Lesson 2: Caring for the Perfect Barrel Horse
This lesson covers one of the most important aspects of owning any type of horse. It’s painful to see a horse that has been neglected or uncared for by its owner, and the goal of this lesson is to make sure you always know full well how to care for your horse. This includes information on basic care of the animal, such as feeding, maintenance (including the amount of land necessary to maintain a horse, water, and general care).
Feeding, Maintenance, and Basic Care
Horses are large animals and knowing how much (and what) to feed them can be confusing when you’re first starting out. There are some basic ground rules, though, that will help you get started; and even if you’re familiar with horses in general, feeding barrel horses can be slightly different because of the amount of physical exertion involved.
The general feeding rule of thumb is to feed one pound of forage (grass or hay) per 100 pounds of animal per day. So, for example, if you have an 1100-pound horse, the general idea is to feed him 11 pounds of forage per day. Keep in mind that this is a rule of thumb; if you feed this same horse 11 pounds and he’s still starving, feed him another pound.
Forage is the staple of a horse’s diet; no matter what, this is what a horse will always need to eat. Even if you never fed your horse grain (this is hypothetical; you should feed grain if your horse is running barrels), you must feed him grass or hay. A horse can’t survive without it.
Now about grain. Personally, my favorite grain is good rolled oats. It really seems to help horses’ stamina and lean muscle development. Corn tends to make a horse more hot (physically hot—meaning it can help actually fatten up a horse), and sweet feed (grain with molasses added—horses love it) has a lot of sugar in it, so it’s not good for a horse’s teeth. On top of the horse’s teeth, it’s easier to think of it just like a sugary cereal for people—it’s tasty, and it has a basic healthiness to it, but because of all that sugar it’s not the best thing to be eating constantly. Good plain oats are a fantastic addition to a barrel horse’s diet.
The quantity of grain will vary from horse to horse—and if you’re a beginner, the best option is to consult a vet about how much to feed your particular horse. Be sure to give him the specifics on how active your horse is. But personally, for measuring grain, I always use a coffee can and generally give a very active horse about ¾ - 1 can per day. Again, consult your veterinarian if you’re unsure.
Keep water available to your horse constantly. Horses drink a lot of it, especially active horses, and it’s important they always have it nearby. When, or if, you start to take your horse on the road for barrels, never vary this policy. Water is even more important than food for a horse’s health, especially if you’re traveling.
Other important basic care issues are things that may seem obvious on the surface, but let’s assume that everything is worth covering, however briefly. The area where you’re keeping your horse needs to be clean and free of any possible injuries waiting to happen—look out for any nails sticking out of a stall, ragged fences, etc. Horses, in general, are fairly prone to injury because they tend to be curious. So avoid any unnecessary delays, heartache, and vet bills by going over your pasture and/or stall with a fine-tooth comb to make sure your horse will be safe and comfortable there.
The size of a piece of land necessary to maintain a horse (in other words, the amount of grass/water that land contains in order for the horse to live comfortably on that piece of land) depends entirely upon the area where you live. For instance, if you live in a dry area (but not so dry it’s a desert), it can take 50 or so acres per animal to maintain him. If you live in a more wet, green, lush area, it can take much less. It’s absolutely necessary to know what this is for you and your horse—talk to veterinarians, other horse people, anyone and everyone involved with livestock and horses to find this out. If you know this going in (even if you keep your horse in a stall, this is good information to know), it will prevent overgrazing your land and also, of course, prevent your horse from being underfed.
