Carolyn R
Well-Known Member
I know there are a few things I go to extremes on. I know not everybody thinks that feed bucket handles are the spawn of Satan and outlaw them in their stalls. I know there are a hundred different farms with a hundred different feed programs, so be it. There are things that there are no right or wrong on, as long as the result is a healthy animal.
It just seems like there is so much disregard for common sense horse husbandry skills that should be common practice. I don't know if its the fact that I am being a cranky old fart or if I am just sick of hearing certain things and shaking my head.
Please add your dos and don'ts to the list, even if they are a bit off the wall like my anti bucket handle campagne.....
Some of the things I do
Am I the only one that keeps new horses seperate from the herd, in quarantine, "just in case".
I put a new horse in quarantine for (at least) 10 days, yes they can see eachother, but no common fence, no sniffing noses, no sharing hay or buckets.....Longer quarantine if they come down with something
worm any new horse when it steps off the trailer (unless it was wormed when it was put on the trailer)
worm any horse leaving the property to go to training, new home, or leaving for any length of time (and yes worm regularly otherwise)
feet, I do them myself, but I do have a farrier incase there is a special needs horse, with that one said, unless a horse is on very hard soil or rocky ground, I don't buy the "he/she only has to have her feet done 1-2x's a year, this is not typical
I don't place hoses inside a new horses bucket when I fill it, "can you say cross contamination?"
Halters, brushes, leads for a new horse are not shared
Vaccinations, annually, period ( I know not everyone vaccinates)
teeth, annually, or sooner if needed, but only after they have been boostered for vaccines (tetnus).
If I am summoned to another farm to lend a hand and have been doing stall work or dealing with a not so nice environment, I wash my shoes, or spray down my muck boots with an antibacterial cleaner. I have even been known to change my clothes too.
Upon being to other farms/outings with others horses, I wash my hands before handling my horses.
If I have a horse that has arrived/came back/ or came down with an illness,I spare others my agony and am respectful enough to keep my horses on the property, even if I have been planning to attend an event.
poop, I make sure the stalls are clean when the horses are put away in the evening. God forbid, the one night I do not clean the stall, the horse will colic and I won't be able to tell if they passed manure or not, this is Murphy's law.
Speaking of poop, I check it out to see if they are passing enough and if they are getting enough fluids.
Maybe I am just a head case, sometimes I just read things and cringe. Don't even get me started on time appropriate milestones like when it is appropriate to jump them, drive them, breed them, let a small kid sit on them, .......
It just seems like there is so much disregard for common sense horse husbandry skills that should be common practice. I don't know if its the fact that I am being a cranky old fart or if I am just sick of hearing certain things and shaking my head.
Please add your dos and don'ts to the list, even if they are a bit off the wall like my anti bucket handle campagne.....
Some of the things I do
Am I the only one that keeps new horses seperate from the herd, in quarantine, "just in case".
I put a new horse in quarantine for (at least) 10 days, yes they can see eachother, but no common fence, no sniffing noses, no sharing hay or buckets.....Longer quarantine if they come down with something
worm any new horse when it steps off the trailer (unless it was wormed when it was put on the trailer)
worm any horse leaving the property to go to training, new home, or leaving for any length of time (and yes worm regularly otherwise)
feet, I do them myself, but I do have a farrier incase there is a special needs horse, with that one said, unless a horse is on very hard soil or rocky ground, I don't buy the "he/she only has to have her feet done 1-2x's a year, this is not typical
I don't place hoses inside a new horses bucket when I fill it, "can you say cross contamination?"
Halters, brushes, leads for a new horse are not shared
Vaccinations, annually, period ( I know not everyone vaccinates)
teeth, annually, or sooner if needed, but only after they have been boostered for vaccines (tetnus).
If I am summoned to another farm to lend a hand and have been doing stall work or dealing with a not so nice environment, I wash my shoes, or spray down my muck boots with an antibacterial cleaner. I have even been known to change my clothes too.
Upon being to other farms/outings with others horses, I wash my hands before handling my horses.
If I have a horse that has arrived/came back/ or came down with an illness,I spare others my agony and am respectful enough to keep my horses on the property, even if I have been planning to attend an event.
poop, I make sure the stalls are clean when the horses are put away in the evening. God forbid, the one night I do not clean the stall, the horse will colic and I won't be able to tell if they passed manure or not, this is Murphy's law.
Speaking of poop, I check it out to see if they are passing enough and if they are getting enough fluids.
Maybe I am just a head case, sometimes I just read things and cringe. Don't even get me started on time appropriate milestones like when it is appropriate to jump them, drive them, breed them, let a small kid sit on them, .......
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