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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