Horse help!!?

Question

Hi.
I was wondering how often you have to deworm your horse? Is it possible to get a deworming home-kit in Vancouver,BC,Canada?

Also, how about the shots? How often? What type? Could i do them at home? How much if i do them a home? How much if i get the vet to give the shot to the horse?

Trimming- what style is best for jumping/plesure (english) and bare-back riding?

Grain- how much for a horse that works 6 days a week and is 16.3hh? What kind?

The horse that i am getting is in Kamloops, BC, Canada and i am in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Do i have to ride the horse before i buy him?

Any thing else that i need to give my horse?

** i have heard so many different stories on this, so i am just not so sure any more


Thank you guys so so so much!

please only answer if you are a person who own horses or is a horse expert. I need real help, no joking around!

I ride 2x weekly and my instructor is a profesional trainer. And i work summer jobs at stables, so that is how i know most of the things there is to know (how to feed everything etc.), except for the things i asked.
Since the horse is 4hours away is it still necessary to ride before i buy? I am very satisfied with the answers to my questions i have had about the horse and the style he rides.

*I will be getting him in 4 months time.

Answer 1

usually you deworm your horse every 3 months, you can deworm or you can get your vet to put you on a plan. make sure you do not use the same deworming paste each time, if you do your horses gut may develop a resistance to that product.

If you are going to show your horse make sure he is up to date on all shots. Your vet will tell you which shots based on what diseases are most common in your area. You always get your vet to do the shots unless you are an expert. The price depends on the product.

The best type of clip is called a trace clip. a trace clip is good choice for horses that do most of their work outdoors. It only removes 1 third of your horse's coat. With this clip your horse sweats less during a work out, but retains enough heat to stay warm outside in temperate weather. With this clip he must have a blanket on cold days and every night.

Your vet is the best find out about the grain, also ask the seller about how much they eat.

You should definitely ride him before you buy, i did that and i found the perfect horse. It also gives you an idea how he will be with you, if you are totally freaked out when you get off him, keep looking.

A very good book to refer to is "HORSES FOR DUMMIES", it helped me a lot during my first buy.

GOOD LUCK!

Answer 2

The frequency you de-worm a horse depends alot on his living conditions. Is he alone or with a herd? If with others I would go 4-6 weeks, especially if there are horses coming and going from the herd. If he's alone, 8-10 weeks should be ok. You can buy wormers online from several vet and tack supply outfits. Try Statelinetack.com or countrysupply.com.

Shots are an annual and semi annual thing. Routine vaccincations are done annually but if you are showing or traveling with your horse you will want to have boosters of flu/rhino performed about every 2 months. Also, you want to make sure to have West Nile boosters twice a year. Check with your local vet for specifics in your area...some shots are not needed or recommended everywhere.

Keep your horses hooves trimmed at least once every 8 weeks, more or less depends upon his growth. The more you ride, the faster they grow! If you jump, shoes are necessary for better traction. If you are a trail rider, your horse has great feet and you aren't on rocks, you could possibly stay bare foot. I never recommend rear shoes on horses turned out together. You will find most horses get along fine with just front shoes.

Always always always ride a horse before buying!!!! At least three times, I swear! The first trip make an appointment, on the second ride, drop by unannounced and watch the horse from the time he's caught to the time you get on him. This will show you his ground manners and you can make sure he wasn't slipped a "mickey" to make him calmer than he actually is!

Find a good vet and a good trainer...

Answer 3

You should deworm your horse every 8 weeks...more important in the warmer months than the winter. Make sure you get a dewormer containing ivermectin. This is for bot fly larvae. You can purchase paste dewormer from tack shops (at least you can here in Ontario). If you have many horses, you might want to consider getting dewormer from your vet, as it can be quite costly if you have 10+ animals.
We have the vet give our horses tetnus shots as horses are suseptable to this, and they get a West Nile shot once a year. The West Nile shot should be given to the horse in the early spring before mosquitoes come out, but your vet will tell you all about this.
Find a vet you are comfortable with. You and your horse will be dealing with each other a long time, so you should be sure you both like each other.
As for the price of shots....call a vet...ask them...this will vary on your area. You will not be able to administer the shots yourself. Many meds have to be given to the animal by a registered vet. There are some things you will be able to do yourself, but you must learn the proper way to do this....again the vet can help you. They will answer your questions if you just call them. If they do not want to...don't deal with them.
Horse hoof trimming is for a farrier to answer. Your horse may need special trims depending on their confirmation. We have our horses' feet done every 6-8 weeks.
As for grain...depends on what that horse is doing...how much the horse is working...and the time of year. We don't feed grain to our horses in the summer unless it is a special treat occassionally.
You always ride a horse more than once before purchasing it. If you are not comfortable doing this..bring an experienced rider with you. Another bit of information for you would be....do not make a planned visit. Show up unannounced to see your horse...sometimes there are people who are not so honest when it comes to selling horses and I wouldn't want you to be unhappy with your purchase. Let one of the people familiar with the horse go for a ride around before you get up on the horse. You don't have to buy the first horse you see.
And one more tidbit of information to always remember......a good horse is never a bad colour.
Good luck with your new horse. They make the best friend/pet you could ever have.

Answer 4

Good wormer is available anywhere. I prefer ivermectin because the lethal dose is many, many times the theraputic dose so you can go over on worming and not worry.

For shots, I give tetanus because it's a very real threat to most horses and they're very susceptible to it and the treatment after you have a possible problem can be dangerous. check your area to see if other shots are recommended.

Grain - what do you consider work? Really grain is for our convenience and not for the horse's. I prefer to feed as much grass or hay as possible and supplement only enough grain to ensure my horse scores out at a 5 (ideal) in body condition. Keep in mind that horses are designed to eat a variety of grasses and get all their nutritional needs from that, grain is not necessary. Also, depending on how much you feed, not all grains are guaranteed in their nutritional analysis.

if the horse is from Kamloops, is it off the track? if so i would highly recommend having a professional ride it for at least a couple of weeks to a couple of months before i rode it. If it's simply a pleasure horse, i would ALWAYS ride a horse before buying it. You can't know what a horse will be like until you use it as you plan to ride it once you own it.

Answer 5

deworming? Every 3 months or so, or you can get a daily dewormer. Ask your vet and look at what is avable in your area and online.

shots? Best I could tell you is to ask your vet. My horses get shots once a year.

Grain? Consort your vet again. I feed horse chow 100 by Purina. It is a complete feed, plus my horse doesn’t do much work.

Ride before you buy and let the person that is selling the horse ride it first. see if your trainer will come along to help.

There are a number of good books out there to look at. When in doubt ask your trainer and your vet to help you.

good luck

Answer 6

Deworming: There are a few different options you have here. You can go with a paste dewormer that you give orally to your horse every other month. You should rotate the type of dewormer after every other use. You want to switch the active ingredients because after a time, the worms will develop an immunity to them. You could also go with a pelleted wormer like Strongid which is given in the grain once a day. You'll have to give your horse a paste wormer at least twice a year with a different active ingredient than what's in the pellet. The advantage of products like Strongid is that they come with a $5000 credit for colic surgery. God forbid your horse colics, you have some protection.

Shots: There are a host of different vaccines available. Obviously the big one is rabies, which you'll want to get no matter what, especially if you intend to show. Another big one (especially considering the recent outbreak across the United States) is for EHV, herpes. I also recommend getting the Strangles vaccination. Talk to your vet, too, to see what he/she recommends. Keep an eye on the news, too. If you see outbreaks of certain diseases in your area, make sure your horse is protected.

Trimming: Well, again you have a few different options. You can go ahead and body clip the entire horse, but make sure you have a good heavy blanket and an underlayer (either a sheet or a rug) to keep your horse warm during turnout and in his stall. Make sure the blanket you get is a turnout and not a stable blanket, as the turnouts are more durable and will usually last longer. You can also play around with hunter or trace clips if you want. Unless you're planning on showing or heavily working your horse, though, you might not want to clip him. If you blanket early and often when winter sets in, you can prevent a thick winter coat from growing in.

Grain: Again, this depends on the individual horse, his metabolism, energy level, and the intensity of the work he does. For my active hunter, I feed about six quarts of feed every day, three at night and three in the morning. Of those individual servings, half of it's sweet feed and half is rolled oats. It's a good basic grain for him, and it gives him the boost of energy for intense work. There are also a variety of pelleted feeds available. Make sure you check the guaranteed analysis, though. Some of these contain starches that some horses have bad reactions to. If you find your horse is dropping weight, you can switch to a higher fat feed or add a cup or corn oil to his grain. The oil will also help keep his coat nice and shiny.

I would definitely recommend riding the horse before you buy him. If he's advertised as a hunter/jumper, also try him over fences. I would also bring a trainer with you. They'll be able to evaluate the horse's movement and potential regards for what you hope to do. You'll want to get an idea for its temperament before you bring him home. Also, I highly recommend getting a vet check done before buying. I've seen so many people buy horses that turn out to be dead lame when they bring them home.

As far as anything else you need to give your horse, that really depends on the advice of your trainer, vet, and farrier. There are literally thousands of supplements available for every conceivable illness or fault. A horse with soft feet might get something like Farrier's Secret. But people tend to over-supplement their horses. If it's not broken, don't fix it. So if your horse is doing well without the added expense of supplements, don't worry about it. Good luck with you're new horse!

Answer 7

worming-call a vet I think spring is most common. I have been told by some that know horses well that they can tell if they have worms not sure ho they know.

shots-again call a vet

trimming- have noticed on jumping horses they are all trimmed differrent, so speculation it is a prefferrence. Would think though you would want it short enough to not get in the way of sight or hands in riens

grain- this I know depends on how active and how big hourse is
people I know give there barrel hourses more grain when they are competing

ride first-You don't have to but you should how else will you know if the horse works for you?

your best bet is to ask your local vet the health questions....Lets

Answer 8

It is very important to ride a horse before you buy it. You might not get along or he may not be right for you. I worm my horses every 60 days and rotate the wormer. I'm not sure what vaccines you need where you live, check with your vet. Boosters are every year and more often for show horses. Talk to your farrier about what shoes would be best for this horse for the riding style or if barefoot is an option. I feed whole oats to my show horses. Find out what the current owner is feeding and try to stick to that. Horses have very touchy digestive systems. Any more questions you can email me.

Answer 9

wow that's a lot of questions.

yes you can deworm your horse at home should be done at least once every three months.

shots- there are quite a few shots needed can't name all right off the bat but can ask your vet about shots, how often, which ones you can give, and prices for ones vets have to give.


i use horseman's edge by Purina of my horses. i give 2 scoops in the morning and 1 at night. i also leave hay to balance this diet.

as far as riding before buying, you may want to ride him before you buy to make sure he is a sound horse


trimming depends on how fast the hooves grow. can be as often as every 3 to 10 weeks. best to get full foot shoes for riding horses.

just wondering what breed and color of horse

also may want to read horses for dummies

Answer 10

As I live in South Africa, I'm not sure if our procedures will be the same as yours but I will tell you what i know.

Horses should be dewormed every 12 weeks.
In S.A. we give horses all their shots once a year and usually around September/October, the beginning of summer.
I highly suggest that you ride your horse before you buy him. It makes a major difference. Many a time I have bought a horse (rescue or otherwise) and found him to be a very uncomfortable ride and not exactly what I expected. You also get very devious sellers who drug horses before you buy them and they seem to have the most loveliest of natures until you get them home.
Hope this little info helps you
Regards
June (horse lover)