Sorry! Sorry I have not posted in like FOREVER!!! But there hasn't been much to post about. Well I just got back from the property about an hour ago and before that Lexi, Hailey, and Maddie did there ballet dance(from the Nutcracker)at there friend Summer's church, then we went to the mall and looked at appliances, clothing, and TV's for the house. And it looks like we will not be getting the horses until after the new year:( and we will be spending Christmas in our Grandparents house. At the property I got to drive the quad and had a LOT of fun!!!! Can ppl who have had/has horses on there property comment and give me a couple tips cause I am a bit nervous(seeing that I am only 12 and will be taking care of EVERYTHING concerning the horses!!!!)? Well gtg!
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7 comments:
Hey!
I moved Daisy to my house when I was 12, and I had only just BOUGHT her, so it was really new, plus my parents weren't horse people at all, so it was all up to me, too.
It's pretty easy once you get into the "swing" of things...you've taken care of Sonny at a boarding stable before, right? If you have, that's good.
I can only stress that you have to remember to deworm your horse every two months. I use Safeguard, Equimax, and Strongide dewormer. You should rotate between 3 different types of dewormers, if you use the syringe kind, because otherwise worms become kind of immune to just one type. I have a gmail email account, which comes with a calender, and what works for is putting in the calender when I dewormed her and then going ahead two months and making an "event" for the next time. I make the title have the name of the dewormer in it. Then I set it so that it emails me a day before I have to deworm her. This works REALLY well--I reccomend doing that.
Also, make sure you have stuff for yourself...From my own experiance, I know to have petrolium jelly around all the time...you can rub it in a horse's ears in the summer to keep flies out, and you can put it on cuts. Also have epsom salts around, so that if you have to soak a horse's sore hoof or clean out a wound, you have it there right away. Always try to have an extra bag of feed available incase of "emergencies". Have a vet/farrier number available in the barn, and write down the amount of food your horse gets daily somewhere, so that if something happened, someone else would know how much to feed.
Sorry this is so long. But I'm on a roll. :D
Before the horses arrive, check the new paddock for holes, sticks, loose rocks, etc, and if there are trees in the paddock that you cherish...well, either, don't be surprised if the horse chews off the bark and kills the tree (that's my world, lol) or wrap it with wire...
Alsooooo....you're in Florida, right?
Wellllll you probably need a lot of fly spray.
I've found that if you buy the cheap fly spray that's concentrated (You have to mix it with water) and you mix the amount with water and Listerine mouthwash it works pretty well...and your horse will smell minty ;-) lol...
And don't ever be afraid to ask for help...I ask for help ALL the time. When in doubt, google it. ;-)
Again, sorry for the length :D
I've had horses on my property too, in the yard, and my mom (i don't live with my dad) isn't into horses either.
Along with fly spray, like Melissa said, I had a horse, oreo, that had scabs every where in his ears. once i started putting his fly mask on that had ears attached to it, they went away after awhile, because the fies couldn't get to them. just to keep in mind, its not like you dont know anything...
are they gonna have stalls? or will they be in a pasture most of the time? our horses had a paddock with a run-in stall in it. I got a 50 lb salt block and put it in the run in stall so that it wouldn't dissolve or w/e salt does...lol. some horses like them a lot, some dont that much. idk, maybe you already have a salt block.
if you have a big fenced in area or something, i suggest getting some temporary fencing and fence off half or 1/4 at a time to let grass grow. this way they'll always have some...and idk if they're on grass already now, but if they aren't, dont leave them on it too long in the beginning, its really rich and their systems have to get used to it. ok, i dont wanna seem like know it all person, you prolly know a bunch already. good luckk! feel free to ask me anything whenever =]
Hi!
I don't have a horse at my place, but I have a few tips that I know... just... off hand.
1) Always, always, ALWAYS have some vet wrap, epsom salt, and betadine around. ALWAYS! I can't stress this enought. Also, have a bucket on hand. If your horse's hoof or leg gets injured in some way, fill the bucket with luke-warm water, a half-handful of epsom salt, and pour betadine solution in until it is a tea color. Then wrap it. Believe me, it'll happen sometime or another.
2)Always have extra feed or hay around just incase. Make sure to get your hay from a reliable source, and make sure that your horse actually "likes" the hay. If they only touch it, or don't even give it a sniff, you don't have the right hay. You need a hay your horse acutually likes.
3)Check your paddock CONSTANTLY for stuff like nails, holes, and twigs. Also, sharp rocks. My horse stepped on a carriage bolt out in the pasture, and it was B-A-D! That's where the Betadine, vet wrap, extra bucket, and epsom salt comes in. Believe me, check your paddock WEEKLY if you want to be extra safe. Monthly at the least.
4) Check your water buckets constantly. If they've frozen (rare, in your case) you must un-freeze the ice and pour in "hot" water. It'll cool down almost instantly, and the horse will love it, almost like a treat if it's cold. Change the water at least twice daily.
5) Make sure you have a VERY STRICT schedule as far as feeding hay and grain. Also, turnout. If you aren't going to be there at the set time, ask someone else to do it. It is very important to have a set routine. Your horse could even get SICK if you don't. So, please, do.
Sorry for this comment being kinda long.
xoxoxoxoxlyd
Well, I can't help much with that. Oh well. :)
AO
Adding to what Lydia said:
It depends, with the feeding, on how much you excersise your horse...if you ride a lot, and event, and it's a very fit horse, then the food has to be supplemented, and fed at the exact time every day. If it's just a pleasure horse, it's ok if they get fed one day at 4 and the next a 6...in a way, it's good taht way, so that they don't get sour thinking their going to get their food at a set time...
Don't worry too much about hay. If it's first cut hay, you can feed a lot before a horse colics from it. If it's second or third cut, be careful not to feed a lot at a time...it has a lot more nutrients in it, so it can make a horse sick faster...
Hehe, I just have to add, also, about the epsom salts...I had to soak Daisy's hoof for the first time 2 summers ago, and I used a tall plastic bucket. BAD IDEA. The bucket made noise with her hoof in it and she spooked. All I can say is, get one of those black rubber feed tubs/pans, and use that with warm water and salts...just put salts into the water until it doesn't dissolve anymore, and stand the horse in it...I have a lot of experiance with soaking :-P lol. Lydia's right--check your paddock for stones a ton!
Also, after a storm, or just often, check your fence, especially if it's electric, to make sure nothing is touching it that will get shocked, because that would mean that is getting shocked, so the horse won't...if it's a wood fence, check it often, too, for loose boards and such....
:)
EEEK! I can't wait until you get Sonny back! I want to see your barn/setup, too. :) hint hint. lol
thankies for adding melli! *huggles*
Mellimaus~
Thanx! And yes I used to go out 2-3 times a week and help Jamie out:). In SC we used to board a block away from the marsh/beach(which meant we could ride on it which was AWESOME!!!)and I rode a pony who was allergic to flies and mosquitos(did I spell that right?)so I know about everything that works for flies and mosquitos;)!lol!
Anika~
Thanks! They are going to have a run in until we can get the barn and apartment up which will probably be in March or April;). No they have NEVER been on grass before(unless you consider hand grazing bein' on grass:D).
Lydia~
Thanks! It has alrady happened to Sonny before, it SUCKS!!!! Plus it was RIGHT before a show!!!!!!! Story for another time.
Abster~
Thanks anyway:)!
Mellimaus(again)~
Those tall plastic buckets don't seem to faze Sonny at all. But we worked on getting him bomb proof and now(at 3 and a half)he is(not even scared of plastic bags you can put it over his head for cryin' out loud!)I will(try)put up the prints(maybe)when my dad FINALLY *roll eyes* decides on a barn set-up.
~Southern Commander~
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