by Megan Worley

Created on: August 17, 2009   Last Updated: August 18, 2009

How to keep your Horse Healthy

Keeping a horse healthy is relatively simple, excluding unforeseen accidents and illnesses, and actually takes little effort, just a little know-how.

1. Teeth care

Taking care of your horse's teeth is essential for good health. As horse's age it is essential that their teeth are looked at by an equine dentist so that points can be filed down and the horse can be checked for a mouth injury or tooth abscesses. If a horse's teeth are not properly filed down then the horse will not be able to digest food well and will likely not get proper nutrition.

2. Vaccinations

In order to stay healthy horses need to be vaccinated against diseases and wormed. These preventive measures are necessary to help keep the horse from getting disease which can seriously damage the horse's body and have other serious consequences.

3. Proper hoof care

Looking after a horse's feet is important because if they are not taken care of the horse will be unable to function at all. Hoof diseases can easily spell the end of the horse. Taking care of the horse's hooves includes having a shoer come out regularly to either shoe the horse or keep the hooves trimmed up. Some horses may also need a hoof supplement to keep their hooves strong enough. It is also really important to keep an eye out for hoof ailments including abscesses and laminitis.

4. Proper Nutrition

What you feed you horse is essential to the horse's health. How much you feed and when you feed also play a role in keeping your horse healthy. To feed your horse properly you need to look at the individual horse and determine what that horse needs. If the horse is overweight or has any digestive ailments then you will need to feed specifically for that. If the horse is underweight they will need special foods and probably supplements. Consult your veterinarian to decide what you should feed your horse.

5. Exercise

Every horse, even older ones, need a certain amount of, or at least the option for, exercise. For some horse's this means being ridden or lunged. For other it means plenty of time out in a pasture so that they can give themselves plenty of room to walk and exercise. Even older horses need to be able to move around.

6. Friends

Horses are not solitary animals and they need other horses around them to keep them happy and content. Horses should be turned out with other horses if that is possible. If that is not an option then they should at least be near other horses so that they have some friends.

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