This article has appeared previously with Equestrian Life. To see what’s in the latest digital issue, click here.
Older horses need a bit of extra care in winter to ensure they maintain condition.
5 winter problems
By EQ Life
Despite Australia’s relatively mild winters compared with other countries, horse owners face a number of equine husbandry challenges as the mercury drops. Here, we take a look at five common problems: rugging (overrugging); maintaining a nice coat; keeping weight on poor doers and older horses; ensuring adequate water intake; and making the most of your time with limited daylight hours!
1. RUGGING
When winter descends, we often pile rugs onto our horses in an effort to keep them warm and dry in the colder weather. Most horses benefit from a rug in the cooler months — especially those that are older, struggle to maintain condition, or are clipped. Cold, wet and windy days in particular can make it harder for horses to keep warm, and on these days natural shelter or rugs are especially important.
However, in an effort to take good care of our horses, many owners may unwittingly be over-rugging.
A horse’s thermoneutral zone is 5-25 degrees Celsius, so therefore if it’s above 5 degrees, then the average horse is unlikely to be feeling very cold….
Read the full article in the June 2020 issue of Equestrian Life magazine here.
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