Horses give many signals to tell how they are doing. Both behavior and appearance can reveal more about a horse's health. In this blog, we'll explain exactly which physical features can tell you more about the health of your favorite horse.
Pay close attention during your next visit to the stable to one of the two main categories: physical characteristics and mental health characteristics. To see if your horse is well, you need to pay attention to your horse's physical and mental health characteristics. Look, for example, at the coat, hooves, teeth, and physical condition of the horse. Moreover, the animal also shows through behavior whether it is comfortable in its skin.
Your horse's appearance can tell you a lot about its health. As with humans, you can also recognize if horses are well by physical health characteristics. Does a horse look unhealthy? Then that's the most notable signal to recognize that things are not going well. Pay particular attention to the coat, weight, eyes, and ears of the horse.
An important way to recognize a healthy horse is its coat. If the coat does not shine, the animal is not in top shape. A beautiful shiny coat means your horse is healthy and fit. In addition to the shine, a deep color of the coat is a characteristic of a healthy horse. So pay close attention to the coat when assessing whether your horse is completely healthy.
A horse's weight also says a lot about the animal's health. An overweight horse not only shows that the animal does not get enough exercise. In the long term, it also puts extra pressure on the joints, colic and laminitis. In short, exercise is essential to keep your horse healthy and fit. Read all about it in our e-guide.
A horse's eyes speak volumes. If your horse is unhealthy, you can also recognize this in the eyes. Does the horse have a glassy look or watery eyes? That's a clear characteristic that the horse is unhealthy and not comfortable. Always take these signals seriously and try to immediately find out why the animal has these characteristics.
Does your horse often put its ears back? That is a sign that your horse is not satisfied, is in pain or is angry. It's not strange for it to happen once, but if it happens regularly it can be a sign that your horse is not comfortable or is in pain. So always pay close attention to your horse's earplay to recognize whether everything is going well.
Certain health characteristics are less quickly recognizable. We are mainly talking about mental problems that a horse can experience. Like a human, an unhappy horse becomes depressed and will display unhealthy behavior in the event of stress or illness. Do you recognize the following characteristics in your horse? Then it is wise to take action.
When a horse sees you, the animal should essentially be cheerful and happy. When horses are in pain, bored, or not getting enough exercise, they literally start mourning. The animal then stands unhappily staring ahead with an empty look in its eyes. Mourning can be prevented by freedom of movement, good care, and sufficient social contact (with other animals).
Horses must move enough. If they don't, there's a high chance of undesired behavior. Cribbing often occurs in horses that are bored. The animal then sets its teeth against the bars of a stable door and sucks air in. This increases the risk of stomach ulcers and damages the teeth. These bad habits are not only unhealthy but also addictive.
When a horse compulsively sways from the left to the right leg and the head moves along, we call it 'weaving' or weave behavior. This is also a health characteristic and also addictive. These compulsive movements can deteriorate the horse's locomotion and the animal can develop unnatural muscles
The scraping of hooves over the ground is also an important health characteristic. On the one hand, this can indicate stress, boredom, or impatience. On the other hand, it can tell you that your animal is sick. When a horse scrapes and rolls on the ground, this could be a sign that the animal has colic. If you see this behavior more often? Then it is wise to investigate why your horse is exhibiting this behavior.