My Horse Barn

Day is getting colder and the temperature is getting colder, which reminds us that the old man will be coming to visit soon in time. This year, with some careful training and preparations, you and your horse can have a more pleasant season..... Remember that the most important part of " winterisation " is to keep your horse out of the weather?

It' about making your horse's habitat ready, but you can also make your horse's spirit and build it winterproof." You will find this summary shows you the right way with a lot of preparation work. They are robust and have been designed to cope with changes in the season. "Steven Sedrish, DVM, owners of Upstate Equine Medical Center in Saratoga Springs, New York, says, "The main concern of the horse in cold weather is to maintain a constant warm.

"Tremendous reserves of grease to keep them hot. "Just like in human beings, a horse has to absorb additional fats and cholesterol in the cold winter in order to keep a pleasant physical tempera-ture. Elevated feedings of grass and cereals help the horse to increase its reserves of fats. Each horse will differ in the required diet.

"I' ve got a whole blood of geriatrics that gets a pail - not a shovel, but a pail full of grain," says Dr. Sedrish. "I would explode if I gave this to my Quarter Horse! "Adding extra fats can increase your horse's physical fats. However, Dr. Sedrish does recommend the use of either ricemeal spelt or ricemeal extracts.

"Horse can use sake better than plant oils, and 70% of sake is fat," he states. The horse needs a well-ventilated hiding place to keep away from the element. Consider what your horse's physique needs to keep warm: additional lining, a good coat and perhaps a rug. Order your own hire of straw and other articles that could become in short supply in cold weather.

Prepare for blackouts in cold weather. They are sturdy creatures that can withstand fluctuations in natural temperatures, but they need protection. Every horse should have at least "access to a run-in stable," says George Peters, proprietor and coach of Win $um Ranch Enterprises in Schylerville, New York.

If it has three sides and a canopy, it is enough to keep a horse comfy. It will protect the horse from stormy wind and drifting rain or snow. Keeps the horse cold even in summers, as it keeps it away from the warm west sundra. Although your horse has a stable at his disposal, it is also important to know and appreciate his flocks.

"When you have three ponies in a switch area and the head horse does not let the other two into the stable at or during a hurricane, you have a situation. As Peters points out: "You have to know the customs of your grazing flock in winters more than at any other season.

" A good horse can get used to cold conditions and have hot jackets until November. However, a horse with bad jackets that is riding in hot stables, or a horse that is suffering from difficulties in keeping its body mass, usually needs a blanket to keep it warmer. When you have a stable, your horse is in better hands there at nights and during strong winds.

But good airing is probably more important in winters than in summers, as your barn is more likely to be damp. "Sometimes they make really beautiful stables, but sometimes they are so friendly and comfortable that they don't have a good airflow," observes Peters. Every barn that is shut in winters can have adverse effects, especially for animals with airway problems, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (or severity).

Like people with bronchial tubes, COPD coughing is uncontrolled when they don't have enough oxygen. If there is no correct flow of wind through the barn, these particulates can be confined in the atmosphere. Sensible ponies will not stand it to be indoors with these Allergenen. It is usually solved by something as easy as restricting the daytime clean-up work when the horse is folded out, or opening a door or window just enough to generate ventilation.

Winters can make the work in the barn more complicated. The owner is obliged to drag himself into the stable for everyday duties such as feed or housekeeping. "They know that the waters will be freezing and that it will be cold," says Peters, "so plan to stay at work so your horse won't be suffering.

" Every stable proprietor can make a few easy changes that make working hours more tolerable. "I' ve constructed an isolated speaker that will fit over the top of our hydro hydrants and the drum to keep the spring thawed," Peters states. "Better than a bucket of milk, especially on as many ponies as we do," heds.

At one end of the barn there is a small heating system for salamanders. Peter found that it not only helps keep humans hot, but can also serve as an enormous hairdryer for them. As soon as you get used to the noise of the wind and the noise, your horse dries the perspiration from training or the moisture from dampsnows!

Most of the times this means that your tap is gone. "If you' re concerned about its age, you can switch the waters in these reservoirs every few weeks," says Tracy Bartick-Sedrish, DVM, of Upstate Equine Medical Center. They can supply enough energy to make sure that the light in the barn works during work or even to supply the spring of drinking if necessary.

Agree early supplies of grass and fodder before Christmas. It is not only the bad weathers that can make your order hard to deliver, but you will also find that your normal vendor has become scarce. "You may not have your normal vendor in store, which means you may need to switch the fodder your horse eats. Equestrians need a consequent nutrition.

" Store a pail of sands to make your system safe for your horse and you. Distribute the grit on ice-covered barn corridors or paths to make the walk safe. "Before I unload a horse from the trailers, I always toss some clay on the floor to prevent it from slipping," Peters added.

On the subject of splinters of ice from pails or drums, Peters recalls: "My grandfather always said:'It's not much pleasure, but it has to be done. Whether you believe it or not, your horse will be drinking between 10 and 30 galons of drinking every single gallon in winters - sometimes twice as much as in the summers.

The horse prefers a sea level between 45 and 65°F. A thin sheet of snow on a pail or tub will keep them from drink. "I firmly believe in the use of boilers in your horse's pots and buckets," says Dr Sedrish. "Most of the time we see poor winters because of lack of water," says Dr. Sedrish.

"If a horse does not take enough fluids, his guts can get slightly damaged, which can cause him to experience impactional coping and other complications. "Dr. Sedrish gives his ponies a hot mashed shavings of shavings once a week throughout the year. "They like it and it is encouraging them to have more to eat.

" The most frequently asked questions in every season is whether a horse should be covered. Stallions who have the chance to get used to the cold climate will have hot, woolly hair until November. As a rule, they can stand a temperature in the single-digit range (before the addition of a winchill ) as long as their coat is dehumid.

Usually a horse that has no coat, rides in hot stables or has trouble keeping its body count needs a blanket to keep it warmer. Peter advises to mate a horse that trains throughout the whole season as soon as the temperatures drop at the end of August or the beginning of September.

Covering a horse early will help to keep its hair short so that it can dry off faster after training. Elder stallions may have difficulty maintaining a stable physique without a cover. "I don't cover my older ponies at the beginning of winter," says Dr. Sedrish.

"I' ll give them enough season to put on their jackets and get used to the chill. I' ll let her go without make-up during that period. Then - when it gets really chilly outside - I tuck them in. "This means that almost two coatings - the jacket and the ceiling - will add heat. Ceilings are crucial for the horse that is hung in winters.

"It' terrible to hang a horse without a rug in cold weather. I' even put a colder bed sheets under a cover until the journey is over," says Peters. Peter warns that the horse can be faded over. When the horse gets a little warmer during the afternoon, it begins to sweat.

" Short, cold weather usually means that the horse spends more stable and less outdoor or in practice. Just like humans, a horse can get tired in cold weather if it has less exercise and less playing fun. "I' ve got a gum ball with a handle," says Dr. Bartick-Sedrish.

"He' s playing with it all the while. In the mornings, when I keep it in its barn, I find it in the corridor or in the barn next to it. "There are a lot of horse playthings on the square. You can try several and see which ones your horse will like best.

If you had the option, the horse would be eating 16 lessons a workday. It is not every horse owners luck to have a place to go riding in the wintry season. Since Fischer uses only a small amount of sodium chlorides in each session, this does not influence the horse's hoofs and ankles. "Winters can be pleasant.

The horse likes to romp around in the snows and step up its heel in cold conditions. Preparing your horse and stable in anticipation is a safe and comfortable way to get through the year.