HEALTH & EDUCATION

Health & Education

We all want the best care possible for our horses. The Heath & Education section covers both Learning Institutions, Organizations as well as many sources for equine assistance including Veterinarians and Farriers.

For those who want a to formally study horses, the Education section includes College Riding, Equine Studies, and Veterinary Schools. Learn about the wide variety of horses in the Horse Breeds section. Supplements and Treatments Therapy are also included in the section.

Everyone can learn from Fine Art and there are some specialty Museums that might surprise you.

Horses as a therapy partner enrich the lives of the disabled. These facilities are listed in our Therapeutic Riding section. To help children and young adults build confidence and grow emotionally, please see the resources available on the Youth Outreach page.

Looking for a place to keep your horse? You can find it in the Horse Boarding section. Traveling? Find a Shipping company or Horse Sitting service if your horse is staying home!

Want to stay up to date with the latest training clinics or professional conferences? Take a look at our Calendar of Events for Health & Education for the dates and locations of upcoming events.

Do we need to add more? Please use the useful feedback link and let us know!

By Juliet M. Getty, Ph.D.

Reasonable, gradual weight loss can be achieved by creating an environment that allows horses to eat and behave in sync with their normal instincts. Hormones such as insulin, cortisol, and leptin are in homeostasis, where the body achieves a state of equilibrium and performs as it should.

It starts with making the horse feel safe. The foundation of safety is knowing that there is always something to eat. Without this, the very underpinning of health becomes unhinged. Piling supplements and expensive feeds onto this insecure footing will make a trivial, insignificant, and short-term difference.

A steady, never-ending supply of appropriate hay/pasture will allow your horse to realize that he can eat effortlessly. In very little time, he will begin to self-regulate his forage intake and eat only what his body needs to maintain condition.

There are cases, however, where the horse not only doesn’t self-regulate, he actually gets heavier. Why is this? And if this is your horse, is there no hope? Do you simply have to go back to restricting hay? There are several reasons why this can occur and no, you do not and should not go back to restricting hay.

Free-choice forage is fundamental but it is not enough

If you are expecting to simply give your horse all the hay he wants and he’ll start to miraculously lose weight, while his nutrient intake remains inadequate and there are significant stressors in his life, you will likely be disappointed. Free-choice forage feeding will, however, improve his behavior and digestive health, even without weight loss. But to have an impact on his weight, other practices need to be in place.

Four components should be considered

An excellent diet, stress reduction, the right environment, and patience are key ingredients to making weight loss a reality. Below are factors that can make this happen. I realize that for many of you, it is not feasible to implement all of them. My goal is to give you the ideal situation; your goal needs to be to come as close to the ideal as possible. Even making some of these changes will improve your horse’s health.

1. Excellent Diet

Appropriate forage

The hay and/or pasture need to be low in sugar and starch, as well as low in calories, because your horse will be eating a lot of it. Testing your hay is critically important. If Ethanol Soluble Carbohydrates (ESC) + Starch exceeds 11% on a dry matter basis, you’ll want to seriously consider soaking it.[i] If the hay supply changes frequently where your horse is boarded, consider buying your own hay; even a one month’s supply is worth testing.

Pasture grazing, of course, is ideal, but it can be tricky because its sugar and starch content varies so much. It, too, is worth testing periodically at the best and worst times of the day.[ii] The ideal is a pasture with a mix of healthful forage. Many horses can lose weight while pasture grazing in such conditions; it is the most natural, least stressful state for the horse, and provides the most nutritious whole food.

Aggressively attack inflammation

Where there’s body fat, there’s inflammation, leading to insulin and leptin resistance. A vicious cycle ensues because leptin resistance prevents the brain from telling the horse that he’s had enough to eat, and insulin resistance tells the horse to hold on to body fat. In both of these situations, body fat increases, further exacerbating inflammation.

To effectively reduce inflammation, boost the diet with antioxidants, anti-inflammatory herbs, key minerals, and the right balance of omega 3s to 6s, preferably from supplements that provide wholesome ingredients without the use of added preservatives. Please review articles[iii] in my website’s resources for specific ways to accomplish this.

Get rid of the concentrates

Supplements can be added to a small amount of a carrier feed such as hay pellets, non-GMO beet pulp, or whole foods (avoid soy). But do not feed large amounts of any “grain” including those that contain cereal grains (oats, corn, barley, rice, etc.), molasses, or added vegetable oils; these do nothing except add unnecessary calories.

2. Stress Reduction

Forage restriction is incredibly stressful

The horse’s digestive tract is designed for a continual flow of forage; without it, the horse will be in physical pain, mental discomfort, and prone toward a hormonal response that destroys health and promotes obesity.[iv] If he runs out of forage, even for a few minutes, your horse’s system will register this as an impending famine and his body will hoard fat.

The damage from prolonged forage restriction can be difficult to repair

The only way to fix your horse is to help him return to his natural state. However, the longer a horse lives as an overweight, stressed animal, the more inflammation he will have within his system, making it difficult it to bring that horse back to a normal weight, free of leptin or insulin resistance. Years of enduring forage restriction will definitely take its toll. But the solution is not to continue down this destructive path; the solution is to try to make things better.[v]

Grazing muzzles may defeat your purpose

If your horse tolerates a grazing muzzle, it can allow him to spend some time out on pasture with his buddies. But a muzzle can defeat your purpose if it causes frustration and its attendant cascade of stress-induced hormonal reactions. So pay attention to your horse. Even if he accepts the muzzle, limit its use to no more than 3 hours per day. Muzzles are hardly ideal—they do not really allow sufficient forage consumption for healthy digestive functioning, but the benefits of exercise and companionship in the pasture can outweigh the downside of short term reduction in forage intake. Make certain that your horse can drink water and that water drains well.

3. The Right Environment

Movement is so important

Movement does more than burn calories; it keeps your horse whole, physically and psychologically. Confinement to a small paddock (even though it is outdoors), or worse, to a stall, for hours on end, reduces circulation, increases the horse’s sense of vulnerability, increases susceptibility to depression, creates inflammation throughout the body, decreases the metabolic rate, reduces immune function, and depresses digestive tract motility, to name only a few outcomes. All of these have the same impact on your horse’s weight – they can lead to obesity because of the hormonal and metabolic responses that tell the horse to hold on to body fat.

Freedom to roam and interact with other horses

Horses require the protection of a herd. They are also social animals and need the interaction of close physical contact; merely seeing other horses over the fence is not enough.

Room to roam, along with freedom to choose whether to be out in the sunlight, or under a tree, or in a shed -- perceiving he has options for comfort and safety is a calming force for the horse.

Slow feeders can be wonderful when used correctly

Slow feeders come in a variety of styles and methods.[vi] Allow your horse to gradually become accustomed to eating from them by also providing loose hay. Feeders need to be kept full at all times, the hole size for netted styles should not be smaller than 1.5 inches, and, depending on design, they should be kept low or on the ground to simulate the horse’s natural eating stance. Provide many of them throughout his area to encourage grazing.

4. Patience!

At first, he will overeat

Give a horse all he can eat, and at first he will overeat, a lot! It can be difficult to watch. Be sure you’ve tested your hay and it is suitable. Then give him more than he could possibly eat so that there is some left over. If you don’t give him enough and he eats it all, you will not accomplish your goal. But if he has so much that he can’t finish it, and he can leave and return to find it still there, he will eventually reach the magic moment – he will walk away! Eventually, he will eat far less than he did at the beginning.

Many barn managers are not willing to do this because it seems like a waste of money. But in actuality, the horse will eat less once he self-regulates than he did when he was only getting a set ration of hay.

Give it enough time. Most horses start to self-regulate within a couple of weeks. Some take a couple of months. And those who are leptin resistant take even longer.

Sometimes it’s gas, not fat

Forage contains large amounts of fiber, which is fermented in the horse’s hind gut (cecum and large colon), resulting in gas formation. This is normal and healthy, but it can make your horse look pregnant. This is not fat; it’s gas--otherwise known as a “hay belly.” Do not let it concern you. Your horse will adjust. If it gets excessive, however, it would be best to help out the microbial flora in the hind gut by administering a good prebiotic.[vii]

Horses will gain weight at first

Overeating naturally leads to weight gain. But it is only temporary. Allow for movement, feed an anti-inflammatory diet, get rid of stress, and you will have a different horse.

Abandon the conventional weight loss mantra!

“Eat less!” This continues to be spouted by many horse owners and equine professionals. In fact, equine research in this area has revolved around reducing forage, often with “positive” results. But it is exceedingly short-sighted! What they don’t tell you is how those same horses are doing a year later. Nor do they examine the inflammatory, metabolic, endocrine, physiologic, and even hypothalamic damage in the brain that results from forage restriction.[viii]

We know about the damage this causes to humans. Why do we use this method with horses? Excessively reducing calories will result in weight loss. But wait! Give it some time and the weight not only creeps back but even more weight is put on. Recently, the New York Times did a piece on the “Greatest Losers,”[ix] a reality TV show where overweight men and women underwent extreme dieting and exercise and were praised by all in their efforts as they showed off their newly trim selves. Six years later, they were back to where they started, or worse, due to a shift in normal metabolism.

It is no different for horses. Prolonged forage restriction ultimately resets the metabolic rate to a slower level. In addition, the body’s hormonal response changes, making it very difficult for the horse to successfully keep off the weight without sacrificing health and quality of life.

Bottom line

Why not simply allow your horse to be healthy? Weight loss the wrong way will ensure that your horse will get fat again. Being patient, reducing inflammation and stress, and creating a healthy environment will do the trick. Sure, take away calories from concentrated feeds – that’s fine. But never, never restrict forage.

This article originally appeared on Getty Equine Nutrition and is published here with permission.

Find more informative articles in our section on Health & Education.

Whether you are looking to take home high-point champion or just have an overall positive experience for your young horse, here are six important items to have in tow for your next show day!

Fleece Horse Sheet

Fleece sheets are ideal to wick away sweat from riding and hauling. They also offer horses warmth and help keep them clean. Our favorite feature of this sheet is that you can customize with a monogram and choose everything from tread color to font and placement of your design. They also serve as a great extra layer beneath winter blankets for the coldest winter weather.

Personalized Nylon Halter

Match to your horse’s blanket or sheet with this personalized nylon halter. You’ll enjoy the many customization options available right at your fingertips, from color to font and more. See for yourself in this video!

Premium Leather Halter

This premium leather halter, with the option to engrave your horse’s name, offers a classic look that pairs perfectly with show day. Plus, Perri leather halters are crafted from wide, triple-stitched leather that is supple right from the start.

Wahl Clipper Kit

Everyone is in their Sunday best come show day, horses included! For clipping, look to this kit from WAHL for a smooth and quiet trim. The kit includes:

Clipper (variety of colors available!)
Two battery packs
Charging base
Clipper case
Detachable blades
Four guide combs
Oil
Cleaning brush
Grooming Tote

Groom Tote

Organization is crucial during a busy day on the show grounds. Available in several fun colors and patterns, this handy groom tote comes equipped with multiple dividers, sturdy pockets and a padded shoulder strap. See how many items you can tote in this tote, here!

Equine First Aid Kit

When traveling anywhere, whether for show or play, it is crucial to bring an equine first aid kit with you, should your horse become injured. We couldn’t agree more with the words from one of our customers, “Fortunately, I have not had to use this, but I am happy to have [an equine first aid kit] handy and available, in case of need.”

At Valley Vet Supply, we’re here to help you care for your horses the best way we know how, with great quality products. Visit ValleyVet.com today for your every equine and show-day need.

Join us on StallSide as we dive into the world of recipient mare management with Crystal Howard, manager of the Rood & Riddle Reproduction Center. Crystal provides an exclusive look into the workings of the recipient mare program, shedding light on the care, selection, and vital role these mares play in equine reproduction. Discover the expertise and dedication behind maintaining a top-tier herd, and gain valuable insights into the practices at one of the industry's leading facilities. Whether you're a breeder, enthusiast, or simply curious about equine reproduction, this episode offers a captivating journey into the heart of recipient mare management.

Miss Hockaday continues winning streak, finishing first at Remington Park in Oklahoma City. Photo Credit: Remington Park

The racing career of Thoroughbred mare, Miss Hockaday, was an immediate success, with career earnings amounting to nearly $262,000, spanning across Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas and Iowa.

With a champion bloodline harkening to Thoroughbred greats like Seattle Slew and Northern Dancer, owner-trainer, husband-and-wife duo, Jearl (Ace) and Randy Hare, decided her second career would be as a broodmare, continuing on her legacy.

“To see Miss Hockaday’s racing success, and to continue her on as a broodmare, was amazing,” said Randy Hare, co-owner of Hare Racing Stables in Oklahoma City. “She ran a lot of races and beat a lot of great horses. With such high earnings, we only paid $800 for her. It was a very exciting time, and she retired from racing completely sound.”

With her success on the track, it was a paramount decision to select the best possible sire for Miss Hockaday’s first foal.

“Living in Oklahoma, we don’t have a large pool of premier stallions to choose from,” said Hare. “I got her to the best stallion I could, and that was in Kentucky.”

Miss Hockaday was bred to a leading sire, Shackleford, who after retiring in 2012 with $3,090,101 in earnings, cashed in with an initial stud fee of $20,000. The foal, Hareraising, was sold at Keeneland and soon embarked on her racing career.

A mare’s health leading up to breeding is critical for the success of conception, as well as a healthy foal.

Consider These 6 Important Factors for Broodmares and Successful Breeding

Suppress estrus for improved fertility with Regu-Mate®, Altren® Or Ovamed®.
Estrus suppression will help you predict estrus, as well as improve a mare’s fertility. Regu-Mate facilitates breeding earlier in the season by helping transitional mares cycle regularly. Scheduled breeding with Regu-Mate helps breeding barns manage costs of shipped semen, reduce number of stallion collections needed and schedule the estrous cycles of donor and recipient mares for embryo transplants. By administering Regu-Mate or Ovamed®, mares will return to estrus within five days following treatment.
Ensure mares are at a healthy weight.
Mares should enter the breeding season fit and gaining weight for better chances of successful conception, according to the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP).
Eliminate stress as much as possible.
Stress can cause a mare’s level of Progesterone to drop. This hormone is critical to maintain pregnancy. Illness can cause the mare's system to secrete prostaglandins, which may cause foal loss (commonly referred to as abortion), according to the AAEP.
Maintain current vaccinations.
Protect against abortions in pregnant mares through vaccinations against Eastern and Western encephalomyelitis, West Nile virus, influenza and tetanus at the beginning of pregnancy. Administer booster vaccinations one month before foaling to increase the antibody level in the mare's colostrum to help protect the newborn foal from disease risk. The AAEP also recommends mares be vaccinated against equine rhinopneumonitis at five, seven and nine months' gestation.
Protect the mare and foal from parasites.
As the mare is the primary source for her foal’s parasite risk, it is important for her to be on a safe and effective deworming schedule, with guidance on frequency and timing provided by your veterinarian.
Ensure nutritional needs are met.
As the foal continues to grow, especially during the last four months of pregnancy, a mare’s energy needs will increase. Provide enough quality forage and grain to meet these heightened energy requirements. When it comes time for your mare’s big day, make sure you have everything needed with this Professional Foaling Kit.

Continue on the legacy. Ensure successful conception through excellent broodmare health and these proven solutions for improved fertility, Regu-Mate and Ovamed.

By Juliet M. Getty, Ph.D.

Driving through Kentucky, I passed breathtaking farms - acres and acres of meticulously manicured pastures, lined with black Kentucky-style four board fences that seemed to travel for miles. What struck me, however, was their barrenness.

Where are all the horses?

Placed high on mounds in the distance were spectacular barns, "horse hotels," where horses reside - some just during the day, some for most of the time.

While this may be convenient for the horse owner, standing in a small area for hours on end (even if part of it is outdoors) takes its toll on your horses' mental and physical health, to such a great extent, that it dramatically diminishes his quality, and length, of life.

Horses need to move.

Ever tried staying in a small room for most of the day? Likely, very uncomfortable; and we like cozy places! But horses most definitely do not! Their very survival depends on their ability to flee at a moment's notice from dangers, real or perceived. Trapped, they eventually succumb to their fate, appearing as though they are accepting and perhaps even appreciating their solitude. But the stress takes its toll on their immune system and hormonal responses, leading to a vast variety of health issues.

All body systems, including cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, reproductive, neuromuscular, and skeletal systems depend on exercise to remain sound. If the horse cannot be ridden every day, many will benefit from simply being lunged or worked in a round pen for a short period of time to provide an opportunity to get the blood flowing. Be aware that running around in circles for prolonged periods of time is unnatural and can be detrimental physically and mentally, causing frustration and inducing a stress response. Allowing for more natural forms of movement such as free exercise by walking around in a large pasture (or dry lot with hay available) is the best way to provide needed exercise.

Consider these potential problems

Obesity. The reason is obvious -- too little activity, combined with too many calories. Reducing calories can be accomplished by minimizing or even removing concentrates from the diet, but forage must never be restricted. Doing so starts a hormonal cascade that actually keeps the horse overweight.[i]

Porous bones. Skeletal bones are made of living, dynamic tissue that is constantly being subjected to changes in mineral and protein content. The horse's large size helps him build bone mass simply by moving. Inactivity can make horses' bones porous, potentially leading to fractures when only a slight demand is placed on them.

Poor feet and hair coat. Inadequate blood circulation reduces the flow of nutrients and oxygen to the extremities and hair follicles. Don't be fooled by the shiny coat that results from added dietary fat - that is simply a result of more oil secretion from the skin's sebaceous glands. Truly healthy hair and hooves require exercise to delivery necessary nutrients.

Digestive disorders. Horses allowed to graze on pasture 24/7 rarely develop ulcers. Stall confinement is a significant cause of this painful condition, especially when forage is not available 'round the clock. In addition, digestive tract muscles suffer from lack of activity. A steady, consistent supply of forage will help exercise these muscles.

Physical activity increases blood circulation and stimulates gastrointestinal motility, keeping the entire digestive tract in good shape, lessening the chance of torsions, impactions, and intussusceptions that lead to colic. Fiber digestion is also improved. What is so disheartening is that within two weeks of changes to stall confinement (such as experienced by horses transported to training facilities), the vast majority of horses will develop ulcers and more than half of them will develop colon/fecal impactions.[ii]

Mental well-being. The stress of stall confinement and isolation often leads to unattractive behaviors, consistent with trapping any animal -- weaving, stall-walking and circling, pawing, wall-kicking, chewing, head-bobbing, self-biting, and even cribbing (which is more than just a bad habit - it is generally done to alleviate the pain of an ulcer). Horses are social animals, requiring time with each other in a herd environment to provide protection, comfort, and mutual grooming.

Metabolic impacts. Sedentary horses lose muscle mass and can become insulin resistant. Muscle uses a large amount of glucose for energy; the more muscle mass your horse has, the more glucose transporters are produced, leading to beneficial insulin sensitivity. Therefore, exercise not only burns calories, but reduces insulin resistance. Exercise also helps reduce leptin resistance.

Fitness decline. Reduced exercise results in loss of muscle and bone mass which significantly impacts the horse's fitness level and performance ability. Researchers at Virginia Intermont College[iii] found that horses on stall rest for 14 weeks lost fitness and even more interestingly, pastured horses were able to maintain the same fitness level as horses who were stalled and exercised five days per week.

Growth retardation. A growing horse requires exercise for cartilage and overall bone and joint development. Restricting exercise can result in injury, under-conditioned joints, contracted tendons, deformed legs, and osteopathic disorders.

Accelerated aging. When the immune system is suppressed, the horse becomes more susceptible to catching infections from other horses, developing insect-borne diseases, and exhibiting allergic responses to the environment. Weariness from confinement increases oxidative stress, resulting in free radicals that damage healthy tissues, inhibit repair, and alter DNA. What we once thought as age-related conditions such as degenerative arthritis, and PPID, now appear in horses at far younger ages.

Possible solutions

We need to think "out-of-the-box" (pun intended). We need to find ways to offer our horses a safe environment that encourages movement and grazing time, as well as respects their innate physiological need for forage flowing through the digestive tract at all times.

One innovative approach is to transform an area into a "Paddock Paradise"[iv] where horses seek out new batches of hay while walking from place to place. This concept is quite versatile, allowing for even small sizes of land.

Relaxing standards that require keeping a horse stalled so he will stay clean and well-groomed, in favor of having a happier, more naturally kept horse will cut back on maintenance requirements and allow more time for enjoying your horse. Think of creative ways to let your horse outside to be with other horses.

If some stall time is unavoidable, be sure to provide at least two places where hay is always provided. If your horse tends to eat very quickly, start by providing hay free-choice. Once he gets the message that he will not run out of hay, he will start to slow down his eating and be more relaxed. Commercially available "slow feeders" are a good option for many horses, if they are introduced gradually, to avoid frustration.[v]

Shelter from harsh weather is a must. This can best be accomplished by offering your horse the option to make choices. Barn stalls with open gates that can be entered at will, allow your horse to decide what is most comfortable.

Bottom line

Confining a horse to a stall or small outdoor area without the ability to exercise leads to an animal who is mentally stressed and physically limited. Exercise, walking, grazing, socializing, and freedom to flee from perceived dangers are essential parts of what makes your horse, a horse.

This article originally appeared on Getty Equine Nutrition and is published here with permission.

Find more informative articles in our section on Health & Education.

This is a safety tip on how to safely hard tie your horse with a quick release knot brought to you by Certified Horsemanship Association (CHA). It will explain how short or long to tie, where it's safe to tie, how to do the knot, etc. CHA is the largest certifying body of horseback riding instructors in North America, with over 35,000 having been certified since 1967.

Photos courtesy of the Horses of Iceland

The Icelandic horse is known worldwide for its genuine and welcoming character. The horses are friendly, adventurous, smart, and quick to learn. They are usually very easy to handle, cooperative both on the ground and while ridden, yet also powerful and with a great will to work.

Icelanders traditionally favour horses with great spirit, power and stamina which is no wonder when taking into consideration what kind of long distances on hard terrain these horses needed to travel. However, the horses should always be reliable and treasured companions, ready to give their all in full speed when required, but also stand still for hours and shelter the humans from a snow storm if needed. There are many stories of how horses have saved their rider’s life, by outsmarting them, refusing to go where the path was too dangerous, or finding the way home when the rider was completely lost.

The Icelandic horse is a friend for life. Photo Courtesy of the Icelandic Horse

INDESPENSABLE SERVANTS

Often the same horse can be used for competitions at the highest level, as well as to safely carry the youngest family member on a ride out. The horses seem to adapt to each task given, knowing when it is time for full power or to tune down. They are an easy-going mount when a youngster or an unstable rider comes along. This versatility is highly treasured among Icelandic horse lovers, and is one of the most important breeding goals. Icelandic horses will reward mutual respect and fair handling with life-long loyalty and friendship.

The horses of Iceland have been the most indispensable servants since the island was first settled and have served that role faithfully through the ages. With no roads, vast distances and rough terrain, the horses were used for anything from carrying goods, transporting the doctor and postman, bringing people to church and to their loved ones across glacial rivers, as well as providing meat, horse hair and even milk.

Although their role has changed quite dramatically in the last 100 years, the horses remain an important part of Icelandic culture, bringing people together, both within the country as well as across borders.

This article originally appeared on The Horses of Iceland and is published here with permission.

You can find more interesting articles in our section on Health & Education.

Cheerful horse behavior encouraged through equine enrichment, such as toys for horses, social interactions and movement

You love your horse and do everything possible to ensure his health through equine vaccines, horse wormers, the best supplements and more. And of equal importance to horse health, is horse happiness. We asked Robin Foster, Ph.D., certified equine behaviorist and university professor of 30 years, how horse owners can know whether their horses are as happy as they are healthy. She shared with us four key characteristics of happy horses -- engaged, enriched, social and moving -- and explained more about each unique component.

Engaged

Happy horses are engaged with life going on around them. They are active members in their social groupings and attentive to, and eagerly willing to, explore their environment.

Enriched

“Enrichment opportunities for horses have really grown dramatically,” Dr. Foster said, crediting positive changes made in zoo environments for large animals in confinement. “Minimizing the effects of isolation, stress and limited movement -- zoos have these same challenges, and the equine industry has borrowed from that,” she said.

Enrichment falls under different categories, such as sensory, movement and feeding enrichment, which offers horses the opportunity to enjoy treats and work for food, such as with problem-solving horse toys. Cognitive enrichment keeps their mind working and burns energy,” Dr. Foster said.

“The first job is to make sure it’s something your horse will work for. Some horses love certain enrichment items, while for other horses, they just sit there. Shop around and experiment,” suggested Dr. Foster. Horses can learn the game rather quickly through their curious nature or by watching another horse. “When they can see other horses, they learn very quickly that food comes out of that thing and they will give it a good try,” continued Dr. Foster.

Social

It’s important that from an early age, horses have social interactions with other horses to meet their social needs. Depending on how horses are housed, they often have limited social time even at a barn with other horses. This is also true in the human-horse interaction.

“No matter how much you care for your horse, humans have very complex lives with many demands -- the horse being only one of many. Your life with your horse is maybe an hour a day. The amount of time a person spends with their horse can be limited, and what does the horse do the remaining 24 hours? If horses do not have a social life with other horses, and a rich, complex environment, you can bet that affects their overall behavior,” Dr. Foster said.

Moving

“Horses need the ability to move freely,” Dr. Foster strongly encouraged. Happy horses are free to run, roll, turn wildly, race around and kick up their heels -- not just move in a fixed way, such as lunging. All of this can play a role in a horse’s behavior.

“Horses able to move more freely are usually more physically fit for competition or riding. And mentally, they are more resilient and buffered against stressors,” Dr. Foster said. For example, think of how a barn-kept horse under saddle might react to a large owl spreading her wings to swoop from a tree, compared to a pasture-kept horse or one with intermittent turnout.

Consider these four characteristics as they relate to your own horse’s happiness. Is your horse displaying each of the four signs, or could a few changes be needed? Learn more information at ValleyVet.com to help keep your horses healthy and happy.