The Anatomy of a Horse

Lina — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 12:00:44 +0000

The horse’s anatomy consists of the skeletal system, the digestive system, the teeth, the hooves, and the senses.

The skeletal system of a horse is significantly different from that of a human skeleton. The horse as an average of 205 bones. They do not have a collarbone, but have a front limb system that is attached to the spinal column by a powerful set of muscles, ligaments and tendons that attach the shoulder blade to the torso. The legs and hooves are very unique as they are proportionately different from those of a human. The knee of a horse if very much like the carpal bones of a human (the wrist bones). The hock bones of a horse are like the ankle or heel bones of the human. The lower leg bones of the horse are very much like the hand and foot bones of the human. The fetlock is the proximal sesamoid bone between the cannon bones (like the metacarpal or metatarsal bones of the human - fingers and toes) and the proximal phalanges of the horse are located where one might find the "knuckles" on a human. Interestingly enough the horse has no muscles below the knees and hocks, only skin, hair, bone, tendons, ligaments and cartilage and a very specialized and assorted tissues that make up what is called the hoof.

The digestive system is well suited for an herbivore, which horses are. They mainly grass on grasses and other plant material. There are basically 3 categories of horse feed; pasture, hay, and concentrates. Pasture food is the greenery found in pastures. Horses doing light work can get along well with just pasture grazing if the area is large.

Hay is the basic food of most domestic horses. You need to feed horses good quality hay that has been inspected carefully before buying to guarantee that it is not green, that it does not contain dust, or mold. Hay can be soaked before feeding to be sure there is no dust content. There are three basic types of hay (Timothy, Brome and Alfalfa).

Concentrates are used to feed hard-working horses or pregnant horses or nursing mares, or very young horses. Concentrates are given to supplement the hay. Concentrates include grains (whole, rolled or cracked) sweet feed (grain mixed with molasses), or manufactured feeds (pellets, cubes, or extruded). You can feed beet pulp for additional bulk if needed. Beet pellets must be soaked first.

Horses need lots of fresh water. They can drink anywhere from 5 to 10 gallons of water each day.

Horses are known, as ruminants, which mean that they only have one stomach, just like humans. They have a "hind gut" that is called a cecum, or some people call it a "water gut", because food goes through this before reaching the large intestine. A horse surprisingly cannot vomit, so digestion problems can occur that can be serious even fatal, such as colic.

The teeth of a horse are perfectly designed for grazing. The horse has 12 incisors (six on top and six on bottom) that the horse uses to bite off grass and other vegetation. The horse also has 24 teeth for chewing. Stallions and geldings have four more teeth behind the incisors that are like canine teeth and are called "tushes". Some horses may develop small vestigial teeth in front of the molars, known as "wolf" teeth. If they develop these wolf teeth, they are usually pulled because they interfere with the bit.

The hooves are very important to the horse for movement. The hoof consists of distal phalanges (like a human fingertip or toe), which is surrounded by cartilage and other specialized soft tissue, which is rich in blood (laminae). There is an exterior hoof wall and a horn of the sole, which is made of the same type of material as the human fingernail is made of. Horseshoes are made to protect the horse's hooves. The hooves need to be trimmed and the horseshoes reset approximately every five to eight weeks.

The senses are more developed than those of a human because they are prey animals (other animals prey on them). This is why the horse has large eyes and excellent vision day and night. They have only a limited range of color vision though. Horses have difficulty distinguishing between the colors of green, brown and gray. They have a better sense of smell than humans. They have an outstanding sense of balance and sense of touch, which helps when it comes to warding off flies and mosquitoes. They need their keen sense of taste to tell the difference between good food and food that is poisonous or spoiled.

What Every Horse Needs

Spencer — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 13:26:18 +0000

Do horse owners really know what every horse is really
craving for, or that they physically and emotionally need? We all have heard of
horror stories about abused horses, so we know that now all horse owners know
what their horses need.

Essentials:

Every horse needs basic essentials for growth, and good
health. These essentials include proper feeding, fresh and clean daily water,
shelter from inclement elements, companionship, exercise, mental relaxation,
and freedom from pain is basically what a horse needs.

Variety:

What a horse needs in addition to the basic essentials is
variety to break the monotony of life, as well as variety in diet. Horses love
flavor and can be delighted to experience different flavors in their feed including
banana, turmeric, oregano, garlic, ginger, rosemary, cherry and peppermint.
These flavorings can be added to otherwise unpalatable supplements.

Vary your horses feed by replacing some of the hay with a
short chopped hay replacer or a meal extender.

Mix it up a bit by putting the forage in different areas of
the stable.

Plant some meadow flowers and herbs in paddocks, including
wild thyme, marjoram, parsley and feverfew.

Vary his/her work assignments and you just may see a horse
with a livelier step.

Companionship:

Satisfy your horse's need for companionship by turning
him/her out as much as possible with other friendly horses.

Misc:

Do not hesitate to see a veterinarian's advice if you think
you may have a problem with one of your horses.

Do not physically strain any horse, especially while
working.

Avoid over-training by allowing plenty of time for any
stressful training session, such as loading.

Don't forget that every horse needs an annual dental
check-up, according to the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP).
This annual exam will help to catch dental problems early when they are easier
to treat. Dental problems can result in significant weight loss, or colic.

Every horse needs tender loving care from owners who want to
spend time with the horse. Giving the horse the attention it needs and
deserves. The time and effort you put into being with and caring for your horse
will help to foster that bond between horse and rider that all owners want and
horses need.

There are many opportunities to spend time with your horse
including grooming, handling, and of course riding.

Horses need owners to be able to pay attention to how a
horse communicates. A horse communicates with the swivel of their ears and by
the movements of their hips, and with facial expressions. The horse needs for
someone to pay attention to the communication that he/she is trying to forge
between you and the horse.

If you provide for the physical needs of your horse, their
need for adequate medical and dental care, companionship, proper grooming, and
an opportunity to bond with their owner you will have a happy horse.

What First Time Horse Owners Need To Know About Horses

Lina — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 15:18:43 +0000

Owning a horse is exciting and something that first time owners may have been waiting a long time to do. In order to make the experience a rewarding one, first time horse owners should take the time to reall understand the horse they are buying to be sure that the horse fit the purpose for which it is being purchased. You want a good match between horse and horse owner or the experience will be frustrating and perhaps an unhappy one. When purchasing a horse for the first time there are many things besides a good match in purpose to look out for. You need to look at the training the horse has received, the competitive record if the horse is being purchased to race, the breeding of the horse, you want to have disclosed any defects and have them inspected by a vet, you also want to discover what the seller's reason is for selling the horse as this may have a bearing on the quality of the horse.

Young horses and stallions are not suitable for first time
owners. A horse for a first time owner should be trained by a knowledgeable
person for the task that the first time owner is purchasing the horse for. A
horse that is suitable for a first time horse owner would be a horse that is at
least 6 years of age, is well trained and has a good disposition.

First time horse owners will also need to be sure that they
are prepared to shelter, feed, groom and see to the medical and dental needs of
the horse.

One necessity of a horse is for shelter. They will need not
only an outdoor pasture and corral but also a stable with a stall. The stall
size depends on the size of the horse.

8' X 8' stalls are fine for ponies and horses up to 12 hands

8' X 10' stalls will fit horses from 12 to 14 hands

10' X 10' stalls will be good for horses that are 14 to 16
hands

12' X 10' stalls will fit horses that are 16 to 17 hands

Horses that are over 17 hands will require a stall that measures 12'X 12'

Grooming tools that a first time horse owner will need to have on hand before the horse is purchased are:

A dandy brush, which is a stiff, bristled brush and used for thick-coated horses and ponies. It removes heavy dirt or is used to clean a long coat. The bristles may irritate or tickle horses, so care must be used when this type of brush is used on a horse. You can use this brush to damp to lay the mane down.

Shedding blades or combs have a variety of styles and are strips of metal with blunt teeth and a handle on each end. It is used to remove dead hair. When horses shed their heavy winter coats the shedding blade comes in handy.

A body brush is a soft bristled brush with a handle that is used on the head and other boned regions of the horse's body. They are used with metal currycombs.

Feeding a horse:

Grass or timothy hay is usually a good hay to feed a horse. If the horse is hard working, high energy or young you may do well to give it an additional flake or two of alfalfa.

Horses on average will eat 2 lbs of hay for every 100 lbs of body weight. Horses eat 3 times each day. When you feed a horse 3 times a day it mimics grazing which is a natural digestive state for the horse and eliminates boredom for horses that are stalled most of the time.

Your feed store will have grains, sweet feeds, and other combination mixes to give to your horse on occasion or if your horse has additional nutritional needs. Your vet can give you advice on the particular nutritional needs of your horse.

A horse needs an unlimited supply of fresh, clean, cool drinking water at all times. Water a horse using buckets or an automatic waterer, or large trough for when the horse is turned out in the pasture.

Free choice minerals or salt blocks are essential for the health of your horse. You should have these mineral blocks or salt blocks somewhere in the stalls, or in a turnout area where they cannot be rained on.

Want A Better Horse, Grow A Better Pasture

michael — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 12:16:22 +0000

Pastures are more than fencing and grass, at least to horse owners who care about horses. A quality pasture is worth, well its weight in hay

Hay prices equates to: You’d better have a quality pasture. It just makes good horse-sense to make good use of your pasture. How do you do that?

The first thing any horse owner should do is to have a soil test done. Check your local agriculture extension service, or ask at a agricultural college if you have one nearby. Students are sometimes interested in doing soil test just for the lab experience.

Make sure you have the information you need concerning the best grasses to plant for maximum nutrition for your horses. Should you seed in some clover, alfalfa? Do you know what grasses you presently have in your pasture?

Depending on the soil test results, you may need to fertilize; just make sure you keep the horses out of the pasture while you do it. Follow all instructions on the fertilizer packaging and use a good fertilizer or lime or whatever the test result says you need. You want to grow the best pasture possible. Make sure you eliminate any weed problems too. Block off the field if you will be using a herbicide.

All pastures need regular mowing. You may need to mow two or three times over a growing season. The fresher the grass the more palatable it is for the horses.

Once a month drag the pasture in order to break up piles of manure. This will help to eliminate "contaminated" areas. This will allow the manure to break down more easily as fertilizer.

Make sure that you can rotate the pastures. Do not let horses overgraze in a pasture. Make sure the pastures are level and irrigate whenever needed. Pastures should have an adequate supply of mineral because the horses will make better use of the pasture grasses.

Pastures are a necessity when you have horses. Horses need the outdoor time in the sun. Make sure that you keep fresh water in the trough (located in the pasture). The best place for the trough is near the gate. Clean the trough weekly. You can also use "muck buckets", secured to the fence and filled with clean, fresh water.

Cold Weather Pasture Care:

Manure mixed with slush or rain can turn into mire and be a real mess, so clean it up quickly.

Before the snow falls pickup and put away trotting poles, jumps or anything else that may prove hazardous if left out and hidden by snow.

Make sure that all repairs to the pasture all done before the temps dip. Once the ice and snow hits you won't want to be doing any fence repairs.

If you have any hollows in front of gates or doors make sure you fill them in to prevent ice hazards.

Install water heaters in your troughs before the first freeze or the horses will not have water to drink. Also if the water in a trough is too cold, and horses drink it, this can lead to colic caused by impaction. Use a Ground Fault indicator receptacle to plug your water heater in to.

In late fall (depending on what area you are in) fertilize and "frost seed" legumes and grasses. Your local agricultural office can give you specific recommendations regarding how to care for your pasture during cold weather.

Keeping Your Pregnant Mare & Unborn Foal Safe & Healthy

Lina — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 11:49:46 +0000

Keeping Your Pregnant Mare and Unborn Foal Safe and Healthy

It is assumed that the pregnancy started with a healthy mare and that all physical, mental and emotional factors are normal. A mare that is a little on the plump side when she becomes pregnant is actually ideal, as she will usually do better. You want her to not only make it through the pregnancy but also have enough milk for the foal and a plump mare just does better in both situations. The mare should be current on all vaccinations before becoming pregnant. Be careful not to give any vaccinations during the first 90 days of her pregnancy.

There basically is not a whole lot to do that is different from normal care during the first 4 to 5 months of the pregnancy. You can even ride a pregnant mare for the first nine months of pregnancy as long as you do not do any risk activities (jumping, racing etc.). In fact, the mare will benefit from the exercise of riding her.

The foal will start to double in size the last 2 months of pregnancy and this is when the mare should be turned out so that she can get free exercise. She many experience swollen legs during these last two months of pregnancy and it is preferred to have her free exercise rather than to be ridden.

A pregnant mare needs to have adequate amounts of minerals during her pregnancy, which can be given using a commercial mineral mix that contains 25% salt to increase the palatability of the mineral supplement contained in the mix. Be careful NOT to feed any other source of salt to the mare while she is on this mineral supplement that contains salt.

When she reaches her 5th, 7th, and 9th months of pregnancy a vaccine for rhino pneumonitis should be given. This disease is serious, not to the mare but to her unborn foal, as it can cause abortion in pregnant mares and respiratory distress in young horses. During her last 4 to 6 weeks of pregnancy she will need to be given a routine booster for a variety of equine disease so that she will make new antibodies for these diseases, which will pass on to the foal in the mare's colostrum when she nurses. During the first few months of life the foal's immune system is maturing and until it does the foal will need the antibodies from the mare's colostrum to stay healthy.

Avoiding parasites:

The mare should be dewormed following a regular schedule until the last month of pregnancy. During that last month of pregnancy the mare should receive a daily dewormer until the foal stops nursing. Following this deworming schedule will greatly reduce the incidence of parasitism for both the mare and foal.

Hooves During Pregnancy:

Especially during those last two months of pregnancy the mare's hooves will be carrying a lot more weight and need to be checked more frequently for break up or splaying of the hooves. They need regular trimming and special attention.

Caring For A Horse That Is Pastured

Lina — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 11:10:21 +0000

A horse that is pastured has special needs that the owner needs to be prepared to have ready for the horse before purchasing the horse. The owner needs to be sure the horse has all of his vaccinations in order, that there is worming medicine on hand, that there is a plentiful water supply available to the horse at all times, and that the owner can give the horse protection from flies such as a fly mask with ear protectors.

Horses require a lot of fresh water daily. An average horse goes through 25 to 30 gallons of water each day. There are some horses that will not drink from ponds or streams so you will need to be sure to have a water trough available.

Horses need a balanced nutritious diet. Just because the horse is pastured does not mean that all of the nutritional needs will be met by the pasture grasses. You may likely have to supplement with hay or concentrates, especially during the winter months or during times of drought. Older horses and horses who perform heavy workloads often cannot maintain their weight on pasture grasses alone.

It is really important that the horse have shelter from inclement weather such as rain and wind and too much sun. Tree may offer some protection but they still should have some sort of additional protection such as a lean-to or an overhang.

It is imperative that the fencing be inspected on a regular basis for any loose boards, nails, posts or any wiring that needs repairing. Horses by nature, will find anything that is available to hurt themselves on.

Remove any barbed wire from any fencing where horses can come into contact with it. A horse can sustain serious injuries from barbed wire; it can even kill a horse if the horse tries to jump over it or if it tries to run through the barbed wire.

During the rainy season there most be plenty of high, dry ground so that the horse will not have to stand in mud or water that can damage hooves and legs.

Most counties have regulations regarding how many horses you can keep per acre. You can contact your local agriculture extension agent for information and recommendations.

If you over-stock your pasture it may cause soil erosion, which will then lead to overgrazing and bare spots, which then increases the risk for parasites, which may lead to parasitic infections for the horses.

Horses are herd animals and need other horses for companionship. Make sure that the horses are compatible.

All pastured horses need regular de-worming.

Test the pasture soil on a yearly basis to check to see if you need to fertilize to maintain the health of the grass. To prevent weeds from spreading keep the pasture mowed to a reasonable height. This also increases the horse's grazing.

To help keep the grasses growing, irrigate the pasture whenever necessary.

Categories

The Anatomy of a Horse

What Every Horse Needs

What First Time Horse Owners Need To Know About Horses

Want A Better Horse, Grow A Better Pasture

Keeping Your Pregnant Mare & Unborn Foal Safe & Healthy

Caring For A Horse That Is Pastured