safety and miscellaneous

Safety and Miscellaneous

Anastasia Kellogg

Equine Management Facilities

• Facilities used for horses must be designed with the horse’s safety in mind

• Most accidents are caused by poor planning or neglect to repair facilities

• Three major factors to consider when building a horse farm are: cost, flexibility, and accessibility

• When considering cost, it should be remembered that well planned and well built facilities will be cheaper to run in the long run; durability and efficient setup for future, expensive labor should be considered


• Good pasture is extremely important to the success of a farm

• Good pasture should provide:– High quality forages

– Shade

– Safe fencing

– Adequate acreage


• Rounded corners in fences prevent excited horses from running into the fence by making them turn before the end of a fence

• A good fence should have strength, height, and tightness


• It used to be said that a good fence was strong enough to hold a bull, tight enough to hold a hog, and high enough to hold a horse (although nothing holds a goat)


• According to The Horse fence posts should be 7 ½ to 8 feet long and set 3 feet into the ground, corner posts should set 4 feet in the ground, and the two best types of wood are cedar and locust


• Board fences are rugged, easily seen by running horses, and are considered the safest, most attractive type of fencing, but they are expensive, often chewed, & may rot

• According to The Horse board fences should be made of 1 x 6 inch boards and the posts should be no more than 8 feet apart


• Board fences should be painted with lead free paint or treated with creosote to prevent rotting


• Post and rail fences are attractive and resist chewing, but are expensive and tend to break faster than boards


• Wire fences are cheaper and easier to build but lack safety of board fences


• Barbed wire is not correct to be used as a horse fence


• Woven wire, with a board at top, is safer than plain wire and cheaper than a board fence


• The best type of wire to use for horses is four strand twisted barbless wire, but something must be done to increase visibility, such as attaching flags to the fence every few feet


• Pipe fencing is strong and safe, but cost varies in different regions


• Chain link fences are strong and safe, but the top should be protected so that ends are not exposed, and kicking can cause it to stretch


• Rubber-nylon fencing is attractive and safe, and is gaining popularity; check the advertisers index of Equus for latest developments in synthetic fencing– You are more than

welcome to read ads in any magazine, but 4-H lists Equus as an official source


• Electric fences may be used alone, in a three or four strand fence, or in conjunction with another type of fence

• Electric fences will short out frequently in wet weather

• Electric fences placed inside of board fences help keep horses from damaging the fences


• Gates should never be lower than the rest of the fence, as this may encourage a horse to jump the gate

• Filling the gate area with sand or gravel will prevent the gate area from becoming a mud hole from frequent use


• Gates may be made of heavy wood, such as oak, or of welded iron or pipe (design should not allow a horse to get a foot through it)

• Galvanized iron and aluminum gates are light but easily damaged


• The gate latch should be easy to use but not so easy that the horses can open it; a chain with a snap works well


• Stables should be located near the center of the horse farm, so that pasture and paddock fences will prevent a loose horse from getting out to a main road

• Important considerations in building a barn include ventilation, fire resistance, safety, durability, ease in feeding and cleaning, and flexibility of design


• Open access housing has many advantages– Good ventilation– No daily stall cleaning– Improved mental state– Lessens threat of fire

• Disadvantages include shaggier coats and lack of convenience in showing sale horses to customers or feeding grain


• Open sheds should:– Face away from prevailing

winds

– Face south in northern regions

– Minimum 75 square feet per horse

– Opening should be 10 feet high

– Roof should slope away from entrance


• Steel or aluminum roofs should be insulated to reduce noise during rain, else the horses may choose to brave the weather rather than the loud noise of pounding rain

• Climate depending, mineral feeders may be placed outside or on the back wall of the shed; hay mangers and waterers are usually outside


• Method of feeding grain varies greatly with individual circumstances


• Conventional stalls allow for individual attention and are more convenient for many professional farms

• A box stall should be at least 12 feet x 12 feet

• Stall walls may be made of wood, concrete, cinderblock, steel, chain link fence


• The ideal stall has a solid division five feet high, will some sort of screening such as chain link extending either an additional three or four feet or to the ceiling

• Some stalls, such as foaling stalls, should be closed off completely, but most stalls should be partially open so horses can socialize, and to increase ventilation


• Windows should always be screened to prevent horses from investigating broken glass and should never open inward

• Aisle floors should be easy to sweep, durable, and provide good footing; rubber flooring is currently gaining popularity


• Stall floors may be made of many materials, with clay being the most popular

• Other flooring material includes wood (expensive and hard to clean), concrete (hard, slippery, and cold), and synthetic flooring (expensive)


• Tie stalls are most commonly used for draft horses, or in temporary housing

• Foaling stalls should be large, easy to clean, and well lit

Misc. Basics

• The horse’s left side is his near side

• The horse’s right side is his off side

• Horses are lead and mounted from the near side

• A hunter’s braids fall to the off side

Misc. Basics

• Horses are measured in hands, and at the withers

• A hand equals four inches or ten centimeters

• The height limit for ponies is 14.2 hands, or 58 inches

• The height limit for miniatures is 34 inches (AMHA) or 38 inches (AMHR)

Misc. Basics

• The three main styles of equitation are huntseat, saddleseat, and stockseat (western)

• The style of riding in which the reins are held in one hand is western

• When riding, boots and a hard hat should always be worn

Misc. Basics

• To turn a horse out, lead him through the gate, turn him to face the gate, and release him while stepping out of the pasture and shutting the gate

• Always approach a horse from the left side

Misc. Basics

• When walking behind a horse, always let him know you are there by talking to him patting him, and pulling his tail as you pass behind him

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