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As human beings we're aware of the risk of staying within the sunlight too long. We know that if we waste to much relaxing time in the sunlight we run the chance of turning a nice tan in to an unsightly burn. Besides being unattractive and painful we are also aware that sunburns can lead to skin cancer. We employ all sorts of methods from sunscreen to light weight covers to prevent our
skin from frying.

Since they really are huge and appear to be infallible (a feature that every horse owner understands is an illusion) we frequently forget about the affect the sun has on our horses.

Horses, just like people, can sunburn. Sunburn is most frequently observed on equines with  light colored hair coat for instance Appaloosa's, Lipizzans, Paints, Pintos, Andalusian, and Grays. Horse owners who possess equines with white noses and plenty of pale skin round the eyes often find themselves treating their equine partners for burns. A sudden change in hormones, like horses which have been bred, can cause a horse to acquire sunburn. Although dark horses aren't usually annoyed by sunburn the sun often bleaches the dark hair. In some cases severe sunburn is alleged to contribute to some liver impairment.

Horse owners must also be aware that some medicinal drugs may also activate sunburn in horses. Tetracycline is one medication which has been recognized to trigger sunburn in various horses.

Horse sunburn seems to be just like human sunburn. Skin turns an angry colour of pink or even a harsh red. If skin is left untreated long enough it starts to chap and crack. Horses which might be enduring harsh sunburn will begin to blister. Sunburn can cause hair loss.

Soothing burnt eyes is reasonably uncomplicated. All an owner needs to do is obtain a fly mask for his or her horse. When using a fly mask it is very important to make sure that the fly mask is kept dirt free. Merely use a hose and also a sprayer to wash the grime and eye goo from the mask. After washing the fly mask suspend it within the sun to dry.

A number of fly masks have an addition that guards the end of the nose from getting sunburned. If you don't own a fly mask that covers your equines nose all you'll want to do is rub your horses nose with sun tan lotion that you should buy at any local drugstore.

Some horse owners, in particular ones who are interested in showing, try to avoid the sun from damaging their horses coat by keeping them inside usually in the day time hrs when the sun is the most destructive. Other owners prefer to keep their horses covered with a light weight turn out blanket or fly sheet to guard their horses hair coat. An example of the reasons some owners desire a blanketed equine to one kept in the interior is they believe that retaining a horse stalled and wholly free of sunlight can lead to depressive disorders.

If you are looking for horses for sale and ponies for sale, you could always try the Horse and Pony Directory.

Although you might feel this is a easy thing to perform - feed your horse - you'd be shocked at the quantity of horse owners that don't know the fundamentals.  There is no actual rule of thumb for feeding, as each horse's dietary needs will vary depending on age, weight and level of activity.

To start out with, your horse naturally uses forage as being a primary component of their diets. It is likely one of the Main necessities for a correctly working digestive system. When we speak of forage, we usually mean natural pasture and cut hay.

Mature horses ordinarily eat almost 2 to 2.5 percent of their body weight in feed every day. So a one thousand pound horse will consume approximately 20 to 25 lbs of feed a day. Therefore high quality feed, not low quality high fibre feed (that may interfere with proper digestion).

In a perfect pasture world, your horse ought to eat a minimum of 1 percent of its body mass in hay/pasture fodder every day. In case your horse does not do much work, they will do well on strictly forage, with no grain introduced in.  On the other hand, developing, in breed, or working horses need dietary supplements in combination with forage - for example grain or perhaps a supplemental concentrate.  Imagine it this way, forages ought to offer at least one half or more of the whole weight of the feed consumed every day for maximum growth and development.

Before you can feed a balanced "meal" to your horse, it's a must to be aware of the nutrient content and quality of the forage. Once you know that, you can work out the correct amounts of each to fulfill nutrient requirements.

The very best resource, and the least costly one for summer feed is your pasture.  And, typically good pasture by itself can offer all the nutritional needs your horse needs.  How can you determine the amount of pasture is needed to give food to a horse?  Here's a rough and ready guideline that can assist you: (using a weight of 1,000 - 1,200 lbs)

Mare and foal 1.75 to 2 acres
Yearlings 1.5 to 2 acre
Weanlings 0.5 to 1 acre

Wintry weather feed naturally would be cut hay, and again, premium if you can find it.  It ought to be cut early, be leafy and green in color and as free as achievable of dirt, moulds, weeds and stubble.  This feed is often abundant with protein, minerals and natural vitamins.

Yes, it's possible to use alfalfa hay, but take care about the higher protein contents if you are feeding to young developing horses, as it could contain an unnecessary amount of calcium in relationship to phosphorus.  Too much calcium isn't good for rising horses.  If you're not positive about hay quality, have it analyzed.

If you're browsing for horses for sale or ponies for sale, please visit the Horse and Pony Directory.