How to Care for a Horse in a Pasture

Keeping a horse out in pasture is the best and most natural way to keep a horse, but there are several natural and man-made conditions that you must be aware of and protect your horse from.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Vaccinations
• Worming Medicine
• Water
• Fly Mask With Ear Protectors

1. Make sure the horse has plenty of fresh water. Many people forget to give their horses water when horses are pastured. A healthy horse drinks 25 to 30 gallons of water each day. Some horses will not drink from ponds or streams, and some horses will not drink dirty water. Make sure the water is clean and fresh.
2. Check the food supply. Just because the horse is outside grazing doesn't mean there is sufficient food. You may need to supplement with hay or concentrates - especially in the winter or during time of drought. Older horses and those performing heavy work often cannot maintain their weight on pasture grass alone.
3. Make sure the horse has shelter from the weather. A lean-to or overhang will help protect horses from sun, rain and wind. In some climates, horses may get sufficient protection from trees. Older horses, ill horses or very young horses may need additional protection.
4. Check the fencing. Are there nails or boards that protrude? Horses have the uncanny ability to find anything to hurt themselves on. Additionally, is the fence tight and in good repair? Is it visible? If you use electric fence, be sure it is properly functioning.
5. Remove barbed wire from any fencing that horses come in contact with. Barbed wire can severely damage and even kill a horse if it tries to run through it or gets tangled up in it. If immediate removal isn't an option, run electric wire inside the fence to keep the horse away from the barbed wire.
6. Make sure there is plenty of high, dry ground during the rainy season. Horses standing in mud or water can damage their hooves and legs.
7. Check the local county regulations about the number of horses you can keep per acre. The number of acres needed to sustain two horses varies depending on your location. Talk to your local agriculture extension agent for recommendations.
8. Over over-stocking your pasture. Over-stocking may cause soil erosion, will lead to overgrazing and bare spots, increases the risk for parasite infection and may result in injured horses.
9. Be sure your horse is pastured with other horses who he gets along with. Horses are herd animals and do not do well alone. However is an overly submissive horse is pastured with a very dominant horse, the overly submissive horse may be hurt by the dominant horse.
10. Make a regular check of the fencing to make sure there are no damaged or missing boards that a horse could escape through.
11. Maintain all horses on a regular de-worming program and avoid over-stocking the pasture to cut down on risk of parasite infection.
12. Have a soil test performed on your pasture annually to determine whether or not you need to fertilize.
13. Keep pastures mowed. This will help prevent weeds from spreading. Furthermore since horses rarely eat very long grass, keeping the pasture mowed to a reasonable height increases your horse's grazing.
14. Irrigate pasture when necessary. This will help keep grasses growing.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure any lean-to or shelter you use for horses in the pasture will not allow one horse to be trapped by another horse or group of horses. Shelters should be open on at least two sides. There should also be enough shelter space to accommodate all of the horses.
• Remember to feed mineral and vitamin supplements.
• A daily wormer will help rid the horse of worms and prevent larvae from growing in the horse's intestine.
• Consider using a fly mask to prevent flies from swarming a horse's eyes.
• During the cold and wet months, use a waterproof horse blanket to protect your horse from the elements.
• Just because you have a horse in a pasture is no reason to forget about it. Horses in pasture still have veterinary needs. Pastured horses need vaccinations, their teeth checked and possibly floated, and their hooves trimmed and, under certain conditions, shod.
• Bring sick horses in out of the weather and away from healthy horses.