Horse care | Pets

Horse care

Article by jekky

(7380, ?Living environment br Worldwide horses and other equids usually live outside with access to shelter from the elements In some cases animals are kept in a barn or stable or may have access to a shed or shelter Horses require both shelter from wind and precipitation as well as room to exercise and run They must have access to clean fresh water at all times and access to adequate forage such as grass or hay In the winter horses grow a heavy hair coat to keep warm and usually stay warm if well fed and allowed access to shelter But if kept artificially clipped for show or if under stress from age sickness or injury a horse blanket may need to be added to protect the horse from cold weather In the summer access to shade is well advised For horse owners who do not own their own land fields and barns can be rented from a private land owner or space for an individual horse may be rented from a boarding farm Unless an animal can be fully maintained on pasture with a natural open water source horses must be fed daily preferably at least twice a day If a horse cannot be fed by its owner every day it is usually kept at a boarding stable where the staff will care for the horse for a fee As equines are herd animals most have better mental behavior when in proximity to other equine company However this is not always possible and it has been known for companionship bonds to develop between horses and cats goats and other species There are exceptions Some horses particularly stallions may need to live on their own as they may fight with other animals Horses that are not on full time turnout in a field or pasture normally require some form of regular exercise whether it is being 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 kept in a box stall br Pastures br Horses require room to exercise br If a horse is kept in a pasture the amount of land needed for basic maintenance varies with climate an animal needs more land for grazing in a dry climate than in a moist one However an average of between one and 3 160 acres 12 000 160 m2 of land per horse will provide adequate forage in much of the world though feed may have to be supplemented in winter or during periods of drought To lower the risk of laminitis horses also may need to be removed from lush rapidly changing grass for short periods in the spring and fall autumn when the grass is particularly high in non structural carbohydrates such as fructans If the terrain does not provide natural shelter in the form of heavy trees or other windbreaks an artificial shelter must be provided a horse s insulating hair coat works less efficiently when wet or when subjected to wind horses that cannot get away from wind and precipitation put unnecessary energy into maintaining core body warmth and may become susceptible to illness Some horses are turned out in a natural setting during the winter or when retired from work However even in these cases animals need to be checked frequently for evidence of injury parasites sickness or weight loss Horses cannot live for more than a few days without water Therefore even in a natural semi feral setting a check every day is recommended a stream or irrigation source can dry up ponds may become stagnant or develop toxic blue green algae a fence can break and allow escape poisonous plants can take root and grow windstorms precipitation or even human vandalism can create unsafe conditions br Fences and pens br Wood and wood like synthetics are classic and attractive forms of fencing br Horses evolved to live on prairie grasslands and to cover long distances unfettered by artificial barriers Therefore when fenced in accident potential must be considered Horses will put their heads and legs through fences in an attempt to reach forage on the other side They may run into fences if chased by another animal or even when running at play if the fence such as a wire fence is not particularly visible The smaller the area the more visible and substantial a fence needs to be For exercise alone a pen run corral or dry lot without forage can be much smaller than a pasture and this is a common way that many horses are managed kept in a barn with a turnout run or in a dry lot with a shelter feeding hay allowing either no pasture access or grazing for only a few hours per day Outdoor turnout pens range greatly in size but 12 160 feet 4 160 m by 20 to 30 160 feet 9 160 m is a bare minimum for a horse that does not get ridden daily To gallop for short stretches a horse needs a run of at least 50 to 100 160 feet 30 160 m When kept in a dry lot a barn or shelter is a must If kept in a small pen a horse needs to be worked regularly or turned out in a larger area for free exercise br A sturdy and well made wooden post and rail fence that is suitable for horses br Fences in pens must be sturdy In close quarters a horse may contact the fence frequently Wire is very dangerous in any small pen Pens are often made of metal pipe or wood Larger pens are sometimes enclosed in closely woven mesh sometimes called no climb fencing However if a wire mesh is used in a small pen the openings must be too small for a horse hoof to pass through br Types of fencing br See also Agricultural fencing br One danger of a wire fence is that as shown in this photo it is practically invisible a running animal may not see the fence until it is too late to avoid running into it br Over vast areas barbed wire is often seen in some parts of the world but it is the most dangerous fencing material that can be used around horses even in a large pasture If a horse is caught in barbed wire it can quickly become severely hurt often leaving lasting scars or even permanent injuries Horse management books and periodicals are nearly universal in stating that barbed wire should never be used to contain horses However this advice is widely ignored particularly in the western United States Various types of smooth wire fencing particularly when supported by a strand of electric fence can be used to enclose a large pasture of several acres and is one of the least expensive fencing options A wire fence should have at least four preferably five strands to provide adequate security However even without sharp barbs wire has the highest potential for horses to become tangled in the fence and injured If used it must be properly installed and kept tight through regular maintenance Visibility is also an issue a horse galloping in an unfamiliar pasture may not see a wire fence until it is too late to stop br A heavy woven mesh with closely spaced strands is relatively safe for horses as they cannot easily break the fence nor put a foot through it br Woven mesh wire is safer but more expensive than strands of smooth wire It is more difficult to install and has some visibility issues but horses are less likely to become tangled in it or be injured if they run into it Adding a top rail of wood or synthetic material increases visibility of the fence and prevents it from being bent by horses reaching over it A strand of electric fence may also keep horses from pushing on a mesh fence Mesh fencing needs to be heavy gauge wire woven not welded and the squares of the mesh should be too small for a horse to put a foot through Field fence or no climb fence are safer designs than more widely woven sheep fence Chain link fence is occasionally seen but horses can bend chain link almost as easily as a thinner gauge wire so the additional expense is often not justified by any gain over good quality woven wire br Electric fencing made of modern synthetic materials with fine wire interwoven throughout make a visible and inexpensive fence Use of plastic posts allows a temporary fence to be set up and moved easily as needed An electric fence such as this is good for dividing up a grazing area but should not be used as a boundary fence or in areas where animals will put a lot of pressure on the fence br Electric fence comes in many styles of wire rope and webbing and is particularly useful for internal division of pastures It carries only a mild charge that causes a noticeable shock but no permanent injury to animals or people It is relatively inexpensive and is easy to install but if electricity fails it is easily broken It is excellent both as a temporary fence and in single strands as a top or middle barrier to keep horses away from conventional fencing There is some danger that horses can become tangled in an electric fence though because the materials are finer it usually breaks stopping the current though injuries are still possible Because electricity can fail it should not be the sole fencing used on property boundaries particularly next to roads though a strand on top may be used to keep a horse from leaning over a fence made of other materials Nor should it be used alone in small pens where horses may accidentally bump into it on a regular basis However small single horse enclosures are sometimes seen at endurance riding competition where temporary fencing must be set up in remote areas In residential areas warning signs should be posted on any boundary fences with electrified sections to keep people from touching the fence and accidentally being shocked Wood is the classic form of horse fencing either painted planks or natural round rails It is one of the safest materials for containing horses Wood or a synthetic material with similar properties is the best option for small paddocks pens and corrals It can be used to fence pastures and has some ability to give or break if a horse collides with it However wood is expensive high maintenance and not completely without safety concerns boards can splinter nails can stick out and cause lacerations Wood like synthetics are even more expensive but are often safer and lower maintenance br A pipe fence will not break br Cable of various sorts is sometimes used for horse fencing and especially if combined with a top rail or pipe or wood can be reasonably safe However if cable is not kept tight like wire horses can be tangled in it However it not only cannot break but unlike wire it also cannot easily be cut by humans Its advantage over wire is that it poses less of a risk of entanglement It is often less expensive than wood or pipe has some give if a horse runs into it and requires relatively little maintenance Metal pipe is often used for fences instead of wood and if properly installed can be fairly safe in the right circumstances Pipe is often the most expensive fencing option but is low maintenance and is very strong Pipe will generally not give or break if it is run into or if the horse puts a foot through it which can itself be a potential injury risk horse owners debate the relative merits and dangers of pipe versus wood for horse fencing Usually pipe is most suitable for very small areas such as pens where a horse may often bump or test the fence but will not be at risk of colliding with the fence at full speed br A Kentucky limestone fence br Solid wall masonry fences typically either brick or fieldstone are a type of horse fencing with an ancient tradition Advantages of stone fences are high visibility durability strength and safety Horses cannot get caught or tangled in them put legs through and if a horse runs into one the impact is spread over much of the body rather than concentrated on a single spot They will last for decades with only minor repairs The major disadvantage is the cost the materials are expensive fences require skilled labor for proper construction and take longer to build br Barns and stables br See also barn 160 and stable br A large horse stable in Poland br Horses are sometimes kept indoors in buildings called either barns or stables The terms are often used interchangeably a barn is the more general term for a rural building that houses livestock the term stable is more often used in urban areas and can be used as a noun to refer to the building that houses horses or the collection of horses themselves or as a verb to describe the act of keeping horses in a stable These buildings are usually unheated and well ventilated horses may develop respiratory problems when kept in damp or stuffy conditions Most horse barns have a number of box stalls inside that allow many horses to be safely stabled together in separate quarters There are also separate areas or even rooms for feed equipment and tack storage and in some large stables there may be additional facilities such as a veterinary treatment area or a washing area in the building Barns may be designed to hold one horse in the backyard of a family home or be a commercial operation capable of holding dozens of animals br Box stalls in a barn or stable should be of sturdy construction and cleaned daily br The standard dimensions for a box stall called a box in the UK and a stall in the USA vary from 10 by 12 to 14 by 14 depending on local cultural traditions the breed of horse gender and any special needs Mares with foals often are kept in double stalls Stallions kept?)

About the Author

I am China Quality Digital writer, reports some information about tungsten halogen lamps , ge halogen bulbs.

Written by: Dan on July 23, 2011.

Posted by Dan on Saturday, July 23, 2011 at 5:10 pm?
Filed under Horses ? Tagged with Barns, Box Stall, care, Cold Weather, Companionship, equine, Equines, Forage, Free Time, Fresh Water, Goats, Hair Coat, Herd Animals, horse, Horse Blanket, Horse Care, Horse Owners, Horses, Open Water, Pasture, Private Land, Water Source

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