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Horse Care: Feeding, Grooming, and Exercising

Giving your horse proper nutrition will allow him to grow and function normally throughout its life. Hay is generally the most widely used source of food for horses. It is rich in vitamins, minerals, and proteins and is an essential part of normal food digestion.

HORSE FEEDING
In addition to an adequate balance of proper food and nutrition, horse should always be provided with plenty of fresh water. Be especially careful in feeding your horse too much corn, as it is high in calories and cause unwanted weight gain.

HORSE GROOMING
A regular daily regimen of grooming will keep your horse clean, disease free and will help keep your horse accustomed to being handled. Grooming also provides a gentle massage to your horses coat to promote good circulation and further enhancing resistance to disease.

To groom your horse, use a good stiff brush and stroke your horse using a firm broad stroke in the direction of the hair. To remove unwanted dirt or stains, use warm water and a brush; you should avoid using soaps and shampoos that will remove oil from the horse coat.

HORSE HOUSING
Whether in a barn or in the field, horses need to feel safe and have the ability to find seclusion and rest. Always consider the comfort of the your horse first. The barn should provide adequate protection from the elements so they can get cool in the summer months and find adequate warmth in the winter months. Provide your horse bedding materials that will allow them to get comfortable. Hay is the preferred bedding material, wood shavings can also be used. But if you choose the open space, you need about one and a half acres to roam in. Be sure to create an area that allows to grazing and ready access to water.

HORSE EXERCISE
Horses, like most animals, need plenty of exercise. Regular exercise will improve your horse's circulation and digestion and improve the strength of muscles, tendons and bones, and will build endurance, stamina and resistance to disease. Horses kept in open fields will find ways to keep themselves in shape, while stabled horses need the focused attention of their owners to get enough exercise.




Eight Essential Horse Manners


Led Quietly by Your Hand
When you lead your horse he should walk beside you quietly paying attention to you. Your horse shouldn't pull you, barge ahead, hang back, or push into you.

Allow Every Body Part to be Touched
Your horse should let you touch every part of his body. The most sensitive spots are the ears, muzzle, sheath or udder, between legs, and chest, but these areas need to be cleaned or dressed if they are injured. Teach your horse to have these areas groomed and touched.

Stand Quietly to have Feet Handled
Horses need regular hoof care. Teach your horse to stand quietly while you clean their hooves. They also need to remain calm while the farrier works them.

Accept Paste Wormers
Teaching your horse to accept paste wormers will make regular parasite control easier. It also make the administering of other oral medications easier.

Getting on a Trailer
A horse that won't load on a trailer quietly isn't just frustrating, it can be dangerous. Even though you may not plan to leave your properly with your horse, he should learn to get on a trailer. Often horses who don't lead well, also don't load well.

Wait
Use the command "wait" to tell the horse to wait until you completely open a gate or stall door before coming through, or to stand and wait while you put feed in the buckets. A horse that barges through gates or doors is dangerous to both the handler and horse.

Be Caught
Even if your horse is just pasture decoration it will at some point it need to be caught. There is nothing more frustrating than an hour of riding and have that time taken up pursuing your horse around the pasture. Things can get dangerous if your horse feel cornered and the only escape is over you. Teach your horse to be caught each and every time you want it.

Stand Tied
Standing quietly to be tied, whether to a post, beside a trailer or a tree. You'll want to tie your horse to groom, clean hoofs, harness up, or just keep him safely out of the way while you attend to other matters. Teach your horse to stand quietly while tied without fussing or pulling. Oftentimes, a horse that don't stand quietly while tied don't lead quietly either.

Printable versions:
Horse Care: Feeding, Grooming, and Exercising
Eight Essential Horse Manners

Contact:
Christie R. Monroe,
assistant director of livestock programs,
(225) 771-2242,
christie_monroe@suagcenter.com

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