The most common types of horse husbandry are classic stabling, free-range stabling (active stables), paddock trails, seasonal grazing, and open stabling. One thing should be clear to every horse owner. Horses want to run. In the steppe, they sometimes spend up to 16 hours a day searching for food and water. They graze as they roam across the land. Now, our horses have been bred and domesticated for our time together with them; they are no longer steppe ponies. We feed them and care for them. Nevertheless, horses need exercise. We should definitely keep this in mind when choosing how to keep our horses. This also means that keeping horses exclusively in stalls without a sufficiently large paddock for free movement is not species-appropriate. In addition, contact with other horses must always be ensured, as horses are herd animals.
With this type of housing, the horse spends most of its time in its stall, which ideally has a window to the outside. The minimum size of a stall is regulated in Germany and is calculated as twice the height at the withers squared. A horse with a height of 1.70 m should therefore have at least 12 square meters of space. The horse should be able to see or even touch its neighbors in the stalls. Many stables with this type of housing have a paddock directly adjacent to the stall so that the horse can walk back and forth on its own. In most cases, a sand or grass paddock is also available for free movement for a few hours a day. Many stables also have small pastures that can be used by fixed groups (see below: seasonal pasture grazing).
With box stabling, it is essential that the horse gets sufficient exercise every day. This requires significantly more time than with free-range stabling. Some riders ensure that their horse is taken out of its box several times a day and can run in the horse walker or use the aqua trainer, or they take it for a walk.
We often hear the term "playpen" in relation to breeding. This is an oversized horse box in which several horses, usually young horses or mares, can live together according to their size. There is no difference between this and box stabling, except that several horses live together.
The active stable (sometimes also called a paddock), on the other hand, differs from classic box stabling. In an active stable, horses ideally live in small herds. Horses are herd animals and regulate their own hierarchy. Nevertheless, before a new horse is introduced into a functioning group, it is important to ensure that the horses have had sufficient time to get used to each other. After all, you don't want any injured animals. There are so-called integration stalls for such integration measures, or for injured and sick horses. In these stalls, the horses have social contact with the group but are kept separate.
In the active stable itself, the horses can move around freely. There are feeding and water stations, and concentrated feed dispensers with small, individual portions are available to the individual horses. The animals use the entire fenced-in area and are largely self-sufficient. This type of husbandry is therefore very close to the natural life of a horse.
The paddock trail is essentially a refinement of the active stable. Here, too, the horses live in a herd and take care of themselves. They have to find their own food, which is stored at various stations around the area. However, the paths leading to these stations are part of a marked trail that runs around the entire piece of land. Here and there, there are indentations with appropriate feed, water, or enrichment materials. The ground cover varies, which is also the idea behind the concept that originated in the USA. A farrier spent many years studying wild horses and documented how important it is for healthy hooves to walk on different types of ground. The horses in the paddock trail live very close to their natural way of life.
The open stable gives the horses a form of freedom. They can stick their noses in the wind and move around as they please. An open stable is located in a fenced-in area on a paddock or pasture. Here, horses can live together in groups. Feed racks and water troughs are usually located in a protected area under the roof. This is also where the lying area is, which should be strewn with straw. The animals can therefore choose for themselves whether they want to stay in the stable or in the open area. In winter, however, the outdoor area often becomes very wet and muddy, and the horses hardly move because they have their feed right in front of them anyway. It is then particularly important that we, as horse owners, keep the lying area clean and dry and ensure that our horses get enough exercise.
A securely fenced piece of land with lush green grass is every horse's dream. Seasonal grazing is a wonderful option. What horse doesn't enjoy eating fresh grass and galloping across the meadow with its friends? This type of care raises the question: How long should my horse stay in the pasture? Around the clock, for a few hours, during the day, or only at night? There are actually horse owners who deliberately leave their horses out in the pasture at night because mosquitoes and other insects seem less aggressive then. You should also ask yourself who the horse will be in the pasture with. Some horses love large herds, others prefer smaller groups.
Herds of young horses or retirees, leisure horses and sport horses alike – they all love the grazing season. If a herd remains in the pasture all the time, shelter must be provided. Too much sun is just as undesirable as too much rain. Daily pasture checks are just as important as ensuring that drinking water is available. If you want to do it particularly well, you should muck out your pasture every day. And in a year when there is simply not enough grass growing back, it is the duty of a horse owner to provide sufficient additional feed. Otherwise, it's time for our beloved animals to put their noses in the wind and enjoy their horse life.
Osteosarcoma is the most common primary bone tumor in dogs. This aggressive tumor develops in the bone, has a high metastasis rate (spread rate), and occurs mainly in large dogs and giant breeds. Bernese Mountain Dogs, Great Danes, Dobermans, German Shepherds, Golden Retrievers, Rottweilers, and Greyhounds are at increased risk of developing osteosarcoma. In these breeds, the tumors mainly occur in the long bones of the limbs. Smaller dog breeds are significantly less affected. Here, the tumors are more likely to be found on the short, flat bones of the trunk.
During intraocular pressure measurement (=tonometry), a special pressure measuring device (=tonometer) is used to measure the physical pressure inside the eye.
Hematology is a branch of internal medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the blood, the blood-forming system, such as anemia or coagulation disorders, and autoimmune diseases.
Many eye surgeries that have long been common in humans are now also performed on animals. There are now a number of veterinary specialists in ophthalmology (=ophthalmologists).
Even after centuries of domestication and breeding, the horse remains a flight animal. Some behaviors are undesirable to us humans, but they are not behavioral disorders; rather, they are part of the horse's natural nature. These include, for example, shying, bucking, or bolting. A typical behavioral disorder, on the other hand, is cribbing.
Stomach ulcers have long been considered an "occupational disease" in racehorses and competition horses. It was thought that early training, the stress of the racetrack, or frequent transport to international competitions caused stomach ulcers. However, we now know that this condition can affect horses of all breeds and performance levels. Even your neighbor's pony, grazing peacefully in the meadow, could be suffering from a stomach ulcer. Although around 90% of all racehorses are still affected by stomach ulcers, the proportion of leisure horses with the condition now stands at 37%.
Summer eczema is a recurring allergic skin disease in horses that manifests itself in severe itching and hairless, open patches of skin. The disease can occur in horses of all breeds, although Icelandic horses, Norwegian horses, Shetland ponies, and Haflingers are significantly more commonly affected, while warmbloods tend to be affected less frequently.
Corneal ulcer, also known as corneal ulceration, is one of the most common eye diseases in horses. It is not a growth, but rather a tissue defect that does not heal chronically and can vary in severity. The treatment of a corneal ulcer can be very frustrating, and untreated or incorrectly treated corneal ulcers can lead to serious visual impairment or even loss of the eye.
Vaccinations for horses serve as preventive healthcare and protect against possible diseases and their spread. Depending on what you want to do with your horse, different vaccinations are recommended and even mandatory for competition horses. All vaccinations are correctly documented by your veterinarian in the equine passport.
As a general rule, every dog needs a certain amount of grooming, some more than others. For some dogs, it is even worth taking them to a professional groomer. As a dog owner, you can also do some grooming yourself at home.
Taking in a foal and choosing the long road to happiness on horseback is a real adventure! It is an opportunity to form a bond that can mature over many years and to watch a foal grow into a horse. But it also requires commitment on your part.
Doesn't every rider dream of an unforgettable ride on their four-legged favorite? Whether over hill and dale, along the coast, or simply from place to place. The feeling of sitting relaxed on your horse with the wind in your hair is amazing. Exploring nature together, perhaps racing neck and neck in a riding group or bravely riding into a lake to swim – you probably have all these images and stories of wonderful riding trips with happy horse-rider pairs in your head right now. We all know that it's not always sunshine and roses on four hooves and that some riders work up quite a sweat when riding through unfamiliar terrain. But with a little preparation and a few precautions, you can create the right conditions for returning from your ride full of enthusiasm and wonderful memories.
