Equine Basic Care

On my family farm like many others we have a few horses. Our horses are used for recreational trail riding and for getting the cows from one pasture to the next. Propper horse care is essential to keep them healthy and ready to go when you need them.

First off, horses are grazing animals and they need a large pasture with adequate forages. Fencing should be wooden and very sturdy. Barbed wire fencing is not reccomended.

 

 

Horses need a barn so they can get out of the elements such as hot summer days, thunderstorms, and very windy days. They also need a large supply of fresh clean water. They will drink 5-10 gallons daily depending on weather conditions.

A regular vaccination and de worming scheldule is very important if you want to have healthy horses. Horses should be de wormed every 2-3 months and should rotate the brands of wormer each time. They are constantly eating off the ground and are easily succepable to parasies. A vaccination scheldule should consist of Eastern Western West Nile Virus vaccination, Rhinovirus vaccination, Tetanus, and Rabies vacciantions. Consult your veternarian for your horses vaccination scheldule.