Boarder and Feeder
Learning the ins and outs of feeding, boarding and caring for a horse might not be as daunting as breaking in a wild mustang, but it's plenty challenging in its own right.
But a handful of area residents who own horses, work with them on a regular basis or are in equine-related businesses say that plenty of sources are available to help answer just about any question a horse owner — or prospective owner — might have.
The question of proper nutrition alone requires a great deal of thought and research, said Donna Zang, a lifelong horse owner who worked as an educator with the Penn State Cooperative Extension for more than 38 years.
“Knowing how to feed a horse is such a broad, complex question,” said Zang, who still volunteers for the Cooperative Extension and remains involved with the 4-H program at the state level. “They have unique nutritional needs. It's not a one-size-fits-all kind of feeding program.”
Rather, proper nutritional care is based on a number of factors, including usage, size and age, said Cody Stephenson, the manager at Butler Agway on Evans City Road.
“There are different disciplines, and we'd need to know the activity level before we recommended a certain type of food,” Stephenson said.
For example, Zang said, a backyard horse that doesn't get ridden a lot is not going to have the same nutritional needs as a horse that is ridden daily, is working or is being shown.“And even within that, there are different feeding strategies, depending on what your discipline is,” she said.“Is it a trail horse, is it a dressage horse, a hunter-jumper, a Western pleasure horse, a halter horse?” Zang said. “Is it a breeding horse? For example, the horse that is a backyard pleasure animal and is ridden occasionally may have a much lower nutrient need. So, they're not necessarily going to need grain in their diet. They may do very well with good quality pasture and hay.”Zang said the first thing that horse owners who are new to the field need to realize is that horses are grazing animals, and their digestive systems are structured in such a way that they get their nutrition from grazing.“If you think about horses in the wild, they are on the move constantly throughout the day, searching for forage,” she said.Ideally, horse owners would have a good quality pasture area, but that's not always feasible. Instead, they might just have what Zang called turnout areas. In those cases, owners would need to provide their horses with hay and — depending on the factors mentioned earlier — implement other nutritional strategies to provide a healthy, balanced diet.
Age is also a major factor in finding the right nutritional balance. Younger horses tend to need higher protein content as they are growing, Zang said. A mature horse that has exceeded the growing years, which can be up to 6 or 7 years old, may be on more of a maintenance-type ration, while a mare with a foal would require something else.Older horses may also have special nutritional needs, Zang said, so that can be a factor in choosing the proper diet.“There are concentrated feeds made specifically for senior horses that take into account their specific nutritional needs, plus they're easier for them to chew,” she said. “And in some cases you'll soak the ration — moisten it with water to make it easier for them to eat.”Experts like Zang or Stephenson can be of significant help when it comes to finding the right nutritional mix. Amy Oesterling-Hazel, of Oesterling's Feed in Fenelton, said it's also important to forge a good relationship with a reliable equine veterinarian.“Horses should be seen by a vet regularly,” she said. “The same goes for farriers.”Zang said the area is home to many equine professionals who work with adult horse owners on a variety of topics, including managing a pasture, what to look for when buying a new horse, nutrition and training.Zang said the Penn State Cooperative Extension's equine educators are a good resource for the care and management of horses, and she also noted that all horse owners should work with an equine veterinarian to help guide them in decisions regarding their horses' health and nutrition.Just as there new horse owners have plenty of questions pertaining to nutrition, they likely will have questions regarding boarding. Courtney Gramlich, of the Storm Harbor Equestrian Center at Slippery Rock, said the important thing to consider when choosing a place to board your horse is what you plan to do with it.“Do you plan to show the horse or trail ride the horse?” she asked. “Do you want more of a case where you care for it yourself or do you want to have someone else care for it? And how far do you want to have to drive to get to your horse?”Cost certainly is a factor, and the cost is tied to the amenities a stable might offer. For example, Gramlich said, you might choose among places that feature an indoor riding arena, an outdoor riding arena or no arena at all. “The more amenities,” she said, “the higher the cost.”
Boarding can run anywhere from $300 to $1,000 a month in the area, with the lower end of the price spectrum requiring some work on the part of the owner.“Pretty much anywhere from $500 and up will do all the care,” said the Gramlich, 42, who has had horses since she was 8 years old.Cortney Shipley of Legacy Pines Equestrian Center in Chicora said it's imperative for horse owners to tour prospective barns before making any decisions. And while there, safety should be a major consideration.“How big are the stalls, how much lighting is in the barn, how safe are the fences?” she asked. “If they're electric, are they maintained? How often do the stalls get cleaned?”Shipley said a lot of boarding decisions are made through word-of-mouth advertising, although social media has become important in the boarding business as well in recent years.“We use Facebook a lot,” she said.Between feeding, boarding and keeping up with medical issues, there's a lot that goes into owning a horse.“It's not something you go into lightly,” Zang said. “At the same time, it's very enjoyable. I look at it as almost like my therapy. I'd much rather go work in the barn than go to the gym.“There are people like myself. It's kind of like our passion. It's what we enjoy doing.”
