Seasonal Care

Key Factors for Feeding Horses in Winter

Updated:

January 6, 2019

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Most horses have some “down time” in winter, when adverse weather will not permit much riding or showing activity. A reduction in your horse’s activity level usually means a reduced need for calories, and requirements for grain or concentrate feeding can be lowered. During the winter season, temperatures typically fall below that necessary for pasture grass to grow. Pastures become rapidly depleted of natural forage and horses must increasingly rely on their owners to provide them with a nutritionally adequate diet. To properly feed a horse during the winter months the key factors of water, fibre, and essential nutrients must be addressed.

To Rug or Not to Rug?

Updated:

January 2, 2019

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Horse owners are routinely putting rugs (blankets) on their horses all year round. However new research suggests that certain types of rug could be causing them to overheat. It has become routine (and even fashionable) for many domestic horses to be rugged all year round – in fly-sheets, all-weather turnouts, stable rugs, fleeces or perhaps even a onesie. Rugs can be useful in protecting horses from biting insects and in adverse weather conditions; however, until now there have been very few studies on rugging at all and none on the effect of different types of rugs on a horse’s body temperature.

Winter Horse Care Tips

Updated:

December 17, 2018

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Adjustments to your horse care routines will likely be necessary during the winter months, and should be tailored to your climate and the needs of each individual horse. Here are some tips to help keep your horse in health this winter.

Does My Horse Need Electrolytes in Winter?

Updated:

November 20, 2018

Do Horses need electrolytes in Winter?, horse electrolytes, equine dehydration, equine impactions, Dr. Wendy Pearson

Q: Since it’s cold out and my horse doesn't sweat much when I ride him, should I still give him electrolytes?

Factors Affecting Tapeworm Infection

Updated:

June 8, 2018

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Where you keep your horse can influence the risk of tapeworm infections, according to research from Poland. Recommendations for deworming horses have changed over the years to take account of widespread anthelmintic resistance and changing patterns of infection.

A Milestone Reached in Equine Eye Cancer Research

Updated:

December 10, 2017

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For a prey animal that instinctively depends on sight for survival, a horse’s loss of vision or even the loss of an eye is devastating. Yet, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the most common cancer found in equine eyes and the second most common tumour in horses.

Self-Mutilation in Horses

Updated:

November 22, 2017

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At first, you might notice something wrong with your horse’s skin. He may start making unusual noises or being hypersensitive to your touch in the flank area – signs that would normally point to a medical issue such as a dermatological condition.

Plan Ahead for Hay This Winter

Updated:

November 7, 2017

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Given the extreme weather in many parts of Canada in the summer of 2017 – hot and extremely dry in the west; rain and flooding in other areas - hay supply for the coming winter has been a top-of-mind concern for many horse owners.

Tequila’s Hoof Makeover

Updated:

November 7, 2017

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Tequila is a Thoroughbred mare that I was asked to shoe a couple of months back. She stands splay-footed, is badly over at the knees, and her hind legs were quite sickle-hocked. Her feet were smashed, flared, chipped, and cracked. She was just the kind of project that I wanted to do a “hoof makeover” on – I do love a challenge.

Understanding the Threat of EIA

Updated:

October 18, 2017

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Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA), also known as Swamp Fever, is an infectious disease of horses, donkeys, and mules caused by a virus. Horses infected with the EIA virus carry it for life. Most infected horses show no symptoms, but they remain infectious, endangering the health of other horses.