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Preparing Your Horse For Summer

Preparing Your Horse For Summer

By on May 18, 2022 in Blog |

With the Cheltenham Festival firmly in our rear view mirrors and spring now upon us; many horse owners will be contemplating the various ways they can prepare their beloved horse ready for the upcoming season of summer. From revamping their equine bedding, to reinvigorating their exercise regime, to scheduling a rigorous diet plan. There are numerous ways you can make sure your horse is ready for this changing season. At P.H. Winterton, we pride ourselves on empathising your horses’ comfort and health. This is one of the many reasons we are quality purveyors of horse bedding in Staffordshire and Cheshire.  As such, we would like to detail some of the best ways to prepare your horse for summer to ensure their success for the whole of the summer season and the rest of the year.  Implement A Nutritional Diet If your horse has spent much of winter in their comfy and homely equine bedding not participating in much exercise due to potentially treacherous conditions; then they might have developed an unhealthy lifestyle.  The best way to start their path back towards a healthier living is by implementing a nutritional and healthy diet. Naturally, a horse’s diet should consist mainly of grass and/or hay as these are high in fibre which provides your horse with all the necessary nutrition. However, you should pay particular attention to ensure they do not consume too much as this might have a negative overall impact on their health.  Exercise Regime  Following on nicely regarding a healthier lifestyle; now your horse is eating healthy, they should accompany this with an all encompassing exercise schedule.  Summertime mornings are the optimal time for your horses to exercise. This is because the weather is not so cold for exercising to be impractical or provide your horse with significant discomfort, whilst the temperatures are yet to hit the extreme highs meaning there is minimal chance of your horse suffering from heat exhaustion.  Clean The Stables  You have probably heard about spring cleaning your home, however; you should consider performing your spring cleaning on your horse’s stables too. It is sometimes recommended to clean the stables out twice daily as well as replenishing the hay and sawdust that is in...

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Stopping Your Horse From Eating Their Shavings Or Sawdust

Stopping Your Horse From Eating Their Shavings Or Sawdust

By on Apr 21, 2022 in Blog, Shavings |

Any owner of a horse will probably have clean and well kept equine bedding which enables their horse to lie down and get a sufficient night sleep. Therefore, many owners will probably populate the flooring with our industry leading sawdust or shavings as this is one of the comfiest bedding options.  While this form of bedding has many benefits; one potential problem is the fact that your horse might want to eat their bedding. This might at first just seem like a mild annoyance as you will have to keep replacing the previously eaten sawdust or shavings. However, letting your horse snack out on their bedding can actually have dire consequences. Especially if this is not kept in check over time. One such issue is the fact that your horse can develop intestinal obstruction and colic if they consume large amounts of their own bedding. Accompanying this is the fact that naturally, sawdust and shavings can become dusty overtime, the dust attracts unwanted bacteria which means that when your horse eats a of their bedding; they are putting themselves at danger of developing a nasty cough or becoming ill.  At P.H.Winterton, we provide high quality horse shavings from Staffordshire and, in our time, we have learnt a thing or two about good bedding practices. Therefore, allow us to detail ways to stop your horse from eating their bedding.  Quick and Easy Techniques  An old fashioned way of thinking is to believe that because a technique is quick and easy, the technique is subsequently less effective. There are many quick and easy ways you can use to stop your horse from eating their bedding. Some of them include:  Keep Your Horse Busy A great way to take your mind off of something is to keep busy. This also rings true for horses. On average, it is estimated horses spend 16 hours a day eating. Much of this statistic is attributed to the fact the horse could be eating due to boredom.  If you keep them busy, such as getting them to go out on rides, they will feel less of a need to pig out on their bedding.  Mix In The Old, With The New When putting new shavings or...

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Controlling Your Cows Weight Ready In The Spring

Controlling Your Cows Weight Ready In The Spring

By on Apr 12, 2022 in Blog |

Cubicle bedding in Staffordshire and all around the country will have recently been littered with cows gearing up for the inevitable freedom spring will bring. Temperatures are on rise and as such, grass will seem all the more appealing.  In order for your cows to maximise their spring experience, you will want to control and monitor their weight.  Many animals wish to control their weight in the spring and during the build up to summer. Whilst many people believe this is due to pure aesthetic, being in better physical condition actually offers a vast range of benefits. During the hotter months, if your cows are overweight they will not only find mobility significantly harder but they might struggle with heat exhaustion.  There are many ways to help your cows control their weight, so let’s take a look at some of the most effective ways we can do this.  Monitor Their Protein Intake Feeding your cow’s protein provides many advantages. Proteins are essential to your cow’s energy and productivity levels. Without vital proteins, your cows will not be able to carry out simple exercises and furthermore; they will not be able to roam fields freely to collect their all important food.  However, you will be sure not to overfeed your cows too much protein. It is recommended that most cows require 1.5 pounds of protein a day. During periods of gestation, your cow might require up to 2 pounds. This can vary even more when your cow is lactating; during this period your cow usually requires much more.  Whilst you might evaluate that feeding your cow too much protein will cause them to gain weight (this can sometimes be the case), overfeeding them protein can actually cause your cow to lose weight. But this is not normally the healthiest option. If they over consume protein, your cows can end up burning off ammonia which can be a detriment to your cow’s health.  Exercise  Just like humans, the more exercise cows get can help them lose weight. If cows are provided with comfy cubicle bedding, they might not want to stand up from their suitable slumber.  However, you should motivate your cows to get up and get some much needed exercise....

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Equine Bedding: The Secret to Cheltenham Success?

Equine Bedding: The Secret to Cheltenham Success?

By on Mar 15, 2022 in Blog |

It is that time of the year again. From the 15th March 2022; the four day extravaganza formerly known as the Cheltenham race festival will begin. The hotly anticipated annual event culminates in the Cheltenham Gold Cup which is on the final day of the much beloved festival.  Whilst many of us will be more concerned about whether or not our chosen horse wins; there will be a few of us closely analysing one of the secret components to race day success, that of course being comfy and stable equine bedding and quality sawdust shavings.  Last year, we covered how the Cheltenham festival would be different in many ways. But you will be happy to know that the festival will be returning to a much more traditional format in this year’s edition.  While there have been various changes to the format, one feature that has never changed is the fact that equine bedding remains one of the most effective ways to ensure victory at this year’s Cheltenham festival.  Maximising Sporting Performance  When it comes to any sport, rest and recuperation is of paramount importance when it comes to maximising overall sporting performance. As we have previously alluded to; having quality bedding can be the easiest and arguably the most effective way to accomplish this.  Studies have shown that horses require the REM phase of sleep to ensure high quality rest and therefore better sporting performance to enable race day victory. You might have already guessed that fresh clean horse bedding is the easiest way to help your horse get the recommended rest and recuperation.  Accompanying the ever increasing need for quality rest; is the fact that the horse racing calendar is particularly gruelling and tiring. Jockeys and race horses undertake extremely long and high pressure races meaning it is even more important for your horse to rest.  Horse Shavings in Staffordshire  A key element of any quality horse bedding is, of course, horse shavings. At P.H. Winterton, we offer quality sawdust horse shavings in Staffordshire which become even more relevant during the Cheltenham race week.  Many horse owners opt to have just rubber mats for their beloved horse to lie on. However, this can not only be to the...

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Do You Need Horse Bedding in Derbyshire?

Do You Need Horse Bedding in Derbyshire?

By on Feb 17, 2022 in Blog, Equine Bedding, Horse bedding in Derbyshire, Horse bedding in Staffordshire |

We have very recently covered why it is important to provide your cows with comfy and sufficient bedding. So, we thought why not do the same for your horses. Let’s look at some of main advantages of high quality horse bedding in Derbyshire.  You would make sure that your bedding is clean and comfy wouldn’t you? So why should this be any different for horses?  Horses don’t naturally need soft and comfy bedding, however, at PH Winterton being a provider of high quality horse shavings in Staffordshire we argue that ensuring you have adequate equine bedding is of the utmost importance. So we would like to highlight a few reasons why you should pay particular attention to your horse’s sleeping arrangements.  Genuine Comfort We start off with arguably the most obvious reason to provide your horses with high quality bedding, for their comfort. Shavings in particular act as a barrier protecting your horse from the cold hard floor when they are lying down.   Accompanying this is the fact that your horse is a lot more likely to lie down when they have comfortable and clean bedding available. Encouragement is key in this regard. If your horse has been on their hooves all day they still might lie down to get their recommended shut ye and get their recommended shut eye. This rings especially true if the bedding looks dirty or uncomfortable.  As any dedicated horse owner will tell you, you do not want a tired and unhappy horse.  Support Whilst Standing Did you also know that horse bedding can support your horse even whilst standing. The support and stable footing they offer to your horse drastically reduces the chances of injuries such as capped hocks or elbows.  They also allow your horse ample room to stand up in their stables with slipping over which could result in a twist ankle or horrible injury.  Absorbing Moisture  One of the primary reasons to install horse shavings for your horse’s bedding. Your horse’s stall can very quickly become a rather damp and wet place. This is especially true during the winter months when the UK can see an over abundance of rain and storms. Luckily, horse shavings can absorb a lot of...

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Why Choose Biomass Fuel in Staffordshire?

Why Choose Biomass Fuel in Staffordshire?

By on Feb 1, 2022 in Biomass fuel, Blog |

Biomass fuel in Staffordshire promises to be very important in 2022. Back in 2016, the UK government announced the new green deal in a plan to drastically reduce the UK’s carbon footprint towards a more general push to be environmentally aware.  Accompanying this is the four year plan announced by Staffordshire county council in late 2021. The plan details a number of measures we can take to reduce carbon emissions and tackle the ever increasing threat of climate change. A key goal of the aforementioned plan is to have a net 0 carbon emissions by 2025.  Part of the plan includes transferring all council owned cars to electric models and increasing the awareness of tree planting. This plan underpins the general push to be more environmentally friendly in the county.  At PH Winterton, we would like to highlight a very effective way of reducing our carbon footprint in Staffordshire, this being the use of biomass fuel. We are proud to be on the approved biomass fuel supplier’s list from the UK government.  We would like to take this opportunity to highlight a few key features of why biomass fuel is important and how it can help reduce carbon emissions.  Biomass Fuel vs Fossil Fuels  It might go without saying but biomass fuels are a fantastic alternative to fossil fuels when it comes to reducing our environmental impact.  It is reported that biomass fuel produces 93% more reusable energy compared to fossil fuel. Furthermore, on a slightly separate note but no less relevant, biodiesel reduces GHGs by 41% compared to typical diesel.  We believe these facts are sufficient to showcase that bioenergy is a fantastic alternative to traditional fuel types.  P16 & P35 Here at PH Winterton we offer two main types of biomass fuel; that being p16 and p45. Biomass fuel p16 which is smaller size wood chippings and p35 which is grade of wood with no contaminants present.  Accompanying this is the quality supply of biomass fuel p16 in Derbyshire, Staffordshire and other local areas. So why don’t you get in contact with the largest supplier of biomass fuel p35 in Staffordshire.  Reliability  One of the key questions asked is whether biomass fuel is reliable? Accompanying these are...

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