Tag Archives: horse care

Tips and more information for horse care from Klene Pipe Structures, creator of the Hay Saver Hay Feeder for horses and cattle.

6 Ways to Keep Your Horse Cool This Summer

Blog, Tipsheat, horse care, portable shade, run in shelters, shelter, summer

Those hot summer days are approaching and it’s important you know how to properly care for your horse when temperatures near triple digits. Neglecting to do some of these tips could not only be extremely uncomfortable for your horse but also cause some serious health concerns.

Here are some of the best tips for keeping your horse cool and comfortable during those hot summer months:

1. Quality Horse Shelter Kits

On those brutal summer days, any kind of shade is a relief for your horse. Besides drinking water, shelter is the most important aspect of caring for your horse in the summer. Trees with large foliage can be great for a quick rest but if the heat is too much, quality horse shelter kits are great for keeping horses cool, comfortable, and out of the heat.

Make sure you’re taking the sun’s positioning into account so that your horse can always have protection from the sun. To maximize comfort inside these horse shelter kits, place fans, light sheets, and a cool water source.

2. Never Overdo it in the Heat

According to the University of Guelph, horses can get heat stress 10 times faster than humans during a workout.

If you’re going out riding, especially during the middle of the day, be sure to keep the session short. You should never push your horse beyond his or her fitness level, but it’s imperative to be extra cautious during extremely hot days.

3. Keep Them Hydrated and Well-Fed

It’s crucial your horse remains strong throughout those hot summer days. Keeping your horse hydrated and well-fed will ensure they’re getting enough nutrients and will be able to better manage excessive temperatures.

Provide cool water and make sure your horse is drinking it. If they’re refusing, try placing a block of salt nearby (horses love it) – that should encourage them to rehydrate afterward. Also, make sure you’re using quality square or round bale feeders. Certain horse hay feeders are great for helping your horse eat freely, preventing overeating and other issues.

4. Frequent Baths, Mist, and Fans

Though providing frequent drinking water breaks during the summer is crucial, keeping your horse cool with baths, mist, and fans is just as important. After your (brief) ride, consider spraying your horse with a cool hose to help.

When misting or bathing your horse, it’s recommended to start with the chest and neck areas to cool the veins near the heart, which can help cool off the rest of the body quicker.

5. Trim Any Excess Hair

Although clipping horses is most common in the winter because of the extra layers of coat, keeping them well-groomed in the summer is a great way to help them stay cool. Removing sections of your horse’s coat can reduce sweating during exercise and keep them comfortable throughout the day. Make sure you’re using quality clippers, too. Use clippers that can remove hair underneath the tact, which prevents irritation and constant rubbing.

6. Pay Attention to Signs of Heatstroke

Overall, make sure you’re paying attention to your horse’s mood, appearance, and movements as much as you can when it’s extremely hot. Give your vet a call right away if you notice any of the following signs of heatstroke:

Elevated heart rate
Temperatures above 103 degrees
Exhaustion or lethargy
Excessive sweating
Dehydration

Make sure you’re prepared for the heat. Contact us today if you want to find some great horse shelter kits, round bale feeders, and more!

Your Horse Won’t Eat? Try These 4 Tips

Bloghay feeding, horse care

You’ve tried everything. You’ve tried adding some molasses for a little flavoring, you got rid of all the moldy hay, and you’ve even pretended to eat the hay right in front of them. But your horse just won’t eat!

This is a serious issue. Your horse needs to eat and relies on those essential nutrients – protein, vitamins, and minerals – within the forage. Luckily, there are a few things you can do that we’ve had success with in the past.

Here are some helpful tips to get your horse to feed again:

**First, try to identify why your horse isn’t eating**

This could be tricky, but take a step back and really think about what and how you’re feeding your horse. Maybe the hay is stale or too salty, which could cause a horse to stop eating. Or maybe you’ve been putting new medications like Bute into the feed. Your horse might want to avoid eating if that’s the case.

There are a variety of reasons why your horse won’t eat. But if you can, determining the root cause of the issue, rather than just trying to force them to eat, is a great way to start.

Utilize quality square or round bale feeders

If you’re using lesser quality hay feeders, there could be some serious issues that arise. An effective round bale feeder will allow your horse to eat freely, at their own pace. Other hay feeders, however, can lead to overeating, bloating, vomiting, and other problems – all of which could subsequently lead to your horse wanting to avoid eating again.

Look at your horse’s teeth

Dental issues can affect your horse’s ability to eat. Certain problems could cause hooks, waves, and other malformations that inhibit chewing. Additionally, broken or infected teeth can be so painful, your horse won’t want to chew anything. Warning signs of serious dental issues, in addition to loss of appetite, include aggressive behavior, introverted gaze, and self-mutilation. Keep an eye out for these signs and have a vet take a look at your horse’s teeth if you think that’s the issue.

Beware of any changes to your horse’s environment

Your horse might avoid eating if they are stressed, nervous, or anxious. Think about any major changes or circumstances that have happened recently. The loss of a stablemate, major weather changes, or the addition of a new stablemate could all cause some stressful problems and result in a lack of eating.

You’re doing everything you can to help your horse get back to eating healthy. Sometimes, just slowing down and thinking about the problem can help you find a solution. If you need quality round or square bale feeders, give us a call today!

Use the Right Horse Hay Feeders to Prevent Hay Waste

Bloghay feeding, horse care

Hay waste might seem like a minor inconvenience. Just a messy area, right?

Wrong.

Hay waste is actually a serious issue and can lead to multiple costly, stressful, and even unhealthy issues for your horses.

If you’re not equipped with quality horse hay feeders, you’re going to end up wasting a significant amount of hay. A little extra hay on the ground during a single feeding period isn’t that big of a deal, sure. But after a few days, weeks, and months – all that extra hay wasted up certainly is a big deal.

Conventional hay feeders or ring bales are not properly equipped to hold hay, leading to the hay being shifted outside the feeder or blown around. With the “Hay Saver” Hay Feeder, the folding grills keep the hay in place to prevent waste.

Hay Waste: The Problems

Wasting money – One of the most cost-efficient things you can do as a horse owner is to utilize quality hay feeders for horses. Keeping more hay confined within a feeder will end up saving you a significant amount of money. Decreasing the amount of wasted hay could more than pay the cost of the hay feeder itself.

Wasting health – If you’re constantly wasting hay, you’re actually running the risk of harming your livestock. With a quality feeder, your horse will be able to eat freely, as opposed to the stresses that come from slow, traditional hay feeders. The stress, however, can cause overeating and subsequent choking, bloating, and vomiting. Also, the “Hay Saver” Hay Feeder’s folding grills also prevent horses from burying their heads into the hay bale, which causes serious breathing problems due to inhaling too much hay dust.

Wasting time – The amount of time and work it takes to haul the hay, stack it, store it, and deliver it to the horses is a lot compared to using a quality round bale feeder. Plus, the cleanup around a feeder with folding grills is much easier. With old, chaotic feeders, you could be out there cleaning up wasted hay for hours.

Using the Hay Saver Hay Feeder is over 93% efficient at containing hay. Put an end to hay waste today! Check out our hay savings comparison chart and give us a call today to learn more about the benefits of our hay feeders for horses!

Keeping Your Horse’s Coat Healthy and Shining: 3 Tips

Blog, Tipshorse care

Your horse’s coat is extremely important to overall health. Shedding and dryness could mean something is wrong, and not enough cover or nutrients could lead to all sorts of health concerns. Follow these few tips to give your horse a shiny and healthy coat:

Run in Horse Shelters

Run in horse shelters are great for providing shade and cover for your horse’s coat. Since too much sun exposure can be damaging to your horse’s coat, it’s important to offer protection during those hot, sunny days. A run in shelter will allow your horse to find cover when they’re too hot or feeling dried out.

Focus on a Healthy Diet

Make sure you have quality horse hay feeders to keep your horse well-fed. The majority of your horse’s calories must come from hay. Similarly, it’s recommended that your horse eats 1-2% of their body weight in roughage daily. Do a little research and purchase some quality round bale feeders and square bale feeders. Our Hay Saver Horse Hay Feeders ensure that hay stays in the feeder so there is less waste.

Pay Attention to the Signs

Make sure you’re consistently grooming your horse and paying attention to their coat. If you notice strange discoloring, dryness, or brittle coats, that could be an indication that your horse is not feeling too great. Also, a lack of shedding could be cause for concern.

As long as you’re monitoring your horse’s coat as much as possible, sticking to proper nutrition, and giving them enough shelter, your horse should be healthy and able to show off a nice, shiny, and glossy coat!

Caring for Horses in Cold Weather

Bloghorse care, winter

Depending on where you’re located, the winter months can bring extended periods of cold weather. While we may feel the need to protect horses during the winter months and keep them inside, they can actually tolerate cold weather very well. In fact, horses tend to be more comfortable in colder temperatures than in very warm or hot weather. And, many horses even grow thicker coats during the winter months to help protect them.

We may be tempted to have them spend more time in the barn, but keeping horses in their stalls all day can actually increase the chances of a winter illness due to poor ventilation in the barn and not enough physical activity. Therefore it’s important to ensure that horses get a lot of time outdoors for fresh air and the opportunity to exercise. Be sure to provide a horse shelter for when your horse may need to be protected from the elements. And, beware of any icy area as horses can slip and fall on icy patches.

When horses are inside the barn during the winter months, there are some things that can be done to help prevent illness. During times of extreme cold they can be covered with a blanket for additional warmth. In addition, barns should be properly ventilated in order to provide good airflow and stalls should be cleaned regularly. Proper nutrition including horse feed and hay is also important to keep horses healthy. Hay feeders can be kept outside so that horses can graze as they spend time outdoors.