Care and Management of

stallion
◼ The stallion to be used for covering should
receive some preliminary preparations to
enable him to commence the season fit and
well. He should receive exercise regularly.
◼ Some 2 ½ to 3 months before the covering
season, he should be given a gradually
increasing amount of walking exercise and
slowly increase the ration with some
concentrates according to the exercise given.
◼ It is always a good policy to have each
stallion, managed fed, groomed, exercised,
bedded and attended to by one man only for
the reason.
◼ When two or more adult stallions are kept on
the same premises, it is imperative that they
are never allowed to get near enough to each
other to fight. They are dangerously injury
each other. For this reason, it is always best to
have the stallion housed by himself well away
from where other horses are kept and his
exercising paddock should be equally isolated
and well fenced.
◼ During the season of the mare, she tried for
service every second day at about 9 or 10 a.m.
and continuously served if still in oestrus. The
correct time for service is from 12-24 hours
before the end of the heat period. This time is
very difficult to predict unless an examination
is made rectally by a veterinarian.
◼ The number of mares which should be
allowed to be served by a thoroughbred horse
is 12-15 mares in the first season (3-4 years),
20-25 mares in the second season (4-5 years)
and 30-40 mares in the third season (5-6
years). Older sires, from about 17-18 years
onwards, generally have a gradual reduction in
the number of mares, so that about 20 years
old, they are only covering perhaps 20-25
mares.
Management of working horse
◼ The management of work horses varies with
the season.
◼ Fitting the horse for work by making his
systems functioning properly and his muscles
well developed and hard enough.
◼ For successful management of the horse, the
following points should be noted: -
◼ The man responsible should have the ability to
keep the horses in thrifty conditions at all time.
◼ Convenient stabling and suitable sheds for
the comfort and health of animals.
◼ Feeding must be adjusted to seasonal
requirements.
◼ Thorough regular grooming is required.
◼ Harness must be well fitted and cleaned
regularly.
◼ Horsemen should understand thoroughly
every horse under his care, knowing how
much food is required and how much work
can be given in a day
Watering of horse
◼ It is always better to water horses before
feeding
◼ Soft water is best for adult horses. For young
stock, hard water is claimed to be better owing
to its greater lime content.
◼ Do not give a large drink just before strenuous
work.
◼ A horse of a medium size requires an average
of 8-10 gal. /day, but this varies according to
the season. In hot weather, a horse may drink
up to 15 gallon. If for some reasons, it is not
possible to give water before a feed, it is best
to allow at least one hour to elapse after
feeding before water is offered.
◼ The best system is to have water always before
the horse in the stable.
Herd health
◼ 1-Diseases: -
◼ A health program can be tailor-made not
only for each horse farm but also for each
horse within the farm. The amount of contact
that one horse has with other horses can
greatly influence the need for appropriate
disease control. Prevalence of a disease in a
certain locality or an outbreak of a disease can
affect vaccination programs from year to year.
◼ A basic vaccination schedule for broodmares
is as follows:
◼ • One month prior to foaling or prior to
breeding: -
◼ A-Tetanus Toxoid
◼ B- Equine Encephalomyelitis
◼ C- Equine Influenza
◼ • Additionally, the pregnant mare will need to
be vaccinated against Rhinopneumonitis at the
5th, 7th and 9th month of pregnancy.
◼ 2-Internal Parasites: -
◼ A universal protocol to eliminate internal parasite
infection in the horse does not exist. Each situation is
different and is affected by many factors, including
climate, season of the year, humidity, rainfall, age of
the horse and concentration of horses on the land. The
key to a successful control program is the interruption
of the parasite’s life cycle. Pasture rotation,
harrowing and regular manure removal can be of help
in parasite control.
◼ Many different commercial products are available
to remove internal parasites from horses.
◼ 3-Lighting Program: -
◼ A mare is referred to as seasonally
polyestrous.
◼ That means mares will have heat cycles many
times during a particular season.
◼ Mares typically begin to cycle in early spring
and continue to cycle through the early
summer months. It is well documented that
cycling starts as a response to increased
photoperiod (light).
◼ Therefore, by altering the amount of light the
mare is exposed to each day, horse owners are
able to extend the length of breeding season.

◼ Horses need at least 14.5 hours of total light to

perceive long days. The tried and true program
is to provide artificial light so the total light
period (daylight and artificial) is 16 hours in
length.