Management and care of mangers
It is not in the nature of horses to stay in one place, therefore they defecate and urinate anywhere. They avoid grazing the areas where the droppings are concentrated and do not like to urinate where they are splashed. Hence, many times they wait to be released to the pasture to urinate. For this reason, the floor of the stalls must allow for drainage.
The wet beds and the drawer must be removed frequently to avoid the concentration of ammonia in the environment and avoid contamination, a vital care also to have healthy hooves.
Helmets are a part of the body that requires daily cleaning. The removal of dirty or rotting material from them should be a priority even over brushing. Failure to do so can cause slow and painful foot infections.
Cleaning utensils, harnesses and tools are also a basic condition for the health of horses.
The arrangement of dirty and / or used beds must be done in such a way that it does not allow the proliferation of flies. A good composting process, away from mangers, or frequent removal from the facilities, are valid alternatives to prevent this from happening. Excrement should also be removed from exercise areas such as riding stables.
Air renewal
The horse’s respiratory system is highly sensitive to the effects of harmful gases, such as ammonia. That explains why poorly ventilated stalls lead to respiratory diseases. The stables must have large windows that allow to ensure the permanent renewal of the air so that the horses breathe in a clean environment.
The windows also allow the horses to see each other. This is important for the tranquility of the animal and to satisfy, in part, its social needs.
Create good habits and avoid vices
Horses in a stall develop habits. Some are harmful and occur because the living conditions of a stall break with some of the requirements of the nature of the horse itself. The so-called manger vices originate from insufficient time chewing fodder, frequently, or because the horse cannot do the necessary exercise, or because of isolation from its congeners.
The propensity for habitual behavior must be taken into account to adjust the feeding and grooming times, which must be regular and constant for the horse. Meals at irregular times produce anxiety. The presence of gastric ulcers associated with changes in feeding programs and very long periods of time in which the horse does not have access to food is very frequent.
The hours of rest and meals of the horses must be respected, avoiding noise, interruptions, and scares. They must be moments of tranquility.
The horse did not evolve to live in a stall. Your stay in it is occasionally necessary, in some cases due to space restrictions, but, unless we are protecting the horse from climatic extremes that are harmful to its health, when we lock it in a stall, we are not doing it any favors or its physiology. nor to his psyche.
Let’s not lose sight of the fact that this beautiful creature that we are passionate about is called Equus caballus and it evolved for freedom and movement.
