I am headed out of town this weekend to speak at the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association meeting. My brother, Morry, is feeding the horses for me while I am gone. I know he is very responsible and will do his best but I am nervous because he does not have any experience with horses.
When I lived in Austin my friend, Pat, always fed for me and since she regularly fed for me every evening I had no worries at all that she knew how to handle any problem. As I have been making my list for Morry of what to do and what to watch for I am reminded how much I take for granted about feeding horses.
For instance, I am always alert for any bad spots in a bale of hay or feed that might be slightly off. I find myself thinking to tell Morry if it looks funny, swells funny or feels funny don’t feed it.
I automatically check all water troughs not only for amounts but to make sure nothing has contaminated the water. I double check that I have shut all gates and closed all feed room doors. What if the horses get out and Morry has to catch them? I will have to teach Morry how to lead them back in with feed. Oh Lord, please keep the horses in the pasture.
I glance over the horses to check for any injuries and to get a general idea of their demeanor. This allows me to detect any problem before it develops into something more severe. Luckily, my neighbor, Sharon, can come check out anything suspicious. I think I will ask her to come cast her eyes around each day just in case.
My horses are all very gentle but they are horses and I hope they will behave for Morry and go to their feeders like they are supposed to. It won’t be the end of the world if they don’t get exactly the supplements they are normally get but I don’t want them threatening each other while Morry is in the pen. Even as I write this I am thinking I will move their feeders close to the fence so he can feed them without going in the pen.
So, feeding the horses is such an automatic thing for those of us that do it everyday but a developed skill we should never take for granted. Madalyn
New feeding setup for the little darlings