EXERCISING YOUR HORSE

• Don’t be a martyr when it comes to working your horse. If it’s miserable for you, it’s going to be miserable for them as well.

• A twenty minute lungeing session can help to keep your horse fit if you don’t have the time to school him.

• A horse-walker really helps to ease exercise issues when you have limited hours of daylight.

• Variety is important to keep your sport horses fit and entertained. Take every opportunity to ride/hack out and bring as much variety as possible into your training in the school. With the young horses whether dressage showjumping or eventing do pole work, gridwork or loose jumping.

• Try to exercise your horses nearly every day to get their circulation going, but if you don’t manage to get out due to bad weather, make sure you adjust your feed rations accordingly.

• Incorporate a ground schooling session at least once a week to add variety and help maintain topline.

• Learning to long-rein effectively will benefit not only the horse but rider fitness too.

• When riding in the rain use a waterproof wrap-around exercise sheet to keep you and your horse dry.

• Avoid riding on the outside track in the outdoor ménage, so it doesn’t get too boggy.

AROUND THE STABLES Invest in an industrial tumble drier and washing machine to keep numnahs, boots and rugs clean and dry. Use only one of your paddocks in the winter and turn each horse out in rotation for a few hours a day. This prevents all your paddocks being ruined.

HEALTHY HAPPY HORSES Feed a good-quality vegetable oil to your horses through the winter months. It’s brilliant for keeping condition on and for the coat. Ensure all horses are checked properly twice daily, even if they are living out. Look out for wounds and early signs of mud fever, especially at the back of the pasterns. Make sure that rugs are waterproof and breathable and the horses wear the same ones in the stable and paddock, which saves time. Rug technology is so good nowadays that you should be able to buy one good, warm and breathable turnout rug – it’s not nice to see horses weighed down with four or five rugs. With winter comes mud fever. We’ve found that towel-drying the legs is more important than anything else.There are suggestions of applying sulphur powder to the legs and it’s worked brilliantly – we’ve barely had thud fever in five years since trying this. Apply liquid paraffin to dry legs before the horse goes out to prevent mud fever – it is highly water-repellent, kind to the skin, and non-sticky. A mix of vaseline, zinc cream and sulphur powder is also another protective measure against mud fever. To help prevent mud fever, clean mud and dirt from your horse’s legs every day using tepid water. Water that is too cold may cause cracks and abrasions to the skin, whereas if it is too warn it will encourage the pores to open, both of which provide an entry route for bacteria.

CLEAN AND TIDY HORSES Cut tails shorter than normal early in April to keep the hindlegs and tails mud-free. For added cleanliness, plait the bottom of tails in a thick plait. Equine hoods are a godsend for keeping horses clean and warm – try spraying a little show sheen on the inside of the hood to prevent rubbing. After working, wash horses down with warm water and cider vinegar when they’re sweaty – it’s good for the coat and skin. Don’t forget to worm your horse and have their teeth attended to.

Brood Mares

Caring for your brood mare

WHEN SHOULD BROOD MARES BE WORMED? It is both safe and important to worm pregnant mares. In late pregnancy the mare’s natural resistance to worms is lowered. At this time the number of worm eggs in the mare’s droppings tends to rise and when these develop on the pasture they are an important source of redworm infection for the foal. In addition the threadworm Strongloides westeri is passed through the mare’s milk and is an occasional cause of diarrhoea in young foals. Follow your normal worming regime as after the foal is born redworm infestation can readily occur.

WHAT ABOUT VACCINATIONS? Keep up the mare’s normal vaccination course against tetanus and ’flu. If the mare receives a booster vaccination four weeks prior to foaling the concentration of antibodies to these infections in the colostrum (first milk) will be significantly increased and the newborn foal will obtain immediate protection as soon as it suckles.

WHAT SHOULD I FEED? First eight months: Mares are commonly overfed during this period. Although forage (grass or hay) will meet the mare’s energy (calorie) requirements at this stage she is likely to be deficient in good quality protein and some vitamins and minerals. A modest amount of stud cubes/stud mix should therefore be fed but avoid allowing the mare to become overfat. In-foal mares with a foal at foot will need to be fed to meet their lactation requirements until weaning. We recommend you follow the feed company’s advice. Last three months: The foetus gains 65% of its body weight during this period. It is important therefore that a balanced ration is fed. A purpose-made brood mare diet (stud mix or stud cubes) will provide all of the necessary calories, protein, vitamins and minerals a mare needs to supply to her developing foetus. This should be fed in conjunction with good grass or hay. The amount to be fed will depend on the manufacturer’s recommendations and the quality of the grass/hay available. The temptation to feed a home-mixed ration should be avoided, as it is very likely to be unbalanced and inappropriate for the mare and her foal.

EXERCISE Mares in early pregnancy can be ridden lightly for the first four to five months. In late pregnancy mares should spend as much time out doors as possible as unridden exercise is important at this stage.