Under a typical pet most people probably understand dog, cat and guinea pig. Those who like it particularly unusual, help themselves in the world of exotics. Large strangler snakes or bearded drag ons are very popular, but have the disadvantage that they do not have fur to cuddle and, strictly speaking, do not establish a relationship with humans. That a horse also falls under the category of “pet” is unknown to many. Yet it has long ceased to be an agricultural livestock animal.

Horse Keeping – Really So Difficult?

Many people are reluctant to buy a horse because they fear high costs and a lot of work. Horse keeping is sometimes very complex due to the often very individual needs of each horse. Especially if there are pre-existing conditions. However, this does not necessarily have to be the case.

Horses depend above all on high-quality horse feed, otherwise a number of diseases can occur. Many of these can be fatal, such as colic. The gastrointestinal tract in particular is very sensitive in horses. They react with problems to dirty feed, do not tolerate long breaks in eating and many are sensitive when there is a change in the weather.

Even a driven-in nail in the hoof can quickly mean the death sentence for a horse if the wound in the hoof becomes infected and the pus attacks the bone in the hoof, the coffin bone. Therefore, special care must be taken when handling horses.

If you attach importance to good feed, eliminate possible sources of danger and take the needs of horses into consideration, you should have no problems with keeping them.

What Needs Horses Have

This begins with attaching importance to the basic needs of horses. Among them falls the possibility of free movement, in the best case 24 hours, but at least a few hours. Keeping a horse in a stall 24 hours a day and only one hour of riding a day is not enough for a running animal like the horse.

Horses, by the way, do not necessarily have to be ridden. If a Shetland pony comes into consideration as a new pet, riding is not possible anyway with a corresponding body size. Nevertheless, horses want to be kept busy, be it with an exciting run that is always changed, a so-called paddock trail, or exercises from the ground.

Above all, it is important to pay attention to good roughage. It should not only be of high quality, which means low in dust and free of poisonous plants, but above all it should be available in sufficient quantities. Horses continuously produce gastric acid, which can attack the sensitive stomach lining. Saliva is able to neutralize this, but the horse has to chew for this. A feeding break should not last longer than four hours.

If the horse has enough exercise in the fresh air and gets high-quality roughage and supplementary feed, there are usually no problems with diseases.
If, in addition, the teeth are regularly checked by a specialist, the veterinarian is called quickly in case of problems, the keeping is financially secured and individual needs are taken into consideration, there is nothing to be said against giving a horse a home.