Tips to Improve Your Horse’s Health

Most owners realize that while owning a horse can bring joy, it comes at a price. As a horse owner, make sure to take good care of your horse and you will experience the rewards. Do your best to improve the health and well-being of your horse. This will keep both you and the animal safe. Here are tips to improve your horse’s health.

Understand Your Horse

To care effectively for your horse, you need to understand the animal. Inspecting the body and learning the horse’s routine will help you know when there is a potential problem. Through an inspection of the animal’s body, you can notice signs of injury or inflammation.

When you know how much water or food your horse consumes, you can look for a change in routine or habits. Changes can be signs that something is not right.

Grooming Your Horse

Grooming your horse is a way to monitor their health. Good grooming goes beyond ensuring that your horse is clean and ready to ride. Scheduling an hour-long grooming session each week will help ensure that you notice any physical issues.

Brush the horse thoroughly and observe their reactions while you groom them. Look for signs of discomfort that can indicate injury. Use your hands to feel for swelling, heat, or sensitivity.

Take Vital Signs Regularly

Taking your horse’s vital signs regularly will help you determine their health condition. Take the pulse, heart rate, respiration, and temperature. It will help indicate when your horse is unwell. You need to realize that horses, like most animals, will not show signs of illness until things are really bad. Checking the vital signs will help catch issues early, and you can contact the vet at Chaparral Veterinary Medical Center immediately for necessary treatment.

Maintain a Healthy Weight

An overweight horse faces the risk of developing health issues. Fortunately, you can help your horse maintain a healthy weight. Ensure that the horse is eating enough while controlling the calories they consume.

Find out the value of all the food your horse eats and check their body regularly to determine their fat score. You can balance their diet by using vitamin and mineral supplements. Increase their heart rate by riding or leading the horse for at least 30 minutes a day.

Keep Track of Details

Keeping track of any details you notice will help you know when there is a problem. Use a journal to write down issues you need to keep track of. Writing down details such as body weight, scrapes, scars, and other details is helpful. Writing things down will help determine if there is a problem. It will also ensure that your horse is growing or developing properly. The journal will also come in handy if you need to board the horse or during vet visits.

Make sure that you check your horse’s teeth regularly and look for signs of dental issues. It will help to ensure that your horse is in good overall health. It is also helpful to allow your horse to live as naturally as possible. Turn out the horse for grazing as often as possible. Turnout will also help ensure that they get adequate exercise. Additionally, ensure proper hoof health by protecting the horse’s feet.

​​​​​​​For more tips to improve your horse’s health, visit Chaparral Veterinary Medical Center at our office in Cave Creek, Arizona. You can call 480.595.8600 to book an appointment today.