How to take care and manage horses daily needs

Horse care management

There are many aspects to horse care management. Horses, ponies, mules, donkeys, and other domesticated equids require attention from humans for optimal health and long life.

Living environment

Worldwide, horses and other equids usually live outside with access to shelter for protection from the elements. In some cases, animals are kept in a barn or stable for ease of access by managers, or for protection from the weather. Horses not on full-time turnout in a field or pasture usually require some form of regular exercise, whether ridden, longed, or turned out for free time. However, if a horse is ill or injured it may need to be confined to a stable, usually in a box stall.

Feeding

A horse or pony needs approximately 1.5% to 2.5% of its body weight in food per day, depending on its age and level of work.

Grooming

Horses groomed regularly have healthier and more attractive coats. Many horse management handbooks recommend grooming a horse daily, though, for the average modern horse owner, this is not always possible. However, a horse should always be groomed before being ridden to avoid chafing and rubbing dirt and other material, which can cause sores on the animal and also grind dirt into horse tack. Grooming also allows the horse handler to check for injuries and is a good way to gain the trust of the animal.

Hoof care and shoeing

The hooves of a horse or pony are cleaned by being picked out with a hoof pick to remove any stones, mud, and dirt and to check that the shoes (if worn) are in good condition. Keeping feet clean and dry wherever possible helps prevent both lamenesses as well as hoof diseases such as thrush (a hoof fungus). The feet should be cleaned every time the horse is ridden, and if the horse is not ridden, it is still best practice to check and clean the feet frequently. Daily cleaning is recommended in many management books. However, if horses are on turnout and not being ridden, a weekly hoof check of healthy horses is often sufficient during good weather.

Horses and ponies require routine hoof care by a professional farrier on average every six to eight weeks, depending on the animal, the work it performs, and in some areas, climate conditions. Horses subjected to hard work may need horseshoes for additional protection. 

Leg care and bandaging

The legs of a horse require routine observation for lacerations or swelling. Everyday care involves brushing the legs with a brush to remove dirt and mud. Many riders wrap the horse’s legs with protective boots or bandages to prevent injury while working or exercising. After a ride, it is common for a rider or groom to hose off the legs of a horse to remove dirt and to ease any minor inflammation of the tendons and ligaments. If the horse has been overworked, injured, or is to be transported, a standing bandage or shipping boot may be placed on the horse’s legs for protection, to hold a wound dressing, or to provide support. Leg wraps are useful in preventing injury or for treating horses with leg injuries.

Vaccinations and travel requirements

Horses and ponies need annual vaccinations to protect against any number of sicknesses, though the precise vaccines required vary depending on the part of the world where the horse lives and the uses to which the animal is put. Horses that travel or are exposed to other horses that travel are often recommended to receive equine influenza vaccines since the disease is highly communicable. In the United States, many people also vaccinate against Equine Herpes Virus strains.

As a general rule, a horse or pony that has never had a particular vaccination will be given an initial vaccination and then a booster a few weeks later, then normally once a year after that. Animals kept in a public boarding facility, those shipped for breeding, and those frequently on the show circuit often require more vaccinations than horses that are not exposed to outside animals and who do not travel.

Some type of veterinary certificate or proof of vaccination is often required for horses to travel or compete, especially when crossing the state, provincial, or international boundaries.

First-aid kit

A well-stocked equine (and human) first-aid kit should be kept in a place where it is easily accessed. Any used or out-of-date items should be replaced as soon as possible. However, other than for minor injuries, a veterinarian should be consulted before treating a sick or injured animal. Check out this blog post about horses first-aid kit.

Parasite control for horse care management

All equines have a parasite burden, and therefore treatment is periodically needed throughout life. Some steps to reduce parasite infection include regularly removing droppings from the animal’s stall, shed, or field; breaking up droppings in fields by harrowing or disking; minimizing crowding in fields; periodically leaving a field empty for several weeks; or placing animals in other than equines on the field for a period of time, particularly ruminants, which do not host the same species of parasites as equines.

Deworming

Taking care of deworming horses is a big topic in horse care management we wrote about in this article.

Dental care

A horse’s teeth grow continuously throughout its life and can develop uneven wear patterns. Most common are sharp edges on the sides of the molars which may cause problems when eating or being ridden. For this reason, a horse or pony needs to have its teeth checked by a veterinarian or qualified equine dentist at least once a year.

A horse can also suffer from equine malocclusion where there is a misalignment between the upper and lower jaws. This can lead to a number of dental problems.

Alternative medicine for horse care management

Folk remedies and assorted “natural” treatments are sometimes used with horses. Many have origins in historical remedies used prior to the development of modern veterinary medicine. Others are adapted from alternative practices used by humans. Only a few treatments have been studied enough to establish efficacy, though in some cases the only existing research is on humans or other animals and their effectiveness in horses is unproven. Other remedies have no scientific basis for their use. A few could be harmful. A number of alternative or “natural” remedies, whether useful or not, contain substances banned in competition and will show up in drug testing.

One group of common alternative treatments is nutraceutical supplements. The most popular of these are joint supplements such as glucosamine, chondroitin, MSM, and hyaluronic acid. Related to joint supplements are various treatments for pain, viewed as alternatives to the common mainstream pain-reducing medications phenylbutazone, and Banamine. Another common group of alternative treatments is “calming” supplements alleged to modify horse behavior. Some of these are basic vitamin or electrolyte concoctions, but others contain banned substances.

A significant number of “natural” remedies are prohibited in competition, including but not limited to valerian, kava kava, passionflower, skullcap, chamomile, vervain, leopard’s bane, nightshade, capsaicin, comfrey, devil′s claw, hops, laurel, lavender, red poppy, and rauwolfia. Cannabinoids, including CBD, are also banned.

Other alternative treatments used on horses include veterinary chiropractic, acupuncture, and massage therapy. Generally, there are few studies available on the effectiveness of these as applied to horses.

Horse care management conclusion

As you see there are many aspects to horse care management to keep in mind and take care of if you want to keep your horse healthy and fit. With horse care management software like equerry, you can make it easier not to lose the overview when managing a horse and spend more time with your beloved partner.