Horse care equipment

Horse care equipment: horse shoes

Don't ride your horse on hard ground without horse shoes fitted. Incorrectly fitted horse shoes are also dangerous and can even cause lameness. Horses that need to pull carts must have horse shoes. If you ride the horse on hard ground or the tar road at times it is essential to fit proper shoes. Corrective boots can be fitted to help heal foot injuries.

If the horse lives in the pasture the whole time, it is not a requirement to fit horse shoes. Confined spaces however, also mean that the horse will need boots to protect the hooves. Horses living in wet climates will need shoes. The horse can get weak hooves because of ammonia in its urination. It is thus important to clean the horse regularly. Shoes will help to reduce the problem.

Only allow a qualified person to fit the horse shoes as the health of the animal is important. The shoes must be replaced around every two months and the hooves must then also be trimmed.

Horse care equipment - horse rug

The horse rug or horse blanket helps to keep the horse warm since horses lose a lot of heat quickly. It is an essential tool for winter time and cool evenings. A turnout blanket or rug is used in the field. These blankets can be stuffed to increase the warmth provided. It should be long enough to ensure that the belly
area is covered. You can also get one with an extension for the neck. You may want to consider buying asummer blanket as well which is slighlty thinner than the winter rug. Apart from the warm blanket, it is a good idea to also purchase an under blanket to ensure more heat and to prevent skin irritation from the heavy over blankets.

Horse care equipment - tail guard

Although not an essential, the tail guard helps to protect the tail area against injuries and helps to keep it free from insects. It prevents rubbing of the tail hair and thus ensures a good looking tail all year round. Braiding often leaves the tail in a mess afterwards and this is where the tail gaurd comes in handy to prevent rubbing and hair falling out. A padded tail guard will protect the dock bone from injuries when in a confined area such as a crisbox.

The above horse care equipment will keep your horse in better shape and high morale.