The Cost Of Horses

My husband would tell you that a bad drug habit would be cheaper than horses. He would also tell you that the benefits of horses is immeasurable, and for that I appreciate him. Just to be clear I do appreciate him for more than this, but this is an important one because horses play a huge role in our life.

Horse ownership is not something to be entered in to lightly. Like any animal, horses require specific care to meet their needs. Scrimping on that care, or not arming yourself with the required knowledge can end up creating extra costs for both you and your equine acquisition.

Let’s break things down for easy navigation. We will look at the cost of owning or being involved in the world of horses. We will then look at the life changing rewards of the equine lifestyle.

I have met a lot of people who’s daughters love horses so they jump into the idea of buying a horse for their daughter. Meanwhile they have zero knowledge, or understanding of how to handle or care for a horse. I mean really, how hard can it be?

Lets start with the basics.

Land; horses need land. New studies indicate, that in order to keep a pasture in top condition and optimally meet a horses needs, 2-3 acres of land is required per horse. Previously 1 acre was considered sufficient.

If you have land, that is great, but you also need a healthy pasture, free of toxic weeds and filled with quality forage to meet the health needs of your horse. This pasture requires maintenance such as: seeding, fertilizing, harrowing, aerating, spraying for toxic weeds, animal rotation, mowing if required, etc.

This is just the base, it also requires a solid and safe fence, cross fencing, regular fence maintenance, shelter and water. You will also need to plan for winter feeding and watering. Do you have heated water that won’t freeze in the winter? Horses require tepid, fresh water at all times. Often pawing through the snow in the winter is not sufficient to meet a horses energy requirements, or hydration requirements. They may choose to paw over eating hay if there is a lot of pasture available and not much snow but they also need access to other forage options during the winter and a continuous supply of water at all times.

If you have land and it is set up and in great condition, that is a solid first step.

Lets compile the list so far:

• land

• equipment to manage land

• seed, fertilizer, weed control

• solid, safe fencing, shelter, water

• hay or forage alternatives for winter weather

• storage to keep hay dry and free of mold

• Someone to watch your horses if you go away

• TIME

What next?

If you have a horse you will need a vet, Farrier, other equine specialists, truck and trailer, or easy access to one, and tack.

Horses require yearly vet contact for immunizations, teeth floats, wellness exams and any other health maintenance your horse requires. Horses also require a deworming program that ensures they are free of parasites, but also a program that helps to prevent parasite resistance from occurring.

Farriers are also instrumental in the health of your horse. Trimming and shoeing is not to be taken lightly as it can make or break your horse! Horses need their feet trimmed on a 6-8 week rotation and more often if they are competitive, or shod. Do your research, good Farriers are few and far between. Once you find a good one treat them well!

Occasionally horses require other types of maintenance such as equine massage therapy or chiropractic work.

You need a way to transport your horse in case of a medical emergency, or an evacuation emergency, such as fire, or flooding. You may want to transport to a show or clinic. Having easy access to a truck and safe trailer is essential.

If you plan to ride your horse you will require appropriate tack. This tack should be comfortable for, you but more importantly perhaps, an appropriate fit for your horse. A saddle that fits your horse properly now, will prevent many costs later on when damage to your horse is already done. Bridles, bits, pads, girth/cinches, saddles, boots, helmets, halters, brushes…the list goes on! All of these items will need to find a home in a tack shed, or tack trunk.

Let’s add to the list:

• Vet

• Farrier

• Equine specialist

• Truck and Trailer

• Tack

• TIME

We now have the VERY basic of the bases covered in regard to horse ownership. If you have a child that loves horses, they will likely want to learn to ride and maybe even do clinics or shows.

Let’s add to the list:

• riding lessons

• barn/arena fees

• clinic fees

• show fees

• stabling fees

• insurance

• gear (breeches, boots, helmets, jackets, shirts etc.)

• transportation

• TIME

I know that I have left out many things. We have paddocks for example and we have hogs fuel in the paddocks. These paddocks need to be maintained and managed just like the pasture does. We have an arena, the arena needs to be maintained and managed just like the pastures and the paddocks do. The list goes on and on but I am highlighting some of the minimum requirements to owning a horse.

• Also important to note is that horses are herd animals and therefor really must be kept with a minimum of one other horse. Horses kept alone can run in to problems with sleep deprivation, depression and a decline in health. Some countries in Europe have made it illegal to keep horses isolated by themselves because of the negative impacts on them.*

OK! NOW WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD YOU CHOOSE THE EQUINE LIFESTYLE?!

Very much this: (It talks about girls but it really is for everyone)

“Parents, let your daughters grow up to be horse girls, because they will learn quickly and repeatedly that life isn’t fair, that hard work is often trumped by lady luck, and that every defeat, no matter how terrible, is temporary. Let them dream big and kick on. Let them learn confidence and grace and grit. Let them build big muscles and strong backs.

Let your daughters grow up in the barn. Let them learn that buckets need filling and stalls need cleaning, even when its raining, even when its frozen, even when they have a different idea for how the day should go.

Teach them to drive trucks and trailers and ATV’s. Teach them to change tires and wrap legs and give shots. And let them leave a spur mark or a bit rub or a bandage bow, and let them deal with the shame of causing pain to an animal they love.

Let them grow up with horses and with good horse people, because it will teach them to be humble, and to be resilient and to be brave.”

~Author Unknown~

Owning horses is not something to enter in to lightly, and there is a huge cost involved in doing it knowledgeably and safely for both you and the horse, but the rewards can and will pay dividends.

Are you and your horse ready for winter?

Depending on where you live, getting ready for winter will look different. I live in northern British Columbia, Canada. Our winters are long, and filled with snow and cold temperatures, add to that complications that occur when Chinooks blow in leaving sheets of ice in their wake. These types of weather conditions require planning, forethought, education and preparation.

Where to start?

Feed: In order to know how much hay you need to make it through the winter you need to do some math. What size are your bales, how many horses do you have, how long does each bale last? Do you roll out your hay, net your hay, feed squares? Is your hay under cover? How you store and feed your hay will impact how much hay is wasted, which in turn impacts how much hay you require for the winter season.

We net our hay and also lift it off the ground about 8”. It is placed in to a tombstone round bale feeder. We have found this is the best way for us to feed our horses. It slows down their eating to mimic grazing. It also prevents a significant amount of wastage by keeping the hay contained and up off the ground where it would get mouldy. We have found that the wastage for us with this feeding pattern is less than 5% a bale.

In general we average 1 bale per horse every 5 weeks. This of course depends on how cold the weather is and how much snowfall there has been. Our horses will continue to paw throughout the winter even with hay available to them. We have 6 horses, so if I consider winter up here to last about 22 weeks I will need at least 27 bales of hay to get through until spring pastures start to grow. I am fortunate enough to have a large hay shed so am able to keep all my hay under cover which keeps it more nutritious, healthier and allows it to last longer.

Another feed question to consider is if you plan to supplement your horses diet with any extruded type of feed? Extruded or grain type feed comes in the form of oats, beet pulp, hay cubes, ground flax or a complete type of pelleted feed etc.

If you have read any of my other blog posts you know that I feed all of my horses a mix of things that I call “mash” every day. I have multiple reasons for doing this that go beyond nutrition. For the purposes of winter feeding I will touch on the benefits as I see them. A wet mash type product acts as a carrier for vitamins and minerals, extra calories if required, extra water, carrier of medication, electrolytes to encourage water consumption etc.

Something else that horses require at all times in access to salt and minerals. This can be provided via salt and mineral blocks, or loose salt and mineral, that they can access at all times or is added to their mash. It is difficult to add sufficient salt and or mineral to your horses mash so it is likely you will still need to supplement this with other access to salt and minerals.

Weather will impact your salt and mineral so it needs to be kept in a sheltered location such as a corner feed bin in a pasture shelter. If you have horses that do not tolerate sugar you will want to ensure that the mineral you feed is appropriate as some blocks contain molasses and other surgery components.

Water: There are multiple views on this topic. Horses First recommends, that your horses have access to tepid water at ALL times and in ALL seasons. The water that horses can access by eating just snow is not sufficient to meet their hydration needs. Horses are at higher risk of impaction colic during the winter months as they may not have easy access to water as snow and ice build up. Having water temperature that is tepid instead of icy cold will encourage them to drink.

Electrolytes added to their “mash” may also entice them to drink more often as well. Please make sure that you are knowledgeable in the use of electrolytes prior to using them in your horses diet.

Shelter: Your horses’ coat is designed to keep them warm through the winter months. There are two types of situations that your horses hair coat has a hard time coping with: water and wind. For this reason it is important that your horses have access to shelter at all times so that they are able to move themselves out of inclement weather situations. Shelter may consist of barns, in and out sheds, pasture shelters, wind breaks and trees, or bushes. Wind breaks and trees, or bushes may be limited in the amount of secure shelter that they offer your horse so it is important to go out often to ensure your horses are coping well with the weather patterns.

If you choose to blanket your horse through the winter, their hair growth will be impacted. This means if you decide to make the commitment to a blanket it is a full season commitment that lasts until spring weather starts to shift.

Blankets need to fit well, be water proof and warm enough for the chilliest of winter days.

Blankets are high maintenance and can not be put on and left. They need to be checked daily. You need to pull blankets off to ensure the there is no rubbing or chaffing going on and that your horse is maintaining its condition. The same blanket can not be used at 0 and -35. Layers need to be taken off or added to keep your horse comfortable and safe no matter what the winter weather throws at you!

Fencing: Before winter storms hit is a good time to ensure your fences are all in good repair. Accidents certainly can happen but heading out at -20 to make a fence repair is something I am hoping to avoid! Walk the fence line and peruse the pasture or paddocks to ensure everything is in good working order.

It is also important to keep an eye on drifting snow throughout the winter in case it is setting an easy course for your horses to step over a fence and head out on a walk about.

Feet: If your horses’ are generally shod throughout the spring and summer, now is a good time to consider pulling their shoes for the winter. Their feet will be a bit tender for a few days after removing the shoes so try to avoid this process right at freezing when there might be frozen ruts and such to navigate.

Leaving shoes on over the winter increases the risk of a slipping injury. Shod horses tend to build up more snow balls in their feet leading to the possibility of mechanical founder and soft tissue injury.

If your horse requires shoes on all year due to foot or other issues there are ways to provide grip to their feet in an attempt to avoid accidents. There are also lots of ideas out there on how to avoid snowball build up in the hoof.

Where I live in the north we experience chinooks occasionally. This weather system can wreak havoc with footing creating very icy conditions that are dangerous for everyone, horses and humans! Chicken grit, hogs fuel, shavings etc. All help to provide grip for horses in pastures or paddocks.

If you have a well thought out plan that you walk through each winter season, you will be well prepared to provide for your equine partners in even the most formidable winter weather.

Bring On The Winter!

Seven Steps to Conquering Your Horse Nerves

Horses First would like to welcome guest writer Jodine Buydens to our September Blog!

Jodine Buydens

Equestrian Program Director

Pro-EFW Dual Certified: Equine Facilitated Learning & Equine Professional

Jodine is a lifelong horsewoman who began as an avid member of the Pony Club before shifting her focus to competing in the Hunter and Jumper disciplines as a junior. Her extensive equestrian experience includes a notable career as an Equine Behaviour Specialist, Hunter/Jumper coach, and a clinician. Jodine is the author of If Your Horse Could Talk, as well as being a leadership coach. Jodine is thrilled to be combining her passion for horses and leadership, as she develops the QMS Equine Facilitated Leadership Development Program. 

Seven Steps to Conquering your Horse Nerves

Your horse naturally senses how you are feeling, so pretending you are not nervous is a recipe for tension and resistance–in both you and your horse. These seven simple steps will calm your nerves, boost your confidence and help your horse relax. The calmer you and your horse become the more fun you’ll have. These steps are easy to implement and a snap to remember, you’ll be armed for success at home and on the road.

Whether you’re nervous about riding, or are simply dealing with show ring butterflies, your horse picks up how you are feeling. As prey animals they are hardwired to notice shifts in the energy, emotions and physical bodies of everything around them. Some horses may become a little tense when you do, others might notice a lapse in leadership and start to take over. Either reaction isn’t much fun when you’re already feeling a little anxious. 

So let’s get started with some easy ways to calm your nerves and have more fun doing what you love to do!

1.     Think Positive: Whether you want it to or not your body automatically responds to your thoughts, and your horse responds to your body. When you think about what makes you nervous your body will stiffen, your heart will beat faster and you’ll start to hold your breath. The opposite happens when you think relaxing thoughts. If you catch yourself thinking of what might go wrong take a breath and then focus on a memory of when things went really well.

2.     Breathe: Holding your breath is a natural response to stressful situations, yet when you hold your breath your body tightens. In doing so you not only have a harder time responding physically, you have less oxygen going to your brain to help you think clearly (and remember courses).

Purposefully taking long deep breaths will help your body—and your mind—relax. The great thing about breathing deeply is you can do it anytime, anywhere. I suggest trying it before you get on, while you’re warming up and even in the show ring. It’s simple and it works!

3.     Sing: Sing, and sing out loud. Singing is one of my favourite tools, especially if I’m having a hard time thinking positively. When you sing it forces you to keep breathing and it keeps your mind busy. If you’re busy thinking of the words to a song it becomes more difficult for those pesky negative thought to pop up. 

4.     Take it One Step at a Time: When you are feeling scared or nervous it becomes harder to learn and make good decisions. There is a lot going on at horse shows so if you don’t consciously slow down it’s easy to become overwhelmed. An easy way to slow down is to break your day into small steps and then give your full attention to each one. 

For example, while tacking up try to focus on your horse’s cleanliness and turnout rather than how he’ll behave in the show ring. In the warm up ring listen to your coach’s advice and be considerate of other riders. The more you focus on the task at hand the calmer you’ll be.

5.     Visualize: Visualization is a tool that many top athletes, including riders, use to improve and get the best out of their performance. By creating a mental video of an event or situation, and going over it in your mind while in a relaxed state, you can increase the likelihood that the situation will go according to your plan. 

All you have to do is take a few minutes before you tack up and imagine yourself riding exactly as you need to for the show to be a success. If you don’t see clear or vivid pictures right away don’t worry, that’s normal. Just talk yourself through your imaginary ride.

6.     Educate Yourself: One of the easiest ways to combat those horse show nerves is to learn as much as you can beforehand. Study show ring etiquette and ask your coach what the judges are going to be looking for. Practice tests or courses at home and give yourself plenty of time to memorize them before it’s your turn to enter the ring. The more you plan ahead the less there is to worry about on show day.

7.     Have Fun: Last but not least, have fun! You’ve likely been working towards this day for a while and you deserve to enjoy it. Even if things don’t go as intended focus on what is working, even if it’s laughing with a friend as your horse makes goofy faces hoping for a treat. Having fun boosts your confidence and loosens up your body.

Killer Clover!

Spring 2016, I noticed scratches on the back feet of our Appaloosa (Laredo). Now of course some horses are more prone to scratches, so not necessarily alarming. In Laredo’s case however, he had never had a case of scratches. He was the lowest maintenance horse we had, so this was worth paying attention to! We treated it as we would any case of scratches and essentially moved on, as we were unable at that point to identify any other factors of risk.

Fast forward a few weeks and we are down in Langley, BC at Thunderbird Show Park for the May series. My friend and neighbour (Wendy) is looking after our horses back home. I get a frantic call from Wendy saying something is wrong with Laredo! Laredo can be a bit stand offish, but on this particular day he ran up to Wendy almost bowling her over in his quest for help. Something was very wrong! He was in evident distress, agitated and pacing. Wendy immediately called me and I promptly told her to call the vet. The vet that came that day was not well versed in horses. She was more of a small animal vet, but she was the only one on call that weekend. She checked Laredo over but found nothing glaring. We moved him out of the pasture into the paddocks for closer monitoring.

Once we arrived home from the horse show we evaluated Laredo again and had our equine vet out. By this time Laredo appeared to be less distressed, but he was quite sunburned. My vet enquired about Alsike Clover. I had never noticed it in our pasture so out we went to check. To the naked eye there didn’t appear to be a clover issue… then we looked deeper. Under all of the tall pasture grasses were little patches of Alsike Clover! Too small to be seen around the longer grass, but easily sought out by a clover loving Appaloosa!

The vet ran a liver panel and what we found was shocking. Usually the liver enzyme in a healthy horse sits between 1-25. Laredo’s liver enzyme was nearly 500. We immediately got him on a liver cleanse and monitored his liver for a year. We sprayed the pasture with a product that is supposed to keep Alsike Clover at bay for up to 5 years. We kept him under cover to avoid further sunburn as Alsike Clover poisoning can make a horse very photosensitive. We also noticed that the whites of Laredo’s eyes were a bit yellow, another sign of a liver issue. We have found the product we sprayed only lasted in our pasture about 3 years.

In 2019 Laredo let us know that Alsike Clover had made another appearance in our pasture. I now monitor my pasture with great diligence, checking regularly for Alsike Clover. We have 5 horses and have found that some love clover and will search it out any chance they get, while others seem to ignore it in favour of other grasses.

This year, 2020, has been particularly extreme for Alsike Clover. It is toxic to horses both fresh in the field and dried in their hay. Do some research; know what to look for. There are both red and white clover varieties that are fine for horses to eat. They grow differently on the stem and have a water mark that appears as white v on their leaves. Alsike Clover stems are smooth and not ‘hairy’ the leaf is serrated with no water mark. The flowers tend to be a combination of white with light pink. Left unchecked in horse pastures, Alsike Clover can hold deadly consequences.

Image retrieved from http://www.horsedvm.com/poisonous/alsike-clover/

Why Do I feed My Horse Mash Everyday?

If someone were to look at my little herd of horses they would not immediately think “Give them more calories!”. In fact, most of my horses are easy keepers that lean towards chubby. There is actually work involved in trying to keep their weight down. They are in a controlled environment during the week. Spending time being hand fed in the paddocks and working. The weekend is break time, out in a beautiful, lush, 14 acre pasture…. a definite highlight in everyones week!

In, or out of the pasture, winter or summer, 365 days a year our horses get mash. They don’t need mash for the caloric intake but they do need it for so much more!

Everyday I mix a concoction that ends up being about 2 cups total for each horse. What I use for ‘mash’ isn’t really important, although it is geared toward easy keepers so has a low glycemic index. Everyone has their own preference. I call it mash, many might call it grain. What is important is that this mix is a carrier, a carrier for medication, a carrier for electrolytes, a carrier for moisture, fibre, minerals….

Everyday I head out with the bins. The horses see me coming and head over, excited for the treat. While they eat I check them over. I touch their ears, I clean out their feet, look at their legs, give them a stretch, put eye drops in the eye of our appaloosa that is prone to episodes of Uveitis.

This routine also allows me to check if they need a blanket because of wind or rain, and I can put one on if needed. They are also easy to halter and move back to the paddocks because of this routine. The horses are comfortable and calm with me touching them because I do it EVERYDAY.

The relationship of me handling the horses transfers positively over into veterinary and farrier care. The horses are accepting of treatment because they are comfortable with being handled and touched EVERYWHERE. Often, our horses will pick their feet up all on their own for the farrier, and will stand quietly while he works on them.

The mash the horses get each day goes beyond what I have just indicated. Horses are more prone to impaction colic during the winter months. We live in northern British Columbia, Canada so our winters are long, snowy, and cold. The horses spend a lot of time standing around eating at a feeder (filled with netted hay). They stand around in the shelter and don’t really move their bodies a lot. The waterer stands between the feeders and the gate. They walk right by the automatic waterer, that is heated to keep the temperature tepid, not too hot, not too cold. They come to the gate and eat their mash and ALWAYS stop for a drink on their way back up to the shelters and the feeders. This ensures they are getting a good quantity of liquid, helping to limit their risk of impaction colic and ensure they are staying hydrated.

Feeding my horses a daily ration helps me keep them healthy, happy, and safe!

Why Equine First Aid?

Welcome to my first blog post!  I am super excited to begin a new journey with a new website dedicated to Equine Emergency First Aid.  

Equine Emergency First Aid came about more out of necessity than anything else.  I have always had a love for horses and had horses as a child. It wasn’t until years later that my eldest daughter’s passion for horses started us down a path of no return.  My daughter began riding at 4 years of age, as time passed we became involved in an arduous regiment of lessons, horse shows, and hauling.

We live in northern British Columbia so hitting ‘A’ circuit horse shows in Calgary, Alberta or Langley, British Columbia involved a minimum of 12 hours driving with horses in tow.

By in large, horses and their care was a team effort, however my daughter was voracious about learning everything she could in regard to horses and their care.  I was the driver and the grunt and she was the knowledge and talent.

Fast-forward a few years and my daughter heads to Queen Margaret’s School on Vancouver Island to finish high school and have easier access to the ‘A’ level horse world.  Her ‘A’ level horse world required a more competitive mount so her much loved Appaloosa stayed home with a few other friends.

With my daughter down south, my access to her knowledge and assistance was gone and I was on my own.  It was at this point that I began seeing information about Equi-Health Canada and their Equine First Aid Courses.  After much contemplation, a decision was made and I headed down to Okotokes, Alberta to take the training to become an Equine First Aid Instructor.   Initially, it was more about me having the knowledge to keep our horses safe and the knowledge of what to do if an accident occurred.

What an intimidating process to make the decision to get certified.  I have a University Degree, but had not been to school for a long time and this was a complete departure from my wheelhouse.  I felt like the world would have more knowledge than I did.  Would I fail the course?  Would I look foolish?  As soon as I got my manual I stressed and I studied up until the day my course began.

The reality is, there are many people that will have more experience or more knowledge than I have, and I will have more knowledge and experience than many others.  As time has gone on my knowledge and experience has continued to grow.  

I have utilized my training in my own life with horses, which was the ultimate goal.  I can recognize signs of colic, I can deal with a cast horse, I can identify possible founder, keep my horses as safe as possible, take vitals, bandage and ice.  The list goes on and on.  My confidence level has increased in regard to and in reaction to emergencies.    

I am not a great sales person, I would make an awful realtor, and it took some time to begin to find work teaching courses.   I am not going to lie, the first courses were nerve wracking and I forgot information. Thank heavens everyone got to take home a manual!  

As I continue my journey, I tweak how I teach, I add more demos, such as, a visual on how much blood a horse can lose before death becomes imminent.  I have added more photos to really hit home on pertinent information.  I have learned to advertise and have created a website. 

I have created Customizable Equine First Aid kits and have been asked to create kits for cows, dogs and cats.  

I have connected with people in the horse world that I never would have known.  I have been involved in donating Equine First Aid Kits, and supporting horse shows as an Equine First Aid Instructor. I have done guest spots with 4H and teen riding camps.  In 2019 I was named the Equi-Health Canada Instructor of the Year.

This journey started with trying to arm myself with enough knowledge to keep our horses safe.  It has grown into a passion that allows me to connect with other horse owners and provide them with some knowledge to keep their horses as safe as possible!