With the colder weather well and truly on us there may not be as much incentive to get out there and ride. However, unlike the car, the horse can’t be left to park in his stable/paddock without attention.
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At last some decent rain to green up the paddocks! Unfortunately, with the true feed comes the weeds. This may be too late for some weed control, but with the damper ground, some weeds are actually easy to pull by hand. Salvation Jane and cape weed are good examples.
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By now many of you will be putting rugs on horses as the cold nights set in. It is handy to always have a spare rug or two from previous years just in case the present one gets a tear or whatever. Especially by the time we get into July/August, there’s nothing worse than having to rush out to replace a rug on a foul day, only to find that there isn’t a spare interim rug.
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It seems like such a long time between articles and I remember wishing you all a safe and uneventful summer break. Unfortunately that was not to be and many of us found ourselves in the midst of a frightening summer fire. As bad as these events are, hopefully there are some positives to be taken from them.
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It seems like such a long time between articles and I remember wishing you all a safe and uneventful summer break. Unfortunately that was not to be and many of us found ourselves in the midst of a frightening summer fire. As bad as these events are, hopefully there are some positives to be taken from them.
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Greetings Fellow Equines and Horse Owners! Weather is always a good subject for discussion, as those who are animal owners will know. Whether (pardon the pun!) it is hot, cold, wet or windy, there is always something to be done to keep our animals more comfortable.
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Greetings Fellow Equines and Horse Owners! Reasonably good news all round, with some rainfall and supposedly more to come – bring it on! Also my hoof abscess seems to have cleared up completely now, so things back to normal in that department.
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Well! Don’t some things come back to bite you! You may remember I have mentioned previously how important it is to daily check your horse, especially the feet – even when he is not going to be ridden. My owners generally stick to this routine pretty well, however some weeks ago (just after the last Chatter) I had a day off and my feet weren’t checked.
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We are well into winter now and with the change in seasons often comes a change in routines for owners and equines. Some of us may find ourselves being yarded or stabled more often and for longer periods. We may also find ourselves feeling a little more neglected due to inclement weather. Horses, although sensitive are actually quite adaptable to the most amazing variety of things.
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First Training Principles – remember this is a follow on from last month’s Five Freedoms. The bulk of this is taken from Equitation Science should you wish to go into more detail. There are 10 basic training principles.
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For many of us it has been a stressful summer so far; for those who have lost homes and animals and also those who have done the hard ( and dangerous) work on the ground fighting the fires, cleaning up and protecting those properties at risk. Fortunately for most of us this summer has served as a wake up call to be organised in regards to having a fire plan in place.
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In recent times, the welfare of the horse has been mentioned in the media. As the general public becomes more aware of standards of horse treatment (both good and not so good), horse owners are becoming more accountable for their practices. One such set of standards if you like is called the 5 Freedoms.
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As most of you know by now, I really like my food, but too much of a good thing is not in my best interests either (bother!). There are certain things which are in the best interests of us equines however and these are not too hard to follow. They are called the five freedoms or five domains. + Advertisement for Riding Lessons with Sandy
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I thought summer was here, but the weather has been so erratic. Those of us waiting to have hay cut start to get toey to say the least. Cutting hay at the right time and also baling are quite a science. The dryness of the hay and its maturity are crucial to a good quality result.
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Summer is more or less on us now, so hope everyone has their hay organised for the coming twelve months. It certainly pays to plan ahead and have a good, reliable hay source. The price escalates enormously and never seems to go back down to the original! + Let’s look at the bridle.
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Last month we looked at the welfare of our horse in regard to dentition. As I have said before, the horse cannot speak for himself, but there are many ways in which he can show that he is not ‘happy’.
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Last month we looked at taking care of grazing areas, the outside of the horse and his rugs. The inside of the horse also needs taking care of! Assuming that pasture and feed is under control; let’s look inside the horses’ mouth.
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When the weather is not friendly and owners are tempted to take part in other activities, the horses are still out there in their paddocks, eating and moving around. Out of sight but should definitely not be out of mind.
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