Animal World - how to take care of horses and ponies

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ow o ake are f orses nd onies

Care of the body
* It is best to clean your horse every day before and after riding. If you clean (brush) the horse you remove dust, sand etc. If your horse is all muddy it cannot keep itself warm; one can compare a good cleaning up with a good shower. It is good to clean the horse regularly but don't brush to often or to hard with the curry-comb because then you remove the grease of the skin (with this grease the horse keeps itself warm; without it the horse catches a cold easily).
* This should be done daily to remove sand, manure, stones, etc. If the horse has been in the land or you have been riding in the country you have to check and clean its hoofs; if you don't do that and the horse has a stone in its hoof or under its iron it can get lame.
* Don't use a mane-comb every day, if you comb the manes too often they get thin. A good comb is made of metal; these are strong and easy to use.

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Stable
A horse needs a clean stable. The horse must be able to lay down in the stable. Most common size is 2m.-2,5m. (pony) of 3,50-3.50m (horse). Best is to remove the wet stuff every day and put in some clean stuff. Once a week one needs to empty the stable.

What to put on the stable floor
Straw is the most popular: not expensive, easy to clean and soft. Sawdust is a bit more expensive but a good one too. Of course there is lots more, but these are the most common.

Light and air
Put a window in the stable and give the horse as much daylight as possible. Give the horse a door with two halves so that it can get fresh air and look around. Lots of horses love this.

nosey horse Draught
From draught horses get sick!!!! So be aware.

Manger
Keep it clean without sharp edges. A manger with round edges is the easiest to clean and this is important to prevent diseases.

Watertrough
The waterthrough must be on a far distance from the manger: automatic or a trough/bucket with round edges, min. heigth 1 meter.

Groups
Horses live in herds normally and love to be together. If you have more horses or pony's in one stable, make sure that they can see each other.