Avoiding Negative Horse Behavior Issues | Pet News Network | PNN ...

Avoiding Negative Horse Behavior Issues

Horses

Horses like to spend majority of their time grazing in pastures but not all horse owners?have the luxury of having their horses constantly roam around freely in fields. Horses that are not in an environment that allows them to express their nature can become stressed or bored, which can lead to bucking, rearing, cribbing, and other destructive behavior.

Behavioral problems can be a major concern for horse owners, especially if a horse is difficult to handle. Here are some ways to prevent a horse from incurring negative behavior issues:

Give the Horse Adequate Time Outdoors

The natural habitats of horses are large areas where they can run freely and graze. If you keep your horse cooped up indoors and hardly enough time out at pasture, it will not get the exercise it needs to stay healthy. Also, it can get stressed and become skittish or aggressive. Before you even decide to keep a horse, make sure that not only should you have the time and means, but also the space to give it the care it needs. Access and time to graze in pasture are essential to a horse?s wellbeing.

Keep a Herd

Horses are social animals by nature and prefer to live in herds. Ideally, 4-10 horses of the same sex would work best. If you constantly change the herd by adding or removing a horse, the horses can get stressed. If you can?t keep more than one horse, you can keep an alternative companion such as a donkey or sheep. Make sure the vaccinations of all your animals are up to date. Always watch out for any possible illnesses your pet may acquire so it can be treated and kept from contaminating other animals in the herd.

High Forage Diet

A high forage diet is highly recommended to meet the nutritional needs of horses. What you feed your horse should be based on its body weight, activity, and age. If the horses do not receive proper forage such as pasture grass, they can have behavioral concerns such as wood chewing or cribbing (a stable vice where the horse keeps grabbing a surface with its upper incisors and pulling backwards). Remember that feeding your horse too little forage or too much grain can cause colic. If you do not have enough pasture for grazing, it is better to feed your horse several smaller portions of food daily rather than giving them a few huge meals a day. This would simulate the pattern of grazing.

Photo: http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc64/BCHSPhotos/Pet%20Fair%202008/PetFair2008061.jpg

To view this article in spanish, click here: http://www.petsintouch.com/pnnespanol/12989/evitando-el-comportamiento-negativo-del-caballo

Share this Post ???
??????????????

See category news ????????

No comments yet.

snow white and the huntsman snow white and the huntsman peyton manning rupaul drag race walking dead comic apple stock doppler radar