Basic horse care questions

Question

I know nothing about the care of horses. I have ridden very little and done a little grooming, that's it. I am moving to a farm in SK and have agreed to take 4 older horses. I KNOW that I am not the best choice, so please no negative comments. This owner is of the mind set that horses are to make you money and when they no longer do you sell them for slaughter. The neighbor lady has looked for a couple of months to find another home or rescue for them, with no luck. I figure that a place with a nice pasture, a corral, a barn and a caring person willing to learn has to better then that.

All four of them are supposedly ok to have kids led around on them but I know nothing more then that.

I know they need to be dewormed, but with what product and how often? Do you use a variety of brands or always the same one? What shots do they need, how often? Can I do this or will a vet have to? How often will the farrier need to come? How often do they need to see a vet for a check up if nothing is wrong? The place I am moving to is overgrown with 2 foot high grass all over the place, it hasn't been mown this year, is there danger of them foundering? None of them have before. If there is, how long and how often can I let them out of the corral to graze? and how much hay, or anything else, will they need if they can't graze. What is good to keep flys away? How often, if at all, do they need to be bathed? groomed? if they are pastured without shoes, how often do I have to pick their feet, or do I?

Yes, I have the money for their upkeep, the quarter section there is leased by another farmer for some cash and some hay yearly, and I work.

I apologize if I sound defensive, I am! LOL I posted on a horse forum asking similar questions and got nothing but grief. For example, one comment was to find a book called Horses for F*****G idiots,,,that a person with no knowledge, such as myself, has no business buying a horse at this point, that it is people like me who keep the slaughter houses going..... and on and on.

I was never planning to get a horse, but I cannot stomache the thought that these gals have given, to humans, everything they had for all their lives, only to be treated after everything in the very worst way possible. I am not an idiot, I have the time to spend with them and am willing to learn whatever I need to.

I know there are a tonne of questions, so, even if you just pick one, or two, or mention something you think I should know, I will be thankful, as will the four gals who will not be European steak!

Answer 1

Follow along... my answers are inserted between your questions.

I know they need to be dewormed, but with what product and how often? I use STRONGID 2X (it's a daily de-wormer). It's a pellet, very easy to use, comes with it's own measuring scoop and the horses it it without a fuss. You can integrate a paste de-wormer every 4 months and yes, you need to vary them because the different de-wormers kill different parasites. If you do not want to use the Strongid 2X, you will still need to de-worm with a variety of paste de-wormers, one every three months. I have been breeding horses for 17 years and use the Strongid 2X every day. I only use the paste de-wormers during the summer... I use three different kinds, one each month during the heat/bug season. Ask your vet what parasites are most common and your vet will recommend the type of de-wormer.

You need to ask your vet about shots... may vary depending on where you live.  Can I do this or will a vet have to? Your vet can teach you to give the shots, it's easy.

How often will the farrier need to come? The average is every 6 to 8 weeks. but again, it will vary depending on how quickly hour horses feet grow, if they are shod or barefoot, and the type of terrain they are on.

How often do they need to see a vet for a check up if nothing is wrong? Your vet can do a check up when he/she vaccinates. Or, a quick exam every year or two.

I apologize if I sound defensive. don't be defensive. Keep asking queston! Keep learning! Just be sure you learn from knowledgeable people not novices. Vet's are usually willing to answer questions.  

Sorry I can't answer more questions. My fingers are pooped!  Good luck to you!

Answer 2

Four horses is going to be a big financial responsibility. Saying a horse is safe to lead a kid around isn't saying very much at all. If your talking basic care then I'll try to give you a run down. First and foremost, whether the owner said they have had them recently or not, you need to call the vet and the farrier out to give them their shots and at least look at their feet if they don't need work, though they probably do. You can tell the vet to skip the tests that you only need if you'll be traveling, but I get them anyway. It's probably going to be around $100 a horse. You would have to call your local large animal vet to ask his/her prices. You can ask a local riding facility who they think is good. With a lot of horse they have to go with the cheapest best quality work they can get. They'll be able to tell you a farrier as well. If you don't like the attitude of the farrier or the vet then feel free to find another one. Keep in mind that most know what they are doing and something that may seem strange or a little harsh may just be something that has to be done that way. Twitching looks more painful than it is, but if done wrong it can be more painful than it looks. If you get a bad vibe then you could very well be right that they're being unneccesarily rough. Some are like that. Our farrier charges $20 for a trim. This is a good deal. Since you won't be riding them or at least not any where they would need them you don't have to get the more expensive shoeing. If you decide to ride them later they can do it them. Your vet should come for yearly shots once a year unless something is wrong with a horse and then you should contact them to see if they need to come out. The farrier needs to come every 6 to 8 weeks. We do 8, because we can do the wormer at the same time. You can get your vet or farrier to show you how. It's not hard. Your also going to need to buy a plastic curry comb, a hair brush, a comb, a soft bristle brush, a stiff bristle brush, and a hoof pick for grooming. You need to buy some fly spray, I like bronco, and make sure you spray them really thouroughly every 3 days or so during the fly season. Showsheen also helps with keeping them detangled. Spray the main and tail thouroughly and the body lightly. Brush the body and comb the mane and tail from the bottom up. While doing the tail I stand slightly to one side and pull the tail over to me. While non of mine has, this prevents a kick. Put the Showsheen on before the fly spray. If it gets hot and their hooves start to crack you can put on absorbine hooflex. Your vet or farrier will be able to tell you more about it. If they have a pasture they'll be fine in the summer. In the winter you'll need to feed them twice a day. From about the time the grass stops growing till after it starts back up. Here that's usually mid to late november till late febuary or early march. Horse scoopers vary a little, but are mostly the same size. You need to pick up one of those and a bin for the grain. We use an old black trash can that's about 3.5 feet tall with handles that lock the sides. Keep it in a shed or something though. Rats will chew a hole in the bottom. They'll need a scoop twice a day and a flake twice a day. If they get real fat you can cut the grain to half a scoop till they loose the weight. You'll also need to get some kind of water tank. Check it every day if you fill it by had and every other day if it has an automatic waterer. Those things break more often than you think. They'll also need some shade for the summer and a wind brake in the winter. So if there are no trees in the pasture then you'll need to build a three sided lean to. You'll also need a halter for each horse and a couple of lead ropes. If the vet or farrier says any of these horses have major problems then it's better that you let them go to slaughter or try to find someone else. If they do then you won't be able to do anything with them but sink more money in them. No one smart would buy them off you. You could ask a trainer or horseperson who thinks they can handle it to see if they're rideable. If they are then you could buy all the tack. Someone else can tell you about that. I'm just telling you the basics. Good luck and if you have anymore questions the e-mail me.

Answer 3

I think that's great that you are saving this horses from slaughter, horses take a lot of time and love to keep them happy and healthy. Most horses need farriers out every two to three months, depending on the condition there hoofs are in. The first time you get them wormed have a vet or someone more experienced with horses to show you how, horses are generally wormed every two months. I don't know what kind of insects are where you live but we have a whole lot of mosquitoes so we get our horses vaccinated for west nile disease once a year!

I really hope this helped I know I didn't answer all your questions but this should work for now!  

Answer 4

- deworm every 2 months with a generic ivermectin paste

-they will need 4 shots each, 2 of those twice a year. The vet would be better suited to doing this as you dont know about horses.

-farrier comes every 6 to 8 weeks

-vet checks are mainly just pre-purchasing exams and for that purpose. youve already deciding to take these older horses on so expect problems at some point.

-If they have been out on pasture 24/7 before they most likely will not founder

-If there is no grass for them in a pasture buy a large round bale of a local cut quality hay

-Fly spray will do the job of keeping flys away though it can get pricey

-Bathing twice a year is good for their health but certainly not necessary

-Grooming is best to do it as often as you can. Curry combing can remove old hair and bring the natural oils to surface making them shiny

- I dont reccomend shoeing these horses if they arent going to be in work. A natural clip and trim will suit your purposes and be way cheaper

-Hoof picking is to be done as often as you can but not a must do  

Answer 5

If these horses are basically in retirement i would let them out to graze every day and bring them in the barn at night and perhaps just give them each a slice of oaten or meadow hay I would not give them hard or bucket feed ( Grain) as they should not need it. With their feet  the best advice i could give you would be to find a good farrier. A good farrier will tell you how often each individual horse needs their feet done as not all horses feet grow at the same rate and some horses are harder on their feet than others, also for doing four horses at once he should offer you a discount.  Farriers are a wonderful source of information. As they travel far and wide and have the benefit of every ones knowledge, if there is any thing you need to know ask him say for example the best vet to go to as he would probably have somewhere in the range of around 400 horse to work on he would be able to tell you who other people think is the best vet, cheapest food store, saddlery shop etc: Oh yeah   as long as your pasture doesnt have rock hard ground they shouldnt need shoes excepting if there are any medical issues.

I hope this is helpful if only a little bit

I think your doing a great thing.