Horses are wonderful animals! Strong, intelligent, they have great
personalities that are as individual as humans, and readily return love,
care and attention.
Like any animal kept for work or as a pet, some care and attention can
make all the difference for the animal's health, happiness and
temperament.
Barbed Wire
Barbed wire and horses don't mix! Unlike cattle, a horse’s
skin is relatively thin and easily torn. Never pasture horses in
barbed-wire fenced paddocks, as brushing against the wire, or becoming
entangled, can cause nasty injuries that can easily become
infected.
Strong wooden rails are a good fencing method; if using
plain wire fences, electric or 'hot' wires quickly teach horses to keep
away from the fence -- we use this method at Glen Shea and find it very
effective.
Hoof care
Just like our fingernails, hooves require regular
maintenance. Depending upon your horses use, its hooves will need
trimming about every 6-8 weeks or your horse may need to be shod. Shod
horses still need their feet trimmed and the shoes re-fitted every 6
weeks or so.
Retirement care
Older horses often need some special attention because of
the effects of advancing age (don't we all?). Special diets may be
required if your horse has teeth problems or is failing to hold good
condition in its old age.
Arthritis
The heavy 'wear and tear' on a horse's joints, especially in
working horses, can progress to arthritis, in much the same way humans
suffer arthritis in heavily-used joints.
The common symptoms are
lameness or joint stiffness.
There are treatments available to
make your horse more comfortable, however it is always best to get
veterinary advice in each individual
case.
Boredom
Stand around doing nothing all day and what happens... Yes,
complete boredom. As an intelligent animal, a horse needs some daily
stimulation, such as other horses nearby, human interaction, changing
paddocks, occasionally even a toy to play with!
This is
especially important in older horses, who are less likely to amuse
themselves with self-imposed excersise, or for those horses who must be
kept in very small paddocks.
