Horse Care :: Everything Horse Magazine :: PetPlan Equine
Petplan Equine Ambassador and Veterinary Surgeon Juliette Edmonds balances a busy work schedule with caring for and using her three horses; Guess Again (Jess), Bubba Gump (Boodles) and latest version, 18-month-old Bazaars Que Sera (Pandora). Like many people, Juliette has her personal private hacks to assist her get via the lengthy winter months. Of course, alongside the following tips, it’s essential to recollect to maintain a big snow scoop and different snow instruments shut by with a purpose to go about your each day duties! Here, she talks to us about points to be aware of this winter surrounding horse care.
Weight Management
“The main thing to remember in winter is your horse will graze for about 18 hours a day, whether they’re in work or not, so they need to have constant access to forage, either hay or haylage,” begins Juliette. “Winter is actually quite a good time for overweight horses to ‘shift’ a few extra pounds. For many of us our time in the saddle and hours of turnout is reduced, therefore our horses aren’t quite as active as they are in the summer. If this is the case, reducing the amount of energy-giving feed is important. It’s crucial to keep the fibre intake up but reduce the calories,” explains Juliette. Over winter I do see a variety of horses with behavioural points, as the quantity of concentrates and subsequently vitality they obtain stays the identical.”
Condition scoring you horse
“If you have access to scales this is useful to monitor your horse’s weight periodically, not just over winter but throughout the year. Just bear in mind that muscle is heavier than fat,” says Juliette.
“I would advise condition scoring your friend’s horse and vice versa, as you may be less biased than you would be with your own,” laughs Juliette. “I would start by looking at the size of the crest and feeling whether it is soft or hard. If it is tight like a drum, the horse is most likely overweight and may be at risk of laminitis.”
“I would advise condition scoring your friend’s horse and vice versa, as you may be less biased than you would be with your own”
“The next area to look at is the ribs. While at rest, you shouldn’t be able to see the ribs by just looking at the horse, but you should be able to feel individual ribs when you place your hand on their side and apply a little pressure. If you have to go searching for them, the horse is carrying too much weight. Every horse is different,” continues Juliette. “However, if the horse is overweight, fat pads will appear, most likely behind the shoulder or the saddle.”
Head to the Petplan Equine web site to seek out out extra about situation scoring and weight administration.
Winter dehydration
“Although it may seem simple, always remember to allow your horse constant access to water. If they are living out check their water source every day and during the colder weather, make sure it isn’t frozen over. If your horse doesn’t have access to water, they are far more likely to develop an impaction colic,” provides Juliette.
“Again, gaining access to forage is an efficient solution to encourage your horse to drink. Appetite correlates to ingesting in case your horse has no meals he often gained’t drink. Wetting hay or spraying haylage may be certain that your horse takes in fluid.
“Adding apples or apple juice can also encourage your horse to drink and while every horse is different, some prefer drinking tepid water.”
To discover out extra about methods to forestall winter dehydration, head right here.
Hoof administration
“With the wetter weather that accompanies the winter months, the fields always become boggy and you almost feel like your horse is going to develop foot rot,” remarks Juliette. “Unfortunately, this isn’t too far from reality,” she continues. “In the moist circumstances your horse’s frogs can deteriorate, the heels can soften and thrush, a bacterial an infection which impacts the frog, is all too frequent.
“In the case of bacterial infections, prevention is the very best remedy. If your horse resides out over winter, try to convey them in for a couple of hours every day in order that they stand on laborious floor, permitting the air to flow into across the hoof and dry it out. If your horse is in a steady for an extended time frame, be certain they’ve break day moist bedding. It is vital that you simply choose your horse’s toes out two or 3 times a day.
