Horses chew, we all know that, but if you’ve ever watched horses out in pasture they’ll perform types of grooming and bonding rituals with their teeth. Take a look sometimes and you’ll notice many times horses standing together while one is almost seemingly biting the flesh of the other. They’ll grab a little bunch of flesh and in a careful way kind of nip away with a little tug of the skin. This is very common and it’s a cooperative event where one horse allows the other. I’m quite sure I wouldn’t discourage such behavior amongst horses.

First let’s define what sheared heels are. Sheared heels are when the heel of the horse’s foot grows forward toward the toe. Instead of there being support for the foot in the heel area where the horse needs it support is reduced – the heels have grown forward and there’s no foot (heel) to provide the support for the horse’s foot.

Novice horse owners often make the mistake of disregarding the order in which they provide food for their horses. After all, the stuff is all going to the same place, right? In actuality, these people are making a huge mistake. A horse’s digestive system is a very volatile thing. Horse owners must manage the way that they feed their horses if they expect peak performance when it comes time to ride the horse. With that in mind, does it really matter if the horse eats grain first or hay first? The answer is a certain yes.

Salt blocks are an essential part of a horse’s nutrition plan. For both the most active and least active horses, having a steady dose of sodium does the body well. For horse owners that want their horses to be able to go for extended rides, there should be an extra emphasis on salt blocks. There are many different brands of salt blocks, though. Each one brings a little something different to the table, so depending upon your horse, you will want to choose the salt block that best fits their needs.

Weight control is one of the most important issues facing many horse owners. Fat, lazy horses are simply unhealthy horses and they are more likely to live a shorter life than their in shape brethren. How do you control a horse’s weight, while still providing him with the right amount of food and vitamins? It is a delicate balance between healthy and obese, but these are a few ways to walk that line.

I’m told that little girls love horses. Then when they get older other things, perhaps boys (LOL) take that place.

Well not for some girls and woman. I’m one of them.

I’ve loved horses from the first time I was near then. The first time I was near them was when my parents would take us to a local farm for pony rides. I was probably one of the few children that didn’t cry when put on their back. I instead loved it. I’ve always been petite and thought it was great to see the world from their back. It was a perfect perch for a little girl. I also thought they were gentle and beautiful.

Buying a horse is a huge responsibility and requires a commitment of both time and finances. After you have bought the horse, the commitment isn’t over. There is still quite a bit to be done. If you want a horse that performs at a high level, you must continue to open the wallet for his sake.

In order to get the best performance possible out of a horse, proper nutrition is absolutely essential. Whether the horse is training for competitive riding or just leisure riding, good nutrition helps create and maintain a healthy horse. What basic things must each horse owner take into account to help create a healthy diet? These are a few:

There is one fruit and one vegetable that must be a staple of every horse’s diet. Carrots are important as a balancing food in the diet and can help the horse maintain his eyesight into old age. Even more important than that are the apples. Apples have long been a favorite of horses and for good reason. Whether red or granny smith, apples help make a healthy horse.

How do you keep those nasty parasites at bay? A regular deworming process is necessary to rid your horses of dangerous, and sometimes deadly nasties such as large strongyles, small strongyles, ascarids, bots, pinworms, intestinal threadworms, and summer sores.

Of course, sometimes deworming is easier said than done! It’s one thing to come up with a regular deworming schedule, and quite another to put it into practice. First of all, your deworming schedule should be unique to your circumstances. What agent you use, and how often, will depend upon things such as geography, time of year, how many horses you have, size and type of pasture, amount of turn-out time, etc. It can be complicated! To add insult to injury, once you come up with a schedule you’ll have to get your horses to accept the deworming process. While some horses have no issues with deworming, others can make it quite difficult on you!