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♘ مدیریت انجمن اسب ایران ♞
Quick Tips to Help Keep Your Horse or Pony Happy and Healthy in Cold Weather
* Adjust Feeding Programs: As pasture quality or accessibility declines consider increasing hay and concentrates.
* Help Horses Keep Warm: Horses kept outside need to eat more fodder. Horses produce a lot of heat during digestion. A generous supply of hay helps keep the horse’s internal furnace stoked.
* Add Minerals: If your feeding program does not include a mineral supplement consider adding one.
* Have Teeth Checked: Make sure your horse’s or pony’s teeth are looked after by an equine dentist. The inability to grind food properly will prevent a horse from getting all of the nutrients and energy it needs--especially if energy needs increase during colder weather.
* Prevent Snowballs: If snow packs into your horse’s hooves try smearing the bottom with petroleum jelly.
* If You Ride Frequently: Drying a horse out after a workout is difficult.
Consider clipping a heavy hair coat. A clipped horse, without natural insulation, will require stabling and blanketing to keep warm.
* Add Insulation: Consider blanketing during wet, very windy, or frigid weather. A wet coat looses its loft--like a wet down jacket, and won’t hold body heat. Windy weather pulls warmth away. Some horses are comfortable during very cold weather; some will be more comfortable in a warm winter blanket.
* Provide Shelter: Even if your horses are stabled over night, provide them with a windbreak or shelter especially if you are away most of the day.
* Banish Bots: Plan to deworm after the first heavy frost. Use a wormer that includes medication to kill bot larvae.
* Continue Deworming: Continue a regular deworming program throughout the winter months.
* Don't Let Hooves Get Overgrown: Keep you horse’s hooves clipped. Clipped hooves will chip less, hold less snow, and will provide a bit more grip on slippery ground.
* Check Under Blankets: If your horse or pony wears a winter blanket (or rug) during the winter remove it daily and check for chaffing and irritation. Daily grooming keeps coats cleaner and your horse more comfortable if he wears a blanket.
* Make Cleaning Frozen Water Buckets Easier: Rubber buckets are easier to knock the ice out of if they become frozen. Plastic buckets used as water buckets can shatter when they freeze. This can create a hazard and wastes money when replacing them. Rubber buckets may cost more initially, but last longer.
* Adjust Feeding Programs: As pasture quality or accessibility declines consider increasing hay and concentrates.
* Help Horses Keep Warm: Horses kept outside need to eat more fodder. Horses produce a lot of heat during digestion. A generous supply of hay helps keep the horse’s internal furnace stoked.
* Add Minerals: If your feeding program does not include a mineral supplement consider adding one.
* Have Teeth Checked: Make sure your horse’s or pony’s teeth are looked after by an equine dentist. The inability to grind food properly will prevent a horse from getting all of the nutrients and energy it needs--especially if energy needs increase during colder weather.
* Prevent Snowballs: If snow packs into your horse’s hooves try smearing the bottom with petroleum jelly.
* If You Ride Frequently: Drying a horse out after a workout is difficult.
Consider clipping a heavy hair coat. A clipped horse, without natural insulation, will require stabling and blanketing to keep warm.
* Add Insulation: Consider blanketing during wet, very windy, or frigid weather. A wet coat looses its loft--like a wet down jacket, and won’t hold body heat. Windy weather pulls warmth away. Some horses are comfortable during very cold weather; some will be more comfortable in a warm winter blanket.
* Provide Shelter: Even if your horses are stabled over night, provide them with a windbreak or shelter especially if you are away most of the day.
* Banish Bots: Plan to deworm after the first heavy frost. Use a wormer that includes medication to kill bot larvae.
* Continue Deworming: Continue a regular deworming program throughout the winter months.
* Don't Let Hooves Get Overgrown: Keep you horse’s hooves clipped. Clipped hooves will chip less, hold less snow, and will provide a bit more grip on slippery ground.
* Check Under Blankets: If your horse or pony wears a winter blanket (or rug) during the winter remove it daily and check for chaffing and irritation. Daily grooming keeps coats cleaner and your horse more comfortable if he wears a blanket.
* Make Cleaning Frozen Water Buckets Easier: Rubber buckets are easier to knock the ice out of if they become frozen. Plastic buckets used as water buckets can shatter when they freeze. This can create a hazard and wastes money when replacing them. Rubber buckets may cost more initially, but last longer.