HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR HORSE

HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR HORSE

Horses require a lot of care and attention. This guide will help you learn how to care for a horse by giving simple steps to keeping a horse happy and healthy!

Steps

1. Every day that you go out to ride your horse they need to be groomed. First check them over from head to toe to make sure they have no swellings or cuts, a little scrape is fine along as it is not too deep or big.

2. When you are done checking him or her over starting your grooming routine. They will need to be curried, have their mane and tail brushed, have their hooves picked, and they need to be brushed with a soft brush and than a hard one.

3. Next comes the saddle and bridle. First get your needed tack, then put the saddle pad on your horse. Next comes the saddle. Tighten the girth and check to make sure the saddle fits. Then put the reins over your horse’s head and put the bit in their mouth. If they toss their head up either get an older taller person to help you or place your hand over their forehead then bridle them. Check all the straps and lead them to your riding area.

4. Next check the girth again, some horses like to puff out when you put the girth on. Roll down the stirrups, both of the stirrups (individually) should be as long as your arm. Mount your horse!

5. Exercise is important it is how horses stay in shape. Ride your horse for no more than two hours but only ride that long if you give your horse drinks and plenty of breaks. Don’t ride in the arena all the time or your horse may become ring sour meaning they will never co-operate with you in the arena.

6. Then take the tack off them and give them a drink. Never let them drink too much or they can become sickly. If they are still wet consider hosing them off if it is above 52 degrees Fahrenheit. If you do hose them off use a sweat scraper to get rid of the excess water. If your horse is afraid of the hose use a wet sponge to rinse them off. They will most likely roll. That’s ok, it’s normal!

7. Their stalls will also need to be tended to. Use shavings, straw, or what works best for you. Get a pitchfork and a bucket and empty all the manure into the bucket. Get the wet spots also. Make sure you get all of the wet spots as they can smell terrible! But your horse doesn’t need a stall to survive, they live just fine in the pasture!

8. Check that your horse has fresh water and their water bucket is clean. Feed them as necessary. Talk to the previous owner(s) about how much you feed them, what you feed them, and how often. Try to keep their diet as simple as possible (remember, all wild horses have is grass!), stuff like grass hay and clean oats is good for them and can reduce the chance of colic. Make sure it has a good sized field for them to go eat grass.

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