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"Horses are born looking for a way to get hurt" is a common saying where I live, and it's true that horses are inventive, even creative, in finding ways to get bruised, cut, scraped, and worse.

Horses get hurt or sick in three main ways: they eat something they shouldn't (the wrong stuff, too much of it), they catch a disease from another horse, or they run into something they shouldn't (board, wire, trees, rocks, or dominance arguments with other horses.)

To keep horses from eating what they shouldn't, owners need to make sure that the horse cannot get into the feed room, ever, no matter what. Horses will readily open the door, if they can, open the feed bin, if they can, and break open sacks of feed or tubs of wormer (which they can-big strong teeth, flexible lips, hooves...) Ideally, the feed room is on the other side of a gate from the horse (a gate with a good latch.)

But keeping horses out of the feed room is only part of the "keep them from eating what they shouldn't." Look at any lot or pasture in which horses are allowed. Are there any toxic plants? Get rid of them. Some horses won't touch them; others will go straight for the lantana (for instance) and eat themselves into liver failure. Are there any trees dropping high-protein seeds or nuts, or high-sugar fruits (apples, pears) the horses can pick up? Horses will colic and/or founder on acorns, mesquite beans, and other rich foods. In the fruit/nut season, you may need to keep horses out of there, or pick up the dropped nuts and fruit daily. Are there any trees whose leaves, bark, or wood is toxic to horses that eat trees? (I have owned two tree-eating horses.) You may have to remove those trees, or fence the horses away from them. Can the horses reach over the fence and get into something they should not eat, like a neighbor's ornamental, but toxic, shrubs? Another pasture problem is the lush growth of grass-horses can colic or founder on even the best grass if they get too much too fast, or get too fat on it. You can't depend on the modern horse to know what's toxic and what's not...so you have to be alert. Most county agents and vets know the toxic plants in their area, so you should be able to find someone locally who can advise you.

All horses are exposed to internal parasites when they graze on land where horses have been kept. To prevent a big "can of worms" problem, horses should all be on a regular worming program, as your vet advises. It also helps to pick up manure from the pasture regularly-more

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