Tips on How to Keep Your Horse Healthy

Open Spear Ranch of Montana is a wonderful place for horses to be born and raised. The ranch is ideally located among streams, hills and fields, giving horses a variety of terrain to adjust to so they can grow up to be strong and deal with all sorts of situations they find themselves in during their long lives.

If you own a horse or you’re thinking of taking on the responsibility of caring for one, there are some good tips to know.

For instance, horses need to drink plenty of fresh, clean, unfrozen water on a daily basis. Even if they only drink once or twice a day, it’s important to always make sure water’s available at all times in case they get thirsty. As for food, only feed horses hay that’s free from dust and mold. They also like to eat grass.

Taking care of horses means caring for their health. Therefore, make sure they get their needed vaccinations to protect against things like equine influenza and rabies. They also need regular deworming. Just like people go to doctors for check-ups, it’s a good idea to have an equine veterinarian examine your horse on a regular basis.

In order to keep horses healthy, it’s important that there aren’t too many horses on too little a plot of land– they need space to roam. Rotate pastures if possible and remove their feces as best you can so their exposure to parasites and other nasty stuff is minimized.

Just like people need companionship, exercise and mental stimulation, horses do too. The more time they get to spend outdoors among other horses the better. If and when there’s extreme weather outside, such as hot, humid conditions or cold, wet and windy conditions, it’s best to keep them inside to rest.

Finally, pay special attention to hoof care and teeth. Hooves may need trimming every two months if they don’t get enough natural wear and teeth should be checked and made smoother once a year by a professional equine dentist or veterinarian.