Wild Horses

[persianlady]

I watch a lot of animal rescue programmes and time and again horses are taken in to care because they have been neglected. Their hooves have been allowed to grow and they cause crippling injuries. Also their teeth are not filed and this makes the horse have difficulty in eating. What puzzles me is how do wild horses manage?

[wildwood]

It sometimes happens with feral horses/donkeys too. Mostly older individuals that have weakened tendons so get an uneven wear. They are the first ones to succumb to predators so are not often seen.

Generally, domestic horses that get overgrown hoofs have been shod before. To shoe a horse the 'nail' has to be trimmed, this removes the calluses that in nature grow on the bottom to walk on. Once a horse has been shod for a while, the ligaments tend to adjust to the way the animal stands. When shoes are removed permanently like on a retired horse, the hoofs should still be trimmed a special way for about one year to ensure that the wear is on the four natural contact points and build the muscles and tendons up to a more natural stand. A patch of hard ground in the paddock is also recommended

The teeth are designed for chewing tough grasses and keep growing throughout their life. Feeding non-natural feeds causes the teeth to overgrow as they don't get the proper wear. Once overgrown, it is hard to get them back to the proper natural shape so they may need continual dental attention.

[persianlady]

Thanks for that Wilwood. It is heartbreaking to see the state these horses are reduced to.

[carmalee]

wild horses manage because they have access to huge tracts of land with differing terrain and variable (usually)low grade forage - domestic equines are restricted to either stables (up to 22 hours daily) or managed, fertilised pasture and are shod because of the need to work on roads. In essence -domestic equines are kept in a relatively unnatural environment.