This safety video brought to you by Certified Horsemanship Association (www.cha.horse)
Fred and Stan will demonstrate an easy and safe method of putting up a Highline for your horse.
By the EIE Editorial Staff
We love horses and owning a horse can be a very rewarding experience, but it's important to be aware of the challenges involved before you take the plunge. Here are 10 of the biggest challenges you're likely to face.
1. Financial Commitment
Horses are expensive animals to keep. You'll need to factor in the cost of bedding and feed, farrier services, veterinary care, stabling or boarding fees, deworming, vaccinations, and other miscellaneous expenses. You may also choose to insure your horse which is an additional cost.
2.Time Commitment
Horses are social animals that require regular handling and attention. You'll need to spend time each day feeding, watering, cleaning their stall, grooming, and exercising them. Even if you board your horse at a stable, you'll still need to factor in travel time to and from the barn.
3. Finding Suitable Housing
Horses need a safe and secure place to live. You'll either need to have enough property to provide them with pasture and shelter, or you'll need to board them at a stable. Boarding fees can vary depending on the location and amenities offered. Here's a Boarding Checklist to help you in your search.
4. Training
Even if you're buying a well-trained horse, you'll still need to take some time to get to know each other and build a bond. Horses are intelligent creatures that can learn a lot, but they also have their own minds and can be stubborn at times. You may also want to hire a trainer or participate in a clinic.
5. Health Care
Horses are susceptible to a variety of health problems, some of which can be very expensive to treat. It's important to have a good relationship with a veterinarian who specializes in equine care. Equine dentists and therapy also help with maintaining good health for your horse.
6. Commitment for the Long Haul
Horses can live for 20 to 30 years or even longer. When you buy a horse, you're making a long-term commitment to their care. Be sure you're prepared to provide them with a loving home for their entire lifetime. At some point, you may choose a retirement home for them so they will have a peaceful life in their final years if their current living situation is not suitable for their advancing age. And finally, there are difficult decisions to make when your beloved horse crosses the rainbow bridge.
7. Unexpected Costs
Even if you budget carefully, there will always be unexpected costs that come up, such as a sudden illness or injury. It's important to have a financial cushion to cover these costs.
8. Finding a Horse that's Right for You
With so many different breeds and types of horses available for so many riding disciplines, it's important to find one that's a good match for your experience level, riding style, and budget. Do your research and try out a few different horses before you make a decision.
9. Safety
Horses are large, powerful animals, and they can be dangerous if not handled properly. It's important to learn how to handle horses safely on the ground and in the saddle. Always wear a helmet and appropriate safety gear when riding.
10. Finding Support
Owning a horse can be a challenging but rewarding experience. It's important to have a support system in place, such as a trainer, a farrier, a veterinarian, and other horse owners. These people can provide you with guidance, support, and friendship.
Keeping all of these in mind, owning a horse can be an incredibly fulfilling and rewarding relationship for many years, so treasure every moment!
You can find more interesting stories in our section on Recreation & Lifestyle.
CHA Master Instructor and Clinician Mitzi Summers explains the hows and whys of long lining or double lunging a horse in this educational video by the Certified Horsemanship Association
For more information on the largest certifying body of riding instructors and barn managers in North America, Certified Horsemanship Association, please visit www.CHA.horse. To find a certified equine professional or accredited equine facility near you, visit www.CHA.horse
By Kentucky Equine Research Staff
For most horsemen, spring is a welcome season. Among other reasons, spring brings the green up of pastures. While grass seems the most natural of feedstuffs for horses and ponies, it can stir up health concerns in susceptible individuals.
When it comes to consumption of spring pasture, horses and ponies hardly hold back; horses can consume over 3% and ponies up to 5% of body weight daily. “Given that horses and ponies usually consume 1.5-2% of their body weight in forage and feed to maintain body weight, these numbers alone explain why horse owners run into problems with lush grass,” said Kathleen Crandell, Ph.D., a nutritionist with Kentucky Equine Research.
Despite its nutritional benefits, spring grass can be high in sugar and starch, depending on the type of grass. “Levels of nonstructural carbohydrates (NSC) as high as 40% dry matter have been recorded in certain grasses. Cool season perennials—like ryegrass, timothy, orchardgrass, bluegrass—are especially predisposed to accumulating sugars and fructans,” explained Crandell.
Let’s review some of the common issues that can spring up along with green grass.
Horses on lush grass often expel excessive amounts of gas. Issues arise because the high carbohydrate content of lush grass may cause rapid fermentation of fiber in the hindgut, changing the microbial balance, and an increase in gas-producing microbes can occur. Any shift in the microbial population of the digestive tract can cause excessive gas production. The microbes that ferment sugars and fructans produce copious amounts of gas. “If there is good flow to the digesta in the tract, which is often the case with high-moisture spring grass, the gas will be easily expelled, although it may cause mild discomfort,” Crandell said.
She added, “Horses that are on pasture 24/7 during the winter and into the spring as the grass begins to green up have fewer problems than those who are suddenly introduced to grass because the intestinal microbiome has time to adapt to the changes gradually.”
A change in manure is common when horses consume lush spring grass, most likely because of the elevated water content of grasses, which can reach 85%. If the horse’s manure has green-cowpie consistency when first allowed to graze in the springtime, then the cause is probably the new diet, not disease, Crandell said.
However, horses can develop pathological diarrhea, particularly if they are allowed full-on access to spring grass without acclimation. A dramatic shift in the makeup of the hindgut microbiome, as described previously, can make the horse more susceptible to blooms of pathogenic bacteria that naturally reside in the hindgut. Always consult with a veterinarian when drastic changes occur in a horse’s manure, especially if it is watery and lasts more than a day or two.
Access to pasture is generally associated with a decreased risk of colic. When it comes to spring grass, though, colic risk rises, primarily due to changes that occur in the gastrointestinal environment consequent to overconsumption.
Further, certain horses may have a problem transitioning from a high-fiber diet of hay or mature grass to lush grass, which has a much lower fiber content. Lack of fiber may cause intestinal upset. This is one reason why many owners offer hay to horses at the same time they’re consuming lush pasture grasses.
Several modes of action may cause laminitis depending on the individual horse and its susceptibility.
One chain of events involves the hindgut. When a horse consumes excessive amounts of spring grass, some of the sugar in it bypasses digestion in the small intestine and ends up in the hindgut. This produces a bloom of lactate-producing gram-negative bacteria that rapidly ferments the sugar and fructans. The byproduct of this fermentation is increasing amounts of lactic acid, which drop the pH of the hindgut. As the pH decreases, other microbes die, releasing endotoxins, reactive amines, and exotoxins into the bloodstream. These are thought to adversely affect circulation, increase inflammation, and destroy lamellar basement membranes in the hooves, causing laminitis.
Another mode of action implicates insulin dysregulation. Consumption of high-sugar grasses causes a rise in blood glucose, which triggers a release of insulin in an attempt to reduce glucose levels by helping to usher it into cells. If a horse or pony is insulin resistant, this mechanism malfunctions, so the pancreas releases more insulin, gradually increasing levels of insulin in the bloodstream. This hyperinsulinemia triggers alterations in blood flow to the hoof, boosts expression of lamellar pro-inflammatory cytokines that activate inflammation, and alters glucose metabolism within the hoof lamellae.
Horses require fiber in their diets. Because springtime grass contains little fiber, some horses will look elsewhere to satisfy this need. Horses often chew fence boards or rip bark from trees as a way to consume more fiber. Horses may colic from eating indigestible wood, possibly as a result of impaction. As mentioned above, feeding hay can help alleviate this problem, as it adds palatable fiber to the diet.
Safe springtime turnout requires planning. According to Crandell, management strategies include:
Reprinted courtesy of Kentucky Equine Research. Kentucky Equine Research is an international equine nutrition, research, and consultation company serving horse owners and the feed industry. Our goals are to advance the industry's knowledge of equine nutrition and exercise physiology, apply that knowledge to produce healthier, more athletic horses, and support the nutritional care of all horses throughout their lives. Learn more at https://ker.com.
There a more informative articles in our section on Health & Education.
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