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Weekly Creature Tip 2/11/12
This week’s creature tip on horses is titled, “Cleaning Horse Hooves”
Weekly Bible Verse: Psalm 32:9 Do not be like the horse or like the mule, Which have no understanding, Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, Else they will not come near you.
Stay close to the Lord and He will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go.
Keeping horse hooves clean is important. Often a horse will get small rocks stuck in the frog (the frog is the V shape on the bottom of a horse’s hoof). Imagine you have a small rock in your shoe all day. It would bruise your foot, right? It is the same concept if a horse has a rock in its frog. It is common sense for horse owners to clean their horse’s hooves before and after riding to make sure there are no rocks. There is also another reason to clean horse hooves and that is because of thrush. Thrush is a very common thing and if a horse’s hooves are always dirty and never cleaned, the thrush can cause some big problems. Cleaning your horse hooves out every day or every few days will ensure your horse is rock free and it will also help cutback on the thrush. Thrush Buster works great if your horse has any thrush. You can buy it at most feed stores. Thrush is black, yucky, and smelly. When you go to clean out a horse’s hoof you will know if it has thrush or not.
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Weekly Creature Tip 12/24/11
This week’s creature tip on horses is titled, “Feeding horses Alfalfa”
Weekly Bible Verse: Psalm 33:17 A horse is a vain hope for safety; Neither shall it deliver any by its great strength.
I love these next verses because it says that the Lord is our true hope and strength.
Psalm 33:16-22
16 No king is saved by the multitude of an army; A mighty man is not delivered by great strength. 17 A horse is a vain hope for safety; Neither shall it deliver any by its great strength. 18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, On those who hope in His mercy, 19 To deliver their soul from death, And to keep them alive in famine. 20 Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield. 21 For our heart shall rejoice in Him, Because we have trusted in His holy name. 22 Let Your mercy, O LORD, be upon us, Just as we hope in You.
Horses and alfalfa can = energy if they sit in a pen too long. Feeding a horse straight alfalfa can make some horses very energetic if the horse is not using up the extra protein and calcium. For horses that are only ridden a few times a month for an hour or two they will not need as much alfalfa. Every horse is different. Older horses, growing foals, and lactating/pregnant mares will need more alfalfa than other horses. If your horse is at a healthy body weight and has too much energy, try backing off a little on the alfalfa. Try adding in some Timothy,Bermuda, Orchard, or 3-Way hay slowly into your horse’s diet. Also, grain can make a horse very hot too (hot means energetic). A horse’s diet can be a tricky thing and often needs adjustment depending on the time of year, how much you ride, and what kind of riding you do. When working with your horse’s diet, always watching their weight, and remember not to change it suddenly. Talk to your equine vet about your horse’s diet and have your horse examined regularly.
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Weekly Creature Tip 11/12/11
This week’s creature tip is on horses and is titled, “Psyllium and Horses”
Weekly Bible Verse: Psalm 20:7 “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the LORD our God.”
It doesn’t matter how difficult of a problem you’re in or if things seem strongly against you. Trust in the Lord because he is bigger and stronger than all your problems.
Psyllium is important especially for horses that live here in the High Desert. Psyllium is used in horses to help rid their stomach of any sand. Because horses eat off of the ground they sometimes eat a little dirt, this is especially so here in the desert (we don’t have pastures for our horses to graze on, just a lot of dirt). Sometimes, a horse will deliberately eat sand because he or she is lacking vitamins in its diet.
Psyllium comes in different forms like powder and pellets. The psyllium that I use is a powder and I mix it with wheat bran and mineral oil. If a horse is consuming sand and it becomes stuck in the stomach the horse can colic and die.
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Weekly Creature Tip 10/1/11
This week’s creature tip is on horses and titled, “Importance of Trimming Horse Hooves”
Weekly Bible Verse: Proverbs: 21:31 The horse is prepared for the day of battle, But deliverance is of the LORD.
Horses’ hooves are always growing and in the wild horses naturally wear them down. But a horse in captivity needs a regular trimming every 6-8 weeks.
F.Y.I. Did you know that the average life span of a wild horse is around 15 years? But, in captivity they live to be around 25 years and even older into their 30’s. Some horses have lived in captivity to be in their 50’s, but this is very rare.
Horses’ hooves are very important and letting them become overgrown can damage them, and the muscles, ligaments and even joints in the legs! Once a hoof becomes damaged it can be very costly or impossible to correct. Horses weigh on average 900-1,500 lbs and horses with damaged hooves cannot support their own weight without pain. If an owner of a horse does not have its hooves trimmed regularly, the horse will not be able to be ridden.
It is important to have a good farrier trim your horse’s feet (a farrier is a person that trims horses’ hooves). Not all farriers are good. In fact some farriers can ruin a horse’s hooves. A good farrier is usually not the low priced farrier. Ask your vet and other people who have horses who they use, and why they use that farrier. Then look at the horses that farrier has worked on. Does the horse walk normal and do the legs and hooves look right?
A horse with well kept hooves is a treasure.
