Your Horse Guide

A horse needs care 365 days of the year come rain or shine. Any horse whether young or retired should be taken care of with respect. When you buy a horse consider who is going to take care of the horse. Are you going to be the one to go out in the rain or snow to feed him and make sure he has water? If the thought sends a chill through your bones, you may want to board your horse at a facility, so someone else has the responsibility to care for your horse.

A horse/pony needs approximately 2.5% of its body weight in food per day. Horse feed mainly consists of hay(grass) and hard feed. Your horse should be fed according to his workload. A horse that has free access to a field 24 hours a day and is seldom ridden can maintain his weight with a small amount of hard feed versus grass. Where as a horse which is stabled most of the day and ridden daily will require more hard feed.

Here are some feeding Tips:
• Feed only good quality hay and feed
Store your feed away from water to prevent mold
• Feed your horse plenty of fiber (bulk)
• Provide a constant supply of clean, fresh water
• Make any feeding changes gradually
• Feed according to the age of your horse and the amount of exercise he gets
Overfeeding grain to a horse can lead to a serious case of gas colic and cause your horse to suffer from severe abdominal pain
• Wash feeding mangers and buckets regularly
• Horses should have three meals a day instead of one large meal

• Allow your horse the time to digest his food before exercising him(wait an hour or more)

One of the most important ways to avoid colic is to feed your horse regularly. Feed good quality fiber (hay), make sure you open a bale and smell it before offering it to your horse. If the hay smells moldy or looks dusty do not feed it to your horse. Ingesting bad hay can be fatal to animals.

On average most horses can consume three flakes of hay per day. When riding your horse only on weekends or sporadically buy a food that is non-heating and formulated for low energy. Few pleasure horses need more than a cup of grain or horse feed several times a week. If your horse is looking pudgy you may need to cut back on his hay or check with your veterinarian to make sure he is getting the correct quantity of hard feed (grain/pellets).

If your horse competes in shows or you go on a lot of arduous trail rides, you will need to feed more grain or pellets. Talk to your veterinarian about how much grain your horse should have before you give him this type of feed on a daily basis. Professional advice can prevent a very pudgy horse or a difficult horse to handle due to overfeeding.
It is important to your horses performance and health that you know what to feed him and how to feed him. Talk to your veterinarian about giving your horse vitamin and mineral supplements to be sure all of his nutritional needs are being met.

Your horse guide. Get information on buying, owning and caring for your horse, learn about horse health.

Paul Hegarty is the owner of learningfromdvds.com. Price compare Yoga DVDs, read reviews, download free E-books. Read this month’s e-book on “How To Spot A fraudulent Email”. Grab your free copy today.