Owning a horse and caring for it is a massive responsibility. Most horse owners and riders fill their time by training them excessively, without taking care of their health and well-being. It is your duty to keep the animal well-fed, groomed, and in good health.
Like other companion animals such as dogs, birds, and cats, horses need just as much love and attention. But a horse is much more challenging to maintain than a cat or a dog, and you need to be ready for fulfilling its obligations, which include monetarily and time-wise.
You need to know the requirements and needs of your horses to satisfy them. For instance, there are numerous different kinds of saddles like roping saddles, western saddles, cutting saddles, and so on, and you have to determine which one works best for your horse.
Thus, here are some ways you can make your horse’s life better and adequately care for it.
Maintain a Clean Stable
Horse care also includes care for its accommodation and living conditions, which significantly impacts its well-being since horses spend most of their time in a stable.
Broadly speaking, there are two crucial things you would require in a stable: a clean source of water and a haynet that allows you to regulate how much the horse grazes.
It’s necessary to conduct daily to weekly stable chores like removing manure, sweeping dust, and cleaning equipment, including the saddle, rope, blankets, bridle, horseshoe, etc.
Provide Good Quality Feed
If a freshly grown grass field isn’t accessible to you, feeding your horse hay is the most suitable option. Horses prefer neatly-stemmed, fine, lush, and soft hay, along with a block of salt for the horse to lick.
You could also consult a vet to prescribe a proper diet plan for your horse expressly and advise some practices to improve its health condition.
Groom Your Horse Daily
When you get a horse, it can prove to be very beneficial to plan a daily schedule to groom it. Animals can get themselves hurt pretty quickly, which is why it’s essential to wash them and check for any injuries or diseases regularly.
Horses are clever animals. They realize the commitment and efforts you put into them. Grooming requires time, knowledge, energy, and some specific equipment to help you perform it correctly. Some of these tools include:
- Body brush
- Rubber or plastic curry comb
- Tail brush
- Sponge
- Face brush
- Hoof pick
Think About its Mental Health
As stated previously, horses are intelligent creatures that have solid and complex emotions. If it’s left alone in the stable with minimal care, the horse would eventually get spiritless and depressed.
Spending time with your horse by doing random activities, playing around more, and practicing new tricks should reduce your horse’s chances of getting bored.
If you can’t spend extra time with your horse friend, it would be better to surround it with other companion animals like another horse, donkey, goat, or other herd animals.
