Feeding
Your Tennessee Walking Horse should be fed twice a day preferably at the same time each day. Horses have extremely sensitive intestines therefore any type of change, may cause your horse to colic. If feed is changed, this should be done on a gradual basis, never at one time. Colic is life threatning and you do not want to do anything to cause it. Signs that your horse is colicing include laying down and or trying to reach his side with his mouth. They may appear lethargic and you can usually tell they are in pain. If you put your ear to your horse's stomach and do not hear any normal stomach sounds, and your horse is exhibiting any of the symptoms above, call your vet immediately.
We recommend a 10% protein feed for Walking Horses. The exception would be a show horse who is being trained hard every day and or is showing several times a week. All others, the occasional show horse, the trail horse, weanlings and yearlings, do best on a 10% protein feed.
Bermuda Hay is best for horses. They do not do well on cheap hay such as the kind that is typically fed to cattle. Alfalfa should only be give in very small amounts if there is no green grass to graze on or if the mare is nursing. Too much alfalfa can cause colic in a horse. A little alfalfa is also helpful in the winter months if there is no grass and might prevent impaction, which is also life threatening. If your horse becomes impacted, he will exhibit the same symptoms described above and if he is defacating at all, the consistency of the manure will be hard, dark, and the size of small to medium rocks.
Your Tennessee Walking Horse must have clean drinking water every day, all day long. Not enough and your horse can become impacted. Providing your horse with a salt block will help to insure that he drinks enough each day.
Accommodations
Your Tennessee Walking Horse must have shade from the sun and protection from the winter wind and rain. Stalls are best but many people have lean to's which provide shelter from the elements. These structures should have at least 3 covered sides with one of the sides facing the north.
If stalled, the stall must be kept clean of manure and a thick layer of bedding should always be present. Bedding should be wood shavings or straw. If you choose to stall your horse, he must get exercise every day. Happy horses have both a stall and a nice pasture to graze and play in.
Worming, Vaccinations, Coggins
In South Louisiana, we recommend worming every other month. It is best to rotate brands to insure that all types of parasites are targeted. We use a paste so that we know our horse took it all whereas some people use wormers which are sprinkled in their feed.
We vaccinate our horses for Rhino/Flu, Tetanus, and Rabies once a year using a 3 way shot. Twice a year we vaccinate for West Nile and Encepholitus which are carried by mosquitos. We vaccinate our breeding mares about a month before foaling to insure that the baby gets fresh benefits. We then vaccinate the foal at 6 weeks. This is an all important aspect of horse ownership. Your Tennessee Walking Horse is always braving the elements and he won't survive long or at the very least, will be very unhealthy if you don't have him on a regular health maintenance schedule.
A yearly coggins test if required by Louisiana law and you must keep his coggins results where ever he is located. This test is proof that your horse is not infected with what some people refer to as Swamp fever. It is highly contagious and is spread by flies. There is no cure and while some horses may be carriers without showing symptoms, most ultimately die a gruesomme death. This test must be performed by your equine veterinarian.
Trimming and Shoeing
Foals should be introduced to your farrier at about 2-3 months of age. They usually need a slight trim by then. Your foal must be able to stand when tied however. A good farrier can evaluate the symmetry of the hoof, leg, and foot and trim accordingly. Just as with grown horses, your foal should be trimmed every 4-6 weeks.
The correct shoeing and trimming of your walking horse is paramount in how smooth he gaits. While walking horses can certainly gait without shoes, how they are trimmed regarding hoof length and angles, is critical in the smoothness. A young walking horse who is just learning the cadence of his gait, can easily break into either a pace or a trot intermittent with his gait. His conformation determines which way he is inclined and many do both. While all horses can pace and or trot, these are lazy ways of going for a walking horse. He can do much more but may need some help initially. In order to help the young walking horse get his groove on so to speak, his hooves must be trimmed according to the way he moves. Shoeing also helps. These two aids encourage him to gait by making pacing and trotting a little harder for him to perform. If pacing and trotting become as much work as gaiting, then your walking horse will choose what is more natural and comfortable to him, the gait. While shoes definitely help the novice Tennessee Walker, they are not necessary. Correct trimming on the other hand, is. If you trim a Walking Horse the same way a race horse is trimmed for example, you are interfering with his natural way of going and ultimately make gaiting more work than pacing or trotting. Needless to say, this is not what you want to do. Horses will always choose the easiest way out. Older Walking Horses who are set in their gaits, also need correct trimming as well. There is a wonderful chart provided by the TWHBEA that is most helpful in this area. You may view the chart by click on the following link: TWHBEA Shoeing Chart
|