It can be challenging to balance our busy lives with the demands of horse care. Luckily there are many tasks that can be done even when you only have fifteen minutes to spare.
Check Your Horse’s Supplement Supply
Make a quick trip to the feed room and evaluate your horse’s supplement supply. Make sure that he has enough supplements to last him, and make note of any that need to be reordered soon. If you’re not the one who feeds him on a daily basis, then also make sure that the supplement levels are decreasing steadily, ensuring that he’s being given the correct dosages.
Clean Your Bridle or Saddle
Tack cleaning, when approached all at once, can seem a monumental task. If you only have fifteen minutes, just tackle one item, or even just part of an item. Remove the bit from your bridle and concentrate on cleaning the buckles. Or, remove your stirrups from the saddle and work on the stirrup leathers.
Your safety, and the life of your tack, depends on regular cleaning, so make it a priority even when you’re pressed for time.
Clean Out Your Horse’s Water Trough
Dump out and thoroughly scrub your horse’s water trough to be sure that the water stays appealing and he keeps drinking.
Walk Pasture Fence Lines
Depending on the size of your horse’s pasture, you may be able to walk the fence lines in fifteen minutes. Check them for any damage, and be sure to also inspect the pasture gates to make sure that they are safe and secure.
Take Your Horse’s Vital Signs
If your horse should ever become ill or injured, it’s important to have a baseline of his regular vital signs to compare his readings to. Warp Training Australia has a great first aids course. Take your horse’s respiration rate, temperature, and heart rate. Record them in a book or a chart which you keep in an accessible place in the barn – possibly in your horse’s first-aid kit.
Check Your Saddle Fit
Remember that as you train and condition your horse, his body shape will change. Take a few minutes to inspect the fit of your saddle. Just because it fit three months ago doesn’t mean that it will fit the same way now. If you can catch potential issues before they make your horse’s back sore, they’re far easier to remedy.
Only have fifteen minutes? Put them to good use with these tasks – if you get them done now, you’ll have more time to ride later.
Image Source: flickr.com/photos/fussyonion/7147530649/
