10 Horse Care Mistakes Your Vet Wishes You’d Quit Making
Michelle DrumThere’s no denying that horses are pretty high-maintenance. Between delicately balanced diets, wide-open spaces, regular hoof trimmings, and socialization, they require constant, specialized care and can easily be thrown out of whack. And while your horse may have a team of professionals to step in when he’s sick or injured, he counts on you most days.
With so much to consider, even the most well-meaning horse owners can make mistakes that negatively impact their horse’s well-being. Fortunately, understanding common errors can help you avoid them, ensuring your horse stays happy and healthy between vet visits. Here’s what you need to know to give your horse the care he deserves.
10 horse care mistakes
When learning how to properly care for a horse, it’s important to know what not to do and why. By avoiding common mistakes, you can help prevent many problems before they start, keeping your horse healthier and making it easier for your vet to identify deeper issues when symptoms arise. Let’s address some horse care mistakes you might be making and what you should do instead.
1. Feeding too much grain
A horse’s diet should primarily consist of forage like hay and grass since that’s what their digestive system is best equipped to handle. While grain can be a beneficial supplement for particularly active horses or those experiencing dental pain, it’s not necessary for every horse. Too much grain can disrupt digestion and lead to serious health issues, such as colic. If your horse’s diet does include grain, limit it to small portions given twice daily, and always ensure it’s added to a forage-based diet rather than replacing it.
2. Changing feeding routines
Horses thrive on routine, and feeding schedules are no exception. Sudden changes in the type or amount of feed can upset a horse’s digestive system, leading to potentially serious health problems, such as colic or founder. For this reason, it’s essential to introduce any changes gradually, giving your horse’s system time to adjust. Whether you’re increasing feed portions, switching to a new type of hay, or adding a supplement, aim to make these adjustments over the course of a week or two.
3. Not monitoring water intake
Clean, fresh water is vital to your horse’s health, with most horses drinking between 5 and 10 gallons daily. While automatic waterers are convenient, they make it difficult to track how much water your horse is consuming–a crucial indicator of their well-being. If the water is dirty or unpalatable, your horse may drink less, increasing the risk of dehydration, kidney issues, or other health problems. Decreased water intake can also signal underlying health issues, so it’s essential to monitor your horse’s drinking habits and provide access to clean water at all times.
4. Keeping barn doors closed
As temperatures drop, it’s tempting to close the barn doors to keep your horse warm, but doing so can harm his respiratory health. Horses are surprisingly resilient to cold weather, but they need proper ventilation to avoid respiratory issues caused by dust and mold. If you’re worried about your horse staying warm, consider using a stable blanket instead. Keeping air flowing through barn windows and doors ensures your horse’s lungs remain healthy, even in chilly conditions.
5. Allowing too much stall time
Horses are active, social animals that require daily exercise and interaction to stay physically and mentally healthy. Extended periods in a stall can lead to boredom, stress, and physical issues such as stiffness or weight gain. Even in extreme weather, your horse should have the opportunity to stretch his legs, explore, and interact with other horses in a pasture or paddock. When you provide regular turnout time, you let your horse engage in natural behaviors that are essential for his well-being.
6. Overlooking dental care
Many horse owners underestimate the importance of regular dental care. Horse teeth are prone to fractures, uneven wear, infections, and sharp edges that can make chewing painful and lead to serious health issues. To prevent this, schedule dental checkups at least once a year and regularly monitor him for signs of discomfort such as reduced appetite, weight loss, foul breath, drooling, and resistance to the bit.
7. Ignoring skin abnormalities
Regular grooming sessions provide the perfect opportunity to check your horse for skin abnormalities, such as wounds or signs of infections like rain rot. Catching these issues early is crucial, as untreated conditions can worsen and cause significant discomfort. If you notice something unusual, consult your veterinarian rather than attempting to treat serious wounds or infections on your own. Quick action can prevent minor problems from escalating into major health concerns.
8. Skipping vaccinations
Even if your horse doesn’t frequently interact with other horses, vaccinations are non-negotiable. Diseases like tetanus don’t require horse-to-horse contact to pose a threat. Annual vaccinations protect your horse from potentially deadly infections and help prevent the spread of diseases within the herd. Keeping your horse up to date with all recommended vaccinations is one of the simplest ways to safeguard their health.
9. Waiting to call the vet
When something seems off with your horse, you should call the vet right away. Waiting too long or trying to handle serious issues yourself can lead to complications or prolonged recovery times. For example, a seemingly minor eye scratch can progress into a severe infection within hours and could even require eye removal if left untreated.
To catch problems early, familiarize yourself with your horse’s baseline vitals—temperature, pulse, and respiratory rate—and monitor him daily for cuts, swelling, or signs of discomfort. Acting promptly ensures your horse gets the care he needs when it matters most.
10. Failing to prepare your horse for vet visits
Veterinary exams can become unnecessarily stressful if your horse isn’t trained to cooperate. Routine procedures like taking a rectal temperature or administering vaccines can become a challenge without proper preparation.
Teach your horse to stay calm around strangers and practice desensitizing him to common exam scenarios. For example, lightly pinch his skin to mimic a vaccination or use touch to simulate other vet procedures. On the day of the visit, bring your horse in early, groom him thoroughly, and create a relaxed environment until the vet arrives. A prepared horse makes for smoother, safer vet visits for everyone involved.
How to care for your horse
Caring for a horse involves more than just providing food, water, and shelter–it requires careful attention to their physical, mental, and social well-being. A proper care routine keeps your horse happy, healthy, and able to perform at his best. From balanced nutrition to regular exercise and grooming, here’s how to provide the care your horse needs to thrive.
Feed
Horses are natural grazers, designed to eat forage like hay and grass continuously throughout the day. Ideally, they should have access to pasture or free-choice hay, but when that isn’t practical, feeding in the morning and evening works well. A horse’s diet should primarily consist of roughage, consuming about 1.5 to 2.5 percent of their body weight daily. For horses with dental issues or performance horses who need extra calories and protein, a high-quality feed containing grain can supplement their forage.
Using hay nets or dividing meals into smaller portions can help prevent overeating or digestive discomfort in horses that eat too quickly. Treats like carrots and apples are fine in moderation, but overfeeding treats can lead to colic. Keep your horse’s caloric needs in mind, especially during winter when grass is scarce or if he’s burning more calories through work.
Water
Provide access to fresh, clean water, cleaning and refilling buckets and troughs each morning and evening when you muck out the stall. In the winter, check your horse’s water sources to make sure they aren’t frozen. Monitor your horse’s water intake each day, testing water quality and checking your horse for other symptoms when his consumption decreases. Additionally, provide a salt block in your horse’s stall–this encourages him to drink and helps maintain electrolyte balance, preventing dehydration.
Shelter
Every horse needs access to shelter, whether in a boarding barn, indoor stall, or run-in shed in the pasture. Boarding barns are a convenient option if you live in an area with limited access to pasture, need extra flexibility in your schedule, or want readily available expert care. Run-in sheds protect horses living outside from extreme weather, sun, and biting insects. Providing additional protection and a clean, dry environment for rest, indoor stalls should contain fresh bedding, feed, water buckets, and a salt block. When choosing the best shelter setup, consider your horse’s needs, your routine, and the activities you do together.
Pasture
Whether your horse lives inside or outside, a safe, well-maintained pasture is crucial for your horse’s health and well-being. Horses need space to graze, move, and interact with other horses to exhibit natural behaviors. Regularly inspect fences, sheds, and turnout fields for hazards like loose nails and wire fencing, broken boards, holes, and snakes. During turnout in the summer, protect your horse from biting insects with fly spray, and blanket him as needed in the winter.
Cleaning stalls
Horses need clean stalls to prevent health hazards and parasites. Wet, dirty stall conditions can cause issues like hoof infections, worms, and flies. Muck out stalls and run-in sheds at least twice daily, removing manure and wet bedding. Replace bedding each day your horse spends time inside, and deep-clean stalls periodically to maintain a hygienic environment.
Exercise
Daily exercise is vital for a horse’s physical and mental health. It can decrease restlessness, lessen the risk of soft tissue injuries, strengthen bones and tendons, keep joints lubricated, and prevent stiff legs. While turnout time allows horses to move freely and socialize, structured activities like riding or lunging keep them fit. Avoid over-exertion in extreme heat, and always complete a warmup before intense activity. Allow your horse several hours to digest before exercise, and ensure he’s cooled down before his next feeding.
Social interaction
Horses are herd animals that thrive with social interaction. When they regularly socialize with other horses, they’re more content and less stressed. If your horse lives in a stall, ensure he has access to a pasture to interact with his herd.
Extreme weather
Harsh weather can affect your horse’s ability to regulate his body temperature. When it’s especially hot, provide a shaded area, plenty of water, and minerals to promote hydration. While many horses handle the cold well, you may need to blanket your horse in the winter, changing blanket weights as temperatures fluctuate. If it’s raining or snowing, protect your horse with a turnout blanket before he goes outside.
Grooming
Groom your horse daily to improve circulation, prevent skin conditions, and strengthen the bond between you and your horse. Grooming also allows you to check your horse for injuries and infections, identifying and treating them before they get any worse. Use a curry comb, brushes, and a hoof pick to keep your horse’s coat and hooves in top condition.
Learn how to groom your horse for competition →
Farrier care
Schedule farrier visits every six to eight weeks to maintain your horse’s hoof health. Regular trimming prevents overgrowth, which can cause stress on the legs and affect the balance of his gait. Depending on your horse’s environment, activity level, and conformation, he may need horseshoes to provide extra hoof protection.
Learn more: 8 Types of Horseshoes and How They’re Different
Physical exams and vaccinations
Even if your horse is visibly healthy, you should schedule veterinary checkups each year to catch potential issues early and ensure proper vaccination against diseases like tetanus, West Nile virus, and equine influenza. At these visits, have your vet test for lameness and equine infectious anemia, especially if you plan to travel with your horse–a negative Coggins test is required for interstate travel and stabling at most places.
Dental care
Horses’ teeth grow continuously and can develop sharp edges or uneven wear that cause pain or difficulty eating. Floating, or filing down a horse’s teeth, can remove these sharp edges when needed. Schedule dental checks twice a year, and look out for signs of dental problems, including changes in eating habits, bad breath, or discomfort around the mouth.
Deworming
Since horses are exposed to parasites as they graze, they require annual parasite checks and deworming protocols. Intestinal parasites can cause weight loss, lethargy, colic, and other health issues, making dewormers crucial throughout the year. To minimize parasite exposure, maintain clean stalls, elevate feeding containers, and ensure plenty of pasture space for each horse.
Shop horse care essentials at The Farm House
Caring for your horse is a rewarding responsibility, and having the right supplies makes all the difference. From stable essentials and grooming supplies to training equipment and horse blankets, The Farm House offers everything you need to keep your horse happy and healthy. Whether you’re restocking essentials or searching for new tools to enhance your horse’s care routine, you’ll find high-quality products to help you give your horse the care he deserves.
Shop horse care essentials and tack or give us a call at 864-457-3557 for expert advice on how to properly care for your horse–we’re always happy to help.
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