Things to Consider when Buying a Horse

Having a horse at home can be a wonderful experience. There are millions of horse lovers across the world who loves keeping horse as a pet at home, in their farm. It is a big responsibility and one must be confident enough that they will take good care of it before buying the animal. One should collect information about the expected and unexpected expenses that come with the ownership and should also take full responsibility of the horse’s fitness and well-being. They are beautiful creatures and when buying them, one should not blindly go on their looks. People should also consider other factors like its personality, temperament and food habits etc. They should know about some important facts about them, one being that they eat a lot. They need a good supply of food throughout the day, which include hay or pasture with some extra grain feedings given at least twice in a day. Horses of average size and weight need about 20 lbs of food in a day and they drink eight to ten gallons of water. They have a small stomach and delicate digestive systems and therefore they need to graze throughout the day, instead of one - two meals in a day, like given to other animals. Another point is that they require regular hoof care after every six seven weeks for proper hoof trimming and shoeing. They also require vaccinations against tetanus and various other diseases at least one time in a year. They should be taken to a vet for a routine dental check up. Keeping all these things in mind, one should know that having a horse and its proper maintenance can be quite expensive.

Horses with ulcers

Ulcer is one of the most common medical problems seen in horses as well as foals. Almost 50% of foals and one third adult horses develop mild ulcers sometimes or the other. They can develop due to a number of reasons and the condition is also referred as equine gastric ulcer syndrome.

Horses with ulcers generally have a poor appetite, show weight loss and poor body fitness. They have very less hair coat and show signs of mental dullness and attitude changes. They lie down more than normal horses and show poor performance in their daily activity.

Symptoms of ulcers in horses

There are a number of symptoms that can be seen in horses who have ulcers. They do not eat much of grain but readily consume hay They often suffer from a sore back. They do excessive salivation and teeth grinding.