faq

3. Won’t my horse develop laminitis from spending so much time on pasture?

It is true that horses who have developed laminitis or founder (chronic laminitis) in the past should not be allowed to graze freely; therefore HSF would not be an appropriate setting. However, we carefully introduce our new horses to grass, depending on the type of facility they came from. In addition, all our horses' daily access to grass is controlled, depending on the time of year, temperature, recent rainfall, and time of day. Some of our horses require a grazing muzzle in the spring and fall. With the addition of an annually-replanted winter wheat field, all of our horses can graze from mid-January through late November.

1. Why does HSF advocate maximum turnout for horses?

In preparing to build HSF, we read everything we could find that addressed how to keep horses healthy and content. We learned that research indicates how important it is that horses be allowed to keep moving out-of-doors. With certain exceptions, there aren’t any sound reasons to keep horses trapped in stalls, as long as they have adequate shelter that they can access freely. Therefore, we concluded that keeping a horse in a stall for prolonged periods was really for the convenience of people. In response we decided to build a boarding facility that seeks to keep horses healthy; that is, a spa for horses.

2. I know that maximum turn out is best for my horse, but he has always been stalled and is not used to so much freedom. How will he handle such a transition?

Most of our horses come to us from barns where they were stalled daily for up to 20 hours, some stalled for days without turnout whenever bad weather threatened! All have transitioned well to being turned out for prolonged periods. It is actually the horses’ owners who struggle with the thought of their horse being exposed to the elements; their logic being if they are cold, their horse must be too! A few horses come in only in during the hottest part of the day, or when it is sleeting. If your horse is currently fed in a stall, he may appear eager to get back to the barn. This behavior will likely change once he understands that he gets fed outside. If you reserve a stall you can decide, in collaboration with our staff, if and when it is best to bring your horse into a stall.

4. If I field-board my horse, will he gets his meals and supplements?

Yes. We feed all horses individually to ensure that they ingest their daily dewormer, and any other supplements provided by their owners. If a field-boarded horse needs twice daily medications or feeding, HSF offers a “2nd Meal/Medication” option. We also check our horses carefully at mealtime, and fly spray if the product is provided by the owner, as well as put on turn-out blankets, fly sheets, fly masks, and muzzles as directed by the owner.

5. My horse has never lived with a herd, and I’m worried about the transition and about herd dynamics.

After a new horse clears a week in the quarantine pasture, we typically introduce a low-to-mid ranking horse from the herd he’s moving to, to spend a day or more with him in hopes of forming a bond. Then we introduce the new horse to the rest of the herd after all have been fed and are preoccupied with grazing or munching hay. Introductions handled like this are usually uneventful We separate mares from geldings, and stallions are not boarded at HSF. Herd size is typically 5-7 horses. All horses have plenty of room, access to a run-in and water, and enjoy hay and pasture. Horses are horses, however, and even in the best of situations get kicked and injured occasionally. That is the nature of herd dynamics.

6. What if I don’t reserve a stall, and my field-boarded horse needs a stall for a sudden illness or injury?

We offer two options. We always keep a stall free for sick or injured horses. In addition, we keep both a paddock and a small, 4-acre pasture available for new horse’s quarantine, and for resident field-boarded horses that require temporary separation or confinement.

7. My horse is an easy/hard keeper and I worry about his weight. How do you monitor that?

We weight-tape our horses on a regular basis. Although weight-tape weights aren’t totally accurate, they do provide an objective means of comparison. We work with our clients and modify grain intake dependent upon their horse’s needs. We recommend grazing muzzles as needed. When grass isn’t available, we increase the amount of hay first, and then grain, as needed.

8. What do you feed your horses?

Research shows that horses should receive most, if not all of their nutrition from quality forage, i.e. grass and hay. To that end we carefully fertilize, plant, mow, and monitor our pastures so that daily grazing is available approx. 10 months of the year. All our horses get daily dewormer, and we mix it with either a quality pellet or senior feed, depending upon the age of the horse. The amount of grain each horse receives daily varies depending upon visual and weight tape measurements, time of year, and veterinary recommendations. Studies show that the risk of colic increases as grain rations rise.

9. What is your deworming program?

An ideal deworming program would be fecal egg-count driven; however, it is expensive and very unwieldy for a boarding facility. Although there is discussion in the literature concerning a growing resistance to some deworming drugs, HSF requires that all horses be on the same program, namely a daily dewormer. Additionally, a paste deworming twice a year is required to control tapeworms and bot flies. We are following the research and will change our program as needed in consultation with equine veterinarians.

10. May I use the riding instructor/trainer of my choice?

Boarders are welcome to bring their own instructor or trainer. That person must have purchased liability insurance as an independent contractor, and must additionally endorse Wendy Parker AND HorseSpa Farm as “additional insured.” A lesson fee is charged by HSF for each lesson anywhere on the premises.

11.Do you have trails?

Yes. We created trails around the perimeter of our farm (158 acres), and are slowly working into our wooded area. We offer across-the-street access to Lone Star Lakes, a 4.5 mile equestrian trail along the lake, which HSF boarders help maintain.

12. What do you do for fly control?

Beginning every spring, and repeating every three weeks until fall, we reintroduce predator wasps; tiny, harmless (except to fly larvae) insects that greatly reduce the fly populations, and our clients routinely comment that we have minimal flies. In addition, we use HorsePal Fly Traps to lure and remove horseflies. Mosquitoes are rarely problematic. We do not use automatic mists in the barn due to our concern over the long term safety of inhaled chemicals to both horses and our staff. During the summer, all horses are fly-sprayed daily as requested by our clients, with the fly spray of their choice.

13. Why do clients have to pay for bedding?

All boarding facilities charge for bedding. Most fold it into a fee to cover an average use; for that some clients are overcharged, and others undercharged. Our experience is that horses vary greatly in the amount of bedding required, depending upon their stall manners. Additionally, some clients prefer deeper bedding than others. Paying by the bag is fair and accurate. Since most HSF horses spend little time in their stalls, bedding is actually a minor expense.

15. Do you board horses who crib?

Depends upon how much they crib. Our experience is that horses who crib only occasionally do not cause a problem, and in fact may crib less since they are not confined to a stall. We will not board a hard-core cribber; i.e. one who is only controlled by a collar or who is totally uncontrollable.

17. May I take my horse to shows?

Sure. We understand that showing can be fun, and it encourages riding improvement. We do not offer transportation, but you may park your own trailer on HSF property. However, if to show you want your horse in a stall most of the time, or clipped and under lights in the winter, or separated from other horses, then HSF is not the place for you.

18. What kind of fencing do you use?

All exterior fences are fixed-knot wire (graduated spacing) or flexible vinyl, attached to 6-inch diameter, 7-foot wood posts, installed in the past 3 years. We do not use high-tensile wire because of the injury potential, or wood fencing because of the breakage potential. We top most fences with an electric wire. Within the exterior fencing we use electric tape to subdivide our pastures into a sacrifice area and two grass pastures to allow for rotation. Pastures are double-fenced along the road.