How To Get More Out Of Your Working Horse Through Positive Actions

Image by Alisa Dyson from Pixabay

If you have horses on your farm, cultivating a symbiotic relationship is essential. When you get it right, the animal will help increase productivity on your farm while you get to provide the horse with a better quality of life.

The mutually beneficial relationship is naturally one that all farmers should try to cultivate with every horse they own. Here’s how to do it in four easy steps.

Step One: Support The Horse’s Health

It sounds obvious, but the horse won’t work to its full potential if it isn’t in good health. Therefore, going the extra mile to help the animal live a long and healthy life must be the first item on your agenda. Grooming, nutrition, and regular exercise are three crucial factors. However, you also need to focus on injections, creating a safe stable, and addressing any illnesses that may surface ASAP. If the animal needs rest, you must accept this too.

Positive bonds with farmers and other animals are also crucial. Otherwise, the horse’s mental health may suffer, thus causing a shift in personality.

Step Two: Choose the Right Equipment 

If you want your horse to be productive on the farm, you’ll need to support the animal with good equipment. Durable western horse headstalls that provide comfort and convenience are particularly important. If the face feels irritable, the horse’s personality will become negative. Besides, this is a vital piece of equipment for directing your animal. Of course, you must also invest in a good saddle and horseshoes for your working horse.

Plows, carts, and any materials used directly for farming duties should also meet high standards. Follow this up with regular maintenance for truly great results. 

Step Three: Follow a Good Routine

Horses can provide a lot of help on the farm, but only with your guidance. Therefore, you need to take the lead by knowing exactly what you want to achieve on any given day or week. Firstly, then, you should consider what horses can actually do on the farm. Once you’ve decided what you want your working horse to do, it becomes a lot easier to build schedules that suit this. If nothing else, it helps you and your team with time management.

As well as doing the right activities, you want to select the most logical chronology. Do this, and the efficiency of tasks will be far higher. It also means the horse will have more leisure time.

Step Four: Know When Other Methods Are Needed

Just because a horse is capable of completing a task, it doesn't mean this is always the best choice. Many farming tasks can be completed more efficiently, or even automated, by machinery. So, farming vehicles and modern equipment should always be considered. Aside from improving those assignments, it means that the horse’s efforts are focused on tasks where they thrive. This can only be a recipe for better farming success.

Besides, you don’t want to overwork the horse with lifting and other strenuous tasks. Incorporating cattle herding and similar alternatives is the far better solution.