horse care

Living in a rural area, there is more opportunity to have space from people. I try to go to the barn when the other people associated with it are NOT there, and I carry sanitizer for before and after chores, as some of the tools are shared. One thing I do pretty routinely is exercise the older horses I have or take care of. I'm so lucky to be able to do this in relative safety.

This fellow nicknamed "Bud" (actually Swifty's Taylor Made, a giant Quarter Horse) is 29 years old, or a very fit 82 years old in people years. His owner retired him with me. That means I take care of him but she pays his bills.

I try to ensure he gets a few minutes of movement most days to keep his light arthritis from causing him discomfort. Tomorrow we will probably go for a very light ride for the first time this year. No running, just some very light exercise for maybe an hour, and we'll see how he does. Most people (his farrier, etc.) think he appears younger than he actually is - that's because he's had a lot of good care.

This year we worked to get some extra weight off him - probably about 70 pounds or 32 kg, which considerably helps his arthritis and wellbeing.

More than you likely wanted to know, but I'm very pleased so far with how well he is doing.