NUTRITION: For the forage part of our horses diets, we feed high quality brome hay 3-4 times per day, and top off as needed. We do not believe in only feeding 2 flakes of hay twice a day, and our clients will never get in trouble for giving their horse more hay at any time. During the grazing season, horses are given ample pasture time to harvest their own forages, and we supplement with hay when they are in the barn. We feed concentrates twice a day, in the morning and evening, but are more than happy to customize a plan to fit your horse’s needs. We have various concentrates available to suit the nutritional needs of horses in any activity level. cracked corn and oats are our main sources of energy, which are fed with a beet pulp mash. Also if you prefer, we can feed owner-supplied supplements/medicines at no additional charge.
DAILY TURN OUT: This is another thing that sets Middle Cross Stables apart from other facilities. We believe that horses shouldn’t be confined to a stall all day, and that instead they should be outside grazing in a green pasture. We try to make sure that this happens every day, for as many hours as the weather permits. We have several pastures that are shaded by trees, and all are very well maintained to supply our horses with high quality grass all through grazing season. Our pastures get aerated and sprayed for weeds every year, and fertilized as necessary to maintain excellent grass condition. Through rotational grazing we intensively manage the time horses spend on each pasture to ensure we do not over-graze.
DEWORMING: We follow an 8-week deworming schedule to keep our equine athletes in optimum health. The products are billed to clients at MCS cost.
VACCINATIONS: Along with our deworming program, twice yearly vet appointments are scheduled to make sure all horses are current on vaccinations.
Fall booster shots: Influenza, Rhinopneumonitis, and Stran
VETERINARIAN: This is someone we like to see only in the spring and fall for yearly shots. Just in case something else comes our way, we have a wonderful vet that is available for emergencies- Dr. Max Hacker is the barn’s main vet. We also see other vets from time to time, all veterinarian information is posted by the phone in case of emergency.
FARRIER: The barn uses various farriers, and has several trimming/shoeing rotations. With the number of horses at our facility, we see one of the guys in the barn every 3-4 weeks. This is a nice benefit if your horse ends up needing attention in between your normal scheduled appointment.
