The Worst Advice I Ever Heard!

by Elaine Polny
(Palgrave, Ontario, Canada)

As a horse owner and having to board at a facility you are at the mercy of the advice given and the protocols of the barn.

I am shocked at the horrible advice given and even worse the improper feeding/watering practices I am told about.

I wanted to share hoping this will offer some understanding and courage when advice doesn't feel right.

Here's the latest:

A barn manager told a horse owner that she doesn't supply salt to the horses because they drink too much water! Yikes, this is huge! Salt is a very important ingredient to horses (as is vitamins and minerals)and too often horses do not have their needs met.

And how about this one? "All the horses get scurvy every winter and their coats get really flaky and dry". What? I haven't come across a case of scurvy in a horse yet but the other question to ask her would be, "Why do they get this way every year?"

Here's a few other tips to watch for and I personally think you should feel comfortable discussing anything with those who are taking care of your horse.

1. Water should always be plentiful. I have heard many boarders feeling they need to get to the barn everyday to check to see if their horse has water. Wow.

2. Know exactly what kinds of foods are given and how often. Does the barn manager have nutritional knowledge? Do they get their hay tested, do they know where the hay is coming from? Is it excessively dusty? Do they seem chintzy about giving hay to the horses?

3. If blanketing is a protocol, are the blankets being removed regularly to check the horses condition? It only takes a week or two for a horse to loose condition and if they are covered in a blanket, you can easily miss this. (Of course there are many reasons why you wouldn't want to blanket in the first place! We never do)

4. Learn to know what a healthy hoof looks like vs. an unhealthy one. A big tell tale sign of health is in the hooves. But also in the coat and the emotional stance of the horse.

5. Google, Google, Google! New horse owners are very fortunate to have this resource to learn from than the way most of us did through trial, error and experience.

6. Always listen to your intuition or gut. If the answer you are offered doesn't feel right then seek further information.

7. Talk to the other boarders in the barn and ask them if they have any concerns. How often do boarders come and go? In most cases people will just pack up and go when they are not happy. Turn over will tell you this.

It's understandable (especially if you are a new horse owner) "You don't know, what you don't know" but if anything doesn't feel right, it usually isn't either.

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, ARM YOURSELF!"

Elaine Polny
Training Horses Naturally
(and caring for them that way too!)