| From where these comments
come…….. 7000 feet in the
foothills of the Colorado Rockies
70 acres - 9 pastures
From ½ acre
to 20 acres
5-10 horses
Foals - Seniors
2 person operation
The
Klim Team… all the credit, all the blame Richard
- Design, build and maintain facilities
Sanitation engineer
Resident farrier
Cherry
- Training, Health Care, Grooming
Feeding, Breeding
Paperwork, Business
Together
- Daily Chores
Our facilities
include: Main
horse barn
Hay & Equipment Barn with Senior Center
Outdoor arena - 100'
x 200'
Round pen - 66' diameter
Miscellaneous features:
Shop Building,
Ranch Office, Sacrifice Pens, Matted Hitch Rails
Horsekeeping
involves choices Effective
horsekeeping requires: - Land & Facilities
Management
- Daily Chores and Care
- Breeding, Training & Riding
Successful
horsekeeping is characterized by effectiveness, not efficiency. -
Efficiency…is doing things well.
- Effectiveness…is doing the
right things well.
Effective
Deworming (as an example) - Master the
SKILL
- Know WHAT Product to Use
- Know WHEN to use it
-
Keep RECORDS of what you used and when
- Put a REMINDER on your calendar
for next time
The
trick is not in the knowing……….But in the doing !!!
Benefits
of Effective Horsekeeping Horses are
fit and content Land is healthy and productive
Facilities are safe, tidy, functional You'll
save money !! You'll make good use of your time
You'll have more time for RIDING !!!
Horsekeeping
Tips Horses
Land Facilities
Budget Time
HORSES Let
horses be horses. Ground Feeding It's
natural, healthy, and gives the horse's topline a good stretch.
It applies
to penned and stalled horses too.
The ideal is a sheltered, matted feeding
area.
"The nearer a horse is made to feed in the stall as he does
in the field, the better. The hay should be measured and put in a corner on the
ground where it can be easily reached.
The importance of this is now so well
understood that all first class horses are fed in this way."
D. Magner,
1916
Magner's Standard Horse and Stock Book
Socialization Mutual
grooming might be hard on manes but it is satisfying to horses.
Exercise It
is not optional. It is essential.
Purpose Horses
are curious and interested in learning. Give them a job.
Feed
Horses Like Horses - Feed according to horse's
weight
- Feed mostly hay
- Feed little or no grain
- Feed
according to need
- Weigh all hay and grain
Cold
Weather Feeding Rules - Increase hay, not
grain, during cold weather……..Why?
- Hay is safer to increase
suddenly
- Less chance of colic
- Grain digests quickly, hay digests
slowly
- The heat from digestion is longer lasting from hay
-
For every 10 degrees F below freezing,
Increase
your horse's hay by 10% - If a 1100# horse gets 16 # hay per day
-
At 0 F, he would get 30% more hay/day
- 16 x .3 = 4.8 extra pounds or 20.8#
total
Choose
Management Style Stalls
Convenient
(Horses are clean, ready)
Space efficient (Small acreage)
Individual Feeding
Safe
(No fighting among horses) Confining (Lack of exercise)
Boring
(Vices)
Unhealthy (respiratory, stocking up)
Expensive to erect and maintain
Labor
twice a day
Increased manure management
Unsafe (cast, fire)
Pasture
Natural
exercise
Respiratory health
Fitness & Soundness
Comfortable place
to lay and roll
Socialization and Recreation
Natural feeding
Low daily
labor Land is expensive
Difficult to feed individually
in groups
Fighting and injury
Fence and land maintenance time and cost
Horses
can become wild and herd bound
Laminitis, toxic plants, sand colic
Insects,
wild animals, parasites, hunters
Horses are very hard on land, trees, and water
Can
be inconvenient for daily riding
Individual
Sheltered Pens
Convenient
(Horses are clean, ready)
Space efficient (Small acreage)
Individual Feeding
Safe
(No fighting among horses)
Some exercise
Fresh air Expense
to erect and maintain (panels, footing)
Labor twice a day
Moderate manure
management
Unsafe (cast under panels)
LAND Grazing
Guidelines - Cross fence and rotate
-
Graze when grass is 6-8" tall
- Limit number of hours of grazing
-
When 50% of vegetation is gone or 3" in favorite spots, remove horses
-
Mow to uniform height of 4-5"
- Seed bare spots
- Keep an eye
on weeds
- When grass regrows to 6-9" (2-6 weeks) return horses to
pasture
- Use sacrifice pens when pasture is not available.
Overgrazing
stops root growth
(example - horse turned out on 6-8" grass) | Grass
Plant Grazed (%) | Root Growth Stopped (%) | 10 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 40 | 0 | 50 | 2-4 | 60 | 50 | 70 | 78 | 80 | 100 | 90 | 100 |
Land - Riparian Areas Riparian
refers to vegetation and soils alongside streams, creeks, rivers and ponds.
Precious
areas easily damaged by horses -
Manure +
- urine +
- overgrazing +
- destruction of brush
and trees +
- creation of muddy banks =
- Less vegetation
-
warmer water temperatures
- more algae
- less fish
- decreased
wildlife habitat.
Land -
Wetlands - Wetlands are sub-irrigated "swampy"
lowlands
- Often considered undesirable wasteland
- Wetlands filter
pollutants and help prevent flooding
- They are a valuable resource that
should be protect.
- When wetlands are wet, keep horses off.
And
Richard says... - Besides protecting the land
-
You'll be protecting your horse's hooves
- Hooves exposed to too much moisture
can develop cracks, thrush, white line disease, poor hoof quality and loose shoes.
Land
- Manure Management - 1000# horse produces
50# of manure/day
- 6-10 quarts of urine per day
- 50# of wet bedding/day
-
5 horses in stalls produce 90 tons of manure and bedding per year.
Land
- Composting - Reduces volume
-
Reduces odor
- Reduces insect breeding area
- Prevents water contamination
Heat
of composting kills parasite and fly eggs and larvae. | Good
bugs thrive | 100-150 degrees F (38-66 C) | Bacteria,
virus, fungi, protozoa,
weed seeds, fly larvae die | 130
degrees F (54 C) | Parasite eggs killed | 145
F (63 C)
for two weeks |
FACILITIES Take
care of your facilities and, not only will they be safe for your horses, but they
will appreciate in value. Wood Chewing It
affects horse health, facilities value and safety…..it is a bad, unnecessary
habit…………Prevention is key !!! Wood
Chewing Prevention Long stem hay not pellets or wafers
Increase hay during cold, wet weather Cover all edges with
steel at least .06" thick (1.6mm; 16 gauge)
Apply anti-chew product to
all other wood surfaces Sacrifice Pens When
horses must be in off pasture, well-drained, sheltered pens come in very handy.
Fugitive Dust Airborne particulate
matter that arises from bare patches of earth such as fields, vacant lots, overgrazed
pastures, horse ens, arenas, and round pens.
Nuisance, health concern and could be legal issue with neighbors.
Prevention includes No overgrazing Minimize
work on windy days Apply dust suppression (water, chemicals)
Pave or gravel roads and paths Minimize areas disturbed
Keep excavation to a minimum on construction sites
BUDGET -
Think Ahead and………save Money
- Be Innovative and save Money
Feed
Grain and Hay by Weight…….. not Volume -
To avoid overfeeding, underfeeding, and colic
- And to save money
Buy
Hay in Bulk Factor in labor, fuel cost, delivery cost
and/or convenience, and feeding convenience below. Using some sample prices from
recent Colorado hay sales. | 50#
small grass bales | Bale | Ton | Small
bales- store | $6 | $240 | Small
bales - stack 20 | $5 | $200 | Small
bales - stacker | $4 | $160 | Small
bales- field | $3.50 | $140 | Small
bales - semi trailer | $3.50 | $140 | Large
bales - semi trailer | | $105 | | | | | | | | | |
TIME
Save time by being on time Stay on schedule with
farrier & veterinarian Make an annual TO
DO list Get organized
Annual
TO-DO List (example) - Buy hay
-
Spread manure
- Remove bot eggs
- Breeding program dates
-
Gelding
- Annual immunizations
- Taxes
- Dental care
-
Insurance due
- Registrations
Organization
examples - A place for everything
-
And everything in its place
- Especially important when several people
use the same equipment and facilities
Visit
Us on the web www.horsekeeping.com
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