On the days leading up to the New Year, we hope you spent some much-needed time reflecting – reflecting on your life, but also the horses in your life. Did you do your best making their lives the best they can possibly be? Maybe you utilized horse barns, shed row barns, run in sheds, and livestock shelters courtesy of us at Deer Creek Structures. Maybe you paid close attention to their diets, making sure that the food you fed them was of good quality. Since we are the caretakers of God’s animals, it is our responsibility to do whatever we can to make their lives as good as possible. After all, as Proverbs 12:10 says, “A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast…”

Now that the New Year is here, that responsibility doubles in importance and, as Kristen M. Janicki of The Horse puts it, we should focus on improving horse health through nutrition in the New Year. She writes, “No matter your horse’s age, breed, or workload, taking steps to feed a balanced diet is the most important nutritional consideration you can make. And while grains and forages might be staples in equine diets, they’re not necessarily balanced to meet every horse’s needs. Have your feed analyzed, or work with a nutritionist to ensure your horse is consuming a balanced diet.”

It is hard work taking care of your horses, but the work is worth it, as these beautiful creatures make our lives better daily. No horse is perfect and each one needs a balanced diet. You need to do the research and see what works best for your horse. The trick is to consult with a veterinary physician or a horse nutritionist to make sure the diet is balanced enough. With the right research, your horses will be fit as fiddles in 2016.