If you strive to achieve a close bond with your horse the chances are that your horse will be the healthier for it. Your companionship actually plays a huge role in your horse’s health! With proper care you can achieve a special relationship with a happy and healthy horse who will be a loyal companion for a lifetime.
Your Horse is a Family Member Too.
Most horse owners treat their horses as a part of their family, feeding them well, including exercise into lifestyle, keeping him well groomed and showering them with lots of love and attention. Whether you have horses for show, sport or leisure, having horses is a wonderful experience because they are beautiful loving animals. A horse can provide a rewarding experience for those involved in caring for it.
The Correct Way to Care for your Horse.
To some extent, the particular breed of horse you have will determine just how much maintenance and exercise it will require. They may be easy-going and loving animals, but like any other pet animal, there are certain essentials you will need to provide to ensure their health and happiness. The list below should give you an idea in just how much is required in terms of care if you want to keep a horse.
- Horses are large animals that require constant care and upkeep.
- Horses are very sociable animals that need love and lots of attention.
- You’ll need to visit them daily and care for them as part of your family.
- Horses need daily activities to keep them from becoming bored.
- Your horse will need a stall comfortable and big enough in which to eat and sleep.
- Provide your horse with a healthy, balanced diet.
- Your horse will need a constant supply of fresh water.
- Horses require certain vaccinations yearly.
- Routine health check-ups including worming and dental care.
- Foot care (hoof maintenance).
- Training (obedience).
- Horses must have a large area in which to exercise that will have to be cleaned often.
Horses will often act out if they do not get sufficient attention. He could try to break out of his stall in search of excitement, for example. Their general behaviour may change first of all. They may start to do things that you trained them not to do just because they are trying to capture your attention, a bit like kids really!
Owning a horse – more so than just about any other pet – is a huge commitment, so you need to be prepared for this. It also costs a lot of money, especially if the horse gets sick and needs medical attention from a veterinarian. This is just one of many reasons for which you will need to ensure you have good horse insurance.
A Healthy Horse Needs Plenty of Exercise.
Like us, horses like to have a bit of fun. There are plenty exercises you can do with your horse to keep them happy and in optimum health. Exercising should not, and does not need to be all day long. Horses should rest too. Remember also that it’s important to include a variety of different work and exercises for your horse as otherwise he will get bored quickly. You need try to change of similar activities or work frequently so the horses remain interested all the time.
Some Good Exercises to Help Your Horse Maintain Health and Strength.
- Riding in circles/Bending exercises: using circles in a figure of eight movement. You should perform these circle eight movements on both reins (left and right) to maintain even suppleness and balance on both reins.
- Lateral work: this is a bit like gym for horses. Horses are at first trained a range of exercises from the ground. You will notice that the horse’s obedience, strength and flexibility will improve over time.
- Pacing: these exercises help train your horse to control his movements while walking with you. Focus on training your horse to increase or decrease their speed in a mannerly fashion. For example, moving to a trot from walking.
- Training and control techniques; including endurance, jumping and dressage. Dressage training focuses on improving lateral work and pacing techniques. Endurance riding, as the name would suggest, focuses on improving the stamina of a horse.
You can exercise your horse virtually anywhere that space and safety allows. Make sure the horse is exercised in an area where he cannot escape. Also make sure the area is safe, so that neither you or the horse gets hurt. You can buy horse insurance to cover you if you are riding someone else’s horse; so be safe rather than sorry, as accidents can and do happen even to the most cautious of riders.
Horse exercise works well when executed in an area where the horse can concentrate. You can use either an outdoor or indoor arena, or a fenced-off area in a farm or larger field.
Riders as well as Horses will Benefit from Horse Exercises.
Both horse and rider will benefit from these exercises, as a rider can practice balance and position whilst performing them. The rider’s skills can improve dramatically over a short period. The rider’s goal is to develop good “contact” with the horse. “Contact” is the feeling of togetherness through your hands to the horse’s mouth and through your upper body to the horses back. How you have trained your horse – and how much of that training your horse has retained – will determine your level of “contact” with your horse. A well-trained horse will have the ability to work through the back and hindquarters. Good contact has been achieved when you can feel the reins soften as your horse arches his neck and rises his back; you will also notice him no longer pulling onward, but rather thrusting himself forward using the hindquarters.
When good contact has been achieved, you can then begin to work together to improve the health and happiness of your horse by performing exercises with your new best friend.
While exercise is key to a happy horse, other things can occur which may effect the health of your horse. If only it were true that a happy horse will always be a healthy horse. Sadly there are plenty of ailments and illnesses from which horses can suffer, which is why it is important to also have good horse insurance to cover the cost of unexpected vet’s fees.