Horse Care Needs

It is important you develop a partnership with a veterinarian prior to an emergency. You can begin developing a partnership by consulting your veterinarian for your horse's routine and preventive health care.

Vaccinations: Your horse should be vaccinated at least once a year.

Parasite Control: Your horse needs to be de-wormed several times each year.

Dental Care: Teeth should be checked by a veterinarian once a year.

First Aid: Keep a first aid kit handy containing bandage material, a thermometer, and ointments.

Vitamin and Mineral Supplements: There are lots of different mineral and vitamin supplements on the market. Feeding excessive levels can cause problems for horses.

Foot Care: Clean your horse's hooves before and after you ride. Examine all hooves frequently for problems.

Visit FrontRangeFrenzy.com for easy and practical horse care information.

Need a Place to Keep Your Horse or Pony?

If you're keeping your horse on your own property or looking for a suitable boarding stable, the following is recommended reading.

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Horse Barns Big and Small

* NEW AND EXPANDED EDITION ~ MORE BARNS MORE INFORMATION *

Includes practical advice on planning issues and step-by-step construction procedures that will help you build the barn you need. This authoritative source of specialized information takes you from the site selection to final details.

A great resource for horse shelter plans, from simple run-in sheds to full-blown barns including requirements for hay, compost, and farm equipment storage. A must have for building a new facility or remodeling an existing one. Layout, photos, and descriptions - reference this book over and over -- solutions to roof pitch, stall sizes, structure layout, lights, storage, and more. Learn what it takes to build a horse shelter from choosing the type, to preparing the ground, to hiring sub-contractors, to construction.

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Don't End Up at the Wrong Stable!

• Have you ever worried whether your horse is properly cared for when you're not around?


• Are you a new horse owner or thinking of becoming one?


• Have you ever felt uncomfortable around your fellow boarders?


• Are you looking for a home-away-from-home for your horse?


• Do you ever feel you're not getting your money's worth for your board bill?
  

How to Find the Perfect Place for Your Pony
101 Questions to Ask about Boarding Stables
ISBN 0968296610

If you answered YES to any of the questions, you'll want to read How to find the Perfect Place for Your Pony. Whether your "pony" is a 17 hand warmblood or an actual pony, here's an e-book to help you answer important questions:

• Is it time to buy your first horse?


• Should you keep your horse at home or board him out?


• What should you look for in a stable?


• How far do you want to drive?


• What's usually included in the boarding fee?


• Do you really need an indoor arena?

Finding the right boarding stable is a challenge faced by most riders at some stage in their
careers. For novice horse owners, or longtime horse people new to the world of boarding stables, knowing what to look for is not as simple as it seems.

Though you are a well-meaning owner, don't risk letting your horse lack adequate care by not knowing enough to find suitable boarding arrangements. So how can you find out what makes a good boarding stable without having to experience a bad one first? Consider "How to Find the Perfect Place for Your Pony" your first guidebook to stabling and finding the perfect home for your pony, whether he's a 17-hand warmblood or a 13-hand pony.

Visit Acreage Equines to learn more.

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Visit Front Range Frenzy for lots of horse information.

Horse Space and Shelter

Horses can be kept at your own place or boarded at a commercial stable. Keeping a horse on your property provides more management control, saves time and expenses, and can reduce the risk of injuries and disease. A horse kept on your property allows greater enjoyment and learning experiences; however, it also requires more management, knowledge and time. Remember, horses must be cared for daily.

When it comes to providing adequate shelter for domestic animals, horses are among the easiest you'll deal with. Contrary to what you might think, horses are sturdy, adaptable creatures, and their housing requirements are very basic: shade, ventilation, protection from the elements, and comfortable, dry footing. Building a horse barn is quite a project--and there is a vast and varied array of plans available to help you. But renovating a shelter to make it fit for just one or two horses, or building a sturdy three-sided shelter, can be quite simple, if you have only basic carpentry skills.

More horse information on horse shelters...

Horse Manure Management

Manure management is important to the health of your horse.

"You need a strategy for using or disposing of the manure."

Find out your options for managing manure.

You can't do anything about the amount of manure your horse produces. Therefore, practicing appropriate manure management is essential, from the largest to the smallest of farms. Manure management is important for the health of the horse and your family, avoiding controversy with neighbors, and to comply with state and county regulations. Horse owners have a responsibility to manage their horse's byproduct.

Learn more about manure management...

Horse Pasture Management

Pasture: A major component of a horse's diet is hay or pasture. A horse weighing 1000 pounds will eat about 500 pounds each month. If dryland pasture is the only source of forage, your horse will need about 28 acres of non-irrigated pasture a year. An irrigated pasture will grow more forage than dryland pasture, so less acreage is needed. The amount of irrigated pasture land needed for one horse is roughly 1 to 2 acres.

Two acres of pasture are recommended per mature horse. One acre of pasture can provide adequate grazing but requires more land management. Manage your pasture as you would with any crop with soil testing, fertilizing, and managing manure. The horse will not eat trampled grass or grass with manure on it. Horses will quickly overgraze smaller areas. Therefore, a combination of pasture and small lot or barn is needed to minimize overgrazing.

Learn more about pasture management.

Parasite Control

Your horse needs to be de-wormed several times each year. The current recommended de-worming program is to alternate de-worming products annually. One de-worming product is used over the course of a year followed by a different de-worming classification (mebendazole, organosphosphate, avermectine, etc.) the next year. Most de-wormers must be used every 60 days. Paste de-worming is as effective as tube de-worming. It is best to consult with your veterinarian when establishing a a de-worming program.

Find easy and practical Horse Information at Front Range Frenzy.