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
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