Basic Horse Health

Horses are like any living creature they need love, food, water, shelter, and proper care survive. Are you providing the necessary needs to your horse? Horses need to have the proper amounts of grain and roughage a day so they do colic. The roughage needs to be clean hay or grass because bad hay can cause a horse to colic. Colic is when a horse basically gets a belly ache. However, the horse tends to lay down and tries to roll constantly. This can cause the horses intestines to become twisted and possible death if the colic is not treated properly. Always try to get the horse up and walking around and get a vet to give the horse the proper medication. Normally a pain relaxer such as ban amine works great.   

Also providing some type of shelter can help decrease chances of fungus, sunburn, and illness. A shelter during the winter and rainy months will help prevent rain rot and illness. While a shelter during the summertime will provide shade so a light colored horse will not become sunburnt. Which can be very painful for a horse.  Make sure that the horse has a clean source of water. You don’t want algae or any other critters swimming in the water because this can increase their chance of worms and internal pests. With this known it is also important to make sure you are giving routine vaccinations and wormers to protect your horses from spreading diseases that may be going around such as West Nile.

I hope that this quick bit of horse care tips helps you in establishing a healthy horse!

The Horse

Horses have been around for decades and they come into the world like anything else through birth. Horses have been wondering the ranges and some have even become domesticated pets for years now. But did you know that horses are designed with strong balance so they can flee any predator attack. And with that same thought they are also able to sleep lying down or standing up. I wish I could do that!

Once a mare (a female horse) is breed she will carry the baby for 11 months before it is born. Once a horse is born it is referred to as a foal. And they can normally stand and run in a very short time period after birth. When a horse is free it entire life it will stay with a herd and if it is a mare she too will have a baby when of age. If the horse is stud it will eventually fight to be the herd leader.

However, if the horse is domesticated most people will start training the horse for riding around the age of 2 and 4. When a horse reaches 5 years old it is normally done growing. And they have a pretty extensive life span for an animal. They can live up to 25-30 years old. Did you know that domesticated horses if treated properly normally live longer than wild horses because they do not have the dangers of the wild and most of the time do not have to worry about a limited food and water source.

Mustang Horses

This Week I want to take the time to let everyone know about some of the prettiest, toughest, All American Hearted horses around. The Mustang. Mustang horses have roamed the hills, valleys, and mountains for years even before the settlers came. They are one with the land. But the truth be known, Mustangs are not considered wild horses, they are considered feral because they were brought over here by the Spanish and then Americans claimed them to quickly travel the terrain.

Mustangs have had a tough life, once settlers began settling the United States, Mustangs were pushed further and further west until really there wasn’t much room for them anymore. Landowners started shooting them because there wasn’t enough land for cattle and all the Mustangs to graze. Now in today time the population of true free Mustangs is very slim. There are only a handful of true free mustangs that roam the hills of the west. However, there are many Mustangs in captivity by people who have been rescued form slaughterhouses or had nowhere else to go.

Now that you understand and know the Mustang background a little better. Do your part, by researching the Save a Mustang Foundation today. They provide great services to these horses.

The History of the Arabian Horse

The History of the Arabian Horse.

The Arabian horse is known as the horse of the desert. Arabians were founded in the deserts of the Middle East where members of tribes used them for everyday work force and fighting. It wasn’t until the 1877 when General Ulysses S grant was awarded two beautiful mares and stallions that started the first Arabian breeding program in the United States. After that the U.S Army used Arabians for war purposes. Arabians were known to be able to handle extreme conditions and maneuver easily through rough terrain.

Many people do not know this but Arabians are truly one of a kind. Did you know Arabians have one less rib, one less lumbar bone, and one or two fewer tail vertebrae than other horses.

Fun Facts About All Horses!

1. Horses sleep standing up most of the time
2. Horses only sleep for 2-3 hours during the day
3. You can tell how old a horse is by looking at its teeth
4. Baby horses are called foals for the first year of life.
5. Female horses are called mares
6. Not one horse is alike another
7. A horses heart weighs 9lbs.

Man o' War

Many people know about the racing legend Secretariat. However, it seems to me that Man o’ War’s name has been lost in the books. Man o’ War was one of the best racing horses of all time. He won 20 out 21 races he competed in and was considered to horse racing like Babe Ruth was to baseball, a legend. Man o’ war had a short race career of only one year is why I think many forget about him and his famous races. Although he is recognized in the Museum of Horse Racing as the athlete of the world but many other sites do not recognize him.

“In his remarkable career, Man o' War set three world records, two American records, two track records, and equaled another track standard. He won one race by an incredible 100 lengths and triumphed in another while carrying 138 pounds.” This is a racehorse I would have died to see. They said his size was unbelievable and he was the brightest red. Giving him the nickname “Big Red.”

The Average stride of a horse is 23.5 feet in length. To put in comparison how big “Big Red” was compared to the thoroughbreds on the track his stride hit at a great length of 28 feet. This is what gave him them advantage on the track. Winning his first race ever at the age of two with 6 lengths. The owner knew “Big Red” was a steal when he bought him for $5000, which is still known as the best deal ever in horse racing. Although “Big Res” did have temperament that was hard to break trainers finally managed to encourage him to use his anger on the track. This post is just to designed to dedicate Man o’ War and his great accomplishments.

Some information was gathered from:
http://www.racingmuseum.org/hall-of-fame/man-o-war.asp

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Horses and the War!

Horses are a big part of our lives. But they were even a bigger part of history! From helping building railroads to fighting for our freedom horses were on the front line with men and women who were fighting. Horses served a great deal of time during the wars before hummers and trucks were available for use. Horses carried supplies and soldiers from point a to point b. They were used as an ambulance service to get injured soldiers from the battlefield to the hospital.

Many people think horses don’t deserve to live free in the hills. However, the truth is there ancestors fought for our freedom just like ours did so they should be able to live wherever they want. Horses were also used for communication during the First World War. They could travel great distances to spread the word that the enemy was coming and allow time for troops to prepare.

Horses could be a huge part of the reason that we had such great success during the First World War. Imagine if soldiers had to walk everywhere and carry all the cannons and artillery up he hills without horsepower. It could have lead to a lot more injuries and deaths. So in my opinion horses are heroes too!




ANIMALS DURING THE FIRST WORLD WAR© IWM (Q 34105)


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