4,777 answers about horses & farm animals
Horses and farm animals run on routine — feeding schedules, hoof and health care, safe fencing and calm handling, in all weather. This page gathers the horse and farm animal library of KinsLe Answers in one place, organized by topic from daily care to travel and senior animals. Every answer is original, written by KinsLe, and tied to a real KinsLe feature.
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687 answers in Choosing & Adopting — page 24 of 29
Your hens will lay just as well with no rooster at all — he is only essential if you want fertile eggs and chicks of your own. What a good one adds is behaviour, not eggs: he watches the sky, calls the flock over to food and keeps squabbles settled, while a poor one brings dawn noise, hens with worn backs and daily…
Assess the pair as a unit and as individuals: watch them together at rest, eating, and being handled, then lead one briefly out of sight and note how both react — that bond is what you are committing to protect. Check each donkey for body condition, feet, teeth, and handling, since a confident donkey can hide a shy or…
Start with the passport: its identity section should describe the horse in front of you — colour, markings, whorls — and carry a microchip number a scanner can read off the horse and match to the document. Breeding is verified through the passport's ancestry and breed society registration, and many societies can…
A genuinely child-safe pony behaves the same way on repeat visits, at different times, handled by your child rather than only by the seller, so never judge from a single viewing. Watch the pony being caught from the field, groomed, tacked up, and ridden in the open, and let your child lead and handle it. Quietness…
Welsh Ponies come in four sections, so the answer spans a range: the Section A stands under twelve hands and weighs about 450 to 550 pounds, while the Section D Cob stands over thirteen-two with no height limit and can weigh 900 pounds or more. Carrying capacity follows the section: a Section A suits a total load…
Thoroughbreds typically stand about fifteen to seventeen hands, most of them close to sixteen, and weigh roughly 1,000 to 1,300 pounds in riding condition. A fit Thoroughbred can carry a rider and tack totalling around 200 to 250 pounds, and many do it for years in second careers, but the breed's finer bone and longer…
Tennessee Walking Horses stand fifteen to sixteen hands, with the breed range running a little either side, and weigh 900 to 1,200 pounds. A fit Walker of average build can carry a rider and saddle totalling around 200 pounds, and the breed's running walk makes that load feel easier on both horse and rider over long…
Shetland Ponies are genuinely tiny, standing roughly nine to eleven hands and weighing about 300 to 450 pounds, yet they are famously strong for their size. Under saddle, though, that strength has narrow limits: a Shetland comfortably carries a small child, with rider and saddle together totalling around 60 to 90…
Quarter Horses usually stand about fourteen to sixteen hands and weigh between 950 and 1,300 pounds, the spread depending on whether the horse is a compact foundation type or a taller performance-bred one. On the standard guideline of rider and tack making up roughly a fifth of body weight, most riding-weight Quarter…
Percherons are true heavy horses, commonly standing sixteen to eighteen hands and weighing around 1,900 to 2,100 pounds, with big individuals going well beyond that. On the guideline of a fifth of body weight, a Percheron can carry a rider and tack totalling 350 to 400 pounds, which is why the breed is the choice for…
Paint Horses typically stand about fourteen to sixteen hands and weigh between 950 and 1,200 pounds, because underneath the colour they are built on stock-horse lines. A fit Paint of average substance can carry a rider and saddle totalling roughly 200 to 240 pounds, with the heavier, deep-bodied individuals managing…
Mustangs are smaller than most domestic breeds, usually standing about thirteen to fifteen hands and weighing roughly 700 to 900 pounds, with size varying a lot between herds. A fit Mustang in regular work can generally carry a total load, rider and saddle included, of around 150 to 200 pounds, and their toughness…
Morgans stand about fourteen to just over fifteen hands and usually weigh between 900 and 1,200 pounds, so they look like small horses yet are built unusually dense and strong for their height. Using the common guideline that rider and tack together should total roughly a fifth of the horse's weight, a fit Morgan…
Haflingers are compact mountain horses standing 13.2 to 15 hands and weighing roughly 800 to 1,100 pounds, always chestnut with a flaxen mane and tail. Small is not the same as weak: bred in the Alps to carry and haul loads on steep ground, a Haflinger is deep-bodied, sure-footed and notably strong for his height. On…
Friesians typically stand 15.3 to 17 hands and weigh about 1,250 to 1,450 pounds — a substantial, baroque build with a high-set arched neck, a long mane and tail, and feathering at the feet that makes them look even more imposing. On the standard guideline of carrying no more than about a fifth of body weight…
Clydesdales are giants of the horse world: most stand 16 to 18 hands and weigh between 1,800 and 2,200 pounds, with broad chests, long legs and generous feathering around their large feet. By the usual guideline of carrying about a fifth of body weight, rider and tack included, the arithmetic gives 360 to 440 pounds —…
Arabians are among the smaller riding breeds: most stand 14.1 to 15.1 hands and weigh 800 to 1,000 pounds, with a fine head, dished face and a naturally high tail carriage. Do not let the tape fool you, though — the Arabian is the world's great endurance horse, with dense bone, a short strong back and remarkable…
Appaloosas generally stand 14.2 to 16 hands and weigh about 950 to 1,250 pounds, though the breed varies more than most because its spotted coat comes on several body types, from compact stock-horse builds to leaner sportier frames. On the usual guideline of carrying up to about a fifth of body weight including tack,…
Most Andalusians stand between 15 and 16.2 hands and weigh roughly 950 to 1,200 pounds — a compact, powerful horse rather than a tall one, with a deep chest, strong shoulders and a famously thick, arched neck. Using the common guideline that a horse should carry no more than about a fifth of his own body weight, rider…
No — Welsh Ponies are hardy native ponies whose care is standard across the board: routine hoof trimming, dental checks, vaccinations, shelter and company. The one discipline they share with all good-doing natives is weight watching, since a Welsh on rich grazing gains condition quickly and needs his pasture and hay…
A Thoroughbred needs more attentive everyday management than hardier breeds, though not a panel of specialists — the difference is degree, not kind. Many are harder keepers who need generous feeding to hold condition, their finer skin and coats ask for thoughtful rugging and skin checks, and an ex-racehorse may need…
Not a lot — a Tennessee Walking Horse needs ordinary horse care, with one area where experience genuinely helps: hoof care and shoeing that support his natural running walk, which is best handled by a farrier familiar with gaited horses. Feeding, vet care, dentistry and day-to-day handling follow the standard pattern,…
No — Shetlands are among the hardiest ponies in the world and need no specialists, but they do need disciplined, pony-specific management rather than a scaled-down horse routine. Their great health risk is kindness: rich grass and generous feeds pile weight onto a very thrifty pony, so grazing often needs restricting…
No — the Quarter Horse is one of the most straightforward horses to keep, needing standard care rather than specialists: regular farriery, routine vet and dental visits, sensible feeding, and daily exercise or turnout. Most are hardy, good-doing animals, and their calm, trainable nature suits ordinary owners well. The…
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