What Does My Horse Need This Summer
What does my horse need this summer? Well, as horse owners, we always look forward to the summer months; less mud and better weather and temperatures. However, summer can also bring its own challenges with hot weather. In this blog, we discuss what your horse needs this summer and how you can keep your horse happy and healthy to enjoy those long summer days.
Shelter
Your fields should always have a field shelter or mobile field shelter if there is no natural shelter from the sun. Ensure your horse can access the shade, especially within the herd and is not being driven away by the more dominant horses. Horses can suffer from heat stroke and sunburn. If you are concerned about shelter availability in your fields, it might be an idea to turn out overnight and bring them in during the daytime when the temperatures are at their highest.
Plenty Of Water
To avoid summer health problems, fresh water should always be available to your horse. In the field or stable, your horse should have access to water at all times. Cleaning out your field water troughs regularly will ensure your horse has clean drinking water. Lack of water consumption can cause colic and poor organ function. Water availability is essential all year round, but cool water to drink during summer is equally important. This summer, keeping your horse hydrated is vital to a happy, healthy horse.
Sun & Fly Protection
Sun protection is essential for horses. For those with pink skin, horses can get sunburn. Choose a UV-protective fly rug and fly mask covering the muzzle to protect entirely from the sun’s damaging sun rays. Alternatively, apply sunblock to the muzzle area if your horse won’t tolerate a fly mask with muzzle coverage. Remember that some horses will struggle with the heat wearing a fly rug, so other measures should be taken. Flies and biting insects can drive your horse insane, so always apply long-lasting fly protection before turning out. Remember that good aloe vera helps to heal and reduce the risk of sunburn, so feeding Aloeride for this alone is a good idea.
Grazing
Overgrazing with too few acres per horse can mean that your summer grazing needs to provide more for your horse. Continuous grazing is natural for horses, but domestic horses only sometimes have the freedom or availability. If you need to supplement your paddocks with good quality hay, then it’s recommended, especially if your horse is turned out 24/7 during the summer months.
Forage, Food & Supplements
While you don’t want to create an overweight horse during the summer, ensuring that your horse has plenty of forage at all times is vital for their digestive system. While you might cut down their hard feed during the summer months if they have a reduced workload, their diet must be supplemented if they are grazing on little or poor-quality grass. Summer nutrition can be very different from other seasons. It’s also a good idea to continue with their supplements. Aloeride can easily be mixed with water and syringed, making it an easy-to-feed, fast-free supplement with comprehensive health benefits. Feeding a garlic horse supplement over the summer months can act as a fly and insect repellent.
Your Horse Needs A Different Work Routine This Summer
As temperatures rise, you must review how you train your horse over the summer months. You may need to ride earlier or later in the day to avoid the heat. Hard ground and deep school surfaces may mean you must adopt a different work routine this summer, so have a backup plan.
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