Horse and Pony Care By the Day, Week, Month and Year
Horse care takes time, and there are things you should have a routine of daily, weekly, monthly and yearly tasks to properly care for your horse. The best way to keep track of what must be done and scheduled is to keep a calendar. You will find that you will develop your own.
horse and pony care
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Daily Horse Care
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Provide your horse with fresh clean water. Clean, readily available water is essential for good horse care.
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Provide your horse with adequate fodder and concentrates. If feeding hay, your horse will eat approximately 2% to 3% of its body weight every day.
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Provide adequate shelter and blanketing according to the weather. The design of your shelter, whether run-in shed or stable is very important for proper care. Horses need a place to get out of the wind and wet.
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Do a visual check for scrapes, cuts, bruises and puncture wounds on your horse's legs, head, and body. Treat any injuries promptly. You should have a horse first aid kit on hand.
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Do a visual check for signs of illness such as runny eyes or noses, or sounds of coughing or wheezing.
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Clean your horse's hooves and check for bruising or cracks, or loose shoes.
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Muck out the stall if your horse is stabled. Ammonia from urine and manure is harmful to horse's lungs and hooves and can cause problems like thrush.
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Weekly Horse Care
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Check the amount of concentrate, fodder, and bedding on hand. Try to have at least two weeks supply on hand, so if there is an emergency you don't run short.
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If you care for your horse on a small acreage, clean manure from paddocks. This cuts down on flies, keeps the grounds clean for the same reason you'd clean a stall, and makes a nice environment for you and your horse.
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Check fences for broken rails, loose wire, protruding nails, loose gates etc...that could cause injury.
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Scrub out water trough and feed buckets. Built up concentrates on the inside of feed buckets can spoil, and troughs can get soiled with chaff, dirt, and algae.
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Monthly Horse Care
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If you board your horse at a stable, make sure your board bill is paid on time.
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Horse Care Every Six to Eight Weeks
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Have your farrier in to trim hooves or re-set horseshoes. Leaving hooves to grow too long is hard on your horse's legs, and unhealthy for their hooves.
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Every Two to Three Months
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Some people feed a daily dose of medication, some have a six week or nine-week schedule. After the first hard frost, or once the fly season is over, you may also want to de-worm for botfly larvae.
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Administer de-worming medication. It's important to have a de-worming schedule to keep your horse healthy.
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Once a Year Horse Care
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Have teeth checked and floated by an equine dentist or veterinarian. Some horses may need checking and floating every six months.
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Have immunizations administered by a veterinarian.
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