Basic Horsemanship

Equine Management Facilities

facilities used for horses must be designed with the horse's safety in mind
most accidents are caused by poor planning or neglect to repair facilities
- this is the textbook answer
- I once found a boarder's gelding with a hind leg caught in a tree
- sometimes you just can't outplan the accident prone!
three major factors to consider when building a horse farm are: cost, flexibility, and accessibility
when considering cost, it should be remembered that well planned and well built facilities will be cheaper to run in the long run; durability and efficient setup for future, expensive labor should be considered
good pasture is extremely important to the success of a farm
good pasture should provide:
- high quality forages
- shade
- safe fencing
- adequate acreage
rounded corners in fences prevent excited horses from running into the fence by making them turn before the end of a fence
a good fence should have strength, height, and tightness
it used to be said that a good fence was strong enough to hold a bull, tight enough to hold a hog, and high enough to hold a horse (although nothing holds a goat)
According to The Horse by Harold Hintz et al., fence posts should be 7 1/2 to 8 feet long and set 3 feet into the ground, corner posts should set 4 feet in the ground, and the two best types of wood are cedar and locust
board fences are rugged, easily seen by running horses, and are considered the safest, most attractive type of fencing, but they are expensive, often chewed, & may rot
According to The Horse by Harold Hintz et al., board fences should be made of 1 X 6 inch boards and the posts should be no more than 8 feet apart
a four board fence, with the top board 48
53 inches high and the bottom board 5
6 inches high is best
board fences should be painted with lead free paint or treated with creosote to prevent rotting
post and rail fences are attractive and resist chewing, but are expensive and tend to break faster than boards
wire fences are cheaper and easier to build but lack safety of board fences
barbed wire is not correct to be used as a horse fence
woven wire, with a board at top, is safer than plain wire and cheaper than a board fence
the best type of wire to use for horses is four strand twisted barbless wire, but something must be done to increase visibility, such as attaching flags to the fence every few feet
pipe fencing is strong and safe, but cost varies in different regions
chain link fences are strong and safe, but the top should be protected so that ends are not exposed, and kicking can cause it to stretch
rubber-nylon fencing is attractive and safe, and is gaining popularity; check the advertisers index of Equus for latest developments in synthetic fencing
- you are more than welcome to read ads in any magazine, but 4-H lists Equus as an official source
electric fences may be used alone, in a three or four strand fence, or in conjunction with another type of fence
electric fences will short out frequently in wet weather
electric fences placed inside of board fences help keep horses from damaging the fences
gates should never be lower than the rest of the fence, as this may encourage a horse to jump the gate
filling the gate area with sand or gravel will prevent the gate area from becoming a mud hole from frequent use
gates may be made of heavy wood, such as oak, or of welded iron or pipe (design should not allow a horse to get a foot through it)
galvanized iron and aluminum gates are light but easily damaged
the gate latch should be easy to use but not so easy that the horses can open it; a chain with a snap works well
stables should be located near the center of the horse farm, so that pasture and paddock fences will prevent a loose horse from getting out to a main road
important considerations in building a barn include ventilation, fire resistance, safety, durability, ease in feeding and cleaning, and flexibility of design
open access housing has many advantages:
- good ventilation
- no daily stall cleaning
- improved mental state
- lessens threat of fire
disadvantages include shaggier coats and lack of convenience in showing sale horses to customers or feeding grain
open sheds should:
- face away from prevailing winds
- face south in northern regions
- minimum 75 square feet per horse
- opening should be 10 feet high
- roof should slope away from entrance
steel or aluminum roofs should be insulated to reduce noise during rain, else the horses may choose to brave the weather rather than the loud noise of pounding rain
climate depending, mineral feeders may be placed outside or on the back wall of the shed; hay mangers and waterers are usually outside
method of feeding grain varies greatly with individual circumstances
conventional stalls allow for individual attention and are more convenient for many professional farms
a box stall should be at least 12 feet x 12 feet
stall walls may be made of wood, concrete, cinderblock, steel, chain link fence
the ideal stall has a solid division five feet high, will some sort of screening such as chain link extending either an additional three or four feet or to the ceiling
some stalls, such as foaling stalls, should be closed off completely, but most stalls should be partially open so horses can socialize, and to increase ventilation
windows should always be screened to prevent horses from investigating broken glass. and should never open inward
aisle floors should be easy to sweep, durable, and provide good footing; rubber flooring is currently gaining popularity
stall floors may be made of many materials, with clay being the most popular
other flooring material includes wood (expensive and hard to clean), concrete (hard, slippery, and cold), and synthetic flooring (expensive)
tie stalls are most commonly used for draft horses, or in temporary housing
foaling stalls should be large, easy to clean, and well lit

Misc. Basics

the horse's left side is his near side
the horse's right side is his off side
horses are led and mounted from the near side
a hunter's braids fall to the off side
horses are measured in hands, and at the withers
a hand equals four inches or ten centimeters
the height limit for ponies is 14.2 hands, or 58 inches
the height limit for miniatures is 34 inches (AMHA) or 38 inches (AMHR)
the three main styles of equitation riding are huntseat, saddleseat, and stockseat (western)
the style of riding in which the reins are held in one hand is western
when riding, boots and a hard hat should always be worn
to turn a horse out, lead him through the gate, turn him to face the gate, and release him while stepping out of the pasture and shutting the gate
always approach a horse from the left side
when walking behind a horse, always let him know you are there by talking to him patting him, and pulling his tail as you pass behind him