Rules and techniques for feeding horses, their daily diet and maintenance, care and breeding of animals

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Horses are beautiful and noble creatures. Previously, they accompanied a person throughout his life - they plowed on them, carried things, took them with them to hunt. Then most of these duties were taken over by machines and mechanisms.

Horses are wonderful animals, but they require proper care. To keep this animal, the future owner must build a house for him, develop the right diet and make an appointment with a veterinarian. With proper care, horses will give the owner only pleasant emotions.

Things to consider before buying a horse?

Before purchasing, you need to decide on the purpose of buying an animal. Some breeds are more suitable for riding food, others for carrying heavy loads. Each animal has an individual character and level of learning ability, not all of them are ready to immediately obey a person. If the owner of the horses has only seen pictures and never interacted with them in real life, then it may be better to rent the animal for a couple of months first.

If the horseis bought for the purpose of breeding, then you need to immediately find out whether there will be an opportunity to cover it in the future. If she is a rare breed, then finding a stallion for her will not be easy. The issues of keeping and feeding horses often confuse beginners. It is better to develop a diet before buying an animal. The stable also needs to be built in advance, its size will depend on the number of individuals living in it. It should be warm and comfortable.

Maintaining and feeding a horse can be quite expensive, but it is also worth preparing funds for the purchase of equipment. You can buy a variety of harnesses and scrapers both in a regular store and via the Internet. Contact with a veterinarian who specializes in horses should be established in advance, his help will be needed.

Building a stable

Before starting construction, you need to develop a project, select materials, and draw up an estimate. The stable should be convenient for keeping horses and caring for them. Animals love warmth and cannot stand drafts, this must be taken into account when planning. Think over the issue of lighting in advance, it can be both natural and artificial. Consider horse feeding rations when designing a feeding space.

It is better to choose a place for the stable on a hill. Try to avoid close groundwater flows, they can create dampness in the room, which is harmful to horses. Do not build a stable in wetlands, the building will be short-lived. If the ground is unstable, it may be necessary to install a foundation onpiles.

After choosing a place, you can proceed to designing a future stable and creating an estimate. The walls are usually made of wood or brick. Sometimes a cinder block is used to build a stable, but it is not as warm. The roof is most often made gable, and a hayloft is placed under it. You can cover it with tiles, slate, metal sheets.

Doors need high and wide, horses with riders should freely enter them. The floor is made of cement, wood, clay or earth covered with sawdust. Windows are usually placed at a height of 1.5-2 meters.

Buying feed

Proper feeding of horses is the key to their he alth. If their nutrition is not of high quality and balanced, then they can get sick. For a beginner, it is best to entrust the planning of a diet for animals to an experienced equestrian or veterinarian.

In advance, you need to take care of a place to store food. There should not be dampness, the room should be ventilated. Do not allow rodents into this area, mice can leave nests in the hay that horses should not eat. Rodents also spoil vegetables and eat grain.

Hay is the basis of the diet for horses. It must be fresh and of good quality. Do not buy last year's product, it will lack nutritional qualities. Protein grasses are excellent for horses: alfalfa, legumes, cereals. Make sure that mold does not form in the hay, it can lead to respiratory diseases. Some species can even cause mares to miscarry.

Vegetables used for horse feed must be fresh. Check them at least once a week.for the presence of rot. Grain should be purchased only from trusted suppliers. Bags with lots of trash or unknown herbs should be avoided.

Rule for rations for horses

Hay is the basis of feeding horses, it should be in the feeder around the clock. Several times a day, either the owner or the farm worker must check its quantity and, if necessary, issue a new portion. Horses prefer to eat little and often, this should be taken into account. Complete feeding of horses implies fractional nutrition. This is due to the fact that a hungry animal pounces on food and absorbs a much larger volume than is necessary. Thus, there is a violation of the digestion process in the animal, because of this, nutrients are no longer fully absorbed.

Never make a sudden change in your horse's diet. If the prepared feed of this type is not enough for at least a month, then it is better not to introduce them at all. Microorganisms living in the gastrointestinal tract of the animal are responsible for the digestion of food in horses. In order to grow colonies of bacteria that are responsible for processing, for example, carrots or bran, it will take at least 2-3 weeks. Until that moment, the new product will not be fully absorbed due to the lack of microorganisms that digest it.

All horse feed must be of good quality. Bowls and other utensils must be washed and processed. Do not feed your horse before training. Monitor the he alth of the animal and show it in a timely mannerveterinarian.

Features of the diet of young animals

Feeding young horses has its own characteristics. Foals up to 4-7 months are kept together with a mare, then they are taken away. It is very important during this period to provide all the nutritional needs of young animals, because this is the only way to grow a he althy horse.

According to statistics, more than half of the purebred animals are not able to withstand training. This is due to improper development of the foal due to poor rearing. Be sure to observe young animals and make them an individual diet, because they all develop in different ways. Foals are growing, so their diet will need to be reviewed frequently.

Young animals aged 8-9 months require about 4 kg of feed per day. At an older age, the need for nutrients decreases, a one-year-old stallion is already given 2.7 kg per day. Over time, dietary requirements may decrease further.

Ponies are less sensitive to feed than horses. Since ancient times, they ate on poor pastures and adapted to these conditions. It is most convenient to feed them with ready-made compound feeds or carbohydrate mixtures with the addition of vitamin complexes.

Features of the diet of sports horses

Now the popularity of equestrian sports has increased in society. Schools are being created in which both adults and very young riders are trained. Many people want to have their own horse for performances or competitions. Buying such an animal is a responsible step, because caring for itquite complicated.

Proper selection of diet for feeding sport horses is extremely important, because future results depend on it. If you keep the champion only on one hay, then you will not be able to achieve high places in competitions. A sports horse must always be in excellent shape and under the strict supervision of a veterinarian.

The watering regimen is especially important for such animals, as dehydration can develop due to intense training. Fluid must be given to the horse without any restrictions. It is very important for athletic horses to get the right amount of protein. A balanced diet should include carbohydrates and fiber. However, excess starch in the diet should be avoided as it can negatively affect behavior and make the horse uncontrollable. Every day, the animal must be given a premix containing vitamins and minerals.

Features of the diet of working horses

Working horses are able to endure colossal loads, often their work is tiring and monotonous. They spend a lot of energy and must make up for its deficiency with food. The choice of diet for feeding working horses must be approached with particular care.

Proper breathing is the key to the success of the task with animals. Food for working horses should not contain dust or mold, this is fraught with respiratory diseases. To carry weights, an animal needs to breathe deeply and effectively saturate its body with oxygen, if the airways fail, then labor willineffective.

For such horses, food with increased nutritional value is preferred. If the owner does not have time to develop a diet, then it is better to give preference to ready-made combined feed. You can also give the horse oats with the addition of a vitamin-mineral mixture. An approximate diet for a horse engaged in hard physical work looks like this: 4 kg of good quality hay and haylage, 6-8 kg of combined feed with premixes produced at the factory. When eating a large amount of grain mixtures, the need for fluids in horses increases, the owners should take this into account. Instead of an industrial mixture, you can feed horses with oats.

Organization of animal watering

Not only the norms of feeding horses are important, but also the proper organization of watering. Fluid intake depends on age, weight, intensity of the received loads. Horses drink at least 40-60 liters of water per day. Before feeding the animal a combined feed or grain mixture, you need to offer him a liquid. It will be even better if the horse has a drinker with water at all times.

If suddenly the horse began to refuse liquid, then it is necessary to inform the veterinarian about this. Horses have repeatedly died from dehydration, especially in hot weather. Even if the horse looks calm and active, but refuses to drink, know that this is not normal. In this case, a mandatory examination is required.

You can't give horses cold water from a well, it can be dangerous. Especiallyfatal consequences of such negligence can occur in foal mares, as miscarriages occur in some cases. Water for horses should be heated to room temperature and then offered to animals.

While grazing on fresh grass, fluid requirements may decrease somewhat. After returning to the stall, the horse starts drinking more again.

Horse care

Features of feeding a horse are not all that a novice horse breeder should learn. It is important to learn how to properly care for animals. Every morning should start with cleaning the stall. With the advent of experience, it will take no more than 10-15 minutes. If the dirty bedding is not removed, the horse will soon begin to suffer from hoof diseases. Wet straw with parts of manure is thrown away, and new straw is poured in its place.

After you can move on to cleaning the hooves. Most often this is done with a hook, but other devices can be used. During the night, manure and straw stick to the hooves, you need to get rid of them. Then you can clean the horse's hair from dirt and comb its mane. In summer, you need to bathe the horse from time to time with special shampoos.

From the age of 2-3, horses begin to be shod. It is necessary to periodically check the condition of the horse's legs, treat minor wounds and scratches. You also need to monitor the condition of the horseshoes, if necessary, take your pet to the master.

At least once every six months, it is necessary to invite a veterinarian to assess the condition of the horse. At this time, all the necessary vaccinations are made, tests are taken, and a visual examination is carried out.

Features of breeding horses

Horse breeding is a difficult but exciting activity. It is very important that the stallion does not have the same conformation flaws as the mare. Selection is carried out to improve the breed. As a result, every breeder wants to get beautiful and hardy offspring.

Puberty in horses occurs at the age of about 2 years, but they should not be allowed to mate at this time. Young animals should fully develop and get stronger. Already after 3 years, horses can be bred.

For covering the mare, it is better to choose a room with flat floors, it reduces the likelihood of injury. A stallion cannot cover more than 2 horses per day, since after that his fertility decreases. If the owner does not want to happen his mare in a natural way, then you can resort to artificial insemination.

Horses carry offspring for 11 months. Usually colts are born a little earlier, and fillies a little later. She gives birth to a horse in a prone position, most often on her own and without complications. But if something went wrong, then you should definitely call the veterinarian.