Equine Facilities & Equipment

Equine Facilities & Equipment Equine Science & Technology

Equine Facilities & Equip. Tack is equipment used in riding and driving horses. • Tack should be selected to fit both the horse and the rider.

Equine Facilities & Equip. Bits • The bit is the most important part of the bridle. • The chief use of the bridle is to hold the bit in place in the horse’s mouth. • The snaffle bit is the most widely used of all varieties. • The bit provides communication between the hands of the rider and the mouth of the horse.

Equine Facilities & Equip. Bits • The bit should rest easily in the mouth, being sufficiently wide so as not to pinch the cheeks or cause wrinkles in the corners of the mouth. Double Twisted Tom Thumb Snaffle Bit

Equine Facilities & Equip. Bridles and Hackamores • A bridle should be properly fitted • The headstall should be located so that it neither slides back on the horse’s neck nor pulls up against the ears. • The cheek strap should be adjusted in length so that the bit rests easily in the mouth without drawing up the corners. • The throatlatch should be buckled loosely enough to permit the hand to pass between it and the horse’s throat.

Equine Facilities & Equip. Bridles and Hackamores • The bosal hackamore consists of an ordinary headstall which holds in place a braided rawhide or rope noseband knotted under the horse’s jaw and a pair of reins. • An excellent device for controlling and training a young horse without injuring its mouth.

Equine Facilities & Equip. Saddles • Horses were ridden long before there were saddles. • The use of saddles with trees did not occur until the 4th century A.D. • The English saddle and the Western saddle are the two most common types.

Equine Facilities & Equip. Western Saddle • Western saddles were used by the Spaniards. • Common saddle used by the cowboy. • The essential features are: • A steel, light metal, or wooden tree • A pommel varying in height • A horn for roping • A deep seat • A cantle varying in height • Heavy square or round skirts, and • Heavy stirrups either hooded or open.

Equine Facilities & Equip. Western Saddle • The average saddle weighs from 35 to 40 lbs.

Equine Facilities & Equip. English Saddle • The English saddle is characterized by its relatively flat seat and its generally light construction. • Riders claim that its use is a mark of distinction of the finished rider … • It permits the best in riding form, skill, and balance.

Equine Facilities & Equip. Breast Collar • Used on a slender-bodied horse or on a horse that requires special security to keep the saddle from slipping to the rear. • It should be adjusted as loosely as possible consistent with holding the saddle in place • Proper allowance made for motion and movement of the horse’s neck.

Equine Facilities & Equip. Halter • A halter is used for leading a horse or tying it. • There are many types of halters made from a number of different materials. • Never leave the halter on a horse in the pasture. • There is a risk of the halter getting caught on some object and the animal not being able to free itself.

Equine Facilities & Equip. Saddle Blanket • With an English saddle, a saddle blanket is usually not necessary when the saddle is thoroughly cleaned after each ride. • A saddle blanket is almost always used with a Western saddle. • After being used, the blanket or pad should be hung up to dry.

Equine Facilities & Equip. • Horses are trailered often. • Today’s horses are well traveled.

Equine Facilities & Equip. Transportation Guidelines • Provide good footing. • The floor of the vehicle should be covered with bedding material or rubber mats. • Provide proper ventilation. • Provide plenty of fresh air without drafts. • Provide a health certificate and a statement of ownership. • A health certificate signed by a licensed veterinarian is required by most interstate shipments.

Equine Facilities & Equip. Transportation Guidelines • Tie horses appropriately. • Tie the horse short so that it cannot place a leg over or get its head under the rope. • Feed lightly. • Allow horses only half a feed of grain before they are loaded. • Water liberally. • Take along tools and supplies.

Equine Facilities & Equip. Barn Planning Consider the size of the barn. How many stalls will be needed? Evaluate the space needed for grooming and for feed and tack storage. The location of the barn is also important. The barn should be: 1. Accessible- It should be on an all-weather roadway or lane, accessible to: • The horses • The delivery of feed and bedding, and • The removal of manure. • It should also be close to a corral, or pasture.

Equine Facilities & Equip. Barn Planning 2. High and Dry-It should be on high ground, with drainage away from it. 3. Expandable-There should be provision for easy expansion. 4. Convenient to water and electricity

Equine Facilities & Equip. Kinds of Horse Barns Small Horse Establishments • When one or two riding horses or ponies are kept. • Usually stabled close to the house. • Box stalls are usually built in a row, and provision is made for limited feed, bedding, and tack storage-usually a combination feed and tack room for units with one or two stalls.

Equine Facilities & Equip Large Horse Establishments • With large horse-breeding establishments, specifically designed buildings are generally provided for different purposes. • Broodmare and foaling Barn- may also be used for mares in foal, mares with suckling foals, weanlings, and barren mares. • Stallion Barn and Paddock- provides quarters for one or more stallions.

Equine Facilities & Equip Large Horse Establishments • Breeding Shed and Breeding Corral- a place where mares may be handled and serviced under sanitary conditions. • Weanling and Yearling Quarters- the main requisites are that the quarters are dry, sanitary, and well bedded. • New horses should be placed in isolation quarters.

Equine Facilities & Equip Sheds • For broodmares and horses not kept in constant use an open shed with access to a pasture or corral is preferred. • Horses kept in an open shed, even in colder areas are healthier and suffer fewer respiratory diseases. • Sheds are usually open to the south or east, preferably opposite to the direction of the prevailing winds and toward the sun. • Sheds should be located on high, well drained ground.

Equine Facilities & Equip Fencing • Good fences should: • Maintain boundaries, • Make horse operations possible, • Reduce losses to both animals and crops, • Increase property values, • Promote better relationships between neighbors, • Reduce accidents from animals getting on roads, • Add to the attractiveness and distinctiveness of the premises.

Equine Facilities & Equip Fencing • A fence should be designed to keep a horse from getting hurt, as well as to help in handling, moving, and training. • The ideal fencing is different for different uses, such as pastures, arena, round pen, paddocks, etc. • It is important to purchase the best material possible that is safe and sturdy and requires low maintenance. • Fencing should always be placed on the inside of the posts to prevent horses from pushing the fencing off the posts.

Equine Facilities & Equip Fencing • Posts are usually placed 6 to 12 ft. apart, depending on the fencing material. • Gates should be easy to handle and free-swinging. • Fences can be made of wood, pvc, pipe, mesh wire, electric fence, etc.

Equine Facilities & Equip Manure- a mixture of animal excrements (consisting of undigested feeds plus certain body wastes) and can include soiled bedding. • Manure is the perfect breeding ground for bacteria. • Wet manure can weaken the hooves of a horse by breaking down the horn cells. • It is important to properly manage and remove manure if a healthy environment for horses is to exist. • A 1,000 lb. horse can produce 51 lb. of manure per day. • Approximately 10 lbs are excreted as urine.

Equine Facilities & Equip Modern handling of manure involves maximum automation and minimum loss of nutrients. Among the methods of handling manure are • Scrapers, power loaders, conveyors, industrial-type vacuums, slotted floors, storage vats, spreaders, dehydrators, and lagoons. • Manure should be removed from stalls and spread daily. • Spread manure on fields that will be plowed and cropped. • Contract with a nearby farmer. • Compost in an area that will neither pollute a stream nor be offensive to the neighbors, then spread the compost on the land.

Equine Facilities & Equip Objectionable Features of Manure • It may propagate insects. • It may spread diseases and parasites. • It may produce undesirable odors. • It may scatter weed seeds.

Equine Facilities & Equipment