Well……we knew it had to come.
Days are getting shorter. Nights are getting cooler.
Time now to think about our partners and what’s best to get them ready for winter. (If you have winter that is lol)
Fall Horse Care Checklist
Things to keep in mind.
1. Monitor your horses calories. If they’re not working hard do they need the same amount of calories? Do you have a senior who might need more hay to keep them through the winter.
2. After the first hard frost is a good time to deworm.
3. How is their body condition? Need more hay? Less hay? In those frigid temperatures, more hay helps them maintain their body heat. Roughage is the best way to meet cold weather needs. Not more grains.
4. Make gradual exercise changes. Don’t go from a full daily work out to being kept in a stall doing nothing. Nothing good can come if this.
5. Don’t forget laminitis is not just a spring worry. Depending on your grasses and pastures, frost drives up sugar content. If you have a laminitis prone horse, it might be best to keep those horses off those still growing grasses for a week after frost.
6. Shelter safety - check shelters for any broken wood, exposed nails etc. Injuries are not good any time of year, but you sure don’t want one on the coldest day of the year if we can prevent it. (Although I feel I have one that waits for it lol)
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