpm (stallions). The younger the horse, the quicker the heartbeat.

-Bowel movements come regularly, 4 to 8 times each day. The movement should be free of odour as well as worms or mucus.

-She will urinate anywhere between five to 8 times in a 24 hour period; pee should be light yellowish.

-Place your ear next to her flank and you ought to be hearing her gut sounds.

Not-So-Healthy Horses

While horses sick enough to manifest serious symptoms stand out like a throbbing thumb among their herd, there are subtle signs of being ill that you as an equestrian need to take note of “pony can be good for leisurely horse riding even when they are feeling a bit under the weather. So watch out for:

-An unusual attitude: lying in peculiar positions and at wierd times. A colic-stricken pony may lie down on its back. Sitting very like a dog is not uncommon in horses that have advanced laminitis.

– Coat could be lifeless and hairs won’t lie down if a horse is sick.

-Mucous surfaces that have discolorations, or their colors aren’t their regular tint. Colours are telling: blue-red suggests circulation or heart issues; pale is most probably anemic; dark-red frequently accompanies fever; a hint of yellow is linked to liver issues.

-Appetite irregularities. A pony might not care about what feed you give her and not eat at all. If this is the case, double check if her skin feels rather tight and she is profusely sweating. Look for fever temperatures, a low one would be around 102.5 degrees. Breathing problems “from being too slow or too quick, being loud and shallow “may accompany heartbeat irregularity.

-Horse excrement could be inconsistent in color or texture

-Not hearing stomach sounds might indicate bowel problems.

-Urine can at times be too little or too much, and could be of unusual consistency, color, or both.

-Swelling or too much heat in the legs might be indicative of infection.

When a healthy pony manifests a sick horse’s symptoms, it’s best to observe and contact a vet immediately when the symptoms endure.

Horses are Heather Toms passion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100s of articles with other horse lovers, like all things about equestrian wear

Owning a pony is not a simple matter. You are responsible for providing for your pony, for meeting all of its necessary needs. It isn’t a case of simply supplying food, shelter and exercise, either. There are a large amount of smaller needs that may not individually seem to be of great consequence, but are easily as urgent as the basic essentials of food and shelter.

You are doing your horse no good if you keep it confined inside throughout the day. Your pony must be exercised each day; he should be out in the open air for some time, free to do his thing. If you keep your horse in all of the time, he is going to develop physical and psychological issues, undesirable issues like cribbing, weaving, wall kicking, eating feces and tail gnawing. Nature made the horse an outdoor creature, and you should try your best to let nature have her way at least to the extent it is feasible for you to do so. When your pony gets time out in a pasture, he gets a chance to let off steam and work out his kinks, physical and mental. When he gets a regular chance to romp and play, he is going to be less rebellious when you’re in the saddle!

You get a very content and healthy pony when you give it due overall care. Keeping your pony in physical and psychological peak form requires you paying attention to obscure care aspects of horse ownership.

Treat your pony to high quality hay and grain. Feed him all requisite supplements regularly: get an idea of what these supplements are from your vet, who will make his recommendations based totally on your horse’s age, health and level of activity. The dietary needs of horses undergo changes as they age, so keep up to date on what is the best for your horse at any given time. If you have put up your pony at an equestrian house, you get sound information on your horse’s supplement needs from the owner or the manager.

You have to maintain hygiene with your pony, and part of correct hygienic practice is to change your horse’s bedding each day. You do not need your horse wallowing in his own refuse. Unhygienic environments are an open invitation to hoof and respiratory illnesses.

You need to get your horse’s teeth looked at regularly; the older he gets, the more the frequency of inspections should be. Horses ‘ teeth show the effects of time and use, they can develop conditions that cause great agony. Under these circumstances, the pony might have trouble in feeding and definitely will resist your efforts to put a bit in his mouth.

The best duration for inspecting your horse’s feet is daily. If his shoes don’t fit well, he is going to suffer long-term from damage brought about by asymmetrical wear and tear. If feet problems are allowed to worsen, they will end up in lameness. Bad shoeing causes corns and fetlock damage.

As a pony owner, you have to adjust yourself to one thing: you’ll be spending a lot on vet services even when your horse is top health. You need to give him his regular deworming and vaccinations. You have to ensure routine health checkups are made on schedule.

Horses are social herd animals. They don’t adapt well to the life of a loner, and enforced loneliness will bring about great depression. If you use a stable, ensure that it’s a credible one where your horse will find not just good care, but also the steady companionship of others of his breed.

Horses are Heather Toms’ passion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100’s of articles with other horse lovers… like all things about riding hats