A BUSHMAN'S HORSE LOGIC.............
OLD BUSH REMEDIES FROM THE WEST OF QUEENSLAND..
TEACH A HORSE TO LIE DOWN
In a suitable place on a lawn or in a sandy area attempt to lay the
horse down. If the horse doesn't hurt itself in this early stage it will
cooperate more. To do so use a strap to hold his nearside fetlock bent
back up towards his upper leg, buckled in place. Reach over his neck and
pull on the (right) offside rein , so his head and neck is held in this away
from you position. Now lean on his wither with your pointy elbows and
help lower the horse down onto the strapped fetlock . At this time use your
legs against his nearside shoulder to support and brace his coming down.
You must do this again and again to reinforce the lesson , until he will
come down when you apply the firm right rein action . Each lesson should
not exceed fifteen minutes of ups and downs. Otherwise he may sour on the
When this works, from horse back pull the nearside fetlock up with a rope
and pull on the right side (offside) rein firmly. Again brace your leg on the
nearside as he comes down to assist him to lay down . Use a command to
help him remember what you want, "down" or whatever suits you.
Be firm with your horse and reward its good habits and chastise
Bot description / treatment p 103
Rheumatism p73Bush remedies p 4
Feeding p 63, 65, 69 & 70
Foals p 36, 37, 56, 70, 89 , & 102
Teeth p 59, 61, 62, 63 & 70
Tracking horses p 27, 33, 34
If you make a copy from this site
send me a dollar its alright
3 sth stn rd booval 4304
Ipswich Queensland Australia
Remedies from the back country, once used in a town with no
a hundred miles or so . With descriptions of injuries and ailments, and old time
The remedies were mainly for horses, they always manage to injure themselves at
the most inconvenient time, or so it seems!
Perhaps you will build a crush to handle your animals.
The ideal size about four panels, each nine feet long. Put the posts three feet in
ground, minimum, and six feet out. They can be held together across the tops by
crossbars for strength. The internal width of the crush is 25 inches to restrain
The two posts one panel from the end, may have a sliding gate or two slip rails, or
heavy water pipe . And be sure to make the crush out of ironbark, gidgee, mulga,
coolibah, or yellow jacket, if perhaps using the inland timber. Or heavy hardwood
inches sawn timber. Of the coastal timber ironbark seems the best, the heavier
better, use four rails per panel bolted securely to each post. Some use the Cobb &
Co doubled wire twitch to hold it in place.
Or perhaps you can use 2inch water pipe. To complete the crush, you must
solid and reliable, opening gate at the exit of your crush. Solid padding on the
and posts, eg, industrial padding of perhaps heavy duty rubber would protect your
Horses always seem to accidently tangle with barbed wire and get cut about.
When you try to doctor the injured animal you have lots of trouble with your horse
it moves away from you and the hurt.
One answer is to collar rope the horse, use a strong rope
make a loop, (make a bowline knot, non slip to join the loop preferably,) around
horses neck, and tie a non slip knot. Feed the trailing rope end through the loop.
Now pull the rope through until you have a rope loop on the ground near his
leg. Lead him forward so that he steps, bringing a back leg right into the loop.
pull on the rope till it picks up his back leg by the fetlock above his hoof. A horse
is docile, will let you pick up his back leg into the collar rope loop, if you take care
avoid a kick. Pull further on the rope till you can tie the rope off at the neck loop,
with his leg lifted well up near his body.
Now you can attend to the wound. Some horses will throw themselves down, and
usually they learn not to, it hurts them. When they have thrown themselves, if
you can tie them down. If one person holds the horses head and neck down, while
lies on its side, the other can apply separate ropes to each leg. You then tie the
horses legs out stretched, tied so it can`t get its legs back under it.
Tie each fetlock individually, so the ropes hold, and stretch the horse out so it
strike you while you operate. I never use this cruel method on a horse! Collar
horse is handy when your horse fidgets, moves from one foot to the other, lifting a
hoof, when you try to trim his hooves with a hammer and wood chisel.
Now without interference you can attempt to doctor your horse. When checking
wound have clean hands, use a disinfectant on the wound and clean it of all
Sprinkle in some antibiotic powder and check that no arteries are cut, if blood
from an artery apply pressure to the wound or tie the artery off. Tie off with a
possible, or apply artery forceps to the artery. To stop bleeding you can apply a
tourniquet above a bleeding leg wound, artery or vein . Boil up a rag, soak it in
down peroxide, or slaked lime. Gently apply it to the wound and bandage it into
If necessary stitch it into place to stop the bleeding. Ice packs when held firmly
place, will work . But some means of pressure on the bleeder is essential. Now
be a good time to give him a tetanus needle, in the neck, behind the shoulder, or
rump! Stitch large wounds if they aren't on joints, or where there is very little
movement, where the skin doesn't drag much when he moves.
Jagged, deep, torn or severely bruised wounds, usually do not stitch but bind
Use stretch bandages, change them daily.
After removing any hanging flaps, decide whether to stitch the wound, { they
usually pull out after a few days anyway } or bind it together with a stretch
If you stitch, make sure you take care to disinfect the needle, your hands, and the
wound area, and get a good grip of what you stitch. Get a firm grip into the hide
flesh with your stitches, and leave the bottom end of the wound slightly open to
Your next problem will be flies and infection, smear olive oil or vaseline or insect
repellent all around the wound to keep the flies from biting it. Use stockholm tar
a wound about the hooves area. Stockholm tar is good for leg wounds, a side effect
that the hair falls out but it will always grow back. Produce sellers usually have
help products, ask about: antibiotic powders, tetanus needles, stockholm tar, and
bluestone powder. You apply bluestone to dead flesh commonly called proud
which rises above the level of the skin. Apply the bluestone to the proud flesh
not the healthy skin. Use it twice a week, or the bluestone will slow the healing
process. Powdered slaked lime can also help the healing of such wounds, and is
commonly used by amateurs.
It is possible to cut the proud flesh away as it is dead tissue, there is very little
feeling in it. Try to bring the knife up from the bottom of the wound, so blood
not obscure your view of the wound, as you cut the granulations away.
You may want to use a rasp on the proud flesh to remove it. Clear only the
granulation above the skin surface to be effective.
Hot coal tar was often used to blister, to remove calloused skin around say an
fetlock. Or to bring a bumble foot back to near normal. Best used as warm as
and repeated several times, with breaks in between treatments of 10 days, to
remove successive layers of calloused skin.
Also used for sitfasts, dead flesh on horses backs, painted on hot it gets rid of the
A VERY GOOD REMEDY USED BY A DROVER AROUND DIRRANBANDI
Qld.1955 [ Don Johnson ] FOR OLD CUTS AND SORES. ON HORSES AND
HOOVES AND FETLOCKS THAT ARE LIKELY TO BECOME INFECTED ..
Mix one part stockholm tar, left in the sun to melt a little 2 parts phenol, or
2 parts neatsfoot oil, 2 parts venus turps, [ not paint turps ] put on every day
A light dusting of bluestone powder will eat it away apply every few days.
THIS SAME BUSHMANS TREATMENT FOR EYES..
FOR REMOVING OLD SCUM OR SCAR TISSUE, FROM HORSES EYES,
ALSO USED FOR PINKEYE IN SHEEP AND CATTLE BLIGHT IN
I have used this mixture through out my lifetime it can easily compete with the
medication on the market, particularly in the bush, where vets are not available.
It will definitely cure the above complaints, even if the eye is enlarged, and
extended to a point. You must persevere for good results.
Boil one level dessert spoon of sulphate of zinc, in one pint of rain water until
zinc is dissolved thoroughly, bottle when cooled, a beer bottle will do nicely.
squirt this solution straight into the eye, the horse will pull its head away and
become frightened. More so each time you do it.
Use an eye dropper or syringe, placed at the back and side of the eye. Now trickle
the mixture carefully, to insure it will not surprise or cause a fright to the
Also you could fill a drinking straw, or a tiny plastic tube or something of this
nature, handled this way, so it would trickle into the side of the eye. It will cure
the above complaints if adhered to.
Are caused through pressure on the skin, or rubbing friction, it can be a
harness causing it. The skin is devitalized, or rubbed raw, and round wounds
behind his elbow, where you do up the girth. For fresh girth galls, if not too
severe, use metho on it daily to harden and dry it up.
Under horse collars you get shoulder galls, and beneath the saddle on the
withers and back sitfasts appear, they can be either raw or scabbed over.
If the horse is not being ridden you can blister over the sore once, and watch
improvement using antibiotic powder or cream to heal it. Girth galls are best
prevented by keeping the girth tight enough, to move the horses hide with the
when you pull the saddle sideways on the horse. After riding a short distance get
and check the girth and saddle. ( Because horses tense up when you first tighten
girth, when you first saddle the horse,) if you check the tightness now, it may
adjustment. After your ride remember to check his back and girth up area for
And rub him down with a towel under the saddle area, or wash him with the hose
low pressure, this type of water massage really quietens some horses. For horses
consistently girth gall, try putting your girth through a motorcycle tube, this often
helps to stop chafing, preventing further galls.
*** TIP*** Don't forget when you saddle up a horse he/she will push out its
and the saddle is not as tight as you think . So after riding or 5 minutes get off
and tighten your girth/sirscingle, it may be loose and can cause a girth gall......
Sitfast is a injury to the hide killing the area of the injury, through regular
daily from saddle or harness. The round patch of skin dies, it separates from the
skin around the edge, and stays a long time attached to the hide. Caused mainly
by pressure cutting off blood flow in the area.
It can`t be cured while the horse works. Blister the area and later when the edges
cut under with a knife between the two areas and remove the sitfast. Then
again to promote healing, next day apply antibiotic powder or cream to cure.
HORSES USED ALWAYS IN HARNESS DEVELOPED A BRUISED AREA IN
THE WITHER SHOULDER BLADE REGION , OF THE NECK . IT BECAME
DEAD AND ATE A POCKET INTO THE WITHER NECK AREA .
The teamsters of the day usually got rid of this horse, as it seemed uncurable
An old Chinaman in Mungindi "Willy", showed me how to fix this problem ,
He bred maggots in some raw meat left out or that purpose, then he put the
into the open pocket on the horses' wither. After several days he removed the
from the 'horse pocket' by filling it with milk. The maggots gorged on milk and
out of the pocket to be comfortable in their bloated state. The wound then healed
as the dead and proud flesh was gone .
You generally give your horse colic, his stomach is fairly small. His stomach is
upset by spoiled food, and if you feed him mouldy, sour, or tainted food, along
Do not let him eat or drink when exhausted after hard riding, if he is still hot.
Allow your horse to cool off and rest awhile, then let him drink a gallon or so of
water, no more, until later.
A horse can not vomit to relieve an overfull stomach, his small bowel may close
fermented gases can form producing colic. A good feed of wheat will bring it
do not overfeed your horse. Colic is a bad pain in the gut for the horse, they will
usually show it by pawing, rolling , or swinging his head around to his stomach,
and stretching and straining.
If the horse is bloated and full of gas he may have had a feed of wheat or
tainted grain, give him no food and plenty of water.
To relieve the stomach pressure, you can try putting a tube into his stomach to
him, or to wash it out. If he is swelled up in the stomach, he is full of gas and may
have fever in his feet later on, Laminitis.
To stop the fermentation which is happening in his stomach, and to get his bowel
to work again, clean him out, with a stomach tube, use :
Half an ounce of lysol, or 14 grams.
Plus 2 ounces bicarbonate soda, or 56 grams, to stop fermentation in his stomach.
Mix into half a gallon of water .
ALSO, if available give as well these extra additives :
14 grams nux vomica or half an ounce.
Half an ounce carb of ammonia, in the drench, or in a ball, on the back of the
Give an oil purge six hours later of 1 pint linseed, and 1 pint of castor oil, mixed
up for a 1 litre drench, to move his bowel.
Laudanum 28 to 56 grams or 1 to 2 ounces for pain,
turpentine up to 56 grams or 2 ounces plus,
linseed and castor oils 1 litre mixture ,in a drench.
Powdered ginger 28 grams or 1 ounce,
Tea to 28 grams or 1 ounce,
a tablespoon of chlorodyne 56 grams or 2 oz,
sweet spirit of nitre up to 56 grams or 2 oz,
in the oil, or in a pint of water mixed.
The tube is smeared with glycerine and pushed gently
up his nose. The distance to his stomach is three times the
length of his head, from his nose to between his ears and
can be marked on the hose. If you push into his windpipe he will exhale through
tube. When you get the tube into the gullet or stomach, try blowing into the pipe,
tries to regurgitate you are in the stomach. Blowing into the windpipe won't
him, but you don't put fluid into his lung. Once confirmed in the stomach or gullet,
push the tube in a few inches more to relieve the gas pressure.
Mix up 56 grams or 2oz bicarbonate of soda , in a gallon of water. Then put
funnel into your 3/4 inch plastic pipe. Now tip a cup of water or so down the tube,
see if he coughs, to make sure you are not in the lung. It is very dangerous to
pour drench into his lungs.
Then put the mixture in his stomach to wash it out. Then allow the tube and his
to drain the mixture from his stomach.
( See more tubing info later p56.)
COLIC DRENCH HALF PINT OR 284 ml..
Drench him half a pint at a time, three times a day from this mixture:
1 pint castor oil , or 568 ml.
1 gallon paraffin oil well
stirred to drench the horse. You can use the tube
method . Or if preferred , you can try using a
large bottle, plastic or glass. Hold the horses head up a bit, but not too high ,
too much back tilting gags the horse, preventing swallowing of the medicine .
Put the bottle neck into the corner of his mouth. Please avoid being accidently
struck by his front legs. If he gags, he will rear back to avoid choking, be warned
This type can be intermittent colic caused by an upset liver, or over feeding, or sand
in his stomach. He may go down and stay down longer than normal, and will be
up and down give him a drench with :
Naphthalin 28 grams = 1 oz,
oil cajeput 28 grams = 1 oz,
sulfuric ether 112 grams or 4 oz,
turpentine 112 grams or 4 oz ,
paraffin oil medicinal 1 lt , or 1 quart,
568 ml or one pint of castor oil, shake well and drench him.
Try a ball with 14 grams or half an ounce each, of ammon carb and pulv nux
vomica on the back of his tongue .
If he is in pain, but his stomach is not swollen, put your arm up his rectum and feel
for an impacted mass. If none is felt, it`s probably spasmodic colic, ( water gripes
dry gripes, are other names for spasmodic colic) If he is in pain give him a drench
28 grams or 1 ounce of laudanum, OR,
56 grams or 2 ounces of chlorodyne, OR,
56 grams or 2 ounces chloral hydrate.
Use ONE of these, in a boiled starch or flour liquid, use about 284 ml or half a
a drench, repeat every 2 hours if necessary.
When inserting the tube raise the horses head, straighten the
neck a bit, push in the tube with the natural tube curve up, as you get to the
the tube curve over, so the tube will tilt up to seek his stomach entrance . Be sure
Be careful what you give, and where you place the tube, you can cause choking
pneumonia. If the horse shows signs of trouble after drenching you may have put
Bleed from the jugular vein 6 quarts of blood, and blister his ribs with a
plaster, place on the tongue one teaspoon of fluid extract nux vomica, mixed with
drops of flemings tincture of aconite in honey to sweeten, every 8 hours. Give
enemas, the salty type, 1 cup of salt to 4 gallons warm water and add some
apply every 3 hours until things improve.
When a foal is with its mother and gets diarrhoea, mainly in the hot weather, it
can be deadly to him, or a severe set back physically.
Try to keep the mare milked out. Some mares have very big udders and lots of
milk, the foal gorges on a lot of milk, then sometimes we have foals with the scours.
Getting too much milk seems to bring on the scours. If possible keep the mare in
a separate yard or paddock in a
shaded place. If scours develop in the foal, milk her out for two days and give the foal
FLUID EXTRACT OF CATECHU, 3.5 grams or 1 eighth of an ounce,
SPIRIT OF CAMPHOR, 7 grams or 1 quarter ounce,
GLUCOSE SYRUP 113 ml or 4 ounces,
Dose 28.4 mg or 1 ounce 3 times a day.
Strangles sometimes appears when young horses are brought into the stable for the
first time. They appear to get strangles all too often.
Grass eating foals can get it too. If they
recover they develop immunity to the disease for life.
The general symptom is lack of appetite. eg, the mares udder
stays full, or the meal is partly eaten.
A swelling develops under the lower jaw of the horse, and a runny nose, watery
first, and thicker later. The jowl lump will swell some more, very likely, making it
to breath. If untreated pneumonia and death may occur.
Don`t use , the feed or water buckets for the other horses, to keep the infection
from spreading to the healthy horses.
Keep him warm and covered. Later on abscesses develop in the jowl, plus glands
may swell. Abscesses may appear on other parts of the body.
Try a mustard plaster on the abscess, or a blister from the vet supplier, this
should bring it to a head. When the disease invades the blood stream abscesses
develop all over the body, and bastard strangles has command.
Antibiotic needles 20mils per dose.
Available from the vet, these needles injected deep into the rump, it seems the
place to needle. Put the needle in to the horse, and draw back a little, on the
you get blood in the needle, change your site and try again.
I DO SUGGEST YOU GET VET HELP AND MEDICATION ..
Use a mixture of combination penicillin / streptomycin,
and it can usually pull the horse through this very dangerous condition..
OLD POETRY THAT SERVES A PURPOSE..
To tell the age of any horse,
Inspect the lower jaw of course;
The six front teeth the tale will tell,
And every doubt and fear dispel...
Two middle teeth you will behold,
Before the colt is two weeks old;
Before eight weeks there two more will come,
Eight months corner teeth cut the gum..
The outside grooves will disappear,
From the middle two in just one year.
In two years gone from the second pair;
In three years corner teeth are bare...
At two the middle teeth they drop,
At three also the second lot;
At four years the corner teeth will go,
At five his bridle teeth he shoes.
The deep black spots will pass from view,
At six years from the middle teeth, two ;
The second pair at the seventh year,
At eight no spots on bottom teeth no fear...
From the middle teeth in the upper jaw,
At nine the black spots are gone for shure ;
The second pair at ten are spotless bright ,
Eleven finds the corner teeth no spot just white.
As time goes on the stockman knows,
The oval teeth three sided grow.
They grow longer and project before,
Until twenty years when we know not more...
.................anonymous.
Horses such as Australian thoroughbreds took birthdays and their age from
August 1st in the nineteen fifties, and still do so today. It can be very difficult to
judge a horses age by his teeth, as many factors can change teeth, diet and what
eat, the type of grain or grass that they chew on, and such differences can wear
teeth more or less . The horses teeth are divided into incisors
front teeth or nippers, Canine teeth [tushes] , and back teeth, premolar and
A mouth full of teeth numbers 40-42 in a
male, and a mare may have only 36. She doesn`t usually have
the canine teeth. But sometimes they do grow them.
Then replacement of the milk teeth, by permanent teeth is as below listed.
TEETH UP, IN BOTTOM JAW..
First 2 middle teeth in the bottom jaw 2.5 to 3 years. The next pair come up
between 3.5 to 4 years. Six teeth are up in the bottom jaw at 4.5 to 5 years, and
canine teeth get up also between 4 and 5.
At five all the bottom adult teeth are up and level ...
Foals are born with as many as 12 back teeth, milk teeth...
Speaking about teeth, horses who lose condition even though the feed is good,
have bad teeth. If he takes a mouthful of feed, and instead of chewing and
swallowing it normally, he rolls it round in his mouth till it collects in a sodden
which he then drops from his mouth without swallowing any;
If he slobbers when feeding; if he shows pain when feeding, like holding his head
one side, it is a safe guess to think of checking him for teeth damage, and to say
has teeth trouble. A horse that leaves grain and eats grass, does this because
hard grain hurts him. Look inside his mouth, the teeth giving the trouble should
be visible. The main cause of trouble in young horses is defective shedding of the
As the permanent teeth rise to replace them, they become jammed together
complications, and noticeable and severe pain when chewing plus occasional
cheeks and gums. Try to remove the troublesome baby tooth with forceps. With an
older horse you get trouble with different levels in the teeth, due to wear on them
chewing, producing sharp edges on some of the teeth and a cutting edge
on the molars. These can get so long that they cut the tongue or cheeks and
feeding. Use a gag [mouth opener] to keep the horses mouth open, while you rasp
file the sharp edges off any long molars.
When the permanent teeth replace the baby teeth in the first five years, the
coming through the gum eats away the root of the baby tooth which should fall
But this does not occur on some occasions, probably because of the hand feeding
he gets, away from the natural paddock conditions. . .
So we have the task of removing these obstinate teeth, usually this is not too hard
the roots are nearly gone. For instance in a two and a half year old horses
if you look you can see the center two teeth bulging a bit, and above and up
them the pernament teeth coming through, forcing through to their allotted
Feel the baby teeth to check for looseness. A pair of dentist type forceps are the
to use, to pull a loose tooth. It is possible to assist nature to insure the old front
leave, as their replacement time comes due, providing they are loose.
A gag is handy, to look at the horses teeth .
While checking the two and a half year old look at his grinders, [ back teeth pre
baby teeth.] You should see a molar or two coming up under the baby teeth, and
These baby teeth can be pulled when they loosen enough to go
Sometimes young horses damage their gums, by ripping out the top center teeth.
gum gets torn, possibly the bone broken, and the teeth injured. If allowed to go
untreated, fibres of food and grass become embedded in the gum wound, the result
infection in the jaw . If the part injured is loose and moveable with the fingers,
the piece or it may become a lump, and produce an infected discharge. Or
possibly, it may become cancerous.
If the damage is close to the roots of the milk teeth, the adult teeth will come
through in their due time. If you remove the piece of gum, bone etc, feed him
on bran and young green food nothing else.
Wash out the mouth daily, to clean the wound, with salty water.
When you break your young horse in, you are going to damage his mouth on the
inside, between his teeth and cheeks. Probably the inside of his cheeks will get
bruised. You see a bridle bit presses the cheeks onto the first bottom back teeth,
makes the horse sour, and leaves cuts which can become abscesses on the cheeks,
To avoid this while the horse is being taught to trust man, his first back tooth
bottom jaw, either side can have the sharp outside edge filed back. To prevent the
cutting his cheeks severely when he is being mouthed, use the above discussed
. While you are in his mouth feel the outside edges of his back teeth for sharp
top outside edges, and bottom inside edges, can and may, get very sharp. As he
food his cheeks are pressed against these cutting edges, and it makes feeding
Get yourself a horse tooth rasp and borrow a gag and trim the sharp edges back
to teeth level, as felt by finger or seen with a torch.
WHEN FEEDING YOUR ANIMALS, APPROXIMATE MEASURES..
1x20 litre Drum of Pollard holds about 8 kg or 18 lbs old weights pounds..
1x20 litre drum of Bran equals 5.4 kg or 12 lbs,
1x20 litre drum of Wheat meal equals 11.3 kg or 25 lbs,
1x20 litre drum of Lucerne meal 5.45 kg or 12 lb .
20 litres is about equivalent to a 5 gallon drum.
1 Litre tin of Pollard = 454 grams or 1 lb Old weights.
1 = = Bran = 8 ounces or 227 grams
1 = = Wheat meal = 1 lb 8oz or 679 grams
1 = = Lucerne meal = 340 grams or 12 oz
1 = = Maize meal = 679 grams or 1 lb 8oz
1 = = Coconut meal = 454 grams or 1 lb
1 = = Linseed meal = 454 grams or 1 lb
1 = = Meat meal = 679 grams or 1 lb 8oz
1 litre is less than a quart, 1 quart is equivalent to 1136ml.
1 Cup holds approx. 10 ounces liquid or 284 ml.
1 Litre of Salt fine = 908 grams or 2 lbs .
1 litre of Maize cracked = 707 grams or 1 lb 9 oz.
1 litre of Oats = 566 grams or 1 lb 4 oz .
1 litre of Oaten chaff = 198 grams or 7 oz .
1 litre of Lucerne chaff = 141 grams or 5oz .
FEEDING A HORSE U.S.A.STYLE RACING OR HARNESS ..
They feed no cut up chaff, lucerne or otherwise, the bulk of
roughage is fed from a good range of improved pasture.
A horse in full hard work, will require 7 to 9 quarts of oats a day. Some are fed 3
times a day, others only twice.
The top measure, would be 3 quarts of oats per meal, at 3 meals a day. 1 cup of
sunflower seed with each meal, 1 cup of linseed meal plus 1 to 2 quarts of bran, 9
ONLY, for the day. Too much cracked corn can be harmful, give one cup cracked
2 pints = 1 quart. 4 quarts = 1 gallon or 4.5litres .
**** SALT LICK BLOCKS THAT HAVE MOLASSES ETC ARE USED OUT IN
WEST QUEENSLAND WHEN THE DROUGHT IS BAD, THE BLOCK
THE STARVING STOCK TO EAT OLD DRY USELESS GRASS AND BUSHES,
EVEN WIRE GRASS TO SURVIVE.......TRY IT ...****
SALT LICK BLOCKS. (***Don't allow water to mix with the SALT BLOCK it
become poisonous if the lick ferments in water.***)
Blocks are essential so they can get salt for their requirement, or otherwise
to two teaspoons a day, of fine salt may be added to the tucker.
FEEDING AUSTRALIAN RACEHORSES.. 1960's
Roughly the same applies in Australia. We fed the roughage in good quality
or wheaten chaff, in lieu of pasture roughage, up to 2 gallons per feed 3 times a
and 1 single handful of green lucerne . BEWARE too much lucerne chaff can
the wind and may cause kidney trouble.
1 double handful of chopped up carrots is a good idea. Should you feed barley boil
Never feed him barley, raw or untreated. A damped down feed, not wet, can be
using a spoon full of molasses mixed into the water. The dampening prevents
the horses lungs. Mix vitamins from your fodder store, I have used white E with
AS A DROVER WORKING IN DROUGHT, WE FED OUR HORSES..
As the horse was ridden every day at work.
To keep their strength up when the grass was scarce.
Feed him one 2 gallon bucket of chaff, 3 times a day, 2 to 3 quarts of oats with
meal. This will definitely keep him in working condition. Any suitable additives
small quantities will be a supplement to his diet. When horses are starving, they
trying to eat through the wires of fences and over them. They will be really
when they are peeling the bark off the trees. They become compacted in the
for this reason. The Australian whitewood tree is a drug. Should your horse get
this is a slow poisoning and very deadly to all animals, especially if it is wet.
On a small acreage, it may seem to you to have horse tucker, but it may only be
with weeds, such as stinken rodger, and maybe a hundred other inedible plants
palatable to a horse. The inexperienced eye would think their horse is on good
But perhaps it`s useless, frosted old last years grass, which after winter has no
protein, so at least a supplement of OATS, to me is a necessity. Remember oats
horses, too much can make him fractious, very lively, and too little is almost
Old Brownie he used to be, a station owners horse,
But here he was down in the town, on a quarter acre course.
He used to live away out west, as he told me with remorse,
But here he was on a city block, poor starving bloody horse.
A forty acre paddock, was the home he knew, past tense,
The dogs would come to yard him up, and he`d kick them o`er the fence.
In his quarter acre paddock, of grass he was bereft,
He`d get some lucerne hay, if five dollars they had left.
When he was young ten years ago, at least then in his prime,
He never went for tucker short, scrub mulga it was fine.
Brownie stood just fifteen hands, surefooted as a flea,
When you climbed aboard he sure could root, if he dropped his head you`d see .
You only had to rouse on him, and pull his head back up,
If you stopped him pigrooting, slim, this gelding wasn`t rough.
The hungry squatter sold his hide, to a horse meat buyer crude,
This squatter couldn`t bloody ride, he`d thrown the little dude.
His owner had walked home five miles, with a mean bad attitude,
Old brownie got the stockmen`s smiles, when he`d dropped the boss so shrewd.
The dogger took him in a float, it was a semi trailer,
Just him and a few burnt out plugs, dog meat to the can wholesaler.
The mighty Aussie dollar, his life did surely save,
The dogger thought him good enough, for the townie riders brave.
So that left him here my friend, no food for him to find,
The bark off trees might fill his gut, but would his stomach mind?
Now there was no more root in him, starvation saw to that,
Green feed might just a pigroot bring, poor tucker left him flat.
So when you see your city horse feed, through his quarter acre fence,
Yes mate he`s hungry for some grass, just use your common sense!
MINIMUM FEED OF OATS PER DAY ..
1 QUART ...1LITRE ...THREE TIMES A DAY FOR HEALTH
PROVIDING there is enough grass roughage in the paddock they
need plenty of roughage, also some protein which is lacking in old winter grass,
salt, give all vegetable peels and bread to him, to keep him alive.
As a small boy during a severe drought, in the town of Dirranbandi in western
Queensland. I met 2 Indians with pack horses, I enquired from these dark men.
Why their horses were so fat and ours were a bag of
bones. They said," We feed them, mate". I asked " What on?" The answer was, "
kangaroo and damper, plus the leaves of the mulga tree." ( Mulga trees, the grey
are 14 percent protein and pretty good tucker for horses, cattle, and sheep in a
Indigestible, rank sour or tainted food can cause stomach problems, eg gas and
in horses or hoven in cattle.
An ideal feed for the working horse is a concentrated combination of oats, bran,
and chaff, plus an armful of lucerne at night . The greenstuff supplies a vitamin
balance, just like you getting your vegies.
A rock salt lick is useful if he eats a little daily, helping the balance of his diet.
Give him bran about twice a week for laxative purposes, and try 4 ounces epsom
in one feed, for the same reason. Laxative food is necessary for sick horses, to
waste and gas from his system. Water your horse from a bucket or keep the
trough clean, changing the water regularly ...
Watch his bowels keep him warm and clean,
if he hasn`t had milk from his mother, start him on the
Cod liver oil, 1 teaspoon,
Paraffin oil 1 tablespoon,
Mix and shake well, warm the mixture to body temperature
and give through a bottle with a baby teat, about 227 ml or 8 oz at a feed [ half
every four hours or so. Remember to wash the bottle in hot water between feeds,
After 48 hours you can put him on a milk diet, for every five pints of milk
At three days give cows milk straight.
But it is VERY important to DISINFECT the bucket, bottle, etc between feeds,
SCOURS and problems will be there..
After a few weeks he`ll eat grass but keep up the milk and
try a little pollard, chaff, and oatmeal, and soft greens.
Scald the feed container clean every day...
You can teach the poddy foal to drink from a bucket by
letting him suck your fingers, and putting your hand into the milk to teach
CHEWING TREES, FENCES, AND SADDLERY, MANURE?
The cause a lack of mineral salts. Get a salt lick for your friend, and check his
mouth for teeth trouble .
Eating manure is common in horses, and most animals do some times. Some
eat their own manure leaving no trace in their stable, they come to no harm from
Limestone powder 1 tablespoon each feed or a molasses lick should help his