Walking On Volume 5, Issue 11, Nov. / Dec. 2018 | Page 13

Back to Basics turned out with each other as a rule. Riding and Leading on snow and ice: When it comes to riding and leading over snow and ice take great care. Always dismount to cross icy or slippery patches. He can balance better without you on top. Most horses wear shoes which make it much more slippery for them on ice. Give the horse a loose rope/rein and allow him to pick his own way and to use his head and neck to balance. To restrict the head by keeping him on a short rope or rein may mean he cannot balance so well should he start to slip. Should he slip and fall you must be ready to get out of the way of flailing hooves. Provide a Barrier: Walking over soft snow means the snow balls up in the underside of the foot. When riding or turning out, you can easily avoid this by smearing petroleum jelly (e.g.Vaseline) on the underside of the foot. This helps to prevent the snow sticking. This coating provides a water resistant barrier be- neath which it is nice and warm. This therefore, pro- vides an ideal place for bacteria to thrive so don’t forget to scrub and clean the soles thoroughly once the snow has thawed. Providing a barrier on the lower leg as well will ensure there is a barrier to protect the skin against the wet. This is especially useful for those horses which are prone to mud fever - a problem caused by pro- longed wet conditions. Keep an eye out for early signs of mud fever in wet conditions. Warmth from rugs: Try to keep a spare dry rug available so that you can change the horses rug when it gets wet. If possible do not put too many rugs on - it is better to use light weight but warm rugs. Keep them warm at night when the temperature drops. Do not however, over-rug or the horse will become over heated. They need a little air circulation and thick rugs (especially heavy ones) might prevent this. Use a neck cover for extra warmth if you absolutely must, but they tend to rub off the mane on horses with a fine coat, so be aware. If this happens, there is little you can do about it. Try next year to allow the horse to grow a slightly thicker coat by rugging less, thus providing a more natural protective coat for the cold weather, and avoid using the neck cover if possible. Field water supplies: Be sure to check field troughs to break the ice - hors- es do not usually do this themselves unless it is very thin. You will probably have to resort to providing buckets if the troughs are automatic fillers because the water pipes in the ground which feed the troughs will be frozen. Horses still drink quite a lot of water every day even in the snow so you must provide water for them in the field. Tie the buckets to the fence to help prevent them being knocked over quite so easily. The alternative to buckets is to have a large container and fill it with buckets on a daily basis - but remember the water in the container will also freeze. A large container is just as difficult to keep ice free as an automatic filler. Field Shelter: Horses should have some shelter in the field even if only out there during the day. Make sure it is large enough for all the horses and has good wide opening. It needs more than one opening if there is likely to be any bullying. The timid and older horses should always be provided with an escape route. Do not feed hay inside field shelters if you have sev- eral horses. This is bound to cause problems for older and timid horses owing to the natural pecking order. Feed hay in separate piles well clear of each other and always have a spare pile to enable the timid horse to get his fair share. Finally - The main things to remember during snow and ice is to reduce all energy giving food, provide the horse with warmth and life which is as natural as possible by giving it as much freedom / exercise as you can. For more information on how to care for horses check out the home study courses written by the members of The Lingfield Instructor Group. The course provider is Lingfield Correspondence a specialist equine distance learning organisation in UK and Trade Member of the British Horse Society and The British Trade Associ- ation. Paula Clements, is a member of the Lingfield Instructor Group and Course Director at Lingfield Correspondence home study cours- es. Paula is happy to help and advise people on all aspects of equine care & management by email [email protected] or look for more information and help on the Lingfield courses web site Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Paula_Clem- ents/841864 13