Your horse need your care

Cowboys in the movies make horse care look easy. After a long gallop, they jump off their horses and leave them standing in the street while they head to the saloon for some refreshments. In reality, horses need plenty of care to stay happy and healthy, and as a horse owner, you’re the one to provide it.
    Handling daily tasks:
If you keep your horse at home, you’ll be caring for him on a daily basis. Your most important duties include feeding, providing fresh water, and picking up manure.
If your horse is in a large pasture, he won’t need to get out for exercise every day. But if he is confined to a stall or paddock, part of your job will be to ride him, walk him, or provide him with exercise in some other way, preferably on a daily basis.

  Grooming your horse
An important part of horse care is grooming. A well-groomed horse looks good and usually feels good too.
Grooming gives you a chance to spend quality time with your horse and keep an eye on his body for any changes that can indicate disease.
Grooming involves both caring for your horse’s body and managing his mane and tail. Hoof care is an essential part of grooming that requires you to clean out your horse’s feet on a daily basis. In addition, it’s a good idea to bathe your horse on a regular basis. You may also want to clip his hair during the winter if you live in a warm climate.

  Treating your horse’s illnesses
Despite their size and imposing presence, horses are fragile creatures that often become sick or injured. Preventive care is important for horses, and it includes:

-Routine vaccinations against a variety of equine ailments
-Deworming to get rid of harmful parasites
-Regular dental care to ensure that teeth are in good health
-Proper hoof care
-Quality feed
-Regular exercise

As a horse owner, your job is being able to recognize signs of illness in your horse and calling a vet immediately whenever your horse is ill.
Some signs that you need to call the vet include:
-Diarrhea
-Inability to stand
-Indications of pain in your horse’s abdomen, known as colic
-Labored breathing
-Limping (known as lameness)
-Refusal to eat
-Straining to urinate or defecate
-Swollen, painful eyes

  Knowing when to part with your horse:
It may be hard to imagine now, but the time may come when you want or need to say goodbye to your horse. You may need to part ways because you’ve outgrown him and need a mount more suited to your current skill level, because your financial situation has changed and you can no longer afford
him, or (worse yet) because he has a terminal illness that can’t be cured.
If you need to sell your horse, do it in a way that ensures he will have a good home, and won’t end up in the slaughterhouse — a fate that befalls many unwanted horses. Some of your options for your horse include:
-Selling
-Leasing
-Donating to a program
-Gifting to a family member
-Retiring

If your horse is sick, in pain, and can no longer be helped by veterinary medicine, consider euthanasia. This humane way of ending a horse’s life is the kindest thing you can do for your old friend.