The horse needs care, which requires the owner of serious costs and dedication. Keeping horses - for the sake of a hobby, business or as peasant helpers, involves daily care. In order for the horses to be healthy, to cope with their duties and multiply safely, they need good nutrition, plenty of drink and a cozy stable.
Keeping horses
The method of keeping horses is selected, taking into account the characteristics of the terrain, climate, the availability of pasture and other factors. There are three horse keeping systems:
- Herd system. This form of maintenance was used by nomads who could not provide their horses with stables. The method is also called natural - it is as close as possible to the natural environment. Horses receive only natural food, without "chemistry." The method is good environmental friendliness and low cost. There are also distinguished improved herd and cultural herd content method. For feeding, canopies are equipped under which the feed is laid.
- Stable system. Horses live in special rooms - stables. Animals are released periodically for walking - to special fenced areas. The area norm for one stallion is 200 square meters. m, for young individuals - 400 square meters. m, for manufacturers - 600 square meters. m
- Herd of pasture. Suitable for terrain with cold winters. In summer, horses are on a walk, and in winter they are transferred to stables.
In large farms, horses are usually kept in stalls - 20-100 individuals. In the stable-pasture method used by such farms, horses are divided into groups - by age, gender, purpose.
What should be the stable?
The stable is best arranged near a pond. The source of water nearby is a great convenience for keeping horses. In summer, the aviary can be replaced with a canopy, but in winter you can’t do without a special room.
Stable Requirements:
- Material. Ecologically friendly building materials that are safe for animal health are used. The best solution is a bar treated with an antiseptic. The room can be built entirely of wood, and outside it is bricked. Brickwork is needed to protect from the weather and strengthen the walls.
- The size. The optimal area for keeping one horse is 16 square meters. m. Height - 3-4 m.
- Partitions. The stable, designed for several animals, must be separated by partitions of wooden beams or metal sheets.
- Coating. The floor in the stable is made of clay, concrete or rubber. The rubber coating is especially convenient - it does not rot, it is not slippery on it, and its service life is tens of years.
- Stall. Horses in the stable are usually kept in stalls. The size of the stall for one animal is 3x3 m. But this is the minimum size, it is desirable that the stall is 4x4 m so that the horse can not only stand, but also lie comfortably. The stall is equipped with locks and gates - so that animals can not get out of the stable.
- Litter. First of all, it is needed for the convenience of a horse who plans to lie down. Secondly, sawdust or straw litter is needed to absorb sewage. To keep the stall clean, you need to change the litter every day. Consumption of materials per adult: sawdust - 15 kg, straw - 4 kg.
- Doors They should be wide enough so that the animal can pass without risking injury. The minimum opening width is 1.5 m. The jambs should be rounded. The door is set so that the wings open outward.
- Drinking bowls and feeders. For feeding, it is better to use a rectangular trough - deeper and more voluminous. It is placed near a source of natural light. The height of the trough is 70 cm from the floor. The distance from the wall is 50 cm.
Each horse must have its own feeder. To prevent injury to the animal, the edges of the feeders should be rounded. It is desirable that the trough be divided in half - in one part lay hay and grass, in the other - oats and concentrates. Horses are fed from ordinary buckets. The second option is car drinkers. One animal should have a water supply of 50 liters.
The stable is often built on a 2-story building. The second floor is used for storing hay. A gap is left between the walls and the roof - so that the room is better ventilated. This method avoids drafts that horses do not like so much. If finances allow, you can put a powerful hood. The optimal roof covering is slate or tile.
Microclimate in the stable
In the home of the horse should be warm, dry and comfortable. The owner's task is to create a favorable indoor climate:
- Temperature. The optimum temperature is from +15 to + 18 ° C.
- Humidity. In the range of 60-75%.
- Lighting. The light is not particularly bright, but dim lighting is not good - you need an average option. Arranging lighting in the stable, proceed from the following calculated ratio - the ratio of the area of the windows to the area of the room should be 1:15. The height of the windows is 180 cm from the floor surface.
- Ventilation. Horses do not like drafts, but stagnant air negatively affects their health. To ensure effective ventilation, doors and windows alone are not enough, special ventilation is needed. The height of the ventilation holes is at least 2.5 m from the floor surface.
In poor lighting conditions horses feel unwell. Lack of light negatively affects their appearance, the animal looks suppressed, its performance decreases.
The rules of "easel" content
There are three options for keeping horses:
- In the stall. This is the most convenient and common option.
- In the stall. This is a separate spacious room. It is more convenient to clean here, and it is more comfortable for horses to be.
- Group Groups contain work horses. They must be the same age. In one group - 20-200 individuals. Animals have the ability to move inside the fenced part of the room. So usually keep horses of low value.
If there are no bars and windows in the stall, and the horse is isolated, it becomes aggressive or lethargic, can refuse food and water.
Advantages of keeping horses in a stall:
- It is cheaper than in the stalls.
- Animals do not feel isolated, therefore they behave more calmly.
- Saves space.
Keeping in a stall saves space, but with such a content system, certain rules and regulations must also be observed:
- The area of the stall is from 5 square meters. m
- Dyne and width of the stall takes into account the size of a particular horse. Small working horses have enough lengths of 2.9 m, widths of 1.6 m. Large horses are 3.1 m and 11.8 m respectively.
- Feeders are selected along the width of the stall.
The lack of content in the stall is the difficulty of cleaning.
Grazing and walking
A horse can be kept in a stall, stall or in some other way, but he must be in the air. These animals cannot feel well if they are restricted in movement. Features of walking depend on the goals for which the horse is kept. If, for example, the animal is intended for agricultural work or hunting, it should be walked more often without exhausting with hard training.
Horse Riding Rules:
- The horse must get used to the ambient temperature before starting to work, run, etc. It is necessary to give it a few minutes to adapt, otherwise it, like a person, can catch a cold.
- Before starting work, the animal must warm up and warm up.
- At temperatures below minus 20 ° C, walking horses is not recommended.
- To avoid muscle atrophy, air walks are needed at least three times a week.
Every day, horses need walks lasting from 2 hours. After walking, horses must be cleaned, hooves checked, legs examined for wounds and abrasions.
Ideal grazing - in a pasture, where plenty of lush grass, no weeds and hard bushes. The condition of pastures depends on their care. In a good pasture, horses will not only stretch out, but will also receive a certain share of the diet. Moreover, grass is an ideal horse feed.
The dependence of grass consumption on the time of grazing horses is in table 1.
Table 1
Grazing time | Average grass consumption | What else is worth considering |
One hour | about 10 kg of grass | grass quality |
Day or night | 50-60% of the daily diet | if the grass is of poor quality - eaten or short, it lacks nutrients |
Around the clock | 100% daily diet | similarly |
Spring grass is especially nutritious - it contains 28% protein, so it optimally meets the needs of sports horses. In spring grass, sugar - the main source of energy, contains more than 5%. In depleted pastures one cannot count on good grass nutrition.
In spring, grass grows faster, in May its growth rate is five times higher than in September. But it is spring grass, when overeating, can provoke weight gain and the development of laminitis (hoof disease, causing lameness).
Pasture needs care:
- restoration of the soil damaged by hoofs;
- cutting of grass - up to 7-8 cm;
- manure removal - it has a bad effect on grass growth;
- destruction of weeds.
Manure
It is necessary to remove manure for horses daily - this is one of the routine duties of their owner. Without this hygienic procedure, stalls will quickly become dirty. Dirt in the stable increases the risk of disease, causing animal discomfort.
Cleaning will not take much time and effort if you use special equipment. To remove manure you will need such an inventory:
- pitchfork;
- brush;
- shovel;
- wheelbarrow or stretcher.
It is recommended that horses be removed from the premises before cleaning. Animals do not like it when they wave a pitchfork and shovel near them. It is also advisable to take out the feeders and buckets in advance - in order not to accidentally turn them over.
Manure removal is carried out in the following sequence:
- Shovel collect manure. Take it to the place of storage.
- Separate wet litter from dry. When using straw for bedding, it is better to separate it with double-toothed forks. The dry part is left, and the wet part is taken out. Conventional forks are used to store raw litter.
- Sweep the floor with a stiff brush. Add the missing amount of litter.
Feeding horses and their detailed ration
Rules for feeding horses:
- Feed the animals at the same time. Hay is given 4-5 times a day. Concentrates - 3 times a day. An animal that works hard must be fed with an interval of two hours. It is important that the interval between eating concentrates and oats is at least an hour.
- The diet is made taking into account the needs of the body. In addition to grass and hay, horses need a balanced diet.
- The diet is adjusted depending on the season. Also, when compiling the "menu" take into account the gender and age of the animals.
Horses are strictly forbidden to give ordinary food - leftovers and leftovers. This can damage the horse’s stomach. Horse food:
- Hay. The daily norm is 10-15 kg. High-quality hay consists of rich forbs. This hay smells nice, it has a bright yellow color, it has no weeds. The share of hay in the horse's diet is 40%. Hay is given dried.
- Corn. Mostly oats and corn. The dosage should not be exceeded, since when overeating, horses can develop obesity, diseases of the stomach and teeth.
- Top dressing from concentrated feed. The composition of the dressing is grain, bran, vitamins, minerals. These feeds are especially important to include in the diet of nursing mares, weakened individuals and hard-working horses.
- Bran. This food is needed to normalize the gastrointestinal tract.
- Lizuny. Salt blocks.
- Vegetables and fruits. The main sources of vitamins and minerals. Especially important is carrots, which have a lot of vitamin A.
- Fresh tree branches. Birch, aspen or fir branches are recommended. This is one of the favorite horse treats.
The diet should take into account the breed and purpose of the horses. To assess the nutritional value of feeds and their usefulness, a unit of measurement equal to 1414 kcal or 1 kg of sown oats is used. It allows you to calculate the daily rate for any type of feed. When calculating feed norms, the size, weight and age of the horse are taken into account. As a rule, 5 kg of feed is due per 100 kg of weight. The daily diet of an adult horse is shown in table 2.
table 2
Feed | Weight, kg |
Oats | 5-6 |
Hay (bean-cereal and meadow) | 8-12 |
Bran | 1-1,5 |
Carrot | 2-3 |
Beet | 2 |
The apples | 2 |
Every day the horse must have access to salt - a salt lick is attached near the feeder. The animal itself will take as much salt as its body needs.
If you feed a horse with poor-quality feed, they can become ill. Be sure to check the feed for mold and rot. Hay is given 4-5 times a day, concentrated feed - 3 times a day. Before distributing food, horses are given water.
In the summer season, horses grazing on pastures have enough grass to eat. They switch to pasture maintenance smoothly - so that there is no malfunction in the digestion. Horses that have oversaw alfalfa or clover often have colic. Pastures with many legumes should be avoided.
How to organize animal watering?
Horses need to be fed water in a timely manner - so that the animal quenches thirst, and its digestive tract successfully digests dry food.
Rules for drinking:
- The daily water norm, depending on the breed, weight, size and type of activity of the animal is 60-80 liters.
- You need to water horses before feeding. The second option - in two doses - half of the water is given before feeding, half - after.
- In cold weather, horses need more water than usual, since dry food begins to prevail in their diet.
- An animal refusing water must be shown to a veterinarian.
- The frequency of drinking is 3 times a day. In summer and during hard work, you need to drink horses 5-6 times.
- If the animal is hot, sweaty, then you can not give him cold water - this can provoke colic or rheumatism of hooves. It is necessary to wait for the horse to cool, and the pulse and breathing should become normal. An hour after work, the horse can be given 1/2 bucket of water. But just not cold. After half an hour, the animal can be re-watered - as much as it wants.
- If horses give cold water, then you need to watch that she drank more slowly. For this purpose, hay is poured into the water. The second option is not to unbridle the horse.
- It is recommended that horses be fed 30-40 minutes before work is completed. Then she, having worked, will willingly eat food.
- Horses are especially thirsty in the evenings - after feeding. At this time, animals need to be given a lot of water - to drink plenty.
Horse Care
Caring for horses is not limited to a comfortable stable and good nutrition - they need individual care, which includes cleaning, bathing and veterinary care. Thanks to competent and regular care, horses maintain good health, working capacity, endurance and good mood.
Veterinary treatments
Not getting proper care, they can get sick. They suffer from skin, infectious, parasitic and other diseases - just like people.
They may get sick:
- tuberculosis
- leptospirosis;
- anthrax;
- rabies;
- tetanus
- glanders.
These are the most dangerous diseases - they can lead to death. To prevent disease, animals are vaccinated. Be sure to prevent helminthiasis - twice a year. Horse diseases and vaccination rates are shown in table 3.
Table 3
Disease | Vaccination frequency | Note |
anthrax | annually | no vaccine available |
Leptospirosis | Twice a year | do pre blood tests |
Flu | annually | there are many vaccines - from different strains |
Dermatophytosis | annually | vaccination is done after the initial treatment, which is carried out with an interval of two weeks |
Rhinopneumonia | depending on the region - required annually or at the request of the owner | rhinopneumonia is a common cause of miscarriages |
Tetanus | every 2-3 years (imported vaccine) or every 3-5 years (domestic vaccine) | vaccination is required in all regions |
Rabies | annually | optional but recommended |
Also, horses are subjected to research on SAP and random disease once a year; INAN is a dangerous infectious disease.
Cleaning and bathing
Cleaning horses is best done outdoors. The animal needs to be tied. The cleaning procedure looks something like this:
- Cleaning begins on the left and top. They begin to clean from the head, and finish with feet.
- Go to the right side.
- When they brush their heads, they stand so that the horse sees the owner. First cleaned against wool, then wool.
- Having finished working with scrapers and brushes, the horse is wiped with a damp cloth - to remove hair and dirt.
- Wipe with a dry cloth.
You need to bathe your horses in summer when the water is warm enough. It is necessary that the animal itself displays a desire to swim - it is not necessary to force it. If there is a fear of water, it is better to wash the horse with a hose - first a small pressure, then stronger. During bathing use special horse "cosmetics".
Bathing Procedure:
- Soaping mane, tail, all hair.
- Brushing - it removes parasites and spools of wool.
- Watered with warm water, washing off the foam. Rinse thoroughly - so that no traces of detergent remain. Otherwise, allergies or irritation may occur.
- They wipe the horse - preferably with a terry towel.
During cleaning and bathing, you need to act confidently, the movements should be strong and at the same time leisurely, stroking.
Oral care
Dental examination is carried out by a specialist, it is called every six months to a year. The following symptoms warn about problems with teeth:
- food does not stick in the mouth;
- the animal slowly chews food or refuses to feed at all;
- a horse bites or chews a bit;
- the animal’s back is tense.
It is impossible to cope with dental diseases on our own - you do not need to try to fix something, otherwise you can harm the animal.
Mane care
Mane is a beautiful “accessory” of a horse. But for it to become a decoration for the animal, and not a source of problems, it needs careful care.
Mane Care Features:
- Water procedures - as they become soiled. The frequency of washing depends on the individual characteristics of the animal.
- Mane and tail are washed with special shampoos and conditioners.
- The procedure is similar to washing a person’s head. The main thing is to avoid getting shampoos in the eyes.
- Washed hair should be combed and wait for drying. If necessary, the mane can be braided. The most popular versions are hunting braids, western, continental braids.
So that horses do not gnaw at each other's manes - this happens among them, the hair is treated with special aerosols with repulsive odors.
Hoarding and hoof care
You need to inspect the hooves every day - after work or sports training. Hoof Care Procedure:
- It is recommended to pour the animal’s feet with cool water to relieve fatigue, and then grease with a fat-containing agent.
- To clear hooves of manure, soil and other pollution. They use a hook, but carefully so as not to touch the arrow - this area must be brushed.
- Every 1-1.5 months you need to remove the overgrown stratum corneum from the hooves.
- If necessary, horseshoe shoe.
They trust a hoof horseshoe to a specialist - he will choose the horseshoes correctly and will not harm the animal. Unprofessional actions can cripple a horse, moreover, make it unworkable.
You need to shoe horses if:
- they work on hard soils;
- they carry goods;
- there are hoof diseases.
Shoe horses usually from the age of three - if there are no problems with hooves. If there are any diseases of the hooves, it is recommended that the animals be shod in 1.5 years.
Features of winter keeping horses
In winter, it is desirable to keep horses in the stall - there is enough space in it, it is easier to clean it, and additional partitions between sections will prevent the spread of infection, if any.
In winter, horses have to spend a lot of time in the stable, they need to be carefully prepared for the "wintering":
- provide heat and good ventilation;
- remove all sharp corners and dangerous objects.
In winter, it is especially important to change the litter daily - old hay causes respiratory diseases.
Features of winter maintenance:
- In cold weather, the horse should walk at least 6 hours a week.
- If it gets very cold, animals are covered with blankets.
- Regularly comb the hair - this helps the animals warm themselves.
- Food and water are changed every day.
- Hay is planted daily, and preferably more often.
If it is impossible to take a walk, you need to entertain the horse with something - he needs to pay attention, play, give a treat.
In winter, they adjust the diet - you need to replenish the energy that the animal spends on warming. In the winter diet must be present:
- Hay. It should be a lot - unlimited access. The horse should eat as soon as she wants it. Food warms and entertains at the same time. It is advisable to add barley or oat straw.
- Fresh vegetables. Every day they give beets and carrots - they are washed and cut into cubes. 5-7 kg are given per day.
- Cereals. They will saturate the body with energy, and warm it.
- Vitamins In winter, fish oil and yeast are necessarily added to the feed.
In winter, a horse weighing 500 kg is an individual of medium size, it should receive during the day:
- hay - 10-15 kg;
- vegetables - 7 kg;
- grain - 4 kg;
- vitamins
- three times water - 20-40 liters.
Horses need to be fed with clean water. Its temperature should be 8-15 ° C. Since the animal eats a lot of dry food, it is desirable for him to provide free access to water. It is also recommended to give water with mineral additives - to replenish energy costs.
Sometimes horses begin to have winter blues:
- they begin to gnaw at the stall;
- kick out hooves;
- swallow air with a larynx.
All this because of boredom and tightness, the horse has nowhere to splash energy. Because of the spleen, colic can begin, teeth ache. How to get rid of the blues:
- increase walking time;
- give more hay;
- bring special toys to the stable;
- fiddling with the animal more - stroking, combing, talking.
Case, draw and foal of mares
Mating needs healthy, mature individuals. To breed horses, you must have at least two manufacturers. What you need to know about horse breeding:
- Horses become sexually mature at the age of 1-2 years.
- In order for the offspring to be healthy, mares should not be allowed to mare under three years of age. And some individuals ripen even later - by 4-5 years.
- Rysakov happen from 3 years of age. A good manufacturer can be used for 15-16 years.
- Ideal time for mating - the beginning of spring and mid-summer.
- When choosing parents, pay attention to their physical form, age, structure, and other features.
Mares carry the fetus for 11 months. Pregnant mare needs special care, she needs:
- receive moderate physical activity;
- special nutrition; vitamins and roughage are introduced into the diet;
- one month before the birth of the foal - tetanus vaccination.
Childbirth lasts about 30-45 minutes. If there are no pathologies, the mare does not need help. It is forbidden to help the foal to stand up. You can only help him find a mare udder. For two hours, the horse and the foal need not be disturbed - the mother herself will take care of the baby.
Before giving birth, the mare should be laid with a clean litter. You can look at the animal, but it is better not to show it to it. When the foal ends, the mare rises - the umbilical cord breaks itself. The mother licks the newborn to free his mucous nostrils and oral cavity. Having dried, the foal begins to eat.
Within a month, the newborn is fed only milk. On the second day, it needs to be fed with flattened oats - for active development. First, give 100 g of oats and, gradually increasing the rate, bring it to 2 kg.
Planned maintenance costs
Keeping a horse requires a considerable investment. The monthly expenses for maintaining one horse at home are shown in table 4.
Table 4
Feed | Amount per month | Cost, rubles |
oats | 90 kg | 500 |
bran | bag | 400 |
hay | 350 kg | 350 |
vitamin top dressing | by dosage | about 1500 |
bedding straw | of necessity | about 3000 |
According to rough estimates, the cost of maintaining and feeding one horse in the stable costs 10,000-11,000 rubles. And this amount does not yet include the costs of vaccinations, veterinary services, medicines.
Before getting horses, you need to not only evaluate your financial capabilities, but also the ability to provide the animal with proper care. To get a return on horses - hardy and efficient, you need to invest your time, labor, and finances on them daily.
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