Scotts of Thrapston

There’s snow trickier business than snow business!

Posted on 16. Dec, 2011 by Julia Berrie in Let's talk stables

Winter has arrived, and while we may still be enjoying some brighter days and shuffling through the crispy leaves, they tell us it won’t be long before the harsh weather begins and we’ll all be trudging through the thick snow!

The whole of the country was covered in snow during last year’s extreme weather, and while many are delighted to miss school or work, horse owners spend the time panicking and worrying for their animals.

Simple steps can be taken right now to prepare for snow days:

• Firstly, stock up on sand for gritting the yard surface, drive-ways, outside stable doors and areas around taps.

• Check your shovels and tools for damage, and if needs be, repair, or purchase good quality new ones.

• Be prepared for every eventuality and create an essentials box to keep at the yard, filled with provisions such as matches, a torch, cans of soup, a packet of biscuits, blankets, extra gloves and socks, and a hot water bottle.

Once the snow arrives, these measures can be taken to make horse management easier:

• In a safe manner and always with help, shovel the snow to form pathways to and from buildings to the stables to the car, and cover with grit, to provide safe and clear walk-ways for everyone to travel around.

• Steam haynets instead of soaking if the tap has frozen- it will be more pleasant for the horse and allow them more time to eat before it freezes.

• Place a brick or a small football in water buckets to make the ice easier to break should they freeze over.

• Be sure to remove a layer of rugs or blanket during the day to ensure the horse really feels the benefit at night when the temperature drops.

• Reduce boredom for horses kept in during the snow by setting up a ‘café-system’ of their food. Hang up several small hay nets around the stable, place a couple of buckets of chopped carrots and apples in separate corners for them to rummage through, leave a radio on during the day and invest in a hanging-treat toy.

• Spend a good amount of time grooming your horse every day. The interaction will keep him sociable and less irritable, and keep his coat clean and comfortable under his rugs.

• Bandage legs overnight to keep a good circulation of blood to the joints, and provide extra warmth.

• If it is not possible to turn out into a paddock for an hour or two during the snow, walking horses in hand on grass patches will keep circulation going, and alleviate any boredom. However, walkers must take extreme care when walking on snow and ice, and only walk calm and reliable horses. If the conditions are severe, it really is not worth taking a risk, and the horse simply MUST stay in the stable.

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