Autumn Advice for Horse Owners

Autumn Advice

With Autumn weather among us and Winter on its way… here are a few tips on preparing your horse for the colder, muddier weather ahead. With changes in the seasons and therefore the weather, temperature and levels of daylight, your horse’s coat will begin to change to become longer and woollier. A sudden dull coat could be a sign that your horse’s coat is beginning to change. Whilst some people opt to clip and/or rug their horses, some choose to do neither. The decision you make for your horse should be determined carefully as there are a number of factors to take into consideration.

Horses are very good self thermoregulators and it is much easier for them to warm up rather than cool down. Therefore, care must be taken not to over rug as this can cause horses to store excessive heat and thus sweat which can lead to weight loss or alternatively over rugging an obese horse can prevent them losing weight as they will store calories as fat. For some horses clipping can be a great way to help prevent your horse getting too hot and excessively sweating whilst exercising. Before deciding which type of clip you will use you should consider your horse’s workload and the types of rugs you will need afterwards depending on whether they are going to be turned out or stabled. Below are the types of clips and the workload intensities that they are used for:

•          Full clip – Heavy Workload
•          Hunter clip – Heavy Workload
•          Blanket clip – Medium workload
•          Chaser clip - Medium workload
•          Trace clip – Light to Medium workload
•          Irish clip - Light to Medium workload
•          Bib clip - Light workload

Here is a helpful temperature guide on how to rug your horse:

More tips on rugging horses can be found here.

Weather changes, clipping and rugging up can cause dandruff, poor coat condition, and itchy, irritated skin for some horses. Some horses may be susceptible to other skin conditions too so avoid sharing rugs, saddle cloths and brushes where possible.

Clipping especially can encourage dry and scurfy skin and unfortunately, we cannot cover them in body lotion, so what can we do to help? Keep your rugs as clean and dry as possible and remove any excess hair that might be collecting on them. Regular grooming and the use of a soothing body wash can be helpful, but bathing isn’t always an option especially in the colder weather.

Rugs may rub withers, shoulders and manes whether the horse has been clipped or not. Certain “bibs” and “hoods” can be used to minimise rubbing and sores. Muddy conditions can also challenge horses’ skin and make it sensitive, so it is important to help them in any way we can. Clipping legs, using turnout boots, washing legs and even not turning out are all options, however thought should be taken when looking at your horse’s diet to see if they are receiving the correct nutrients to aid their skin health and strength.

We can help our horses from the inside out by feeding ingredients such as Omega 3 and 6, B vitamins such as Biotin, Brewer’s yeast and various helpful herbs such as Burdock root, Clivers and Chamomile to help soothe the skin and achieve a glossy coat.

The benefit of feeding Omega 3 and 6 is that it can aid the calming of skin aggravations and encourage resilient and healthy skin, whilst also creating a shiny coat. Omega 3 and 6 must be fed at the correct balance and cannot be made in the horse’s body so must therefore be consumed in order to be utilised. Brewer’s yeast and Biotin promote not only skin health but also hair and hoof health. Why not have a look at our supplement, EquiDermis, which contains all of these helpful ingredients…

If you have any concerns about your horse or pony’s condition/health, please consult your veterinarian as well as your nutritionist.