Back to Basics
are putting yourself in the same position as the horse.
Being enclosed in a small space for so long means it will
be climbing the walls to get out and on eventual release
will most probably be just a tad over enthusiastic.
Keep your horse happy by allowing him some free-
dom. You must at least lead the horse out somehow or
lunge it. The horse must come out of his stable every
single day. Remember that lunging (properly execut-
ed) for 20 minutes is equivalent to working the horse
under saddle for an hour. You might at first think it is
impossible to provide him with freedom and exercise
but with a little thought and a few improvisations a
good deal can be accomplished.
How to lead a difficult horse:
If the horse is difficult to lead - perhaps because of
over exuberance at having been incarcerated for too
many hours, put a bridle on over the head collar. This
will give you a little more control. It is much the safest
way to lead, especially if the ground is icy or snow-cov-
ered.
Make a Temporary Lunging ring:
If you do not have an indoor school and need to
keep the horse in some sort of work - perhaps because
you have a competition coming up, you can improvise
on exercise areas. It is possible to use the dirty bedding
to make a half decent lunging ring in your paddock
or field. This obviously isn’t ideal but in emergencies
can be the only way to keep a horse exercised. Some
thought must be given to the area used. Once the snow
thaws it will be difficult to pick up your improvised
lunge area and the bedding will be churned into the
grass. Chose your area carefully.
Feeding:
Most people are aware that if the horse is to be
stabled for long periods or is not working as much as
normal they should cut the feed down. However, what
does ‘cutting the feed down’ actually mean? It means
cutting down the type or amount of the bucket feed
- the energy a horse needs to work is provided by the
feed we give in the feed bucket or manger. To avoid the
over exuberance, you should of course have reduced
the amount of energy feed you are providing in that
bucket.
If the horse is not doing any work at all - he should
be having very little energy feed indeed. In fact he
should have just a handful mixed in with some chaff
and carrots along with a good all round supplement
(he will be missing out on the vitamins and minerals
which the feed company put in the energy feed so you
must replace that).
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