Hello all!
Scented candles, overcast weather, Halloween, and Thanksgiving. These all evoke memories of Fall, which is right at our doorstep! Here are some tips on keeping your horse happy and healthy during the fall.
- Make sure to provide plenty of fresh water to your horse, to encourage him to drink and prevent impaction colic.
- To get some extra water into your horse, add some water to his daily grain.
- Try to keep the hay your horse is eating consistent, to help prevent colic.
- Beware of red maple leaves that might blow into your pasture or paddock. In the Fall these leaves are extremely toxic.
- Beware of Bots. The pesky flies like to lay their eggs on ponies this time of year. Be sure to remove all of the eggs to prevent your horse from swallowing them. Botflies look like bees that do not sting.
- Fly armor. Be sure that your horse is in his fly armor, whether it is fly spray, fly masks, fly sheets, fly traps, or a clove of garlic crushed up in your horse's daily grain. The flies get REALLY bad in the fall.
- You may need to start blanketing soon, depending on where you live, so make sure your blankets are clean and waterproofed.
These are all I can think of now... More later!
-Snow
I did not know red maple leaves were toxic to horses. Good to know. Is it true that horses cannot vomit?
ReplyDeleteYes it is true. Their digestive systems are designed in a way that makes it impossible for them to throw up. In the spring, red maple leaves are not very toxic, but over time the leaves build up gallic acid, which can cause a fatal anemia.
ReplyDeleteSnowmochan