In challenging economic times we all are searching for ways to save money. It is no secret that keeping horses is a luxury, and there is a significant cost for their daily care, let alone the unexpected expenses. A bargain is defined as, “goods or services offered for sale for less money than usual or expected”. If we get something at a discounted price, we like to think we came out ahead. Sometimes we can say we struck a bargain, but quite often, as another saying goes, you get what you pay for.
In my travels, I often find horse owners who have fallen on hard times, as well as those who did not plan well when they got that “free” horse, who had a moment of weakness and did not understand the real needs of that horse, or who didn’t know very much about owning a horse. This article covers some of the basics of keeping a horse from a more holistic perspective. These are essential needs, which, if understood and correctly applied, could save many horses from the disorders that so often sideline them, and sometimes bring them to an untimely end. Attending to these needs will go a long way to avoiding expensive vet and other bills down the road, and actually cost less money.
If we look at the wild and feral horses that still exist throughout the world, we can learn and better understand what keeps them healthy without the interference of humans. The more we know about how these horses thrive in nature and apply it to our care for domesticated horses, the greater their chances will be for a healthier life under our care. Here’s what I see as the basics of good care as it relates to the horse—from the horse’s perspective as opposed to ours.
1. Most important: YOU. A proactive, discerning caregiver who is willing to sacrifice time, money and resources, and who has a desire to learn and think critically about what makes a truly healthy horse.
2. A CLEAN DIVERSE ENVIRONMENT for the horse to live in that supports its innate needs as a species: room to run at speed, at liberty, with herd mates, and the freedom to do this as much as possible—ideally 24/7. No stalls or confinement to small paddocks starting from birth. Far too many horses live in stalls where their only movement is in a soft, indoor facility with tack and a rider attached. These horses never get to develop natural muscle tone or well developed internal hoof structures and then we wonder why they have breakdowns and injuries. Too often, use exceeds the horse’s ability because of a lack of conditioning at liberty. Movement is medicine for the horse and the human.
My current herd in one of our three pastures. The majority of their day is spent in a Paddock Paradise also known as a Track System we began building for our horses in 2009. We have updated the system over the years according to how the horses utilized it. I wouldn’t keep horses any other way.
3. A DIET that respects a horse’s need to have forage available free choice, defined as hay and pasture. Supplementation only when it is needed—you would be surprised at how very little they do need beyond forage. A supplement that plugs the holes in what is missing from forage, and if they have a special condition where supplements and/or medication improves their quality of life.
Diet will be covered in much more detail in upcoming articles.
Eating hay from hay nets encourages them to use their incisors year round to grasp forage. Something which cannot be achieved when only grabbing hay with their lips or feed from a bucket. I cut my hay bill by 1/3rd using hay nets. Less waste too.
4. HOOF CARE provided by a knowledgeable professional who practices whole-horse hoof care. There’s a horse attached to those hooves! Hoof care must be REGULAR (every 4–6 weeks for the average horse) unless your horse lives and moves in an environment where he can wear them naturally. This does happen in domestication, but unfortunately it is the rare exception. The reason we have to provide hoof care services is because our horse-keeping practices do not allow the necessary amount of movement for horses to self-trim. Know what a healthy hoof is and what it is not. Be knowledgeable about basic hoof anatomy. Look for the causes of problems instead of covering them up with “hoof” prescriptions, supplements or remedies. Nothing can replace movement.
Cold Creek Mustangs self trimming hooves by movement in their environment
The horse above had Cushings Syndrome and was very sensitive to any change. You can see that he has many event rings indicating laminitis.
5. Regularly scheduled DENTAL CARE. As far as I am concerned, this is the most important service we must provide for our horses, besides hoof care, every 6–12 months or as recommended by a certified equine dentist. Choose a dentist who understands the balance in the horse’s mouth starting with the incisors (the teeth you see behind your horse’s lips). Everything starts in the mouth, and it is much more than just the ability to grind food. It’s about movement. This is why I recommend Natural Balance Dentistry or Neuromuscular Dentistry. Why do horses need to have their teeth floated (filed) in the first place? As with the hooves, the teeth do not wear at the rate of eruption because for much of the year our horses are eating the processed feed that we provide, so they do not use their incisors (front teeth) as Nature intended to grab and cut all their forage. As a result, the incisors become long and often imbalanced, especially compared to the molars. Remember everything starts with the mouth. If the jaw cannot move freely forward, backward and side to side, neither can the body without compensation. Often this compensation is subtle until we start asking the horse to do something it physically cannot do without pain because of a dental malocclusion, or worse yet, improper dentistry. The horses try to tell us with changed behavior, but all we can see is a behavior problem. They try to tell us with lameness issues, and we try shoeing packages, joint injections and supplements to get back movement that was lost. Quite often that movement began to diminish as the teeth became imbalanced.
Don’t bargain hunt with dentistry and don’t put it off because there doesn’t seem to be a problem. Why wait for one? Dental care is often only needed once each year, unless your horse has dental abnormalities like a parrot mouth, where the upper incisors do not come together with the lowers. So be wise and save for it. Keep your horse healthy and his mouth balanced with regular dental care provided by a professional equine dentist. Beware of power floating! This procedure has been rolled out to make it easier on the dentist so they can do more horses with less work in a day. Once the teeth are damaged you cannot replace them. It can literally take years off a horses life. More information is available in the book at the end of this article.
Equine Dentist, Wendy Bryant floating Josies teeth at Mustang Valley Sanctuary
6. Check your SADDLE FIT. Does your saddle allow the horse to move freely under it? If you don’t know you need to find out. Many lameness issues and spinal problems have their genesis in ill-fitting saddles. Your horse will tell you. Back pain, tenderness to the brush, girthy, bucking and rearing, muscle wasting and white patches on the withers, shoulders and spine, are all indicators of saddle-fit issues. Know the signs, so you can remedy the real problem without a prescription!
Besides the saddle, what back, neck, knee, or hip injuries have you had in the course of your life that cause YOU to be imbalanced? Everything that is imbalanced about you will show up in your horse as well. So many people have no idea how much of an impact this makes on their horse. Both the saddle and the rider are the major cause for sore backs and hoof issues in horses. Chiropractic has become very popular for horses especially. If you are going to ride, and ride often, you owe it to your horse to have a chiropractic exam and/or adjustment for both of you, and possibly acupuncture and massage as well, as often as needed.
Also visit James Shaw- https://truthofthehorse.kartra.com/page/home to learn the principals of riding from within. At an American Hoof Association Conference several years ago, I had the opportunity to learn these same principles from James. Being centered as I work under the horse trimming hooves helps me and the horse have a good experience.
Master Saddle Maker, Dave Genadek demonstrating how saddles fit at a clinic I arranged with him in 2014. https://www.youtube.com/user/aboutthehorse
7. One more thing about YOU. This may be a difficult conversation for some but, rider fitness is a major issue. I was a trail guide in the 1970s and guided hundreds of people through the trails at Templed Hills in Jefferson Valley, NY. An overweight or unfit person was rare, and we always had 1 or 2 horses who could get the job done, but he or she didn’t have to do it for every ride or even every day. Many years have now gone by and I have never seen so many “unfit” people! We simply invite injury to ourselves and our horses when we are not fit!
This is a true story…
I attended a local clinic 15 years ago, and the clinician was going to help 3 young riders with problems they were having with their horses. The second participant was, to put it plainly, extremely overweight. Her problem was that her horse would not lope for her. I felt the clinician should have been more discerning and previewed the participants before they brought their horses into the arena. So, here he is, on the spot to help this young girl lope with her horse in the presence of all who attended. With his help on the ground, the horse engaged into a lope. As they circled the arena, the rhythm of the girl moving in the saddle began to lag, so she was coming back down into the saddle as the horse was striding forward. All her weight hit the cantle of the saddle with a jolt to his spine until the horse could not take it anymore. He planted all 4 feet into the soft arena dirt, ejected his rider over his head and into the wall of the building, freeing himself from the experience. She turned out to be OK, but this could have been a different story, and unfortunately, for some it is. And what about the horse? How many are blamed for bad behavior when they were just trying to communicate from their perspective. Just because a horse is able to carry a human, it is unreasonable to expect them to perform with an unfit rider on their back, and for the most part, many of the horses today are unfit as well. Be honest with yourself and get fit for your own health AND your horse’s health. You can do it together! Your horse will thank you!
And, just so you know, I had to learn how to regain fitness as well as confidence to sit right and balanced on my own horse after recovering from a serious car accident in 1998 followed by neck surgery. I still go to a Chiropractor regularly.
As horse owners, we need to “keep our side of the bargain,” a saying that means we will carry out the promises we’ve made as part of an agreement. In this case we are talking about the agreement between you and your horse. When your new horse steps off the trailer and into your care, you are making an agreement to provide for their every need, and as you read through the list here, you will see that these needs are essential to the whole horse—body, mind, spirit and environment. Horse ownership is a serious commitment to the welfare of another being. We need to understand and listen to our horse, and correctly identify and remedy the real causes of the issues that send far too many of them to sales, auctions, rescues, and sometimes euthanasia.
Educate yourself so you can make informed choices. Find the best team of practitioners to help you keep you and your horse well, and don’t be afraid to “drive a hard bargain”, especially if you compete in any way. Knowledge is Power! Remember, in your quest to save a few dollars, you may find out that what you thought was a good deal actually turned out to be “more than you bargained for.”
The best book that I can point you to, by someone I know personally, that covers these important health topics and more is “Insight to Equus…Holistic Veterinary Perspectives on Health and Healing”, by Tomas G. Teskey, DVM. insighttoequus.com
This article was written and published on my website in 2012 and has been updated
I am loving all the information you are providing and hungry for more!
And, this is a little crazy Geri but I used to trail ride at Templed Hills when I was a kid!! I definitely was riding there in the early 70s!! Small world!
Looking forward to your next article!
well written (as always)informative..knowledge is power...if we are going to own them we must try to do our best to take care of them to the best of our abilties..thank you Geri for your continued education and efforts to make a better world for the equine community!