As with everything we do, the daily care of your horse is done as a strict regimen. Not only does it keep your horse in tip top physical shape, but it also gives our staff the opportunity to maintain a constant eye on the horse should a problem arise. Here's a sampling of our daily routine.

Leveling Stalls

Stalls: Our stalls are cleaned three times a day (morning, afternoon and night). We break our feed into three feedings as well so this is an opportune time for the stalls to be run. We keep our stalls and barn as dust free as possible to curb the respiratory problems performance horses (especially those that race) tend to be prone to. We also level our stalls so that tired legs can rest properly.

              

Hay: As stated above, we feed three times a day. Horses are meant to be grazers and a large quantity of feed is hard for their systems to digest. As grain has a tendency to pass through them quickly, we feed hay twenty to thirty minutes ahead of the grain. The hay builds a wall so to speak that will hold the grain back allowing more nutrient to be absorbed.

Dividing Hay

Fixing Feed

Feed: Horses like people have different needs, so our feed program is adjusted accordingly. Some horses work best on straight oats, others on a combination of sweet feed and oats. There are those that do well on T&A hay, while others do better on straight Timothy or Tifton.

We are careful to maintain a balance between the calcium and phosphorus ratio when we feed largely oats to an individual. Like most horse people, we have our pet supplements to build the blood, help their coats, increase muscle etc. Here again we feed to meet the need of the individual.

 

Cleaning Water Buckets

Water: Our water buckets are washed and scrubbed daily, and fresh water is always available. We personally prefer the buckets over automatic waterers so we can keep and eye on how much or little they are drinking.

 

Exercise: We ride five days a week, reserving the weekends for shows, ropings or rodeos. On days we don’t ride, we put them in the exerciser or turn them out in pasture. Horses have a need to roll, play and just be horses for their mental as well as physical health.

Exercise Time