As a horse owner, the author would house their horse on their own property to avoid boarding fees. They would build structures like a barn with good lighting and a covered shelter in the pasture. The author describes their daily routine of mucking stalls, rotating pastures, and cleaning water sources. They discuss feeding hay and minerals, grooming regularly with various tools, training 4-5 times per week, and monitoring the horse's health and behavior. Finally, the author provides an estimated budget for housing, feeding, and caring for their horse.

1. By Brenda Van Wyck

2. Slide 1: Living Area
Slide 2: Living Area (Continued)
Slide 3: Feeding Management
Slide 4: Water Management
Slide 5: Grooming
Slide 6: Grooming (Continued)
Slide 7: Training & Exercising
Slide 8: Training & Exercise (Equipment)
Slide 9: Health Watching
Slide 10: Budget Sheet
Slide 11: Bibliography

3. As a horse owner, I would make sure
my horse lived at my home so I could
be with it and wouldn’t have to spend
unnecessary money on boarding fees.
Next, I would make sure that the
stables were under a covered roof,
and, unlike most barns or stables;
have access to a lot of light because it
is easier for the horse to see and they
aren’t constantly straining their eyes.
Every day I would clean out the
horse’s stall using a pitch fork, and a
wheel barrow.
I would keep the manure pile far away
from any place that animals could get
to it to keep good hygiene. Then I
would replace the stall with fresh straw
or shavings.
I would check that the stall was still in
good shape and make repairs to
anything that might be broken.
I would clean any messes made on
the walls, doors, or ceiling of the stalls
for optimal hygiene.
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4. I would have a hay bag feeder that would be
hanging in one corner of the stall, and a water
bucket on a hook near the door in the stall.
I would also have a prepared fenced field for my
horse to graze in for most of the day. At the
end of the day when I put my horse back in its
stall, I would go out into the field and clean up
any manure and put it in the manure pile.
In the grazing pasture, I would a covered roof/
shelter area where my horse could escape
the weather.
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5. I would feed my horse top quality alfalfa hay.
I would like to feed square bales instead of rounds or anything else
because square bales are easy to keep fresh, mobile, and easy to
track how much the horse is actually eating.
I would feed my horse in a round Tarter hay basket feeder. These
feeders are plastic, adjustable feeders that are chemical and rust
resistant and they don’t have sharp edges. Link to website:
http://tarterusa.com/tarter-products/equine-hay-basket/
I would have proper hay storage (in a hay barn) so that it couldn’t
mold, rot, or be exposed to the weather.
I would feed my horse 3 times a day (morning after noon and lunch)
in a metal hay feeder. I would feed 1 full square bale a day.
I would have a salt/mineral block available in the grazing field so
that my horse could use it as needed. I would have the mineral
block in a rubber tub to prevent it from touching the ground and
getting contaminated.
I wouldn’t feed my horse grain or molasses because that could lead
to obesity, but I would use alfalfa pellets as treats.
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6. For my horse’s watering system,
I would have a galvanized steel
watering tank in the grazing
field so it couldn’t rust or grow
algae.
I would top up the water trough
every day with fresh cool water
and at the end of the month I
would dump the water out,
clean the tank with a scrubby
(no soap or product) and refill it
again for optimal health
standards.
I would also have a rubber
watering bucket in horse’s stall
which would be refreshed every
feeding and cleaned once a
week.
I would only give my horse well
water, not filtered, creek or
rain water because of the
possible sicknesses from the
other sources.
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7. For grooming my horse I would have a grooming area just outside
my barn where I can tie the halter and brush my horse.
The grooming area would have access to running water so I could
wash my horse.
Before I would wash my horse, I would brush it thoroughly with a
curry comb to get hard dirt off. Then I would go over the horse
again with a hard bristled comb to get any dust off. Then I would
finish with a soft brush comb to smoothen the hair and keep it
healthy.
I would also have mane a tail brushes to keep their mane and tail
brushed and healthy. I would also have a clean, sharp pair of
scissors dedicated to the horse’s mane and tail.
I would have a box of fragrance free baby wipes to clean the inside
of my horses ears, around eyes, and nostrils.
I would also have a hoof pick and a hoof hard bristled brush. I would
first take the hoof pick and dig out all the dirt from it’s hoof.
Once the dirt is removed I would go over it with the hard bristled
brush in order to get any dust from crevices that the pick
couldn’t reach. I would also have a hoof file, and a hoof clipper
to clip their hooves and file them into shape. I wouldn’t shoe my
horses hooves because it’s easier to clean a horses hoof without a
shoe on.
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8. I would groom my horse once every 3 days or after every
riding session to ensure maximum health. If at any point I
saw my horse was dirty (even in one spot) I would groom it
again, especially in the winter (no bathing in the winter).
I would also buy fly repellent whips because where I live the
flies are bad in the Summer and I wouldn’t want my horse
getting irritated or sick because of the flies. I would take
care not to get any fly repellent in my horses eyes ears
mouth or nose. I would only wipe the forehead, cheeks, and
belly.
I would also have shampoo and conditioner for my horse to
when I groom it, I can wash its main and tail. I would also
make sure that I wouldn’t get any product in their eyes, and
I would buy that L'Oreal kids shampooing gel that doesn’t
hurt when it comes in contact with your eyes.
I would clean all tools (used or not used during each session)
after each grooming session with my horse to make sure
that the tools do not get contaminated to spread sickness or
create sicknesses.
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9. I would train and exercise
my horse 4-5 times a week
in intervals (one day train
& exercise, next day rest).
I would train my horse for
an hour to two hours each
session in the morning and
an hour session before
dinner (4:30pm).
I would train my horse to be
easily haltered, friendly,
easily saddled, easy to
ride, and other vocal
commands (e.g. ‘here’
‘stay’ ‘whoa’, etc.)
I would also exercise my horse
on a lunge line so it can get
used to its gaits and vocal
commands.
I would train and exercise my
horse with this schedule
because I would want my
horse to stay in shape, stay
healthy, and be a well
trained horse.
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10.  For training and exercising my horse I would
have a multitude of equipment available to
use.
 First of all I would have a round pen to use for
training and exercising.
 I would a halter and a lunge line to lunge
with.
 I would also have a saddle (Western only) with
all the attachments except for saddle bags.
 I would have orange traffic cones for weaving
in between and around.
 I would have logs set up around like an
obstacle course to practice my horse’s
technique and edging around corners.
 I would have a bridal with a good clean bit.
 I would also have a good quality saddle
blanket so my horse wouldn’t be irritated by
it and it would always be clean so dirt doesn’t
get trapped in it and irritate my horse.
 I would clean and oil the saddle, bridle and
any other leather equipment for optimal
usage and performance.
 I would clean the bit on my bridal with water
and a cloth (no soap or product) after every
use to prevent disease
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11. During every feeding I would watch my
horse for 5 minutes to make sure that it is
in good health and is eating normally.
I would check my horses dropping (while
cleaning) to make sure that they are solid
nuggets and not liquid.
I would also check that their urine is
normal.
I would make sure my horse didn’t sleep on
its side or back for an elongated amount of
time because its not good for their organs.
I would watch my horses hooves as I clean
them to see if their getting foot rot or if
the horse it having trouble putting pressure
on them.
As I groom I would check for bruises, sore
spots or cuts. I would treat cuts with an
antibiotic spray that cleans and stops
infections.
If my horse was acting lethargic, or looked
to be in any pain in the slightest I would
call my local vet for advise and treatment.
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12. Buildings Feed Water Groom Health Extra
Barn rent
(parents):
$10 per
day
Hay:
$5/bale
Rubber
water
bucket:
$12
Hoof
pick:
$5
Ivermectin
(horse
wormer):
$20 per 2-3
months
Saddle:
$250
Field
Shed:
$1,000
Mineral /
salt
block:
$8
Galvanize
-d water
tank:
$150
Soft
brush:
$6
Ferrier
fee: $15
per
treatment
Bridle:
$39
Hay Barn:
$1,000
Alfalfa
Pellets:
$14/ per
bag
Hard
brush
(x2):
$8
Halter:
$20
Field
Fence:
$1,500
hay
feeder:
$349.75
Mane &
tail
brush:
$7
Lunge
line:
$15
Round
Pen:
$5,000
Hay bag:
$15
Hoof
file:
$10
Bit:
$28
TOTAL: TOTAL: TOTAL: TOTAL: TOTAL: $35 TOTAL:
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13.  http://tarterusa.com/tarter-
products/galvanized-stock-tanks/
 http://www.equisearch.com/horses_care/health
/behavior/eqzzz629/
 http://horses.about.com/od/basiccare/u/basich
orsecare.htm
 https://www.google.ca/search?q=steel+watering
+tanks&es_sm=122&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X
&ei=Npt3U5CdII-
zyASjzILIDg&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&biw=1280&bih=
709#q=grooming+horse&tbm=isch&imgdii=_
 http://www.jupiterhay.com/products.html
 http://www.horseforum.com/horse-
health/deworming-shoeing-costs-6215/
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