It is exciting when the temperatures begin to climb higher and the snow melts away. However, there are still many considerations that you need to think about when it comes to helping your horse successfully make the transition to spring. Taking the right steps can go a long way toward preventing substantial issues, both to their comfort and their health. In many situations, the change in temperature will feel rather abrupt. It is important to make changes gradual to protect the health and comfort of your horses. Here are a few tips for helping your horse to make the transition from the cold winter months into warmer spring temperatures.
Take Care of their Coat
One of the biggest changes that a horse will experience during the onset of spring is changes to their coat. During this time, their winter coat will shed as their summer coat develops. Shedding is a huge component during the winter to spring transition. This is a great time to care for the health of their coat. You may want to consider adding a supplement to their nutrition. Many supplements are designed to ensure that their coats, skin, and hooves remain as healthy as possible, even during the winter to spring transition. These supplements can go a long way toward improving the overall health of their coats.
You should also ensure that you spend adequate amounts of time on their grooming. Take the time to both curry and brush their coat thoroughly. Most horse owners agree that you should work up a sweat during a grooming session for your horse. You may also want to consider the use of a shedding tool in order to help thin the coat out. Appropriate clipping and other various techniques can be used in order to help keep the coat healthy and the horse more comfortable. However, thorough consideration should be taken during this time. You don’t want to clip their coats incredibly short only to have a cold snap a week later.
Appropriate Levels of Exercise
It is important to implement an effective exercise routine as the weather begins to grow warmer. Winter tends to prohibit regular exercise, but it is important to slowly get them back to their original strength and health. Start with short rides with plenty of breaks over time in order to avoid overworking them and causing injury. Exercise is good for both their circulation and their health. When you implement a good exercise routine, you can help your horse to adjust to spring weather more comfortably and safely.
Make Slow Dietary Changes
One of the most dramatic changes, in addition to the shedding of their coat, is the horse’s diet during the spring. In the winter, they have been stuck primarily to a dry diet, as grazing isn’t an option. Ensure that you slowly introduce them back to grazing. Wait until the grass is 6 inches high, because it will then be ready for grazing. Begin with letting the horse out to graze for 15 minutes at a time. Increase this period of time by 15 minutes each day. Ensure that you continue to provide their normal winter feed in the beginning stages of introducing them to grazing. This will help them to adjust more gradually to the changes.
It is important to limit their initial consumption while they graze. If they are immediately allowed to graze to their heart’s content, they are likely to overeat. The sudden changes can be shocking for their digestive system and metabolism. This can lead to severe issues with their health. It is incredibly important to take the steps necessary to gradually reintroduce them to grazing when the weather gets warmer.
Keep an Eye on the Temperature
When the temperatures rise significantly, it is important to keep an eye on the temperature. You shouldn’t immediately expose them to hot temperatures. This is due to the fact that horses are just as susceptible to heat stroke as humans. It is similarly important to ensure that they remain hydrated. Dehydration leads to a large array of issues in the horse’s health, including inadequate digestion and the development of colic, which can lead to compounded, dangerous issues.
It is crucial to ensure that your horses always have access to clean, fresh water at a comfortable temperature to encourage them to drink adequate amounts. This can often be accomplished with the use of an automatic watering system, such as the Bar Bar A Horse Drinker. This particular waterer doesn’t use electricity, which helps to further protect your horses from the risk of electrocution. Implementing an automatic watering system can help to ensure that horses always have access to the water that they need to stay healthy.
Your Barn
It is incredibly important to take all the steps to inspect your barn and ensure that it remains in good repair prior to the cold of winter. However, winter is a time that often wreaks havoc on your property. This can negate many of the repairs that you made before the winter. After spring arrives, it will be similarly important to do another thorough inspection of your property. This will help you to make any repairs and keep your property in good repair. These steps go a long way toward protecting your horses and keeping them safe.
Many people overlook the transition from winter to spring, because it seems less important than the transition from fall to winter. However, there are many considerations that will be necessary in order to protect the health of your horse during this transition to spring. One of the most important things to remember throughout the year is that a horse needs to have access to clean water at a comfortable temperature. This means that water needs to be somewhat warmer in the winter months, while it needs to be cooler in the summer months. The way the Horse Drinker works is by storing the water beneath the ground, which ensures that it is at a great temperature for drinking year-round. To learn more about how Bar Bar A’s Horse Drinker can help your horse to stay hydrated, contact our experts today!
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