Tips for Keeping Your Horse Happy and Healthy
Horses are beautiful creatures that have loyally helped us carry out tasks for decades. These animals can haul heavy plows, pull carriages, compete with us in sporting events, or meander trails with us through nature. As a thank-you for all the great things these magnificent creatures do for us, it’s our duty to give them the best possible life. Check out the information below for tips on keeping your horse happy and healthy!
Annual Vet Exams
The typical small-animal vet we visit with our cats and dogs won’t quite work for a horse’s annual checkup. Going to a vet who handles large animals helps keep your horse healthy. These medical professionals understand animal health and behavior; they also have a careful eye and can spot if something’s wrong.
Visiting the vet also gives you time to discuss dietary suggestions, exercise, and other ways to care for your horse. It’s easier to treat health problems when we catch them early.
Room to Run
Like most animals, horses need a regular outlet for exercise to burn off that extra energy. Most stables have fenced-in paddocks, so horses have a safe place to graze or run. But activities don’t end here! Regular horsemanship exercise tones your animal’s muscles and also keeps them sharp mentally. Mental stimulation and exercise can help keep anxiety at bay, curbing unhealthy habits like cribbing, and will keep your horse in tip-top physical condition.
Pro Tip
Most animal experts recommend using plastic fencing when establishing an area for your horse to run. Plastic fencing is a reliable and excellent material for paddock enclosures. It ensures their outdoor space is always safe. Unlike other materials, plastic horse fencing is water resistant and requires little in the way of maintenance.
Time to Relax
Whether you ride your horse for leisure, competition, or ranch work, it needs time to rest. This is an important tip for keeping your horse happy and healthy and averts physical exhaustion. Give them time to graze the field or relax in their stalls. The change of scenery is good for them mentally, the the rest rejuvenates them physically. After some time off, they’ll be ready to help you with work again or go galloping outside.
Feed Them an Optimal Diet
Horses have huge appetites, and grain and hay can get expensive, but you should never sacrifice quality for the price. The appropriate feed should have the necessary vitamins and should meet your horse's caloric needs. Poor-quality or inadequate feed leads to sluggishness and ill health.
Give Them a Friend
We all need a friend in life, and horses, being herd animals, are social creatures. Wild horses never live alone, so isolating your domestic horse goes against their nature. Without a four-legged friend—another horse, donkey, even a friendly barn dog—your horse could become lonely or depressed. Overall, the best way to show your horse how much you love them is by giving them the love, care, and attention they need.
