our first horse

HI, I have just bought my first horse! and our family is a bit stressed-the husband- the most, on what to feed,rug ect? she is a 15.1hh tb mare rising 5 and been off the track since march, at the moment she is in a 4acre paddock and we are awaiting a friend/companion who is a shetland, she is eating the winter grass and old oats, and im hand feeding her twice a day on chaff? her shoes are coming of, as soon as the shetland gets here, and she has just been wormed, I have not been around horses for 20years and then it was only riding school ect , not actually owning! yes a tb is a bit to take on, however she was due to be put down(too slow) and i bought her cheap? any advice as she and the shetland are here until 'death do us part".

Hi there Mary, congratulations on your first horse! I agree, an OTTB is not an ideal first horse however you have her now and you're asking for advice so we'll all pitch in with what we've found useful.

Feed:
Thoroughbreds are notoriously poor keepers - usually needing a fair bit of feeding to keep them in top condition however you might get lucky and find one that keeps well. First of all, I would give her some time to settle in and 'come down' from racing before you begin to ride. Perhaps keep her out of work for a further month or so as you both get to know eachother. In regards to feeding a Thoroughbred off the track, first and foremost you need to feed LOTS AND LOTS OF HAY!!

Keeping up as much hay as she'll eat to her will do a couple of things. Firstly it will help keep her warm as the hay naturally ferments in her gut. Secondly, lots of hay will help prevent things like sand colic, stomach ulcers and indegestion. Thirdly, lots of hay is great for helping maintaining a horse's good condition.

For hard-feeds, I would give her two small feeds a day consisting of chaff (more 'roughage' and helps to encourage her to eat slower and not bolt her food) and a measured amount of lucerne chaff is also going to be good for her as it is a very good provider of calcium. You may want to add a little something more like a horse cube like Pegasus Liberty which is reasonably priced and has a good mix of goodies in it. Just don't feed too much because she won't need it if she isn't working. This is a basic feed, and it is best to feed by weight rather than by just measuring out scoops. It would take a very long post on the best way to do this so if you're interested PM or email me and I can send you the information on feeding by weight.

RUGGING
Most Thoroughbreds have thin skin and require a rug when it is very cold. How much handling do you want to do with her? If she's a paddock pet only throughout winter, don't groom or wash her as this will remove the natural water-proofing oils in her coat and only rug in the foulest weather. If you plan on spending plenty of time grooming, massaging, talking to and handling her and creating a bond then she would require a rug on wet days and cold ones. A hard-wearing blanket-lined Canvas would be best as she won't need a big heavy duty synthetic if she's not clipped or stabled under lights. Plus Canvases are harder for them to break. Just be sure to remove it on fine days and when there isn't a freezing wind or rain etc so she gets days without it so she can 'be a horse' and enjoy some time without the thing on. Also so she doesn't overheat. Horses that are over-rugged or rugged on warm/fine days too much feel uncomfortable, and if they are kept very warm all the time, they become more suseptible to colds and illness.

HANDLING
Make firm rules within yourself as to what is acceptable behaviour and what isn't. To be a respectful, joy to handle horse she needs to respect your personal space and not barge into you or walk all over you, she needs to wait for her feed rather than knocking the bucket out of your hand, she needs to lead without rushing off ahead or pulling back and not moving on and she needs to stand quietly to have her halter removed, not ripping back the minute the buckle is undone. She also needs to have enough respect for you to stand to be groomed and bathed, and to have her hooves done etc. So set yourself those boundaries and make sure she abides by those from day one and you'll find her a much more pleasant animal to own! And stick to those rules... if you start to get lax you may find she takes advantage of that and tries to run amok.

WHAT TO DO NEXT
They always say prevention is better than cure so I would really advise as well as having a reputable farrier to remove her shoes and trim her, also get a qualified equine dentist to do her teeth as many race trainers do it themselves or get a shoddy person to do them which can result in a horse with a sore mouth. Also if it has been a while since her teeth were done, she may have sharp teeth which will make being ridden hurt, chewing hurt and if they are very bad and she cannot chew her food properly before swallowing it is possible she could get a blockage somewhere in her digestive system and colic. Finally if you can, get a Vet to give her a strangles/tetnus booster shot. 99% if not 100% of racehorses get their tetnus and strangles vaccinations however if you don't know when her last shot was getting a booster could really help matters and prevent a catastrophie. Whilst the vet is there, get them to listen to her tummy in case she has excess sand in there which also can cause a lot of health problems and heartache - and finally get them to do a quick health check (they'll have a go over her, check her heart-rate and temperature etc) just to be on the safe side.

I would do the same with your shetland in regards to handling, teeth, hoof and vet care... also make sure that your shetland doesn't have as much access to feed as your thoroughbred as they get fat on fresh air and too much rich food can cause obesity and worse - founder or laminitus.

Horses are an expensive hobby aren't they? We do all of the above with our rescues and prevention really IS better (and cheaper!!!!) than cure.

No doubt other SC forum members will chip in with advice and if you have any more questions, you know where to find us.

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Hi thanks for the advice, well I spent half an hour yesterday on the phone to our local vet (mt barker) yep he must have not been busy! so he pretty much said the same thing, but how do you know if a horse is happy? yesterday when I took of her rug (i was a bit nervous to say the least, as its too big for her and i was worried she would bolt!) anywy she started running (amok) charging around the paddock and weaving her head from side to side, kicking up her back feet, and then snorting or neyhing to the horses across the road, I think she was happy? any thoughts? thanks mary

Congratulations on your first horse! What an exciting moment for you.

I'd consult your farrier about removing the shoes all together. Some horses don't cope well with this and need a slow introduction into being shoeless instead of going cold turkey.

Everything else has been said! Good luck! Remember never to be scared to seek professional help on anything. Atleast fortnightly lessons are disirable and professionally fitted tack by your horse store for a happy horse Smile

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Sounds to me like she was enjoying a bit of a run-around and a play! I wouldn't worry too much, if she was running about and tossing her head and having a bit of a buck or a 'heels up' she was enjoying herself! Horses, and I find it with all of them here, like to have a run around and a play. It warms them up, gives them a bit of adrenalin and well, they're like kids - need to blow off some steam from time to time.

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Hi, i was wondering about colic? in fact im stressing a bit? someone told me to put canola oil or any oil from the stockfeeders into her food everday? also what about shelter? we have 4 or 5 trees that hang down over the fence? however my husband was worried last night as it was raining and windy here (mt barker) and he felt sorry for her? he wants to build a shed/shelter, but i thought she may not use it? and what about her feet, at the moment they have mud in them? i was going to wait until the farrier came out in the next couple of weeks, so as he can show me how to clean them out? will it effect her at the moment to have some mud in her feet?

G'day,

If you can build a shelter for her that is great! Ask a fellow horsey person for measurements etc and what way to face it out of the weather. Do you have rugs for her? If so they will also protect her from the weather.
As for her feet - having mud in them can cause thrush (my brood mare has just got thrush as well) and treating it can be a pain. If I were you I'd call your farrier now and book a time for him to come out and show you how its done. Its nothing we can explain over the net.
As for colic - no don't worry about the oil. But signs to look out for it if was ever to arouse is:

Bloated Belly
Dullness in the horses eye's,
No eating or drinking
Sniffing of the belly
and lots of rolling.

If you see any of these signs don't hesitate to call your vet and it will be delt with from there expecially if your horse is refusing to eat or drink.

Lots of hay will help prevent colic, also having her teeth done by a qualified dentist and also having her checked for and drenched for sand by your vet will also prevent it. Canola oil in her diet will give her a shiny coat and is a slow release energy source (not store bought stuff but the real canola oil) but any oil won't do anything to prevent colic - this is a myth.

Ask your vet about phsyllium husks - they are the best if you're particularly worried about preventing colic... the vet will be able to tell you how much to give her and how often.

Good idea to build a shelter - some horses use them, some don't... but it is always handy to have somewhere dry to feed her and to give her the option to use it.

Mud in her hooves in general won't cause much harm however if her paddock is very boggy that's when trouble can start. Generally the horses will mostly stand about on the drier soil in any case. Again, get your farrier to show you how to correctly and safely clean out her hooves.

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Hi I was wondering about founder? we have only had our shetland pony since sunday and she is at the correct weight! however she is always eating, and the temporary enclosure to stop her eating so much is not holding her in, we are putting up a proper fence this weekend. she also seems to have an "attitude problem" and my tb mare is much more easygoing than this little pony? are shetland's like this personality wise?

Hi Mary,

For the foundering, you will need to pony proof your fencing to ensure the little devil can't escape and gorge herself. You'll need to keep a close eye on her and watch out for any signs of discomfort in her front hooves or that she isn't being herself. Another thing you can do is wobble her crest (the part of the neck the mane grows out of) each day. The crest should be flexible and easy to move. If it starts to stiffen you need to take action against founder as that is an early sign.

As for the attitude, most small ponies have one and shetlands are reknown for it. You need to set her some strict manners that you expect from her and when she steps over this boundary you need to correct her immediately. Correction MUST be immediate and can easily be a sharp 'No!' and also always make her back out of your personal space too. You want to assert yourself as the herd leader over her.

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yes the farrier showed me where to check on her neck, and he said that's about as much as she should weigh, however does founder require vet attention? and the fences will only be ready this weekend and she is eating a lot, and should she be fed any hay, as she is eating the green grass?

If you are worried that she might be showing signs of founder, get your vet STRAIGHT AWAY as if you catch it early you can prevent a great deal of pain and agony for her. Also you would need to call your farrier also so he can balance her hooves as founder/laminitus affects the hooves too.

I would only be giving her a little hay when your other horse is fed to keep her occupied. Perhaps feed a flake a day in a haynet with small holes so she eats it slower and has to work to get the hay out rather than bolting her food then looking for more.

Also it would be a good idea to lunge her three or four times a week, or take her for walks so she has exercise to help keep her weight ideal.

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Hi I was wondering about summer? well at the moment they are eating ( tb mare, shetland pony and standardbed)the green feed, in summer when the paddock is dry, what's the best thing to do? do I just throw out some hay or put it in feed bins. Also with the teeth I was told a farrier could just file them down? as we have just got a 12year standardbred gelding that gets his teeth filed down everyyear by the farrier? I thought a horse dentist did this. Question

Some farrier are qualified in horse dentistry as well, but I always prefer a vet just incase you need sedation.
As for summer if your worried that there isn't enough feed, buy a round bale of hay (from any hard feed store) and put it in your paddock, better yet if you have a shelter that is easily accesable for the horses so its out of the rain (if it does) put it there.
That will replace what the paddocks don't have and maybe it will even allow the paddocks to rest a bit so they can grow.

Hi Im just wondering about horses eyes? well this morning I noticed both the tb mare and stb gelding had a very faint haze around their eyes, it was that faint that I could hardly see it? with a faint ring all the way around, this went the whole full circle of their eyes? they are not off their food or anything, in fact are the same as always, they do flick their hay out of their buckets, maybe the hay has scratched their eyes? the shetland does not seen to have this, anyone come across this before? as I have looked on the internet, but Im not sure what Im looking for.