Costs

To put into context the amount of money and care a horse needs as maintenance I researched into what costs are to be expected with having your own horse. 

Initial cost 

The prices of a horse initially can really vary but the majority tend to be priced around 1-2000 pounds. But competition horses can be bought for quite a few thousand. 

Stabling/ Livery

Costs vary depending on the type of livery offered.

Grass Livery can be expected to cost in the region of £20-£25 per week:

This type of livery provides the horse owner with a field in which to keep their horse. The horse owner is responsible for all care and feeding of the horse on a daily basis. This type of livery requires the horse owner to attend to the horse every day even if no feeding is necessary, in order to ascertain that the horse has suffered no injury or illness each day.

DIY Stable Livery can be expected to cost around £30-£40 per week:

This type of livery provides the horse owner with a stable in which to keep their horse and a field or paddock in which to turn their horse out during the day. The horse owner is responsible for all care including mucking out, turning the horse out to the field and bringing the horse in from the field and feeding of the horse on a daily basis. Bedding and hay are often not included and the horse owner must purchase these separately, although some livery yards may offer DIY stabled livery at a higher price with bedding and hay included. This type of livery requires the horse owner to attend to the horse in the morning and evening of every day.

Full Livery can be expected to cost in the region of £100-£150 per week:

In addition to providing the horse owner with a stable in which to keep their horse and a field in which to turn their horse out during the day, full livery usually also includes bedding, hay and feed. Livery yard staff are responsible for all care including mucking out, turning out the horse to the field and bringing the horse in from the field and feeding of the horse on a daily basis. Some livery yards may include exercising of the horse within their full livery service. This type of livery is ideal for the horse owner whose busy schedule does not give them the time to care for their horse on a daily basis.

Any care of the horse or duties carried out by staff at the livery yard will cost extra.

Hay, Straw and Shavings

For horses kept on grass livery hay is normally only required to be fed in winter when grass is scarce and the amount required will vary depending on the type and size of horse or pony. It should be expected that some hay will be needed to be fed for around 5 months of the year with up to £10 a week being added to the grass livery costs during the severest winter weeks when grass is totally unavailable.

For stabled horses hay is required all year round to compensate for the lack of access to grass whilst stabled and so can add around £10 a week to the livery costs throughout the year. Also some form of stable bedding is required, usually straw or shavings, and this can add a further £10-£20 per week to the livery costs throughout the year.

Feed

The amount of feed a horse will require will depend on the type and size of horse, its exercise routine and whether it it is stabled or at grass.

A hardy horse or pony living out all year and only receiving light exercise may need little additional feed, if any. However a horse receiving regular exercise may require some hard feed and a stabled horse, with regular strenuous exercise will most often need additional feed throughout the year at a cost of around £5-10 a week.

Vet's Fees and Insurance

A horse or pony requires annual inoculations against Influenza and Tetanus and this can be expected to cost in the region of £35 a year for the vaccination plus around £35 call out charge from the vet.

Vet's fees in cases of illness or accident can be costly, and rather than risk having to pay out several hundred or thousand pounds for an incident many owners prefer to insure their horse against such fees. The cost of insurance to cover vets fees will vary depending on the type of cover taken and the value of the horse or pony but should be expected to cost in the region £20-£40 per month or more.

Farrier

A horse's feet continually grow and so even if unshod will require regular visits from the farrier for trimming. Whether shod or not the horse will require attention from the farrier every 6 weeks and this can cost around £25 for trimming and £50-£55 for shoeing per visit.

Dentist

It is recommended that a horse has its teeth checked by a vet or equine dentist every year to ensure that there are no sharp edges or other tooth problems that may be the cause of discomfort to the horse. When problems occur more regular visits may be needed. A dentist visit costs around £50-£70 per visit.

Worming

Horses and ponies need to be regularly wormed whether stabled or at grass. Worming costs around £10-£15 and is usually required every 6-8 weeks.

Extras

Although the main regular costs of owning a horse are listed above there are always unexpected costs that occur such as when a horse casts a shoe and needs an extra farrier visit, an injury or illness requiring veterinary attention or stabling and feed whilst recovering. In addition it is often necessary to purchase medical products for minor cuts, shampoos, tack and rugs, etc may need repairing or replacing. All such costs can add to the cost of owning a horse over a year. Therefore it is always best to factor in at least £1,000 per annum for extras when calculating the cost of keeping a horse.

The table below gives a summary of the regular costs mentioned above of keeping a horse on an annual basis:

http://www.equine-world.co.uk/buying_horses/cost_horse.asp

So depending on circumstances owning a horse can cost anything from around £3,000 to £10,000. I think this information is really important to let potential owners know about. You can't simply own a horse without all of these costs to their upkeep. So before buying a horse these financial considerations should be considered as well as having a knowledge of horse care. 

Basic Care:

Environment:

Make sure that where your horse lives is secure and free from hazards, this includes ensuring fences are in good condition and escape-proof. 

Horses need large amounts of exercise to remain healthy. All horses should have access to a paddock where they can exercise every day, in the company of other horses, for as long as possible.

When out in a paddock, horses must have access to shelter from sun, wind and extremes of weather or temperature. They must have dry areas to stand and lie down on; living in cold,wet or muddy conditions can lead to discomfort or illness.

A horse can become ill or show abnormal behaviour if it is confined to a stable for long periods of time. If your horse is stabled, ensure all areas of your horse’s environment are well ventilated, clean and draught-free.  

Stabled horses are more likely to be exposed to germs, toxic dust and fumes. They need good quality, dust-free bedding to lie upon. Ensure bedding is kept clean.

Have a plan to deal with emergencies such as fire in buildings and flooding of land or buildings.

Transport can be stressful for horses. When you transport your horse, make sure it is comfortable and safe at all times.  

Ensure the size and temperature of any place you leave your horse (including a trailer or horsebox) is appropriate.

Diet: (also see leaflets from HAPPA)

Horses must have continuous access to fresh clean water.

Horses should be provided with as much opportunity to graze as possible. Twenty-four hour access is ideal. Without it they can develop disorders of the gut and stomach ulcers.

Not all pasture provide adequate nutrition and many will be too high in calories. Horses may still need additional hard feed and forage to maintain their appropriate bodyweight, particularly between late autumn and early spring.

Horses fed diets low in forage and high in concentrates (hard feeds such as cubes or grains) are at risk of digestive problems. Stabled horses should be given plenty of forage. 

Horses should be fed only good quality, mould and dust-free forage.

Changes in your horse’s lifestyle, such as increased or reduced work, movement on and off pasture, pregnancy, lactation and ageing will require changes to your horse’s diet. An equine nutritionist or an equine vet can advise you.

Rapid changes in diet can result in illness. Any changes to your horse’s diet must be introduced gradually, over a period of around two weeks.

Horses must be fed only diets designed for horses. They  must not be given lawn clippings or access to large amounts of fermentable foods such as apples as they can be fatally toxic.

Horses should not become overweight. Horses and particularly ponies who are overweight are  prone to developing laminitis, a very painful disorder of the feet. A common factor triggering laminitis is feeding on lush spring and autumn grass.

Speak to your vet about how at risk your horse may be of developing laminitis and how you can help reduce that risk.

Remove toxic plants, shrubs and tress such as ragwort and yew from paddocks and other areas. Toxic plants, even if they are dead, must be dug up and taken completely out of the reach of horses. If your horse’s feeding habits change, consult your vet, as your horse could be ill.

Ragwort:

Behaviour:

Horses must be given the opportunity to run freely in a paddock as frequently as possible and for as long as possible, in the company of other horses.

Take the time to learn how your horse learns so that you can train him humanely and effectively. Be careful to use training aids your horse understands and use them in a consistent manner.

Horses can be trained using positive, reward-based methods. Do not shout at or punish your horse as fear of punishment can cause a horse to become aggressive or develop behaviour problems.

Take time to learn how your horse normally behaves. If your horse starts exhibiting abnormal behaviour or its behaviour changes away from its normal behaviour, you should seek immediate advice from an equine specialist vet as they could be ill or suffering.

You should not use anti-cribbing collars, anti-weaving grilles or other devices that simply attempt to stop the performance of abnormal behaviour. Using these devices can cause further welfare problems. Instead, get advice to tackle causes such as stress isolation or boredom.

Company:

Horses are social animals they should not be housed alone in individual paddocks or pens, as this prevents the performance of social behaviour.

Horses should be allowed as much time as possible in paddocks interacting freely with other horses. Isolated horses may experience high levels of stress which can lead to abnormal behaviour.

Stabling should be designed with partitions which allow horses to see and interact with their neighbours, including allowing them to put their heads over stable doors. Horses which do not get on well with each other should not be stabled next to each other or put in the same paddock.

To minimise aggression, horses should be kept in the same groups each time they are let out into paddocks.

Where it is necessary to introduce new horses into groups, they should be carefully observed to ensure that they do not receive excessive aggression. Unfamiliar horses may squeal at, threaten, bite or kick each other when first introduced.

Sufficient space should be available to allow horses to get away from others and avoid being cornered. The whole group should be checked for signs of injury more frequently than normal.

Health:

Check your horse for signs of injury and illness daily. Make sure someone does this if you’re away.

Consult a vet if you suspect that your horse is in pain, ill or injured. A change in the way a horse behaves can be an early sign.

Worm and vaccinate your horse against equine influenza and tetanus regularly. You may also consider vaccinating against equine herpes virus.

Learn to recognise lameness. If your horse becomes lame it should not be worked and you should consult your vet.

Inspect hooves daily, including the underside of the foot. Overgrown or unbalanced hooves can cause severe discomfort and damage to the internal structure of the feet, legs and back.

Your horse should be seen by a farrier registered with the Farriers’ Registration Council every four to six weeks, even if they are unshod.

Horses’ teeth erupt through the gums continuously. They can develop hooks and sharp edges which can cause painful injuries inside the mouth. Get them  checked by an equine vet or qualified equine dental technician at least annually.

Poorly fitting tack can cause injury and pain, as can poor riding technique or riding by people too heavy for the horse. All tack should be checked regularly for proper fit and properly maintained.

Before allowing horses to breed, check with your vet. Ensure provisions have been made to care for both parents and offspring. There is currently an overpopulation crisis. We would encourage/ask you not to breed.

Before buying a horse, find out what health and behaviour problems it has or may be prone to. Always check with your vet if you are unsure about anything.

Only use medicines and feed additives recommended for your horse by experts; they can be dangerous if given to the wrong animal. Use and store them according to the instructions.

Insure your horse to help cover the cost of veterinary treatment.

Safety around horses:

• Be calm and quiet. Sudden moves can cause a horse to shy (jump sideways) or kick out.
• The safest way to lead a horse is with a halter and lead rope. Don't hook your fingers through the halter straps, rings or the bit. If the horse pulls away, your fingers could be caught, injuring them or catching your hand so that you are dragged.
• Never stand directly behind a horse. If you are grooming its tail, stand to one side and pull the tail gently over.
• When cleaning a horse's hooves or putting on leg bandages, don't squat or kneel. Bend over so that if the horse moves you can get out of the way quickly.
• Never loop lead ropes, longe lines, or reins around your hands or any other body part. If your horse pulls away, you could be dragged.
• Feed treats from buckets or tubs. Horses can very quickly become greedy and mistake fingers for carrots.
• Wear sturdy shoes or boots that will protect your feet if your horse or pony steps on them. No sandals or thin shoes!
• When tying use a quick release knot or panic snap so that if your horse gets scared and pulls he can quickly be freed. The feeling of being constrained can make a scared horse panic to the point of hurting himself or you.
• The safest place to stand is beside your horse's shoulder where you can see each other, or about 10 or more feet away.
• When grooming, saddling up, or cleaning your horse's stall, tie your horse up. A loose horse in a barn can cause havoc. And don't leave a tied horse unattended.
• When going through a doorway, make sure the door is wide open so the horse doesn't hit itself on it. This can startle the horse and result in you being trampled or dragged.

http://horses.about.com/od/basiccare/a/horsesafety.htm

Care from books including tack & stable management:

Horse Charities & Care

I began emailing other charities which I am not able to get to in person to gain more information and research for this brief I emailed a few charities this:

"Hello, thank you for your time. I'm a Graphic Design student at university and I'm completing a brief on the care of horses and ponies, is there any information you could possibly share with me that would be suitable to teach to a complete beginner? I think it's really important that I get the information completely correct and thought I'd ask the best people for it, yourselves."

BHS (British Horse Society) 

couldn't give me any more information but they did direct me to some useful links on their website.

"Thank you for your email.

If you visit our website you will find (under the heading ‘Welfare & Care’) free leaflets on a variety of subjects; these are available to download or simply view online.

Kind Regards"

World Horse Welfare:

"Dear Melissa,

Thank you very much for your email and your interest in getting advice on horse care correct. You may like to take a look at the information and advice pages on our website, as we have articles on a number of horse care and management topics that should be helpful for you. You can find these articles via this link: http://www.worldhorsewelfare.org/Information-and-Advice We hope this is helpful and thank you again for your interest – we wish you the best of luck with your brief.

With best wishes, Jamie

----------------------------

Jamie Walker

Communications Officer - World Horse Welfare"

RSPCA emailed me back:

"Thank you for your enquiry.

Unfortunately, we do not have the staff or resources to tailor our response to your exact needs and therefore the only information we can provide would be on our website.  Please check out the sections RSPCA in Action and All about Animals.  The section specifically about the care of horses may also be of interest. 

We are sorry we have been unable to help you on this occasion and wish you the best of luck with your studies.

Kind regards
RSPCA Advice Team"

Blue Cross also managed to email me back with a link to their site which contains a wide variety of different topics which will be really useful for further reading and extended research. The Blue Cross were extremely helpful and the variety of information they had to show me was fantastic. 

Dear Melissa,

Thank you for contacting Blue Cross regarding horse and pony care information.

 We produce a wide range of free to download  advice leaflets on all aspects of equine health and care. You can find them by clicking on the link below.

http://www.bluecross.org.uk/2146/looking-after-your-horse.html

 I hope these will be what you are looking for Melissa. Good luck with your course, I hope this project will be a big success.

 Best wishes

Gai Cox

Supporter Care Officer

Blue Cross

Redwings response: 

Hello Melissa,

 

Thanks for your email. It sounds like an excellent project. I am always interested in how designers work with horse care subjects! Many of the magazines do a great job with key issues. Have you had a look at those?

 

In terms of basic horse and pony care. We always make these points to a complete beginner:

 

1)      Horses and ponies are not always very expensive to buy these days but their long term care is very expensive and horses are for life.

2)      The minimum cost of care is between £3500 and £4000 per year when you consider insurance, routine veterinary care (vaccinations and worming), self-catering livery (paddock with a shelter), basic equipment for care (grooming kit, winter rug etc). Also a small pony doesn’t necessarily mean a lower cost!

3)      However, if you are able to make a life-long commitment to a horse or pony then there are 5 freedoms that ownership should be based onhttp://www.redwings.org.uk/education/resources-for-teachers/  Remember horses can live to around 30 years of age (and donkeys even longer!).

4)      Check out the 5 freedoms basics here http://www.redwings.org.uk/education_resources_download.php?education_resource_id=22  

5)      This means being informed to take preventative measures where possible.

 

Other than those basics you can find out a lot of more specific information in our welfare and advice section of the website and from our welfare leaflets.

http://www.redwings.org.uk/welfare/advice-and-information/

 

Do feel free to share your design with us!

 

Many thanks!!

Andie

 

Andrea Vilela MA BSc (Hons)

Education and Campaigns Officer

 

It's really lovely to receive such quick and positive feedback from charities on university projects and I will definitely keep in contact with them to show them the work I've produced and hopefully gain feedback on its success. 

Horse Care & Education

HAPPA & RSPCA agree that currently England (UK) is in an Equine crisis. Horses recently have been known to be rehomed for free or for as little as £5 because people can't cope with the responsibility. There have been more cases of equine cruelty and neglect over the past year and HAPPA alone answered 3000 calls to their Shore Hey Centre. 

"Horses abandonments are soaring and rescue centres are at crisis point. We and other major horse charities are calling on the government in Westminster strengthen the law and protect horses."

There is no one 'perfect' way to care for all horses and ponies because every animal and every situation is different. It is up to you how you look after your horse or pony, but you must take reasonable steps to ensure that you meet all its needs.

Owning and caring for a horse or pony is great fun and immensely rewarding. But it is also a big responsibility and a long-term commitment, in terms of care, hard work and finances.Horses and ponies have very complex needs so looking after them well can be challenging. If you own or are responsible for a horse or pony, even on a temporary basis, you are required by law to care for it properly.

This forms in conjunction with the:  Animal Welfare Act 2006. 

The Welfare act ensures that animals don't suffer unnecessarily before action can be taken. Preventative care and education is far better than curing animals and dealing with the consequences of bad owners. 

Section 9 of the Animal Welfare Act places a duty of care on people to ensure they take reasonable steps in all the circumstances to meet the welfare needs of their animals to the extent required by good practice. 

In short it means they must take positive steps to ensure they care for their animals properly and in particular must provide for the five welfare needs, which are:

need for a suitable environment

need for a suitable diet

need to be able to exhibit normal behaviour patterns

need to be housed with, or apart, from other animals

need to be protected from pain, suffering, injury and disease.

http://www.rspca.org.uk/getinvolved/campaign/horse/-/articleName/CAM_HORSES_MAINPAGE

In October 2012 the major equine rescue and rehoming organisations in England and Wales released a report showing the immense pressure they are under due to the increasing number of horses and ponies needing their help. The organisations warned that, should there be another harsh winter, they will be physically unable to cope with the estimated 6,000 horses that were at that point defined as being at risk. 

Problems:

Overbreeding
The population of horses in the UK is unknown but is estimated to be just fewer than one million. The vast majority of these are owned privately for leisure (according to the British Equine Trade Association Survey 2011), but this is the most unregulated of the horse sectors, unlike those bred, for instance, for horse racing.
Irresponsible dealers are at the heart of the problems in the equine market. They are still buying, breeding and importing horses but as the market has become saturated the market prices for horses and ponies have crashed. Animals can now be found at sales for £5 and still remain unsold. 

Most of the horses rescued by equine charities are those suffering from welfare problems, and the number of welfare cases has increased. The RSPCA report an increase of 117 percent in the number of convictions for horses in 2012 compared to the previous 12 months, and in the first quarter of 2013 investigated over 7,000 complaints involving horses compared to 25,900 for the whole of 2012. World Horse Welfare investigated 22 percent more welfare complaints in the first quarter of 2013 compared
to 2012. This upward trend is also apparent for dogs and cats but is more extreme for horses. Two important factors seem to be at play. 

ECONOMICS – The continued poor economic climate has meant that horses, which can cost up to £100 per week to look after, are suffering as people cut back on veterinary costs, routine care, shelter and feed. 

Fly Grazing

The practice of leaving horses to graze on public or private land without permission has long been common across England and Wales, particularly among the travelling community (but by no means restricted to them). This has caused little concern on a national scale up until now but within the past two years more incidents of fly grazing have been reported across all areas of Britain. Increasingly, fly grazing has become a significant problem for landowners, farmers and local authorities and in some cases posing risks to the public. It is also leading to increasing welfare problems as the animals are left to fend for themselves. As these horses are kept communally animals continue
to breed despite there being no market for them.
This, in turn, puts pressure on the local authority who may have no choice but to euthanase certain groups of horses should charities be unable to take them in. 

There are also owners who let their horses breed indiscriminately then become overwhelmed with the numbers produced, resulting in welfare problems. Some of these cases can involve around 100 horses.
So where do these horses go? Some go into the meat trade and as the horsemeat scandal of 2013 underlined, some horses on fraudulent passports were going to abattoirs. There were five to seven abattoirs operating in the UK, paying around £230 for a horse or around £80 for a pony to dealers for meat, which was, and still is, exported to The Netherlands, Belgium, France and Italy. The number of horses sent to slaughter in the UK for human consumption has almost doubled since 2008. The lack of control on this business could have played a role in driving up the incentive for dealers to breed and trade in horses. The recent closure of two of the abattoirs may also be resulting in an increase in horses being fly grazed and abandoned. Invariably, those with welfare problems
end up with equine charities. 

Photographs from magazine:

Behaviour around horses & equines: 

Horse care leaflets given to me by the grooming staff:

I found that these leaflets tend to be a mass of information and not broken down into smaller chunks to make them easier to read. The charities are a small budget but information could be shown online. As a child I also had several different horse care books as I completed several certificates in horse management. However I found that a large proportion of the audience is younger people and the books are quite outdated in their imagery and colour schemes. 

(Robinson's store website) 

http://www.dk.co.uk/static/spreads/all/6/6/9781405366366L_006.jpg

I think to make children and teenagers read the correct information and think about correct horse care the information needs to be presented in a creative way in the form of booklets that are designed to be colourful and in smaller chunks and the type of product HAPPA and other charities could give out as part of the Second Chance Sponsorship packs.

 The information could also be produced in the form of a website and appear to have several different bite size chunks of information which could also be put onto social media such as twitter. I think this would make a really large impact on the charity as education is extremely important to younger people who are interested in having their own horses. 

When speaking to the grooms I found that they thought a lot of neglect wasn't through purposeful cruelty but the fact that a lot of horse owners do not know the correct information.