Horses naturally live in herds and a normal horse is never alone by choice. These facts drive the behaviour of horses and cause them to do some of the things that can seem irrational to us – such as panic if they get separated from other horses. Living as part…
Horses require lots of daily exercise because they are essentially grazing athletes. When you own a horse you need to know that exercise is a very important part of caring for a horse. It is not acceptable to keep horses confined in yards or stables without providing lots of opportunities…
Grooming should be undertaken as part of your routine horse care. Basic grooming involves brushing the whole of the body in the direction of the hair growth to remove mud and dust, and also picking out the feet. As well as making sure your horse does not have any dirt/grit…
All horses must have access to clean drinking water 24 hours a day. Horses should always be provided with more water than they need so that there is no risk of them not getting enough to drink. How much water does my horse actually need? An average 500kg (approximately 15hh)…
To answer this question we first need to know how a healthy horse looks and behaves. What are the signs of a healthy horse? The normal behaviour of individual horses varies to some extent so it is important that you know what is normal for your horse as well as…
The simple answer is as late as possible, when you are absolutely certain of the commitment of your child (and the rest of the family) to horse/pony ownership. Owning a horse or pony is a very big commitment and a lot of thought should go into deciding whether to take…
Understanding at least basic horse behaviour is a very important part of responsible horse ownership. A good understanding of horse behaviour underpins all aspects of good horse management, training and riding. The key points that should always be remembered about horses are: Horses are highly social herd animals Horses are…
A vet or qualified equine dentist should be called in regularly to thoroughly examine and carry out any necessary work on your horse’s teeth. Horses aged 2-5 years should have their teeth checked prior to commencing work or at six monthly intervals. After the age of five years (when the…
Horses have evolved to eat a very high fibre diet so this should be the main component of any feeding regime. Any extra nutrients or higher energy feeds the horse may need can be added by supplementary feeding if the hay or grass is deficient or the horse is working…
You should suspect that your horse has ‘Queensland Itch’ if it develops a reoccurring, itchy skin condition every summer and if the itching occurs mainly around the butt of the tail and around the base of the mane. In bad cases the itchy areas involve the whole back area and…