HOW TO KEEP YOUR HORSE IN PEAK CONDITION
" Programmed Horse Care” Means the Regular Maintenance That Keeps Your Horse Looking His Best, Feeling His Best and Performing at His Best
For every horse owner, pride is the invisible piece of tack he puts on his animal every time he saddles up He’ s proud— or should be— of the way his horse looks and proud of the way he looks on his horse. He’ s proud of the way his horse performs— in the show ring, or simply on the bridle path. And he’ s proud of the way he’ s looked after the health and physical well-being of the animal that’ s entrusted to his care.
Conversely, a dull coat, listless appearance, unattended abrasion, or limp due to a cracked hoof or strained tendon all reflect unfavorably on the person who’ s supposed to be in charge of correcting them.
Owning a saddle horse is a responsibility as well as a pleasure. Meeting that responsibility, and knowing you’ re doing it well, can be one of the most rewarding forms of pleasure attached to horse ownership.
That’ s where“ programmed” horse care comes in. Programmed horse care simply means the regular steps you take to make sure that your mount is at the peak of his condition.
Some“ programmed” attentions must be given to your animal on a daily basis; some less frequently. But all of them are intended to see that potential problems are headed off before they develop, or treated in the best way possible before they’ re allowed to become worse.
Programmed horsse care means seeing to your mount’ s proper nutrition; protecting him against worms on a
year-round schedule; rubbing him down after each workout; maintaining his coat and hooves regularly— not just when you want to show him off; and treating minor cuts and scrapes promptly.
Here, from Merck’ s animal health experts, are some hints on maintaining your horse for peak health, peak appearance, and peak enjoyment to you. NUTRITION
Your horse needs an adequate supply of vitamins and minerals, just as you do. Even in cases where your horse is receiving a balanced diet of carbohydrates( energy food) and proteins( tissue-building food), he may be lacking in certain essential nutrients.
For example, winter-stabled horses in the northern states may be deficient in vitamin D. Animals deprived of fresh pasture, or rations rich in green leafy legume hay, may not receive enough carotene for their bodies to manufacture vitamin A. Lack of vitamin D may cause rickets in young horses, or osteomalacia in older horses. Lack of vitamin A can lead to such ailments as night blindness, poor hoof growth, colic, coughs an
colds, or reproductive failures.
Similarly, vitamin E is required for good muscle tone. Minerals like calcium and phosphorus arc needed to keep bones and teeth healthy. Iodine— known to be lac '- ing in some parts of the country— is needed by pregnant mares to avoid the danger of a weak or stillborn toa.
The best way to make sure that your horse is getting
the proper vitamins and minerals is to feed him a scientifically formulated conditioner every day. The conditioner should be palatable, so that the horse takes it a
SEPTEMBER, 1966 nd it should be in a form which is easy for you to give him— so that you aren ' t tempted to“ forget” or neglect this chore on busy days. Ideally, the conditioner should be something you can conveniently add to your animal’ s daily ration.
NOTE: Make sure your horse always has enough water. As any horseman knows, an enormous thirst for water is one of the horse’ s characteristics. The horse needs lots of water for the large quantities of saliva( about 10 gallons every 24 hours) he produces daily. He needs it to keep his metabolism working properly, lubricate his joints— in fact, to keep him alive. He should be
allowed to have as much water as he wants at all times— except immediately after exercise, when a sweating horse can drink himself into such ailments as colic or hoof founder.
PARASITISM
Your horse is probably harboring one or more varieties of equine roundworms right at this moment. This is an inescapable fact of equine life. Roundworm eggs abound in almost any pasture visited by horses, and may be harbored in even a clean-looking stall— to reinfect the horse that brought them there. At any given time, 90 per cent of all horses in this country are likely to be infected with roundworms, and the U. S. Department of Agriculture doubts that any horse can ever be entirely free of them.
Roundworms can be dangerous enemies to your
horse. The worst of them— large strongyles— can burrow into the blood vessels to cause colic, shortness of breath, lameness, or even sudden and mysterious death. Best estimates are that at least 70 per cent of all horses harbor some large strongyles.
Small strongyles, on the other hand, burrow into the
intestinal lining, where they interfere with nutrition. Ascarids, a particular danger to foals and young horses, can cause peritonitis or even pneumonia.
The widespread— and discouragingly permanent— presence of roundworms in your horse’ s environment means
that a regular worming program is essential. Horses should be wormed at least twice a year( spring and fall), and preferably at six to eight week intervals.
The safest and most effective of the modern wormers are those containing thiabendazole. Used by livestock men throughout the world, thiabendazole is particularly effective against the large strongyle and other roundworms. Used in the proper dosages, it has no unwanted side effect, and can be used even on foals and pregnant mares. From a convenience standpoint, thiabendazole makes starving your animal unnecessary. Since it is tasteless, it can be sprinkled on the horse’ s feed in a palatable sugar-tasting formulation. CARING FOR YOUR HORSE’ S COAT
The brush, the currycomb and the grooming cloth are the basic grooming tools for a fine-looking coat, and the conscientious horseman will use them every day. This can be a pleasure as well as a duty, as you care for a creature which is both pet and property.
To insure a glossy, show-winning sheen— or simply to have a horse that is pleasantly fresh and clean— regular shampooing is a must. If a properly formulated horse shampoo is used— one which replaces essential oils— shampooing can be carried out twice a month or more often.
A good shampoo helps reduce skin bacteria and fungus, and reduce itching. It can eliminate horsey odor. If it has the right ingredients, it will protect and preserve the coat and leave it glossy.
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