Prof Bambang Purwantara was On Air at RRI, Talked about the Health of Delman Horse

Horse had long been familiar with the human life. Its utilization as a transport medium, sport and pet animal had inherent in the society since the ancient times. Formerly, the horse was very useful for being the vehicle and the facility at war. In some areas, the horses even were made to be the sources of animal proteins which routinely were cut in the particular slaughterhouses.

 

This was conveyed by Prof Dr Bambang Purwantara, Professor of Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Bogor Agricultural University (FKH IPB) in the broadcast of the Expert Dialogue of IPB in RRI Bogor, Tuesday (24/2). Prof Bambang said one use of horse at this time was as the puller of Delman Horse.

 

The horses usually were the local horses having the ability of the adequate transport, based on their sizes and had the relatively calm temperament and not easily nervous. There were two groups of horses, i.e. delman horse and horse-riding tour that spread like in Bogor, Sukabumi and Cianjur.

 

Delman Horse which was available in Bogor Market and often encountered to be carrying tourists around the City of Bogor, was the own attraction for local and foreign tourists. Nevertheless, from the study done by the lecturer and the student of FKH IPB, many rights of horse that were not met by the horse owners. The rights covered the right to live in a decent life, i.e. sufficient feed both quantity and quality, working hours which should not exceed their power, and the right to gain the health service.

 

According to him, Delman Horse should be treated as other horses. Because Delman Horse was used its strength to pull and haul, the care and health monitoring should be better and sufficient. 

 

“Horse shall routinely be cleaned and combed or which is better known with being groom. The feed given, both in form of grass or other forage and the booster feed in the form of grain or bran and other, shall be given sufficiently and in balanced,” explained Prof Bambang.

 

The indicator of horse with less feed, both quantity and quality, covered the thin body posture with low body condition score  (BCS), easily tired, and ultimately susceptible to disease. Less feed could also be implicated in the appearance of being less attractive like dull hair, dim light eyes, growth of unhealthy and brittle nails.

 

Horse should also gain the vaccination against some important diseases which could harm the horse if it was not done. Horse owner should routinely check his horse to the vet, in order to know if there was health problem which had to be dealt with immediately. The provisions of injectable and oral vitamins were required in order the horse was in the fresh condition.

  

With nearly of one-year period of pregnant, the mare was expected to be able to produce the offsprings regularly every 15 months. Horses that were pregnant should not be allowed to work. By having a sufficient number of horses for the replacement of the pregnant horses, Delman Horse owners would be able to continue doing business in the fulfilment of the horse as a means of transportation of interesting tour, he concluded. (wrw)