Life With a Pet: Horse Insurance is an Option

Horse owners want to protect their horse or horses from illness or injury. Horse medical insurance helps horse owners pay expensive veterinary hospital or surgical bills. If the owner already carries a full mortality policy on the horse, it’s a relatively simple task to add medical insurance now. Most insurance companies don’t offer horse medical policies as a stand-alone financial product.

If the horse is healthy, most insurers agree to cover his or her medical and/or surgical needs within a 24-hour period.

Some equine insurers cover the horse from the age of just 24 hours to 31 days. Most insurers won’t write equine medical insurance after the horse turns 20 years old. Some carriers won’t write medical insurance on a horse after he or she turns 18 years old. Premiums costs and coverage limits vary, so it’s best to compare several medical insurance policies at the start.

Feeding and Grooming Your Horse #pethealth #petnutrition

Owning a horse will bring you years of joy, but it's also a big responsibility. You will need to make arrangements for food and boarding and learn about all of the aspects of basic care. Here are some helpful tips to keep your horse safe, healthy and happy.

Equine Nutrition
Even if you're planning to board your horse at a facility that provides full care, you should understand the basics of good nutrition for your horse. Horses naturally like to graze, and in an open outdoor environment they will happily graze in the field all day. Horses that are stalled most of the time and fed several feedings of grains and feeds each day are more likely to develop digestive problems. To reduce the risk of an upset stomach or colic, it's best to feed your horse small meals. This will keep healthy bacteria in the stomach for proper digestion.

5 Tips for Trimming Horse Hooves

Even experienced horse owners can neglect the basics when it comes to hoof trimming. If you want to get it right, take yourself through the following steps to ensure that your horse is getting the best possible maintenance and care.

1: Gather Your Tools Beforehand
You'll unsettle your horse if you have to stop halfway through hoofing to hunt down your rasp or trimmer. Once you start, make sure you can see it through until the end.

2: Wet Their Hooves
Softened hooves are much easier to work with than hard, dry hooves. You can moisturize them yourself with a wet cloth, or if it's rained recently, just lead your horse through puddles for a few minutes.


3: Clean Before Trimming
Take a pick to their hooves to remove any grass or gravel that has accumulated in the depressions. Be nice and thorough; leftover debris can cause you to rasp unevenly later. Use a brush for one final sweep.

4: Trim The Hoof Wall First
Clip away the excess around the hoof wall with special nippers made specifically for equine care. You can learn more about these implements here.

5: Rasp In Entire Strokes
Don't rasp in small increments; you'll wind up leaving your horse off-balance when you sand him down unevenly. Take your rasp from heel to toe in long, sure strokes that apply equal pressure throughout the hoof.

This is just a quick guide to trimming your horse's hooves the right way. Every creature will require personalized care, so don't feel that you have to follow it exactly!

5 Tips for Trimming Horse Hooves

Even experienced horse owners can neglect the basics when it comes to hoof trimming. If you want to get it right, take yourself through the following steps to ensure that your horse is getting the best possible maintenance and care.

1: Gather Your Tools Beforehand
You'll unsettle your horse if you have to stop halfway through hoofing to hunt down your rasp or trimmer. Once you start, make sure you can see it through until the end.

2: Wet Their Hooves
Softened hooves are much easier to work with than hard, dry hooves. You can moisturize them yourself with a wet cloth, or if it's rained recently, just lead your horse through puddles for a few minutes.