The Proper Way of Maintaining
the Health of Your Horse
Horses can be delicate creatures.
Inside their big and muscular body, lies a fragile creature that needs
to be taken cared of and attended to. There are simply too many things
to learn when it comes to maintaining the robust health of your horse.
You've got to take care of its teeth, muscles, and joints. And you've
got to be concerned about its internal health too.
Here are good tips to make
sure that your horse is always on perfect health all the time:
1. Watch out for signs of common
horse allergies.
Like humans, horses get allergies
too. The common ones they experience are skin allergies and respiratory
problems. Horses get these conditions from the environment. It is very
important that the horse's stable is always clean. Dust and mold spores
are horse's most common allergens. Keep these things away from your
pet.
2. Horses are likely to get
dehydrated during the colder weather.
In cold weathers, horses tend
to lose water inside their bodies. This is because they don't store
enough of them. Horses don't feel thirsty as frequently as they do during
the hotter days. And when they do want something to drink, the water
is often too cold for them. Sometimes, it is even freezing. It is during
these weathers that you need to take care of your horse all the more.
Make sure that your horse has access to fresh water all the time. The
cold weather could be harsh to your horse. So take preventive measures.
3. Give your horse the essential
minerals it needs.
Horses need trace minerals
such as copper, cobalt, iron, zinc, and manganese. Major minerals like
calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and potassium are essential as well.
Make sure that the horse gets its daily dose of supplements to ensure
that its body remains strong and healthy.
4. Learn how to obtain the
horse's vital signs.
Whenever you think your horse
feels ill, don't guess. Know for sure. You've got to learn how to take
the horse's pulse, temperature, and respiration. The horse's temperature
is best taken rectally. Always keep a plastic thermometer, preferably
digital, inside the horse's medical kit.
On the other hand, the pulse
of your horse can be felt somewhere beneath the jaw. There's also one
near the tailbone and another at the foot. If you can't find any one
of them, make sure that you ask the veterinarian the next time he visits
to show you where the exact spots are.
As for respiration, you can
take that even if you don't have a stethoscope. Although you can only
crudely estimate what your horse is feeling. Try to listen in how the
horse's lungs are holding out by placing an ear against its neck. You
should hear faintly the sound of its lungs and trachea. However, you
should not do this if the horse is really ill, stressed, or injured.
Horses are not tolerant of nearness in such instances.
