Share your Ingenious Solutions to Everyday HorseKeeping... - Page 5

sugarsgal · 11-24-2006, 08:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stormy

Also, do you know how to tell if your horse is injesting sand in their bellies? Hey, this could be a trivia question

To see if your horse has sand in his/her guts try this (kinda gross but lets you know. And time consuming!!!

Take about 2 terd balls (or 1 cup) poop, put it into a large clear glass jar, add water put lid back on and shake to mix, then let sit for 5 min.'s

Slowly add water letting only the poop flow out (don't let the bottom get stirred up or you'll loose the sand) Let sit another couple min's

Keep repeating this untill water is clear enough to see what's in the bottom of the jar.

1/2 teaspoon (in 1 cup poop) your horse is at low risk of sand colic
Over 1/2 teaspoon your horse is at high risk of impaction colic

Jello (any brand) to rid of sand, 1 packet per day for one month then 1 packet 1 time a week to prevent. Is said to be safer then psyillium as it doesn't (shouldn't) cause tummy pain like the psyilluim can.

sugarsgal · 11-24-2006, 09:00 PM

Applying Thrush treatments can be MESSY, Try this

Anyone that colors their hair, save the empty application bottle (rinse it out with hot water) and fill it with your Copper kare or which ever one you use. It makes application easier and NO More mess!!!
Just cover tip of applicator with some foil so it doesn't dry up.

For those that don't color your hair, you can get the application bottles from places that sell hair color kits.

sugarsgal · 11-24-2006, 09:25 PM

Rainrot and itchy skin

Mix 1 1/2 cups distilled water
35 drops Tea tree oil
Put it into a spray bottle
Spray on horse and brush in to reach the skin daily untill cleared up.

You can also add the Tea Tree oil to shampoo. 1/2 cup shampoo and 15 drops oil. Add more drops if needed as you can not over do it.

And Vola!!! your cure for rain rot and itchy skin and prevents lice. Also heals minor wounds and clears dandrif.

Tea Tree oil is expensive, but you get alot more applications out of it then you will from the all ready prepared, store bought solutions.

To remove the scabby matter, use a dog flea comb, You can get them at any pet supply place. Work's great and gets rid of the nasty rainrot scabs. Just be gentle as the scabs do hurt when riped off. I spray with the tea tree soultion then use the flea comb while the hair is still wet.

repetesis · 01-05-2007, 02:32 AM

If you are trying to grow a long mane here is a tip.
On our horses the manes are long and full. To keep them nice and growing out I spray them with a leave in conditioner, any one works but I like Healthy Hair Care. Then I braid them in braids like I would for dressage but not so small and wrap them up the way you would for braiding. I then take vet wrap and wrap them up to the rubber band and then I take electical tape and wrap that around the vet wrap at the top. You can leave this in up to 4-6 weeks or longer if it stays. When you take it out you have the softest mane ever. And it has usually grown quite a bit. Just thought I would share.
I undid Zorra's yesterday and I couldn't beleive how much it had grown. I am going to do it back up tomorrow and take pictures.
I love all the ideas here thanks everyone!!!

ELSligo · 01-09-2007, 12:53 PM

The clipper at our barn told me this one, I haven't actually tried it though!
For sweaty horses you are trying to dry out:
After they are cooled out, curry them in circles so their hair is all ruffled up, then spray with a mixture of absorbine and rubbing alcohol to dry the hair out. If anyone tries it out let me know how it works, sure would come in handy when riding on winter nights! I usually end up staying and hour and a half after my lesson to get my horse dry!

Orchid · 01-10-2007, 12:56 PM

Discovered this quite by accident:

For a horse that bolts his or her grain/feed, put on a grazing muzzle. They can still eat the feed, but not in huge gulps.

mia42 · 02-09-2007, 10:33 AM

Great ideas!

Before we got heated stall buckets, we used a cheap pasta strainer to dip ice out of water buckets.

If you have a grey/light colored horse with stains (what grey horse doesn't!) try wetting the area with white vinegar and letting it sit for about 10 minutes, then shampoo. It can really help!

In the winter we only have poles and standards to set up jumps in our small indoor. To keep our horses interested in the jumps & ready for show season, we hang plastic tableclothes over teh poles. We buy the tableclothes at the dollar stores on clearance, especially after the holidays. Our horses learn to jump anything!

There are a lot of homemade horse treats on the internet. Most recipes use stuff you already have around and make a lot of treats for the money you'd spend on ready made ones. Plus I can customize them by adding peppermints and other stuff my horses love!

Paints4me · 03-02-2007, 10:10 AM

Being a newbiew here I just found this thread. I love it!
Here are my tips: use an upside down 55 gallon drum or trash can, invert your hay net on top. Makes filling a breeze.
Also, in Texas we get the humongous (sp) horse flies. I use 1/3 Skin So Soft from Avon and 2/3 water. It is the only thing I have found that will work on these monsters. This combination also works great on mosquitos and is wonderful for manes and tales.

Slim Pikkens · 04-01-2007, 04:23 AM

Endust (furniture spray) with the yellow cap detangles manes and tails. Dampen mane then spray onto your hands as the can is quite noisy. Rub thro mane. Lightly spray wet tail, then uses hands to work it through. Finger comb mane and tail as they dry. Water will reactivate it and make grooming easier. Too much Endust and things get gummy.

apps4me · 04-17-2007, 01:26 PM

For anyone who has a confirmed cribber, use the Crib Rail Teethers sold at Toys R Us for babies. They drastically cut wear on the horse's teeth and the wood on the stall. They last for months. My sister's horse is a cribber whose upper front teeth were worn to the gums. We tried all the collars on the market and then some but nothing worked. We even used artificial christmas tree branches on the top boards in her stall with limited sucess. Her pasture is circled with electric wire so she can't crib outside. Her water and grain pan are on the floor and the areas that she can crib on are covered with the plastic crib rails. I am so glad I happened to see the ails in the store and thought to try them. They worked better than expected, she has actually had a little re-growth of her teeth in the approx. 6 months that we've used the crib rails and we haven't had to replace any boards. I attach the crib rails with screws so I can replace them when they are worn. They can be cut to any length so you only need to replace the worn section. I hope this helps someone. This can be such a difficult problem to deal with.

Slim Pikkens · 04-20-2007, 05:57 PM

Endust with the yellow cap, sprayed onto wet hands and wiped into a damp tail & mane will also remove tangles.

Red Gate Farm · 04-27-2007, 09:27 PM

Tuna fish cans, or any tin cans that size make great bridle and halter hangers. Wash out the cans, dry and paint in your stable colors, nail them in a row to a board (with the open side towards the board) with one nail through the center and attach it to your barn wall. The natual curve of the cans keeps the curve in the poll band of your bridles and halters.

I've made pole bending poles out of old broom handles and used paint cans. Fill with sand and push in the broom handle. Presto! The handle on the side of the paint can really helps in moving them around. You can concrete them in if you prefer something more permanent.

My friend replaced her gate latches with automobile seat belts she got from the junk yard. You just need enough of the "belt" part to wrap around the post and screw in, then use the clip together part of the seat belt to hold it together. Her horses haven't figured out how to open those yet!

I've made a water trough scoop out of a wire hangar and an old pair of pantyhose. Bend the hanger into a circle, slip the pantyhose leg over it and scoop out the bugs from your trough.

Toothpaste shines up silver really well. I like the tip from a previous poster about putting it on your horse's bit too!

This is one terrific post.

I am going to be trying some of the tips I've read!

Slim Pikkens · 05-03-2007, 08:59 AM

Plastic milk crates are great for grooming supplies as the dirt falls through.
Since horses like to play with gates, seat belts can get chewed through but with the addition of a ring, they are great for tying a horse to a tree on the trails with no tree damage if the horse pulls back. I got two crates from a retailer who'd had these hanging around for months and the dairy guy didn't seem interested in picking them up.

Appylover · 06-09-2007, 06:09 PM

trash cans or old frezers work good on keeping grain fresh. And those plastic 1 gal. milk or OJ jugs can be used for scoops all you have to do is cut on the other side of the handle until it forms a scoop!

these are all good ideas too! keep it up guys ill be checking in for more!

Bella's Favorite · 06-26-2007, 03:12 PM

Half-chaps mysteriously dissapear? Polo wraps wound up you leg to just below your knee.

eieio · 06-26-2007, 03:16 PM

The one cup measures from out of your laundry detergent boxes or the caps off the bottles well rinsed make wonderful supplement measures!

bunnyal · 06-26-2007, 03:39 PM

Hey all,
I know this doesn't concern the horses, but I think almost everyone has barn cats. It started with my indoor cats and led to the barn kittys. Our inside cats were fed in the bathroom all the way in the back of the house, but our one dog was constantly cleaning out their food dish and I have a thing about cats on the counters (even in the bathroom) so putting their food dish up was out of the question. I got a 18 gallon plastic tub with lid (like rubbermaid, but generic), cut a hole just big enough for the cats to fit in and keep their food dish in there. The dog (s) are afraid to put there heads in the hole and I am no longer going through oodles of catfood. It works great for the barn cats also. The only thing it does stop is the local racoon. Man is he getting fat. We had to start taking the barn cats food in at night. I know it's not horse keeping, but it may help someone.

Silvercreekcrossings · 07-01-2007, 09:12 AM

Pick up an old refrigerator or freezer to use for grain storage. I drilled a hole and use a stallion chain on the handle to lock my grain safely inside.

A chest freezer with the lid removed or an old bathtub makes a great watering trough! Screw a piece of rubber from an old inner tube under the drain plug to stop leaks.

Slim Pikkens · 07-10-2007, 05:27 PM

A horse halter works as a dog harness. The head slides thro the nose band and the poll strap is done up behind the front legs. The halter will be upside down. The strap that goes from the throat strap to the back of the nose band will be on top.

jkponies · 07-10-2007, 07:05 PM

I've never tried alcohol and absorbine, but when I sponge off my horses after a workout and want them to dry quickly, I use a mixture of 1/2 water and 1/2 alcohol. They sell wintergreen alcohol in the drug stores and it's great for that!
Also, rubbing sugar into a wound really helps keep down the scarring and infection. My vet suggested it when my youngest gelding got pigeon fever and his abscesses broke open--no scars!

11-24-2006, 09:00 PM
sugarsgal Started Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 2,750	Applying Thrush treatments can be MESSY, Try this Anyone that colors their hair, save the empty application bottle (rinse it out with hot water) and fill it with your Copper kare or which ever one you use. It makes application easier and NO More mess!!! Just cover tip of applicator with some foil so it doesn't dry up. For those that don't color your hair, you can get the application bottles from places that sell hair color kits. __________________ There is no such thing as an Ignorant horse, there are only Ignorant people!

11-24-2006, 09:25 PM
sugarsgal Started Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 2,750	Rainrot and itchy skin Mix 1 1/2 cups distilled water 35 drops Tea tree oil Put it into a spray bottle Spray on horse and brush in to reach the skin daily untill cleared up. You can also add the Tea Tree oil to shampoo. 1/2 cup shampoo and 15 drops oil. Add more drops if needed as you can not over do it. And Vola!!! your cure for rain rot and itchy skin and prevents lice. Also heals minor wounds and clears dandrif. Tea Tree oil is expensive, but you get alot more applications out of it then you will from the all ready prepared, store bought solutions. To remove the scabby matter, use a dog flea comb, You can get them at any pet supply place. Work's great and gets rid of the nasty rainrot scabs. Just be gentle as the scabs do hurt when riped off. I spray with the tea tree soultion then use the flea comb while the hair is still wet. __________________ There is no such thing as an Ignorant horse, there are only Ignorant people!

01-05-2007, 02:32 AM
repetesis Yearling Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Sicamous, BC Posts: 665	If you are trying to grow a long mane here is a tip. On our horses the manes are long and full. To keep them nice and growing out I spray them with a leave in conditioner, any one works but I like Healthy Hair Care. Then I braid them in braids like I would for dressage but not so small and wrap them up the way you would for braiding. I then take vet wrap and wrap them up to the rubber band and then I take electical tape and wrap that around the vet wrap at the top. You can leave this in up to 4-6 weeks or longer if it stays. When you take it out you have the softest mane ever. And it has usually grown quite a bit. Just thought I would share. I undid Zorra's yesterday and I couldn't beleive how much it had grown. I am going to do it back up tomorrow and take pictures. I love all the ideas here thanks everyone!!!

01-09-2007, 12:53 PM
ELSligo Halter broke Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada Posts: 113	The clipper at our barn told me this one, I haven't actually tried it though! For sweaty horses you are trying to dry out: After they are cooled out, curry them in circles so their hair is all ruffled up, then spray with a mixture of absorbine and rubbing alcohol to dry the hair out. If anyone tries it out let me know how it works, sure would come in handy when riding on winter nights! I usually end up staying and hour and a half after my lesson to get my horse dry! __________________ "Last night as I lay in bed looking at the stars I thought to myself: Where the heck is the ceiling?"

01-10-2007, 12:56 PM
Orchid Bombproof Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Minnesota Posts: 11,048	Discovered this quite by accident: For a horse that bolts his or her grain/feed, put on a grazing muzzle. They can still eat the feed, but not in huge gulps. __________________ Careful what you wish; Careful what you say; Careful what you wish; You may regret it; Careful what you wish; You just might get it. ~ Metallica, King Nothing

02-09-2007, 10:33 AM
mia42 Newborn Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: PA Posts: 4	Great ideas! Before we got heated stall buckets, we used a cheap pasta strainer to dip ice out of water buckets. If you have a grey/light colored horse with stains (what grey horse doesn't!) try wetting the area with white vinegar and letting it sit for about 10 minutes, then shampoo. It can really help! In the winter we only have poles and standards to set up jumps in our small indoor. To keep our horses interested in the jumps & ready for show season, we hang plastic tableclothes over teh poles. We buy the tableclothes at the dollar stores on clearance, especially after the holidays. Our horses learn to jump anything! There are a lot of homemade horse treats on the internet. Most recipes use stuff you already have around and make a lot of treats for the money you'd spend on ready made ones. Plus I can customize them by adding peppermints and other stuff my horses love!

03-02-2007, 10:10 AM
Paints4me Newborn Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Cut-N-Shoot, Texas Posts: 17	Being a newbiew here I just found this thread. I love it! Here are my tips: use an upside down 55 gallon drum or trash can, invert your hay net on top. Makes filling a breeze. Also, in Texas we get the humongous (sp) horse flies. I use 1/3 Skin So Soft from Avon and 2/3 water. It is the only thing I have found that will work on these monsters. This combination also works great on mosquitos and is wonderful for manes and tales. __________________ I refuse to have a battle of wits with an unarmed person!

04-01-2007, 04:23 AM
Slim Pikkens Seasoned Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 4,047	Endust (furniture spray) with the yellow cap detangles manes and tails. Dampen mane then spray onto your hands as the can is quite noisy. Rub thro mane. Lightly spray wet tail, then uses hands to work it through. Finger comb mane and tail as they dry. Water will reactivate it and make grooming easier. Too much Endust and things get gummy.

04-17-2007, 01:26 PM
apps4me Newborn Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Maine Posts: 47	For anyone who has a confirmed cribber, use the Crib Rail Teethers sold at Toys R Us for babies. They drastically cut wear on the horse's teeth and the wood on the stall. They last for months. My sister's horse is a cribber whose upper front teeth were worn to the gums. We tried all the collars on the market and then some but nothing worked. We even used artificial christmas tree branches on the top boards in her stall with limited sucess. Her pasture is circled with electric wire so she can't crib outside. Her water and grain pan are on the floor and the areas that she can crib on are covered with the plastic crib rails. I am so glad I happened to see the ails in the store and thought to try them. They worked better than expected, she has actually had a little re-growth of her teeth in the approx. 6 months that we've used the crib rails and we haven't had to replace any boards. I attach the crib rails with screws so I can replace them when they are worn. They can be cut to any length so you only need to replace the worn section. I hope this helps someone. This can be such a difficult problem to deal with. __________________ Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. ~ unknown

04-20-2007, 05:57 PM
Slim Pikkens Seasoned Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 4,047	Endust with the yellow cap, sprayed onto wet hands and wiped into a damp tail & mane will also remove tangles.

04-27-2007, 09:27 PM
Red Gate Farm Started Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Alberta, Canada Posts: 2,362	Tuna fish cans, or any tin cans that size make great bridle and halter hangers. Wash out the cans, dry and paint in your stable colors, nail them in a row to a board (with the open side towards the board) with one nail through the center and attach it to your barn wall. The natual curve of the cans keeps the curve in the poll band of your bridles and halters. I've made pole bending poles out of old broom handles and used paint cans. Fill with sand and push in the broom handle. Presto! The handle on the side of the paint can really helps in moving them around. You can concrete them in if you prefer something more permanent. My friend replaced her gate latches with automobile seat belts she got from the junk yard. You just need enough of the "belt" part to wrap around the post and screw in, then use the clip together part of the seat belt to hold it together. Her horses haven't figured out how to open those yet! I've made a water trough scoop out of a wire hangar and an old pair of pantyhose. Bend the hanger into a circle, slip the pantyhose leg over it and scoop out the bugs from your trough. Toothpaste shines up silver really well. I like the tip from a previous poster about putting it on your horse's bit too! This is one terrific post. I am going to be trying some of the tips I've read!

05-03-2007, 08:59 AM
Slim Pikkens Seasoned Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 4,047	Plastic milk crates are great for grooming supplies as the dirt falls through. Since horses like to play with gates, seat belts can get chewed through but with the addition of a ring, they are great for tying a horse to a tree on the trails with no tree damage if the horse pulls back. I got two crates from a retailer who'd had these hanging around for months and the dairy guy didn't seem interested in picking them up.

06-09-2007, 06:09 PM
Appylover Long Yearling Join Date: May 2007 Location: Ohio Posts: 1,373	trash cans or old frezers work good on keeping grain fresh. And those plastic 1 gal. milk or OJ jugs can be used for scoops all you have to do is cut on the other side of the handle until it forms a scoop! these are all good ideas too! keep it up guys ill be checking in for more!

06-26-2007, 03:12 PM
Bella's Favorite Halter broke Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 188	Half-chaps mysteriously dissapear? Polo wraps wound up you leg to just below your knee. __________________ Faith, Trust and a little Straw Dust

06-26-2007, 03:16 PM
eieio Greenbroke Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: South Carolina Posts: 3,138	The one cup measures from out of your laundry detergent boxes or the caps off the bottles well rinsed make wonderful supplement measures! __________________ There is no such thing as a always or never in the horse world. Say that one time and some horse some where will prove you wrong!.

06-26-2007, 03:39 PM
bunnyal Yearling Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Pasco County, Florida Posts: 857	Everyday horsekeeping Hey all, I know this doesn't concern the horses, but I think almost everyone has barn cats. It started with my indoor cats and led to the barn kittys. Our inside cats were fed in the bathroom all the way in the back of the house, but our one dog was constantly cleaning out their food dish and I have a thing about cats on the counters (even in the bathroom) so putting their food dish up was out of the question. I got a 18 gallon plastic tub with lid (like rubbermaid, but generic), cut a hole just big enough for the cats to fit in and keep their food dish in there. The dog (s) are afraid to put there heads in the hole and I am no longer going through oodles of catfood. It works great for the barn cats also. The only thing it does stop is the local racoon. Man is he getting fat. We had to start taking the barn cats food in at night. I know it's not horse keeping, but it may help someone.

07-01-2007, 09:12 AM
Silvercreekcrossings Weanling Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Minnesota Posts: 310	Visit the recycling center! Pick up an old refrigerator or freezer to use for grain storage. I drilled a hole and use a stallion chain on the handle to lock my grain safely inside. A chest freezer with the lid removed or an old bathtub makes a great watering trough! Screw a piece of rubber from an old inner tube under the drain plug to stop leaks.

07-10-2007, 05:27 PM
Slim Pikkens Seasoned Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 4,047	A horse halter works as a dog harness. The head slides thro the nose band and the poll strap is done up behind the front legs. The halter will be upside down. The strap that goes from the throat strap to the back of the nose band will be on top.

07-10-2007, 07:05 PM
jkponies Weanling Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Bardstown KY Posts: 430	I've never tried alcohol and absorbine, but when I sponge off my horses after a workout and want them to dry quickly, I use a mixture of 1/2 water and 1/2 alcohol. They sell wintergreen alcohol in the drug stores and it's great for that! Also, rubbing sugar into a wound really helps keep down the scarring and infection. My vet suggested it when my youngest gelding got pigeon fever and his abscesses broke open--no scars!