Horse question from a horse ignoramus.

Canotila said:

How much food and what kind of food would he bring for his horse? Would a bundle of dried grass the size of a flake of hay be enough?

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It depends. I mean, in an ideal world you'd be looking at about 2.5% of the horses body weight. This would be a couple of pounds worth of grain and three or four flakes of hay. HOWEVER, if the situation demands it, so long as there is water then the horse would probably be okay overnight with no food. It's not ideal, but if needs must.

If he could carry something, or stop along the way then that would be best, but if he can't, and it's just an overnight then he could probably go without so long as there was water.

Does the horse need a blanket? If so, that would definitely be the type of thing he'd do.

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Probably not. I don't blanket my horses, even in the snow, and they all live out. Horses are designed to be pretty hardy. The difference would be if the horse has been clipped (shaved so the hair is short, usually only done over winter to prevent excess sweating when exercising) and it's really bad weather, then the horse will probably need a blanket. But if they are in side or under cover, like in this cave, then it should be okay without one

Would the horse lie down or stand up to sleep? Does it need to be tethered in the cave?

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Horses usually only sleep lying down for 15-30 mins at a time, because they are not designed to lie flat out for too long, the horses own bodyweight can cause their lung to collapse - that's part of the reason why people alway try to get a sick or injured horse to stand up.

Horses also don't sleep all through the night, they take lots of little naps of about 30 mins. They will have a nap, get up, wander about, have a drink, nap standing up, wander about, lie down, get up, have a nap etc etc. The thing to remember is that they are flight animals, and so they don't sleep for long periods of time, their body is always ready to go.

It would probably be best if he could block of an area for the horse with some ropes or something. But if he can't then the horse could be tethered for a night, so long as he kept and eye on it to make sure it didn't get stuck or tangled.

Canotila said:

Here's the scenario:

MC is taking his horse up a mountainside where he knows there will be nothing to graze on. He needs to get there, stay overnight, and then come back down. He's a nomadic tribesman whose people adore horses, he grew up on the steppes with horses, so he knows what he's doing. I don't think they have access to grain for their animals. He wants to take really good care of it, and is packing to be prepared to do so. For a horse that grew up in a nomadic culture, it would be unlikely there's no place to graze. There are usually sheltered places in the mountains where grass, lichen and other edible substances grow. And horses that grew up in natural surroundings know how to find food anywhere. This is one of the very noticeable differences between wild mustangs that have been domesticated and horses that grew up with humans to take care of their needs.

Most likely he would find someplace near where he was staying to stake out his horse and let it graze. He'd also encourage the horse to graze during the last part of the day's travel. Horses can get a lot of food using a snatch and run approach.

Then at dark he'd take the horse into the cave, having maybe harvested some food for the horse.

Also, they have to stay barricaded in a cave overnight. And there is water.

Now the questions:

How much food and what kind of food would he bring for his horse? Would a bundle of dried grass the size of a flake of hay be enough? Anything is better than nothing, but a lot of it would be just to keep the horse amused. It would survive a night without food without any problem.

Does the horse need a blanket? If so, that would definitely be the type of thing he'd do. If the horse is not consistently blanketed, it would be very unhappy about the blanket. Comfortable temperature for a horse is around 50 degrees F. compared to 70 degrees F. for a clothed human.

Would the horse lie down or stand up to sleep? It would probably doze standing. Your nomad would be using the horse in part as a watcher, and would not want it to enter deep sleep. Nor would the horse feel that safe in that sort of environment. Most wild horses sleep deeply during the day. Does it need to be tethered in the cave? Yes, or otherwise confined.

What things would he do once it was in the cave to get it ready for the night? I'm kind of imagining:

1. Remove saddle
2. Rub down horse I'd prefer to take the horse somewhere to roll in that sort of situation. Rubbing would be done with grasses or something like that. He'd be unlikely to carry a brush.
3. Feed horse Feed horse is a long process, unless you're talking grain. Their day is about 18 hours of eating and 6 of sleeping. Feeding is a constant act for horses.
4. Put blanket on horse?

That's it? Am I missing any steps, or have anything glaringly wrong? Help!

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I'm assuming that's he's heading into the mountains to escape from people hunting him. The problem with caves is they usually only have one exit. As a result, they form a good shelter from weather, but not from enemies.

Better approach is to find a sheltered valley where there is graze. You want at least two easy exits from the valley. Horse would be loosely grazed before dark, then tied close to sleeping human.

Wild horses are very effective watch animals. My horse notices everything up to a mile away. (I own a mustang who grew up wild in Nevada before being corrupted by my civilizing influence.) He's a better watchdog than my dog. And clearly indicates signs of concern.

Best of luck,

Jim Clark-Dawe

Just to add: A single flake of hay or two would not be that hard to carry, and would certainly keep the horse happy (at a minimum) while the MC slept. The horse would finish it quickly, but would have something to digest. If he was able to snatch up some grass and such while traveling, as Jim suggests, or graze on a little something when they first reached the cave (or valley), then the horse would hardly suffer.

A nomadic tribesman would likely never own a horse blanket, let alone use one. A horse is a strong creature to begin with, and a nomad would be sure to breed the tough ones and weed out the thin skinned ones. Many modern day horses are over blanketed, though it is important when an animal isn't used to sudden changes in weather conditions, or has to work and then stop suddenly (like a carriage horse in the city).

If your horse is dry (including having the sweat dry off) then it will be perfectly fine.

As for grain, why don't you think your nomad has access? What period are we talking about? Who are you basing your nomads off of? Grain is easy to harvest and store if you have the resources, and a sack of oats can go a long way after a day's travel, though it's important the horse be used to some grain.

I concur with all the other's points. I'd just add the concept of hobbles to restricting the horse. If there's no place to tie or tether the animal, hobbling would keep him from wandering off. (Very far)

I think you forgot to water your horse .

Buffysquirrel said:

I think you forgot to water your horse .

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No he didn't.

"Also, they have to stay barricaded in a cave overnight. And there is water."

Just a small thought to add.

In low-tech cultures, hay doesn't come in convenient flakes. Flakes and bales are the product of hay-baling machines. Depending on the context of your story, I might wonder how a nomad even acquired hay, since harvesting, drying and storing a crop like that is usually the work of agriculturalists.

WriteKnight said:

No he didn't.

"Also, they have to stay barricaded in a cave overnight. And there is water."

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Bad me. I looked at the to-do list .

Ariella said:

Just a small thought to add.

In low-tech cultures, hay doesn't come in convenient flakes. Flakes and bales are the product of hay-baling machines. Depending on the context of your story, I might wonder how a nomad even acquired hay, since harvesting, drying and storing a crop like that is usually the work of agriculturalists.

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True, though there is always bartering, or if you have a few days and the know how and some basic tools you can cut wild grass, dry it, and bale it by hand. For a small amount of hay this requires very little work. Storing it long term becomes a problem, but it's still not clear if this nomad had a chance to plan or if this is a cave that someone might choose to keep stocked with hay.

I dont know if anyone has mentioned this, but I thought I would. Is this a historical or fantasy or both? If it is historical, and probably fantasy, your MC might want to keep in mind that other people will be out to steal his horse. Even if the horse is a trusty-steed, others in the area might not be so kind. So, I think it would be a must to tie up the horse, and keep an eye on him for other reasons then just wondering off.

I remember reading in Little House on the Prarie that Pa chained the horses up to the wagon? It was something like that.

When I used to do endurance races, I always carried a five pound sack of oats divided between the two saddle bags. Its high energy compared to hay and grasses.

I might also add that I walked the horses a lot, especially going up rugged hillsides. Take care of your horse, and it will take care of you.

As JC said, they are excellent at night watches. Hell, mine used to spot movement way across a valley before I ever noticed it. You can tell by how their heads pick up and if they stare in a direction for any length of time. There ears will also perk up.

Horses are normally creatures of flight. Their first thought is to flee any danger. Well trained horses though, lose a lot of that flight instinct as they become reliant on humans for their care.

There are other kinds of horse feed your MC might have access to, too. They're used mostly as supplements in America. Corn, soaked beet pulp, barley, oats, and soybean meal are all options. (I know, barley and oats are grains!) Carrots and apples are given as more of a treat, but I suspect that root vegetables might provide some nutrition in a pinch.

Also, many horses eat leaves. They rip them off trees or vacuum them up off the ground. This includes pine needles. The general consensus is that this is not harmful unless the species is toxic to horses or the leaves are moldy.

Howl at the Sun said:

There are other kinds of horse feed your MC might have access to, too. They're used mostly as supplements in America. Corn, soaked beet pulp, barley, oats, and soybean meal are all options. (I know, barley and oats are grains!)

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But all of those feeds require a high level of processing and some, such as soya meal, are not overly common outside of the states. In addition, soaked beet is HEAVY and awkward to take anywhere.

I haven't read through all the replies, so I apologize if I sound like a broken record player. But I've been around horses my entire life, so I thought I would give me two cents worth.

How much food and what kind of food would he bring for his horse? Would a bundle of dried grass the size of a flake of hay be enough?

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Really, it would be as much as he could logically carry. If there was grass to feed the horse in the terrain, he wouldn't have to field as much because the horse could graze.

Does the horse need a blanket? If so, that would definitely be the type of thing he'd do.

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No, a horse does not unless it is extremely, extremely cold. You have to remember that horses were once wild and capable of surviving on their own. They can naturally produce thick winter coats. The reason horses wear blankets so much now is because horse riders don't want their horses to get all shaggy and they often clip off the winter coat, or put them in blankets to prevent them from forming one. I don't see them as doing this, so the horse would be able to keep itself warm. If it was bitterly cold and in a blizzard, then yes, a blanket might be necessary on top of the winter coat.

Would the horse lie down or stand up to sleep? Does it need to be tethered in the cave?

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Most likely stand up in this scenery. Horses do both, but they would only lie down if they found extraordinarily safe, which in the cave the horse probably wouldn't. Whether or not it needs to be tethered depends on the horse. I know some horses that are so well-trained, they've stood untied for baths, while others won't stand still even in cross-ties. If the horse is very well trained, no. It would not need to be tethered. If it was the type of horse to run away, it would be tethered. Horses have different personalities, just like people, so what holds true to people, doesn't hold true to horses.

I hope that helped.