This post may contain affiliate links, which means that I may receive a commission if you make a purchase using these links, with NO additional cost to you.
Horses are like the gold animal of the homestead. They complete the picture, but maybe not necessarily contribute much for income. Back before atv’s, side-by-sides, and tractors, horses contributed horsepower pulling the equipment. They really did earn their keep.
Now horses are more of a hobby. Yes, you can most definitely still use them for pulling and moving stuff around. I do on occasionally. Horses are still the best 4-wheel drive, all-terrain vehicle.
To accurately evaluate the cost of keeping a horse, you’ll have to gather quite a few numbers. For reoccurring costs hay and grain. One-time costs (until you break them beyond use) stock tank and feed pans, wagons, and poop scoops. You’ll have the cost of the horse and barn/run in shed too.
Income is a little trickier in today’s world. Some ideas include manure for compost, personal exercise coach, therapist, and work. I’ll discuss more below.
The biggest one-time costs will be the cost of the barn/shed and the horse. A shed can be a simple lean too or run in shed on skids. We bought ours from Go Bob Pipe and Steel. The other costs are much smaller if you don’t plan on buying a atv, skid steer, or tractor (though they are so useful, not completely necessary).
A wagon to haul extra manure away, move feed around I would put on the must list. You’ll also need a poop scoop or shovel to clean up. This is mostly to help with fly control. I used to do a quick poop pick up every day in the dry lot. I also had only 2 horses and no kids. As soon as the first kid came into the picture the daily poop scooping went out the door.
You’ll need a stock tank for water. A horse will drink 6-10 gallons a day in normal weather. When it’s hot, they can easily drink 15 gallons. Horses working every day will drink 10-18 gallons on average per day. Make sure you have a stock tank big enough to accommodate at least one day’s worth of water. I usually don’t keep more than 2 days’ worth in the stock tank. This helps keep the algae from growing too fast.
A hay feeder and grain bucket will be necessary to keep your horse from wasting excess feed. We pitch hay off a round bale and into 2 flipped tires. My dad uses a hay barn feeder. For grain I prefer the pans that sit on the ground. I used to use the hook over bucket feeders but found the horses teeth wore improperly and the handles broke whenever it was cold, and they hit the ground.
The recurring cost of hay and grain are probably the easiest to calculate. Horses will eat 2% of their body weight in hay per day. So, an average 1000-pound horse will eat 20 pounds per day. A small square of grass hay is about 50 pounds. For easy math, ½ a bale per horse per day.
Grain varies greatly in price. You will have to look at what is available around you and the cost per feeding. The bag usually has a recommended feeding amount. Take the cost of the bag divided by the pounds, times the amount per day recommended to be fed. This is if your horse even needs grain.
Now the fun part, income from horses. The biggest one, if you are running other livestock on pastures would be work. Yes, you can use an atv, but a good horse is way more mobile and can often read the cows faster than you on an atv. A good well-trained horse can also replace a mediocre person on an atv. So, value their work at the value of hiring someone or the cost of an atv rent.
Horse manure makes excellent garden fertilizer. Composting it helps to destroy extra grass and weed seeds too. I used to pile the poop all year then spread it in the fall/winter. Now I still pile the poop, but I make a long narrow row and let the chickens turn it for a few months, before pushing it up (with a borrowed skid steer) and making the next row of poop.
The two income points that will be hard to determine are exercise and therapy. Anything with horses will entice you to exercise more. Pitching hay, riding, mucking the barn. All exercise. They also provide the perfect comfort when you just need to talk something out. Horses are excellent at mirroring your emotions too.
Here’s a quick summery chart for you to fill in to help you.
Expense | Income | |||||
One time | Cost | Life span | Per Year cost | |||
Horse | 5 | |||||
Barn/Run in | 20 | |||||
Waterer | 5 | |||||
Feeder | 5 | |||||
Mucking supplies | 5 | |||||
Yearly | ||||||
Hay | 1 | Manure for compost/fertilizer | ||||
Grain | 1 | Exercise | ||||
Therapy | ||||||
Work | ||||||
Total | ||||||
In conclusion, a horse may not make monetary sense. But they are still a fun critter to have on your farm.
As I've grown in my journey as an entrepreneur, mom, gardener, and livestock owner, I struggled to find a planner that met my needs and kept me organized. So, I MADE MY OWN. You can look at it on the link below and buy it on amazon below.
Don't want the whole calendar part? I got you! I pulled the gardening and animal care pages out and put them in a book all their own.
Wanting a community to lean into? Join the FREE Helping Your Family Homestead for Food group! This community is for the Mommas, looking to stay home and raise their kids, but unsure how to keep everyone fed and make ends meet. I share tips from my journey from the office to half the income and feeding my family from home, while maintaining good nourishing food. Tips include gardening, bulk buying, caning/preserving, livestock, homesteading, and home remedies. Your family is precious, and this group is to help you gain the knowledge and tools to keep your family well and not reliant on outside professionals. Remedies and tips are easy and simple for the busy momma, time is precious after all, including pregnancy, birth, young kids, and illness. Trust your Momma gut again! This community offers the resources + community you need to help get started on your journey and prepare for whatever future you envision.
Starting to garden doesn't have to be hard! I gathered all the tips I've learned over my gardening learning curve and made them into a simple course to jump start your gardening your life.
Supporting Your Family Naturally from the Inside Out community!! This community is for Mommas, looking to Support Your Family from Nature for Wellness. Tips range from nutrition, herbals, detoxing, natural cleaning, and essential oils. Basically, all the things I’ve learned slowly over the past 5+ years of my journey. We have moved off Facebook, to better serve our community and be able to discuss openly options for providing for your family in the best way possible.
Join the FREE Community
Join the FREE Community
I've had 3 very different pregnancies. After the first traumatic birth, I learned better and how to care for my body naturally and prevent common pregnancy and birth problems before they arise. This quick course will get you the tools you need to have a naturally healthy pregnancy, labor, and delivery. My first pregnancy I had a normal western medicine all the things pregnancy. My second? I flipped to completely natural, no medicine. Bonus: Preventing Preeclampsia Without the Aspirin & Healing from Birth Trauma
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For more on wellness tips click here:
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This post may contain affiliate links, which means that I may receive a commission if you make a purchase using these links, with NO additional cost to you.
Horses are quite fun to enjoy both for pleasure and work. But as with all animals there are a few common problems and a few people to have in your back pocket for when you need them.
First off make sure you have a team to help you with your horse. This is not a team that is around all the time, but people you can call when needed. When taking care of your horse at some point you will need a farrier and a veterinarian. Depending on your horse, sometimes a chiropractor can be helpful as well. Some veterinarians are chiropractors. If you’re dealing with a hard keeping or malnourished horse, a nutritionist would be good to have on your team as well.
These people are ones you want to have established a relationship with, where you trust them, and they trust you. You can converse and they have a general idea about your animals already. You will need a farrier to trim your horses’ feet every 4-6 weeks. Sometimes in the winter you can stretch it out a bit.
Every year or so your horse will need their teeth floated (filed down) by a veterinarian. By talking with your veterinarian, they can help you determine how frequently this is actually needed. You will also be conversing with your veterinarian about some of the common problems listed below, so make sure to have that number saved in your phone.
The first common problem many horses will get is a foot abscess or stone bruise. This presents the horse being lame on one leg and the hoof part of it feels hot. These happen from skidding on a hard surface or stepping on a rock usually. Bacteria get into the hoof and an abscess form. For how to treat the abscess, you can read the blog linked here.
General lameness is another common problem. This is where the horse is lame on one or more legs, but you are unsure what is the cause. Lameness is a conversation to have with your veterinarian. They may be able to ask you questions to help you narrow down the problem and see if they need to see your horse in clinic.
Colic. Probably every horse owner’s worst fear. Colic is a general term for gestational upset. This can be as minor as compacted poop that needs shook loose. Or as severe as a twisted gut. You know when your horse has colic when they display one or more of these symptoms: thrashing around on the ground, nipping at their sides, no gut sounds (your ear on their sides should be able to hear something), increased pulse, or increased respiration. Ultimately this is going to require a call to the veterinarian and probably a trip to the clinic. Be clear when you call and have the pulse, temperature, and symptoms ready to tell them.
With your team of support in place, you will have a wonderful time with your horse.
As I've grown in my journey as an entrepreneur, mom, gardener, and livestock owner, I struggled to find a planner that met my needs and kept me organized. So, I MADE MY OWN. You can look at it on the link below and buy it on amazon below.
Don't want the whole calendar part? I got you! I pulled the gardening and animal care pages out and put them in a book all their own.
Wanting a community to lean into? Join the FREE Helping Your Family Homestead for Food group! This community is for the Mommas, looking to stay home and raise their kids, but unsure how to keep everyone fed and make ends meet. I share tips from my journey from the office to half the income and feeding my family from home, while maintaining good nourishing food. Tips include gardening, bulk buying, caning/preserving, livestock, homesteading, and home remedies. Your family is precious, and this group is to help you gain the knowledge and tools to keep your family well and not reliant on outside professionals. Remedies and tips are easy and simple for the busy momma, time is precious after all, including pregnancy, birth, young kids, and illness. Trust your Momma gut again! This community offers the resources + community you need to help get started on your journey and prepare for whatever future you envision.
Starting to garden doesn't have to be hard! I gathered all the tips I've learned over my gardening learning curve and made them into a simple course to jump start your gardening your life.
Supporting Your Family Naturally from the Inside Out community!! This community is for Mommas, looking to Support Your Family from Nature for Wellness. Tips range from nutrition, herbals, detoxing, natural cleaning, and essential oils. Basically, all the things I’ve learned slowly over the past 5+ years of my journey. We have moved off Facebook, to better serve our community and be able to discuss openly options for providing for your family in the best way possible.
Join the FREE Community
Join the FREE Community
I've had 3 very different pregnancies. After the first traumatic birth, I learned better and how to care for my body naturally and prevent common pregnancy and birth problems before they arise. This quick course will get you the tools you need to have a naturally healthy pregnancy, labor, and delivery. My first pregnancy I had normal western medicine all the things pregnancy. My second? I flipped to completely natural, no medicine. Bonus: Preventing Preeclampsia Without the Aspirin & Healing from Birth Trauma
Click here to get the stories straight to your email:
For more on wellness tips click here:
For more on homesteading on your budget click here:
For more simple DIY updates click here:
This post may contain affiliate links, which means that I may receive a commission if you make a purchase using these links, with NO additional cost to you.
Horses can be fantastic partners on the farmstead. They can also be a fun hobby. As you select a horse, there are a few things to keep in mind. Are you looking for a working partner or a hobby? Have you paid attention to the resources you have and if they match up with a horse? Are you willing to commit to a horse?
First keep in mind horses are big and powerful animals. Horses demands respect and caution, NOT fear. Yes, you can get a pony or miniature horses if they fit your goals. Comfortable handling horses doesn’t count as only ever trail riding on at a camp or retreat center. Those horses are very well trained and if they are having an off day, they don’t go out on the trail. If you are uncomfortable or inexperienced handling large animals, please seek out a local person who is confident in handling horses to teach you the basics so you can have a successful horse adventure.
Now that you have some experience and some trusted help to guide you if needed, think about your goals for your horse. What do you want to do with them? As a trail riding hobby with friends, working/moving cattle, driving/pulling carts/wagons? A little bit of everything? Knowing how you will use your horse will help you determine where to start looking for your horse. Horses are trained in many different disciplines: trail, ranch, driving, jumping, and even show disciplines: pleasure, reining, etc.
For most disciplines, breed doesn’t really matter. Yes, some breeds are more selected for certain tasks historically, but they are adaptable especially if you’re not in the professional world. For example, Arabians were bred to be long distant runners in a dry environment, with a courageous heart. Yet, I have an Arabian I uses as my all round go to horse, trail riding, fun runs, moving cows and can even pull a small cart. My sister has an ex-racehorse that she turned barrel horse and now trail rides.
If you are looking at doing a lot of heavy wagon or cart pulling, I do recommend going with a draft breed (yes you can also ride them too). Draft breeds are big and strong selected for pulling strength. Common breeds for draft are the Clydesdale, Belgian, or Gypsy.
Ultimately when you select a horse, try it out first! Groom it, ride it, how do you communicate? Does the horse listen to you or fight you? If it is fighting you now, it will be more at home. Whatever you do as a beginner, do not select a horse based on color, papers, bloodlines, breed, or price. More expensive is not always better, neither is cheaper. Select carefully and you will have a willing and fun partner no matter what you decide to do.
As I've grown in my journey as an entrepreneur, mom, gardener, and livestock owner, I struggled to find a planner that met my needs and kept me organized. So, I MADE MY OWN. You can take a look at it on the link below and buy it on amazon below.
Don't want the whole calendar part? I got you! I pulled the gardening and animal care pages out and put them in a book all their own.
Wanting a community to lean into? Join the FREE Helping Your Family Homestead for Food group! This community is for the Mommas, looking to stay home and raise their kids, but unsure how to keep everyone fed and make ends meet. I share tips from my journey from the office, to half the income and feeding my family from home, while maintaining good nourishing food. Tips include: gardening, bulk buying, caning,/preserving, livestock, homesteading, and home remedies. Your family is precious and this group is to help you gain the knowledge and tools to keep your family well and not reliant on outside professionals. Remedies and tips are easy and simple for the busy momma, time is precious after all, including pregnancy, birth, young kids, and illness. Trust your Momma gut again! This community offers the resources + community you need to help get started on your journey and prepare for whatever future you envision.
Starting to garden doesn't have to be hard! I gathered all the tips I've learned over my gardening learning curve and made them into a simple course to jump start your gardening your life.
Supporting Your Family Naturally From the Inside Out community!! This community is for the Mommas, looking to Support Your Family from Nature for Wellness. Tips range from nutrition, herbals, detoxing, natural cleaning, and essential oils. Basically all the things I’ve learned slowly over the past 5+ years if my journey. We have moved off Facebook, so to better serve our community and be able to discuss openly option for providing for your family in the best way possible.
Join the FREE Community
Join the FREE Community
I've had 3 very different pregnancies. After the first traumatic birth, I learned better and how to care for my body naturally and prevent common pregnancy and birth problems before they arise. This quick course will get you the tools you need to have a naturally healthy pregnancy, labor, and delivery. My first pregnancy I had a normal western medicine all the things pregnancy. My second? I flipped to completely natural, no medicine. Bonus: Preventing Preeclampsia Without the Aspirin & Healing from Birth Trauma
Click here to get the stories straight to your email:
For more on wellness tips click here:
For more on homesteading on your budget click here:
For more simple DIY updates click here:
This post may contain affiliate links, which means that I may receive a commission if you make a purchase using these links, with NO additional cost to you.
Training horses is rewarding, but does need to be done with caution. Horses are large animals and need to be handled appropriately. Trained incorrectly and they can be dangerous. Trained correctly and they are remarkable partners. Below I’ll give you some tips to get you going.
First, establish respect on the ground. The basis of all training is respect. Basically, you’re establishing yourself as the dominant horse in the herd. You ask the horse to move, tell them to move, then make them move. Clinton Anderson, founder of Downunder Horsemanship, is very helpful at showing you the subtle cues your horse gives you in communication. You must make sure your horse respects your space. If they enter without permission, back them out.
When training, always start with groundwork and making sure your horse has good manners. This will make a good foundation for whatever discipline your horse will be doing. It is highly recommended, because of a horse’s size, you get professional help and direction. YouTube is a great source for visuals and there are many horse magazines that have helpful practice tips, such as Horse & Rider.
If you are beginner, I do not recommend starting with a colt. I know it seems fun to learn together, but habits that start early are hard to break. Find someone local to help you find a good beginner horse. Beginner horses are pretty set in their ways and can help you learn horsemanship and how to handle a horse.
There are a few basic ground rules to establish no matter what horse you bring home.
#1 No fighting when anyone with 2 legs is in the pen. This is one my mom’s horses had when we were growing up and my herd now has the same rules. Anyone caught ear pinning, biting, or kicking is immediately chased to the far corner and held there until they apologize (lower their head). This is important especially if you have small children. Horses are like magnets to kids, and don’t always understand to look out for horses’ behavior.
#2 Respect my space. No horse is allowed into my space without permission. Stand in a hula hoop and that is about the space you are looking at. This ensures no one is getting run over. With this in mind, as you work with your horse more, you will be able to back them out of your space with your body only. Your eyes and body language have great power when communicating with them.
Horses are truly remarkable animals, and learning to communicate with them opens a world of possibilities. The more time you spend with them, the more easily you will be able to communicate with them.
As I've grown in my journey as an entrepreneur, mom, gardener, and livestock owner, I struggled to find a planner that met my needs and kept me organized. So I MADE MY OWN. You can take a look at it on the link blow and buy it on amazon below
Don't want the whole calendar part? I got you! I pulled the gardening and animal care pages out and put them in a book all their own.
Wanting a community to lean into? Join the FREE Helping Your Family Homestead for Food group! This community is for the Mommas, looking to stay home and raise their kids, but unsure how to keep everyone fed and make ends meet. I share tips from my journey from the office, to half the income and feeding my family from home, while maintaining good nourishing food. Tips include: gardening, bulk buying, caning,/preserving, livestock, homesteading, and home remedies. Your family is precious and this group is to help you gain the knowledge and tools to keep your family well and not reliant on outside professionals. Remedies and tips are easy and simple for the busy momma, time is precious after all, including pregnancy, birth, young kids, and illness. Trust your Momma gut again! This community offers the resources + community you need to help get started on your journey and prepare for whatever future you envision.
Starting to garden doesn't have to be hard! I gathered all the tips I've learned over my gardening learning curve and made them into a simple course to jump start your gardening your life.
Supporting Your Family Naturally From the Inside Out community!! This community is for the Mommas, looking to Support Your Family from Nature for Wellness. Tips range from nutrition, herbals, detoxing, natural cleaning, and essential oils. Basically all the things I’ve learned slowly over the past 5+ years if my journey. We have moved off Facebook, so to better serve our community and be able to discuss openly option for providing for your family in the best way possible.
Join the FREE Community
Join the FREE Community
I've had 3 very different pregnancies. After the first traumatic birth, I learned better and how to care for my body naturally and prevent common pregnancy and birth problems before they arise. This quick course will get you the tools you need to have a naturally healthy pregnancy, labor, and delivery. My first pregnancy I had a normal western medicine all the things pregnancy. My second? I flipped to completely natural, no medicine. Bonus: Preventing Preeclampsia Without the Aspirin & Healing from Birth Trauma
Click here to get the stories straight to your email:
For more on wellness tips click here:
For more on homesteading on your budget click here:
For more simple DIY updates click here:
This post may contain affiliate links, which means that I may receive a commission if you make a purchase using these links, with NO additional cost to you.
The basics of a pen is to contain animals to a specific area for management or safety. This can give you a lot of freedom to design with resources you have to meet your and your animals’ needs. There are a few design differences to keep in mind for horses, cattle, and sheep/goats.
If you have access to a power source (solar, battery, plug in), electric fence can be an option for most livestock. Horses and cows will respect a single strand hot wire, calves will need a second or third. Sheep will need 4 wires, with 2 hot. Electric fence also gives you the flexibility of easily moving or rotating pastures. Keep in mind, if the fence goes dead, animals have an amazing ability to know when it’s no longer on and will let themselves out. Electric fence is a great option for open grazing space. It does not work well for close corridors/high pressure areas.
For sheep, cattle panels work well. I have tried woven wire before, and it just doesn’t hold up to ewes trying to climb the fence and heads get caught too easily in the squares. Hog panels may work for sort breeds, but most of the time they are too short, and the sheep will jump out. Keep in mind for sheep you need some kind of predator deterrent or protection. The cattle panels are tall enough to deter many predators looking for an easy meal, but a determined one will search for openings. That is where a livestock guardian animal (dog, donkey, llama, etc.) comes in.
For horses in a confined area, cattle panels will work for the short term, but they will start to reach over and bend the panels if there isn’t something sturdier. You can put an electric wire across the top to keep them from leaning on the fence. Across the front of my fence, I have 4 rails of 2x6 boards. This is a very sturdy fence, but it has the hay and feed on the other side, so a sturdy fence is needed there. The other 3 sides are 4 strand smooth wire, with 2 hot. This gives me the ability for bottle calves to run there if needed.
Cattle in high pressure areas need something even sturdier. If you are only running a few head, you could get by with a simple cattle panel pen. If you are raising and moving many cattle through a chute system, you will need strong fencing, pipe is the most common as it can handle the pressure of large herds pushing on it while moving along.
Your fencing needs will depend on how much pressure your fence is under. The more pressure, the sturdier your fence will need to be. Increase pressure comes from an increase in the number of animals or a decrease in total space or a combination. Keep in mind the goal and function of your fence (open grazing or protecting from extra feed). Then take your needs, space available, with the my tips and start designing!
As I've grown in my journey as an entrepreneur, mom, gardener, and livestock owner, I struggled to find a planner that met my needs and kept me organized. So I MADE MY OWN. You can take a look at it on the link blow and buy it on amazon below
Don't want the whole calendar part? I got you! I pulled the gardening and animal care pages out and put them in a book all their own.
Wanting a community to lean into? Join the FREE Helping Your Family Homestead for Food group! This community is for the Mommas, looking to stay home and raise their kids, but unsure how to keep everyone fed and make ends meet. I share tips from my journey from the office, to half the income and feeding my family from home, while maintaining good nourishing food. Tips include: gardening, bulk buying, caning,/preserving, livestock, homesteading, and home remedies. Your family is precious and this group is to help you gain the knowledge and tools to keep your family well and not reliant on outside professionals. Remedies and tips are easy and simple for the busy momma, time is precious after all, including pregnancy, birth, young kids, and illness. Trust your Momma gut again! This community offers the resources + community you need to help get started on your journey and prepare for whatever future you envision.
Starting to garden doesn't have to be hard! I gathered all the tips I've learned over my gardening learning curve and made them into a simple course to jump start your gardening your life.
Supporting Your Family Naturally From the Inside Out community!! This community is for the Mommas, looking to Support Your Family from Nature for Wellness. Tips range from nutrition, herbals, detoxing, natural cleaning, and essential oils. Basically all the things I’ve learned slowly over the past 5+ years if my journey. We have moved off Facebook, so to better serve our community and be able to discuss openly option for providing for your family in the best way possible.
Join the FREE Community
Join the FREE Community
I've had 3 very different pregnancies. After the first traumatic birth, I learned better and how to care for my body naturally and prevent common pregnancy and birth problems before they arise. This quick course will get you the tools you need to have a naturally healthy pregnancy, labor, and delivery. My first pregnancy I had a normal western medicine all the things pregnancy. My second? I flipped to completely natural, no medicine. Bonus: Preventing Preeclampsia Without the Aspirin & Healing from Birth Trauma
Click here to get the stories straight to your email:
For more on wellness tips click here:
For more on homesteading on your budget click here:
For more simple DIY updates click here:
Support animals are animals that don’t directly feed you or your family but help you to care for the animals that do or help you to care for those animals. The goal of any homestead or farmstead is to have all the animals integrated into a system that works together to support each other. For example, the horses don’t feed my family directly, but they produce the fertilizer for the garden and help move the cows around, which do feed my family. So how do you feed them all? Let's take a look!
Bees
These could be debated as a support animal because they do feed my family with the honey they produce. However, they mostly feed themselves and help with pollination in my garden and orchard. The biggest thing with bees is making sure they have water, ideally close, bees will fly 2 miles for resources. However, I want them drinking from my water, not the pivots around us. I usually just leave a board in the closest pool/water tank, and they quickly learn to get water from there. Really this water is then watering multiple livestock.
As far as feeding the bees, going into winter you want to make sure they have 2 deep boxes full of honey, in Nebraska. I then put an emergency feed of sugar, sprayed with water to crust it over, on top of the last box. This is because I may not be able to get into the hive and check the bees for 2 months because it is so cold.
Horses
Horses need forage, ideally 20 hours a day. Grass pasture is ideal, but not always accessible. Most horses will do fine with good grass hay, just be aware of mold in the bales. Older horses will need more special feed (you can read more on that in my blog Caring for Your Senior Horse). If more protein is needed, alfalfa can also be fed. Also have a salt block available (iodized if you are in an iodine deficient zone).
Many people feed their horse grain. There are so many options there and will depend on the age and workload of your horse. My horses’ work is light and are easy keepers. They get prairie hay and some oats to deliver their vitamin/mineral supplement. Whole oats are usually an easy and safe option for most horses.
Dogs
Dogs need some kind of food, unless you want them feeding themselves with the chickens. A good farm dog may run free on the property and not need a lot of actual dog food, if they are catching rabbits. However, it is good to have it available for them. Growing up my dogs were free fed from a communal bow. The bowl of food was filled once a day and they at as they felt and shared. Now? I have 4 very different dogs, with very different needs (blue heeler to great Pyrenees). I cannot leave a bowl of food out all day, as the blue heeler would eat herself to death. I do still feed them all together, but in their separate bowls.
The easiest way to feed them is to get them some dog food from your local farm/feed store. You will need to pay attention to the protein amount, as many feeds do not have enough protein for working active dogs. You can feed dogs the scraps of food from the kitchen, and if you have a milk cow or make your own cheese, they love the whey. Our dogs also get other animal organs once a week to stretch the dog food.
I do strongly recommend communal feeding, especially if you have more than one working dog. Dogs that eat together as a pack, work together as a pack. You can retrain them even if they haven’t been eating together. Start with their own bowls and slowly move the bowls closer together. If anyone growls, they lose their food and are sent away from the food circle. There will be days a dog will go hungry, but they very quickly learn to eat together. My dogs now eat all with bowls touching, and the fighting has greatly decreased.
Cats
News flash, barn cats can survive on dog food. I know, send me the hate mail now, but here me out. The main difference between cat and dog food is most dog foods don’t have taurine, and definitely not enough to meet a cat’s needs. Dog food also tends to be lower in arachidonic acid, niacin, and vitamin A than cats need. Here’s the thing, if your barn cats are doing their job, hunting mice and small rodents), they are going to get those nutrients.
The key with barn cats is to feed them some, enough to keep them around, but not enough that they don’t want to go hunting for the mice around the barns. Also only feed them in the morning or early afternoon, so the food is cleaned up before evening when the opossums come out.
Feeding your support partners doesn't have to be complicated. There are a few things to keep in mind though to make sure everyone stays healthy.
As I've grown in my journey as an entrepreneur, mom, gardener, and livestock owner, I struggled to find a planner that met my needs and kept me organized. So, I MADE MY OWN. You can take a look at it on the link blow and buy it on amazon below:
Don't want the whole calendar part? I got you! I pulled the gardening and animal care pages out and put them in a book all their own.
Wanting a community to lean into? Join the FREE Helping Your Family Homestead for Food group! This community is for the Mommas, looking to stay home and raise their kids, but unsure how to keep everyone fed and make ends meet. I share tips from my journey from the office, to half the income and feeding my family from home, while maintaining good nourishing food. Tips include: gardening, bulk buying, caning,/preserving, livestock, homesteading, and home remedies. Your family is precious and this group is to help you gain the knowledge and tools to keep your family well and not reliant on outside professionals. Remedies and tips are easy and simple for the busy momma, time is precious after all, including pregnancy, birth, young kids, and illness. Trust your Momma gut again! This community offers the resources + community you need to help get started on your journey and prepare for whatever future you envision.
Starting to garden doesn't have to be hard! I gathered all the tips I've learned over my gardening learning curve and made them into a simple course to jump start your gardening your life.
Supporting Your Family Naturally From the Inside Out community!! This community is for the Mommas, looking to Support Your Family from Nature for Wellness. Tips range from nutrition, herbals, detoxing, natural cleaning, and essential oils. Basically all the things I’ve learned slowly over the past 5+ years if my journey. We have moved off Facebook, so to better serve our community and be able to discuss openly option for providing for your family in the best way possible.
Join the FREE Community
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I've had 3 very different pregnancies. After the first traumatic birth, I learned better and how to care for my body naturally and prevent common pregnancy and birth problems before they arise. This quick course will get you the tools you need to have a naturally healthy pregnancy, labor, and delivery. My first pregnancy I had a normal western medicine all the things pregnancy. My second? I flipped to completely natural, no medicine. Bonus: Preventing Preeclampsia Without the Aspirin & Healing from Birth Trauma
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Horses are one of the most rewarding animals to have. They are intelligent and loyal, and they can provide a lifetime of companionship. But with this reward comes responsibility. As their owner, you must be knowledgeable about how to keep your horse healthy and happy. Let’s take a look at some important considerations when caring for your horse.
Hay is Essential
Horses need access to hay for 75% of the day—this is essential for their health and well-being. Slower feeders can be used to eliminate wasted hay while keeping your horse chewing for longer periods of time. Prairie hay is usually sufficient for horses that aren’t in hard work, but some may need alfalfa to maintain weight.
Grain Consumption Depends on Workload
Depending on the workload of your horse, you may or may not need to supplement with grain. If you do decide that grain is necessary, there are many different types available depending on the needs of your horse—oats are an example of a simple feed that many horses do well on. There are also a host of commercial feed mixes for horses in different age and workloads. It’s important to note that overfeeding grain can be dangerous, so it’s best to consult with a veterinarian before making any decisions regarding grain consumption. To keep things simple for my herd, aged 13-23, I feed different levels of oats, with a mineral top dressed.
Provide Accessible Water Source
It’s no surprise that horses need water! On average, a horse will drink 5-10 gallons per day depending on weather and workload—so make sure they have easy access to plenty of water either from an automatic waterer or stock tank.
Additional Care
Horses also need regular foot trimmings. Like our fingernails, horses’ hooves grown continually. Unless they are running around on rock the hoof growth will outpace the wear down. You will need to locate a fairer to come and trim their hooves every 6-8 weeks. Horses will need their teeth floated occasionally. This is when a vet comes and files the sharp points of the teeth down so they can chew more effectively. Some horse need floated once a year, some every 5, it really depends on the horse.
Caring for your horse requires knowledge and dedication but it can also be incredibly rewarding! Make sure you provide hay throughout the day, determine if supplemental grain is necessary based on their workload, always make sure they have access to plenty of fresh drinking water each day, and their feet and teeth are cared for! With these simple steps in mind, you can ensure your horse stays healthy and happy in their forever home!
As I've grown in my journey as an entrepreneur, mom, gardener, and livestock owner, I struggled to find a planner that met my needs and kept me organized. So I MADE MY OWN. You can take a look at it on the link blow and buy it on amazon below
Don't want the whole calendar part? I got you! I pulled the gardening and animal care pages out and put them in a book all their own.
Wanting a community to lean into? Join the FREE Helping Your Family Homestead for Food group! This community is for the Mommas, looking to stay home and raise their kids, but unsure how to keep everyone fed and make ends meet. I share tips from my journey from the office, to half the income and feeding my family from home, while maintaining good nourishing food. Tips include: gardening, bulk buying, caning,/preserving, livestock, homesteading, and home remedies. Your family is precious and this group is to help you gain the knowledge and tools to keep your family well and not reliant on outside professionals. Remedies and tips are easy and simple for the busy momma, time is precious after all, including pregnancy, birth, young kids, and illness. Trust your Momma gut again! This community offers the resources + community you need to help get started on your journey and prepare for whatever future you envision.
Starting to garden doesn't have to be hard! I gathered all the tips I've learned over my gardening learning curve and made them into a simple course to jump start your gardening your life.
I've had 3 very different pregnancies. After the first traumatic birth, I learned better and how to care for my body naturally and prevent common pregnancy and birth problems before they arise. This quick course will get you the tools you need to have a naturally healthy pregnancy, labor, and delivery. My first pregnancy I had a normal western medicine all the things pregnancy. My second? I flipped to completely natural, no medicine. Bonus: Preventing Preeclampsia Without the Aspirin & Healing from Birth Trauma
Supporting Your Family Naturally From the Inside Out community!! This community is for the Mommas, looking to Support Your Family from Nature for Wellness. Tips range from nutrition, herbals, detoxing, natural cleaning, and essential oils. Basically all the things I’ve learned slowly over the past 5+ years if my journey. We have moved off Facebook, so to better serve our community and be able to discuss openly option for providing for your family in the best way possible.
Join the Community
Join the Community
Click here to get the stories straight to your email:
For more on wellness tips click here:
For more on homesteading on your budget click here:
For more simple DIY updates click here:
This post may contain affiliate links, which means that I may receive a commission if you make a purchase using these links, with NO additional cost to you.
Horses are amazing animals, and become even more special as they age. They can be a great source of joy and companionship, but there is an important responsibility that comes with owning an older horse—special care. As horses get into their 20s, they can start to lose their teeth, making it difficult for them to chew hay. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to ensure your beloved steed stays healthy and happy in its golden years. Let’s take a look at how you can best care for your senior horse.
Food Options for Senior Horses
The most important thing you can do for your senior horse is make sure they’re getting the proper nutrition. This means you may have to switch up their diet from what they were used to when they were younger. For example, if your senior horse is no longer able to properly chew long stem hay, try switching them over to dehydrated alfalfa cubes or bales that are easier for them to digest. There are also specially formulated feeds designed specifically for senior horses who cannot chew anymore; these feeds usually come in the form of pellets and provide all the nutrients they need while being easy on their teeth.
Although aged horses may not be able to pull all the nutrients from hay like they used to, it’s still important that they have access to some hay so that they can keep their teeth clean and exercised—plus many aging horses still enjoy the taste! You could also consider adding supplements such as vitamins or minerals into your senior horse’s diet in order to make sure all their nutritional needs are met.
Exercise & Care Tips
In addition to providing your aging horse with proper nutrition, you should also keep up with regular exercise and grooming routines in order maintain their overall health and well-being. Exercise helps keep joints flexible and muscles toned; make sure not to push your senior horse too hard as their muscles don’t repair themselves as quickly as those of a younger horse would. Grooming helps with circulation, keeps skin healthy, and gives you an opportunity bond with your equine companion—it’s a win-win!
Overall, caring for a senior horse requires patience and understanding; after all these years of companionship, it's important to ensure that your trusty steed remains comfortable in its golden years. With the right food options tailored towards seniors along with regular exercise and grooming routines, you will be able to provide your beloved companion with everything it needs so that it can continue living life happily on the homestead!
As I've grown in my journey as an entrepreneur, mom, gardener, and livestock owner, I struggled to find a planner that met my needs and kept me organized. So I MADE MY OWN. You can take a look at it on the link blow and buy it on amazon below
Don't want the whole calendar part? I got you! I pulled the gardening and animal care pages out and put them in a book all their own.
Wanting a community to lean into? Join the FREE Helping Your Family Homestead for Food group! This community is for the Mommas, looking to stay home and raise their kids, but unsure how to keep everyone fed and make ends meet. I share tips from my journey from the office, to half the income and feeding my family from home, while maintaining good nourishing food. Tips include: gardening, bulk buying, caning,/preserving, livestock, homesteading, and home remedies. Your family is precious and this group is to help you gain the knowledge and tools to keep your family well and not reliant on outside professionals. Remedies and tips are easy and simple for the busy momma, time is precious after all, including pregnancy, birth, young kids, and illness. Trust your Momma gut again! This community offers the resources + community you need to help get started on your journey and prepare for whatever future you envision.
Starting to garden doesn't have to be hard! I gathered all the tips I've learned over my gardening learning curve and made them into a simple course to jump start your gardening your life.
I've had 3 very different pregnancies. After the first traumatic birth, I learned better and how to care for my body naturally and prevent common pregnancy and birth problems before they arise. This quick course will get you the tools you need to have a naturally healthy pregnancy, labor, and delivery. My first pregnancy I had a normal western medicine all the things pregnancy. My second? I flipped to completely natural, no medicine. Bonus: Preventing Preeclampsia Without the Aspirin & Healing from Birth Trauma
Supporting Your Family Naturally From the Inside Out community!! This community is for the Mommas, looking to Support Your Family from Nature for Wellness. Tips range from nutrition, herbals, detoxing, natural cleaning, and essential oils. Basically all the things I’ve learned slowly over the past 5+ years if my journey. We have moved off Facebook, so to better serve our community and be able to discuss openly option for providing for your family in the best way possible.
Join the Community
Join the Community
Click here to get the stories straight to your email:
For more on wellness tips click here:
For more on homesteading on your budget click here:
For more simple DIY updates click here:
This post may contain affiliate links, which means that I may receive a commission if you make a purchase using these links, with NO additional cost to you.
If you are caring for footed animals, eventually you will encounter a foot abscess. Horses tend to be the most likely to both having a foot abscess and developing complications from it. Cattle can also develop foot abscess, as can sheep or goat, but not as commonly. All animals will appear more tender or lame on the affected foot, and the foot will feel hot to the touch. How it is treated after that depends on the animal.
Cloven footed animals, (cattle, sheep, goats, etc.), are fairly simple to treat, if you use antibiotics. If the foot abscess is not treated, it can spread to other tissues, joint, tendon, or bone. If this happens the animal is as good as dead, as treating is very difficult. When in doubt consult a veterinarian with livestock experience. Typically, the antibiotic treatment is a Liquamycin or Biomycin. Most cloven animals are difficult catch and get to stand still long enough to soak a foot. If your animal is that calm, you can use some of the horse treatment methods.
Horses are a bit different. If is much easier to soak a horse foot. It is also much more important to get the infection taken care of. When a horses foot is inflamed, as in the case of an abscess, the laminae (the glue that holds the outside of the foot to the inside), also become inflamed. Sever cases of this turn into laminitis. If this happens to a great extent, the coffin bone will rotate and poke through the sole of the horse’s foot. A horse in this condition will never live a comfortable life and should be humanly euthanized.
To treat a foot abscess, the horse needs to have basic ground manners and be halter broke. If it is not, refer to the cloven animal’s treatment and watch closely. You will need a hoof pick, bucket, Epson salts, cold clean water, a size 3 or bigger diaper (depending on the size of hoof), vet wrap, and duct tape.
First catch the horse and gently lead to a level area close to a water source, a hose is quite helpful here. Clean the horse’s foot out with a hoof pick, then use the hose to rinse the hoof and lower leg. Add ¼ - ½ cup of epson salt to the bucket and fill with water (an ice cream pail works in a pinch). Gently place the horse’s hoof into the bucket of water and carefully hold it there. The first time the horse may jump a bit but should soon relax into the water. The epson salt helps draw the infection out. Soak for 10 minutes or as long as the horse will allow.
The key now is to keep the hoof clean and allow the abscess to drain/work out, this is where the diaper comes in. Place the diaper onto the bottom of the hoof, back of the diaper to the heal of the hoof and fasten around the foot.
Next wrap the foot with vet wrap, over the diaper. You will wrap the foot over the top and bottom of the foot, covering the diaper completely, with multiple layers. If the horse is 3-legged lame, you will want to just order a case of vet wrap. It is good to keep on hand for all animal injuries and works well for human band aids too.
Finally, take the roll of duct tape and wrap over the top and bottom of the foot, just like you did with the vet wrap. You will use at least half the roll. Again, have several rolls on hand.
Depending on how lame the horse is, how frequently you need to repeat. Watch the horse and you will see. At first 1 time per day is probably needed. As the horse improves, you can extend that time. Continue treatment until the horse is no longer lame. If you see no improvement, consult the veterinarian.
As I've grown in my journey as an entrepreneur, mom, gardener, and livestock owner, I struggled to find a planner that met my needs and kept me organized. So I MADE MY OWN. You can take a look at it on the link blow and buy it on amazon below
Don't want the whole calendar part? I got you! I pulled the gardening and animal care pages out and put them in a book all their own.
Wanting a community to lean into? Join the FREE Helping Your Family Homestead for Food group! This community is for the Mommas, looking to stay home and raise their kids, but unsure how to keep everyone fed and make ends meet. I share tips from my journey from the office, to half the income and feeding my family from home, while maintaining good nourishing food. Tips include: gardening, bulk buying, caning,/preserving, livestock, homesteading, and home remedies. Your family is precious and this group is to help you gain the knowledge and tools to keep your family well and not reliant on outside professionals. Remedies and tips are easy and simple for the busy momma, time is precious after all, including pregnancy, birth, young kids, and illness. Trust your Momma gut again! This community offers the resources + community you need to help get started on your journey and prepare for whatever future you envision.
Starting to garden doesn't have to be hard! I gathered all the tips I've learned over my gardening learning curve and made them into a simple course to jump start your gardening your life.
Supporting Your Family Naturally From the Inside Out community!! This community is for the Mommas, looking to Support Your Family from Nature for Wellness. Tips range from nutrition, herbals, detoxing, natural cleaning, and essential oils. Basically all the things I’ve learned slowly over the past 5+ years if my journey. We have moved off Facebook, so to better serve our community and be able to discuss openly option for providing for your family in the best way possible.
Join the FREE Community
Join the FREE Community
I've had 3 very different pregnancies. After the first traumatic birth, I learned better and how to care for my body naturally and prevent common pregnancy and birth problems before they arise. This quick course will get you the tools you need to have a naturally healthy pregnancy, labor, and delivery. My first pregnancy I had a normal western medicine all the things pregnancy. My second? I flipped to completely natural, no medicine. Bonus: Preventing Preeclampsia Without the Aspirin & Healing from Birth Trauma
Click here to get the stories straight to your email:
For more on wellness tips click here:
For more on homesteading on your budget click here:
For more simple DIY updates click here:
This post may contain affiliate links, which means that I may receive a commission if you make a purchase using these links, with NO additional cost to you.
There is something about old horses that is just too good. Maybe it is that they have seen most things and are unfazed by the noise and commotion of life. Or maybe that they have earned their living and are now peacefully enjoying retirement. But what makes them such great horses?!?
Old horses have usually had at least one carrier before they are considered too old and retire, but their life doesn’t stop there. They may have been a ranch horse working long days, or a rodeo horse used to all the noise. Maybe a professional show horse used to hauling and the arena. Maybe they were just the family trail horse who has seen more miles than could be counted.
It is an old horse's past experiences and work that make them so good, especially for beginner riders. They know most of what is up and will take care of their rider as the rider learns. This is the trait that makes them invaluable.
We’ve had two early 20s horses with our family for quite some time. The one showed his age very early. Hank, being an old ranch horse, not much physed him. My husband used him for a few years working and moving cattle, but his age caught up, and he could no longer keep up with cows that broke away. He retired to being the kids' horse. They are merely beginning to ride, but he would pack them along on the ride like it was nothing. You had better believe it was hard to say good-bye this summer when the time came.
The other has had a much easier work life. He has always been a family horse and mainly just trail rode. When I bought Mojo almost 10 years ago he already had a laid back personality, but what not the best trained. I worked with him and found that he wasn’t just laid back, but smart enough to play dumb to get out of work! I literally threw everything I could think of at him that might scare him and he quickly came to expect the weird and out of normal. Why did I do that? Because my vision for him was to be a therapy horse and I needed him bomb proof. He was the beloved mount for many special needs riders while I was teaching lessons. Now he’s my children's favorite.
See older horses may be set in their ways, but when they have good ground manners and experience, they are the perfect teacher for a novice rider.
Wanting a community to lean into? Join the FREE Courageous + Purposeful Mommas group! This community is for the Mommas, mommas to be, in the midst of raising, and kids grown, looking for tips on building your family up and providing for them through natural methods. Tips include: gardening, bulk buying, caning,/preserving, livestock, homesteading, and home remedies. Your family is precious, and this group is to help you gain the knowledge and tools to keep your family well and not reliant on outside professionals. Remedies and tips are easy and simple for the busy momma, time is precious after all, including pregnancy, birth, young kids, and illness. Trust your Momma gut again! This community offers the resources + community you need to help get started on your journey and prepare for whatever future you envision.
Click here to get the stories straight to your email:
For more on wellness tips click here:
For more on homesteading on your budget click here:
For more simple DIY updates click here:
