Are you winter ready?❄️💩
It may only be approaching September, but before we know it the autumn will be here, followed by every horse owners nightmare, the dreaded winter months.
The summer is the best time to get as prepared as you possible can for the incoming weather changes, and last year the rain came early and in the South of the UK (where we are based) it rained from end of September to June!
On a track system, unless you are fully surfaced you will have mud, just the same as you would in a paddock environment. The best way to manage this for you and your horses is to make sure you have things in place to manage it BEFORE it arrives.
But winter isn't just about mud, it's also about battling the cold and rapid weather changes.
Here's some of our top tops to make sure you are ready for the mud, rain, ice and cold!
💩 Firstly and arguably most importanly, make sure you have hardstandings in place. This doesn't necessarily have to be a permanent hardstanding, and could be mud matting instead. We have a mix of limestone hardstandings, and Jelka Group top clean mud mats to create mud free platforms and pathways for our horses.
Last year, as the rain came early and was showing no signs of stopping I bought two pallets of mud mads from Jelka and layed them in already wet mud. Although they have been fantastic, it would have been better to lay them when the ground was dry so that they would have stayed completely level.
We have since layed more Jelka mats during the dry months in preparation for the coming Winter around almost all of our hay feeding areas. Check our reels for videos of them being laid and used and use discount code AVL5 for 5% off the top clean mats (valid from September 2024)
Now is also your last chance to build any permanent hardstanding, which you can find step by step instructions for in my guide book on Horse Track Systems (see 📖 below).
💧 Make sure your pipes to your water troughs are insulated. We keep our troughs under cover in the barn as this not only helps keep them algea free in the spring and summer but stops them from freezing as hard in the winter. Consider this when first setting up track and deciding where to put the water point, or consider moving it if you're having this trouble with an existing water point.
🧥 Although the majority of horses fair well in weather without rugs if they have a full coat, horses that are clipped, older, younger, thinner or have certain medical conditions that may comprise their insulation abilities, may mean that your horse needs a rug in winter. Make sure any rugs from last year are clean, re waterproofed and ready in advance, or start shopping for new (there might still be some good bargains on for winter rugs at the moment!).
🌾 By now the majority of this year's hay has been harvested and the new batch is in the barn waiting to be used. If you have wrapped hay like us, it's advisable to wait 6-8 weeks before using it so the fermentation process can take place. Dry hay can be used straight away as long as it has been baled correctly and dried properly.
When changing over to this year's hay, it's a good idea to mix the two together for a few days or weeks to slowly introduce it. Horses digestive systems are sensitive and don't take to sudden change well so doing so will ensure a gradual introduction of new forage and prevent any loose droppings or fecal water, or in worst case, colic.
It's also a good time to get any new hay tested to make sure it is below 10% ESC (sugar and starch combined). Forage plus offer this service along with step by step instructions on how to correctly gather your sample. www.forageplus.com/n25
Late cut hay is best so don't buy any cut before July if you can. July or August hay will likely be lower in sugar and longer and more fiberous whereas May or June cut hay will be shorter and sweeter and likely higher in sugar and calories.
You could also have the hay tested for nutrient levels which enables you to know exactly which nutrients are lacking and enables you to have a vitamin and mineral balancer made to match accordingly. (Speak to forage plus for details, see above).
🥕 If you have any poor doers, now is a good time to start thinking about planning to gradually increase their feed to combat the coming weather changes. Coat changes can be quite a hard time for horses internally and they may need a little extra support. For your good doers, don't change a thing! Remember winter is a good time to help them naturally loose weight before Springtime.
✂️ If applicable, make sure your clippers are ready for the season! Get your blades sharpened and clippers are serviced if needed. Clipping is useful for horses in full work in the winter to stop them overheating or sweating to much when ridden, but it's also a great to aid weight loss. In September and October this is normally the time I will start our 'fat pony slim' clipping, where I take the the neck, chest and tummy hair off, leaving the rump and back for winter protection. For those horses who gain weight too easily or who are already overweight, this helps them use a few more calories to keep warm.
Remember you don't want them to get too cold or shiver, so have a rug as back up for sudden cold days. If you haven't used this clip before then start small with just the chest and neck and see how your horse copes.
👞 If you have a horse who has recently been taken barefoot or has a metabolic condition, it's a good idea to make sure you have some hoof boots handy. The soft and wet can make sensitive horses more prone to foot soreness and more likely for stoned etc to get I to the white line, so this just means you can keep them comfortable. There are various different styles and types for different needs, check out Hoof Bootique
🧣Now the horses are sorted, are you ready? Need a new winter coat? Still got those holey old wellies? Get yourself prepared as well. My best advice is to buy an all in one onesie for the cold and wet, and to keep a good stash of snacks on the yard. There nothing worse than a cold and wet human. Besides, who will look after the horses then? 😉
📖For further reading and/or information on how to correctly manage mud on track in winter buy my best selling book Horse Track Systems https://amzn.to/3Xs8qkE
🎧I also featured on a podcast by The Humble Hoof talking about winter management on track which is free to listen too - you can find it on Spotify.
