D.V.M.

Horses have a charm and beauty unique in the animal kingdom. Horses can’t sit in your lap; on the other hand, you can’t go for a gallop on a kitten! Like any animal, horses need daily care and regular grooming. If you’re buying a horse, you need to know the right questions to ask, and if you own a horse, you need to be able to recognize when your horse is experiencing a health emergency.

Saddle shopping is more than just finding a nice-looking saddle in your price range. As far as the horse is concerned, a saddle that doesn't fit correctly can result in sore back muscles, and a corresponding bad attitude to go with it. Finding a saddle that fits your horse takes some work. Even though saddle manufacturers make saddletrees in different sizes (wide, medium, and narrow), each horse is an individual and may not fit into a saddle that corresponds to the apparent width of the horse's back.

If you hang around a stable for any length of time, you'll notice that horse people have a language all their own. This language — which sounds like a foreign tongue to the uninitiated — is what horse people use to describe the intricate details of the horse's body. Checking out the parts Nature made horses to be virtual running machines that can reach speeds of nearly 40 miles per hour.

Not every equine ailment requires a frantic phone call to the nearest veterinarian. You can deal with some problems at home, or at least monitor them before making that call. Here are signs to look for when your horse seems under the weather. If your horse has one or more of these symptoms, the condition is an emergency that warrants a call to — and a possible visit from the vet: Bleeding: If your horse is bleeding heavily from any place on his body, try applying pressure to stop the flow.

To see things from the horse's perspective, you need to know — literally — how the horse takes in the world. Humans evolved to be hunters and gatherers, chasing down prey and finding appropriate plants to eat. Horses, on the other hand, are built to avoid hunters and eat nearly everything that grows around them.

Keeping your horse clean and looking good is an essential part of horse ownership, and besides, it can be fun! The following is a list of grooming tools you need to have handy: Rubber currycomb Stiff brush Soft brush Shedding blade Cloth Mane and tail brush Mane and tail detangler Hoof

Buying a horse is a big deal. It’s a process that deserves and needs some thought and preparation. When you set off on your horse-shopping adventure, arm yourself with the following questions for the seller: How much are you asking for the horse? Is this price negotiable? How old is the horse? How big is the horse?

Your horse, like you and every other animal, is susceptible to health troubles. The problems in the symptom column in the following table are ones that merit immediate attention and a call to the veterinarian. Symptom(s) Possible Cause Steps to Perform Bleeding Injury Apply pressure; call vet Blood in urine Severe infection or bladder injury Call vet immediately Coughing and salivating with head down as food exits the mouth Choking Horse can breathe, but call vet immediately Inability to stand; staggering Severe sickness Call vet immediately Liquid, foul-smelling excrement Diarrhea Call vet immediately Profuse sweating, lying down and getting up, pawing ground, biting abdomen Colic Remove food; call vet immediately Rapid breathing, raspy breathing, heavy coughing Illness or infection Call vet immediately Refusal to eat Serious illness or mild colic Call vet immediately Severe pain Injury or illness Call vet immediately Straining to defecate or urinate Intestinal or urethral blockage Call vet immediately Swelling or body part that’s hot to the touch Injury Call vet immediately Teary eye; closed eye; red eye; cloudy eye Eye injury or infection Call vet immediately Temperature significantly above or below 98–101.

Taking care of a horse is a major responsibility, and you have to tend to your equine friend every day. The following list describes the tasks you need to accomplish each day for your horse: Feed your horse two to three times Check your horse’s water supply Examine your horse for any signs of healt