Whilst reading my most recent magazine from the British Horse Society I came across an article about the work their welfare officers do. Surprisingly, to me at least, they still find that people DON'T check on their horses every day! Although, I doubt very much that anyone reading this comes into that category I thought a reminder of the simple basics might be useful to pass on ...
·
Water supply - is it available, clean, not frozen (in the
winter) ?
·
Food availability - is there grass, if not is there hay (or an
equivalent) ?
·
Check for wounds, swellings and any sign of lameness - treat
it!
·
Check feet and pick them out to remove any stones.
·
Remove, check over and reposition rugs.
·
Weekly check for poisonous plants or any hazards in the
field eg: cans, balloons, broken fence
·
Farrier visits for a trim by a qualified farrier (every 6-8
weeks)
·
Worm counts and worming if necessary (every 8-10 weeks)
·
Teeth checked and rasped by a vet or trained technician (at
least annually)
·
Vaccinations - at a minimum for flu and tetanus (annually)
There are obviously a lot more things to be done ideally and especially if the horse is stabled but these are really the minimum that is needed to care for them when at grass.
Have you seen my last video 'Vets and Saddles' on my You Tube channel?
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Until
next time!
Jo
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