Horsetraining is not just about training your horse, it is also about taking care of your horse. In this blog you are going to learn how to properly feed your horse as well as some maintenance things for your horse. In order to insure that your horse is getting everything out of its training, it needs to have a good diet. Alfalfa or hay is a must have. Make sure your hay is not musty or moldy. Before you purchase any hay, smell it. If it smells musty or moldy do not buy it for your horse.
You want your horse to be at a good weight. You do not want to over feed or under feed your horse. If you over feed your horse you may get a very excited horse, this is what I call "full of their oats". They will have a lot of extra energy which you do not want. If you underfeed your horse, he/she may become crabbier than usual. But if I am underfed, I get crabby too. You have to start off with about a couple flakes a day. Depending on the quality of your hay you may need to add or take away its portions.
If you have an older horse like I do, you have to make sure they get all of the nutrition they need to stay healthy. I recommend a senior feed. It is based on older horses and gives them what they are missing in their diet. If they loose weight, they will loose it fast and it will be harder to get that weight put back on. For your younger horses you can give them oats, or something similar to that. But do not give them too much, they only need about half a coffee can once to twice a day, depending on their weight at the time.
With all the feed they eat, they will need to have their hooves trimmed. It is important to do this about every 6-8 weeks. If you do not do this, they can founder and you will not be able to ride or do anything with them. This goes hand in hand with your feed. Do not overfeed your horse, it can cause founder to happen to your horse. It is very painful to horse and is inhumane. Farriers are not that expensive and will keep your horse happy and healthy for many years to come.
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