Field Kept Ponies

give him a stone bruise. Ouch!Try to pick up piled manure with a pitchfork and wheelbarrow as often as you can. Manure promotes flies and worms. It also damages the grass underneath it. Its best to remove it out of the pasture but if you cant at least take it away from where your horse spends much of his time i e. around the water trough or runin shed In the spring check to be sure that no poisonous plants are growing in your horses field. If you clip your horse you must blanket him well in the winter. You dont want him to catch a chill. Take off his rugs every day so you can give him a once over and make sure that he doesnt have any rubs or irritation from the blankets. Make sure you fasten all of the straps on the blanketa loose strap could lead to an accident Check to be sure that the water trough or bucket is filled every day. Try to dump it out completely and rinse the bucket at least once a week. Stagnant water is a prime location for insects to breed so make sure your horses water is clean. Also in the winter be sure that there is no ice covering her trough so she cant drink. You may need to use a trough heater in the water. You can find them in catalogs or at feed stores If there are several horses in the field be sure to separate their food when feeding them. You wouldnt want one horse to eat everyones food! Spread hay piles at least 15 feet apart and always make one more pile than there are horses so each horse has something to eat!In the winter keep an eye on your horses heels for mud fever a nasty infection caused by wet muddy conditions. Its a good idea to get your horse out of the mud and dry off his legs a couple of times a week to try to prevent mud fever. Dew poisoning is similar problem that usually happens in the spring and summer and is caused by the dew on the grass in the morning. You may need to dry off your horses legs every day and apply medication Horses are herd creatures. This means they like equine company. Try not to keep your horse by herself if possible. If you
dont have room for another horse in the field consider getting a donkey or a goat to keep her company. A donkey or goat will also need some sort of shelter when it gets cold If your horse gets burrs in her mane and tail its best to get them out quickly before they turn into huge knots. Some people recommend using baby oil to work the burrs free from the hair If your horse is easy to catch turn her out in her pasture without a halter. Shes less likely to get caught on anything and it will be harder for wouldbe thieves to steal her. If she must wear a halter put a leather one on her. If a nylon halter gets caught on something it wont break easily and your horse could break his neck or suffer another injury.