A healthy digestive system is a key source of health and wellbeing in the horse. With many owners facing the cold weather and waterlogged fields, supporting the horse’s digestive tract becomes a top priority…
Simple methods of first aid can be applied by us, as owners to support throughout injury or to sustain until veterinary assistance becomes available. We are all Equine First Aider’s, responsible for our horse’s welfare and capable of providing support where and when is necessary. In fact, in most cases, efficient first aid can help to minimise trauma from the injury itself.
Your horse’s skin is part of their ‘Integumentary system’, which is the largest organ in the body and often faces some of the biggest challenges especially during the winter months. The skin has a protective role for the rest of the body and particularly provides the first line of defence against any potential attack – so it’s imperative that it remains strong and healthy at all times. Not just the coat but also the mane tail and hooves are all part of this complex system and supporting both internally and externally will be the key to success.
Mud, mud and more mud is every horse owner's worst nightmare. Not only does it get in all the places you don’t want it, but it can also trigger mud fever, a broad term for a range of skin conditions and also known as pastern dermatitis.
When the days are dark, cold and wet it’s easy to think the tack cleaning can wait for another day, but neglecting tack care simply isn’t worth the risk. Your tack is an expensive investment, and one that is crucial to your and your horse’s safety. Taking time to take care of tack, ensures your tack will take care of you.
During the winter months, horses spend more time stabled, eating preserved forage and bedded on a variety of natural materials. All that means one thing – an increase in respiratory challenges. We’re all familiar with horses having the odd cough, or a little discharge from the nostrils, but do we really need to be too concerned, or is that just normal for winter?
Autumn can be exciting with bonfires and fireworks which are great fun for us, but not always so easy for our equine friends. Horses and ponies thrive on routine and calm, consistent management. Sudden changes to that routine can cause stress and anxiety. However, with good management and appropriate targeted nutrition we can help our horses cope!
Are you one of the 44% of horse owners that don't weigh their horse before worming? then you could be either overdosing or underdosing your horse.
Soundness issues are recognized as the number one reason why working horses retire, downgrade their work level or, sadly, have to be euthanized. Therefore, if we want our horses to remain sound and stay active well into their teens and beyond, then joint care will be high on our list of priorities.
Did you know, our equine population is gradually ageing? Due to improvements in dietary and nutrition knowledge, better veterinary care and improvements in routine care like anthelmintics, the average lifespan of the horse is increasing. Plus, of course, a very important change is that our horses are now much loved family members, a distinct conversion from their historic role as working animals.
