Here in the UK we have many different flying insects. For us as horse owners, it is the horse fly that receives the most attention. Trying to determine whether to use a fly rug, cover in fly spray before you ride or turnout, or simply do nothing is every horse owners’ annual conundrum.
As riders, we ask horses to do a job that involves coordinated movement of the musculoskeletal system and therefore a degree of fitness. Of course, different disciplines will involve different degrees of exercise intensity. However, whenever we ask a horse to carry us it is important to consider how best to train, maintain fitness and reduce unwanted injury or soreness.
With the festivities behind us we, and our horses, can get back to the day to day of enjoying our riding, and looking forward to longer days with better weather ahead. However, that is not always easy when we are still very much in the grips of winter. Icy, or very wet and boggy, conditions can mean longer time spent stabled for our horses, limiting their natural exercise; while the cold, damp weather seemingly heads straight to their joints at this time of year. This is particularly true for our senior horses, where joint stress is recognized as being prevalent in more than 50% of horses over fifteen years old, rising to around 80-90% in older animals.
As we head into the season of horses growing their winter coats, it is important that we avoid excessive sweating with clipping to help coat care and speed up the cooling process after work to keep their skin and muscles in the best possible condition. This helps horses to regulate their body temperature and here are a couple of my top tips to help you achieve an effective clip.
The clocks go back and we can avoid it no longer – winter is with us! For many of our horses this means a transition to the winter routine of spending longer time stabled. Whilst this is often a practical necessity, in order to preserve paddock quality, it does bring its own challenges, and chief amongst those is respiratory challenge. Even the best managed stable environment increases respiratory stress from the combined challenges of bedding, preserved forages and shared air space. Winter exercise can also exacerbate the issues with dust and sensitive triggers associated with riding surfaces including indoor sand schools and latex surfaces.
As we head into autumn, those chilled-out, hazy days of summer can seem a distant memory. Circumstances conspire which can result in a sharper, more reactive horse. It’s important that distracted horses don’t bubble over into reactiveness or lack of concentration.
The challenges and changes experienced by horses can put a lot of stress on their immune system. Whether you're planning to attend the BRC NAF Five Star National Championships in Lincoln, a local show's final, or just going on some fun rides, it's crucial to ensure that your horses and ponies remain healthy and fit during these challenging times.
Maintaining the condition of the hoof is vital for the performance and functioning of your horse particularly when the ground conditions are hard. It's important to keep in mind the impact of concussive forces when hydrating a horse's hoof. Even simply landing after a jump can result in a force that's more than twice the weight of the individual on the load-bearing landing limbs.
As an owner of any animal, we have the legal commitment to endorse their five essential freedoms, which includes the freedom from pain. Nevertheless, to maintain and manage their comfort levels, we must be able to identify the signs and behaviours when your horse is not feeling quite right. In people, it is much easier, as we can say what we’re feeling, but in our animals, it comes from careful observation.
Making sure your horse stays well hydrated and that any fluids lost via sweat are effectively restored is one of the most crucial parts of summertime health for horses, particularly when they are in the peak competition season.
