Preparing Your Horse For Summer
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 there.
If you are looking for quality horse shavings in Staffordshire, here at P.H. Winterton, we can help. We offer premium quality clean horse shavings across Staffordshire and surrounding areas.
Hoof Grooming
This summer, you should consider the cleanliness of the horse’s feet. The chances are your horse will not have been ridden throughout the winter period and because of this; their feet are probably not in a fantastic condition.
There is little wonder that summer time coincides with the discovery of unkempt and/or unclean hooves. Thorough and correct cleaning along with appropriate grooming is not just recommended but essential when it comes to riding in the summertime.
Horse riding in the UK during the spring is quite well known for being soggy and wet. So before riding in preparation of the summer; you might want to check to see if your horses feet are properly groomed.
Schedule Vaccinations
With spring upon us and summer just around the corner, you will do well to consider vaccinations. Afterall, It is not only humans that require vaccinations; horses need them too. The more and more your horses get out, the more they are likely to contract nasty viruses from unwanted bacteria. Vaccination is the most effective and safest way to protect your beloved horse against these potential illnesses and improve their overall immune system.
Do You Need Help With Preparing Your Horse For Spring?
If you are in Staffordshire or surrounding areas and need further advice or information on how to prepare your horse for summertime; please do not hesitate to contact us.