Australia has one of the greatest numbers of horses used for pleasure and weekend leisure or recreational use in the world, due to our climate and the relative cheap purchase and maintenance costs of agisting and owning a horse at pasture.
Pleasure riding is a sport taken up by the young and old, but the highest numbers are riders who enjoy riding on weekends and mothers once children go to school and they have more time to take up riding as a form of relaxation. Pleasure riding encompasses many disciplines, including trail riding, non-competitive dressage and jumping.
Pleasure horses are often older horses which have been retired from racing at an earlier age, or horses which have been rehabilitated from injury as a sport horse and are able to cope with the love and care bestowed on them and enjoy being ridden on an occasional basis.
Feeding is often based on providing limited hard feeds and hay to supplement pasture grazing, with most horses doing well on hay during times of poor pasture, such as during winter and dry times in the summer. As many horses are middle-aged or have lameness and other legacies from an earlier competitive horse sport career, special attention to hoof and limb care is important. Some horses when not ridden on a regular basis become over energetic and “above themselves” and make riding a less pleasurable experience.
In this section we provide information on feeding and general care of pleasure or leisure horses. Some topics are covered in other sections which are referenced to avoid repetition, with reviews on general health care and a link to our popular “Talking Horses” newsletter which is published at regular 6-8 week intervals.
Recommended Products
Cell Provide - Provides bone minerals, trace minerals and vitamins for lightly worked horses.
Cell Vital - 'Allrounder' everyday concentrated trace mineral & vitamin supplement for performance horses.
Nutricart - Contains glucosamine hydrochloride & other nutrients to to assist joint health and function in performance horses and ponies.
Cal-Xtra- Concentrated calcium supplement for horses grazing on oxalate pastures, as well as horses in training and growing horses.
Muscle XL - Muscle amino acid supplement, with Vitamin E suitable for assisting in creating 'top-line'.
Energy Gold - A ‘cool’ energy source & coat conditioner containing Omega-3, Omega-6 and Omega-9 fatty acids.
Gastro-Coat - A dietary supplement of natural mucilage compounds that may assist your horse’s appetite and digestive function.
Mag-E - For working and travelling horses to provide magnesium, essential Vitamin E and Vitamin B1, to help nerve and muscle function.
Trim - Provides a range of important nutrients to correct low or inadequate levels in the rations of horses on weight reducing, low calorie diets.
Activ-8 - Vitamin E supplement with Immune Active Co-Factors for the Nutritional Support of the Immune System.
Hoof Seal - Coats the hooves with a thin wear resistant film that allows the hoof to 'breath' whilst minimising moisture variations.
Kleen Sheen - Shampoo with built-in conditioner and colour highlighter.
Can't find a supplement that's right for your horse? Please check our complete product list.
Newsletters
All previous editions of the Talking Horses Equestrian Edition can be found on our newsletter page. Click Here
Fact Sheets and Articles
'Hyperlinked' articles are available for download from this website. All other articles are available free of charge by contacting Kohnke's Own. Further information on topics of interest might be found in one of the 'Talking Horses' newsletters.
Management to Avoid 'Tying Up'
Feeding After Laminitis
Basic Health Care and Management
Management of Cushing's Disease/Syndrome
Feeding the Aged Horse
Fattening up a Thin Horse
Slimming the Fat Horse
Keeping the Horse on Small Acreage
Bowed Tendons and Suspensory Ligament Strain
Gastric Ulcers
Sacroiliac Pain
Understanding Colic
Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS)
Diarrhoea in Horses