What does your horse love?
We all love our horses ... but what do our horses love ... (besides you, of course they love you!)
Goodies and Treats
Of course your horse loves apples, carrots, treats, cookies, peppermint and licorice! But a REALLY happy (and healthy horse) needs a bit more ... so ....
Seven of your horses favorite things ...
- Cuddles
- When horses groom each other it calms and relaxes them and lowers their heart rate. When people groom their horses it relaxes the horse AND the person! Horses are social creatures, they don't like being alone.
- Company
- Horses are social creatures, they live in herds, they hang out together, they groom each other, they play and run and have fun together. (see 'Cuddles' above) When left alone in stalls, horses get bored and feel isolated, and develop bad habits, called Stall Vices. (Horses don't 'crib' in the wild or in pastures). So ... spend time with your horse ... just hang out ... groom ... and ride with other people and horses ... they like that ... and if you arereally careful, learn who your horse's friends are and let them hang out together. (Like people, some horses get along and some don't and it's always nice to hang out with your friends, eh?)
- Eat, Eat, Eat, Eat, Eat ...
- Horses love to eat ... horses are designed to eat ... in the wild or in pasture, horses spend 10 to 15 hoursevery day grazing in the grass! Their digestive systems are designed to graze like this. Horses in the wild rarely colic! Feeding a horse 2 or 3 big meals each day is very bad on their systems ... giving them something to graze on is much better as it keeps their digestive systems working all the time, and that keeps them happy and healthy.
- Water, Water, Water ...
- Not enough water (dehydration) is the fastest way to colic a horse! Even after a ride or workout, let them have water! There is a lot of debate about this, but unless the horse has just finished running the Kentucky Derby and the water is ice cold, it is better to let our horse drink (a little at a time) then it is to deny them water until their 'all cooled off and rested.' ... Think of how you would feel! Horses should ALWAYS have free access to water (and salt). In their stalls, this is not a problem ... but at shows or on trail, make sure they have LOTS to drink ... (horses are smart enough to know what water is good and what water is bad ... if your out on trail and they want to drink from a creek or pond, let them ... they know if the water is not good to drink!)
- Walk don't Run
- Horses LOVE to walk ... Riders love to run ... OK, let's make a deal ... spend lots of time walking your horse and your horse will be much happier to spend time running with you! Don't just walk in the arena. That gets boring for the horse and for you. Walk around the stables, walk in and out of different arenas, walk on trail! This is relaxing for the horse and relaxing for you! Which leads to the next topic ...
- Give your horse a break ... (R & R)
- Horses LOVE to hang out and stand around with their friends ... watch horses in pasture or turned out together, they may run around a bit and chase each other for a while, but then they will relax and hang out and just stand around ... they LOVE this ... think of it like "hanging out with your friends." Watch how many people turn out their horses and immediately start chasing them around the turnout without a nice warm up, or a nice bit of time to roll and relax ... then they wonder why their horses are so 'tense' and unhappy!PLEASE NOTE, spending a day in their stall isNOT all that relaxing ... they are isolated and have no place to walk around. Think of being forced to sit in a chair, alone, in a locked room (without TV, phone, computer, or gameboy). Not only is it boring, you will be a bit cramped and stiff when you finally try to get up out of the chair, eh? (CAUTION: be very careful about turning horses out together. Ensure they get along and are comfortable with each other!)
- Now I lay me down to sleep ...
- How would you like to sleep on a hard floor covered with poop? Make sure your horse has a soft, clean place to lie down and sleep. Many horses that are forced to sleep on hard dirt or stall mats, develop calluses or sores on their legs. And we all know that a good night's sleep is a wonderful thing.
Look and Learn
Go watch horses out in a pasture ... see what they do and how they relate to each other ... you will learn a lot about horse behavior and what horses really like ... and don't like!
Think like a horse
A very wise horse trainer tells riders to "Think like a horse!" ... it takes time and effort and spending a lot of time with your horse, just hanging out and paying attention, but it makes a HUGE difference in how you relate to your horse and how happy your horse is to relate to you!
