Horses, just like people, need to eat a variety of things to meet their nutritional requirements. If their diet is out of balance, then problems occur. A horse getting too much feed will become overweight, while one who eats too many treats may end up with colic. A young horse that eats an unbalanced diet may grow slowly or not grow correctly.

Horses, just like people, need to stay clean in order to not only look good but also stay healthy. Grooming not only gets the horse clean; it also relaxes them and allows you to look for injuries, parasites, or skin conditions.

Horses do not speak in words, but they still communicate. They use body language. Understanding horse “language” is important when it comes to safely handling horses. There are several ways horses position their bodies in order to talk to each other.

Just as different people do different jobs, so do different horses perform different tasks. In order to do their jobs well, they need to have the right tack or equipment.

So many activities and interactions with horses require you to know what the parts of the horse are, where they’re located, and how they function. It’s also important to use the correct terminology when speaking with others about horses. For example, telling the vet that a horse has a wound on the withers is more specific than just saying on the back.

Members should also enroll in the Horse Management project and keep an accurate and up-to-date management record. Participate in the riding series is strictly on an elective basis. The riding projects should be closely supervised by a horse project leader. Numerous standard references may be used for completing the diagrams, questions, etc. Members should have the basic equipment for riding and the use of a suitable riding animal.

Horseless Horse Project Unit 2 - Horses are Fun is the second of four workbooks in this series of the Horseless Horse Project.