17/10/2025
🍂🐎 It is getting much colder at night, the leaves are falling from the trees and people are starting to make changes to management routines for their horses.
This time of year often represents an increase in workload for horse owners, however, for your horses there is also a lot to get used to. Turnout is often restricted, and our horses begin spending more time stabled with access to stored food sources rather than fresh grass making up a larger portion of their diet.
Where possible try to stage any changes in feeding to allow your horses digestive tract to become accustomed to it. This will help to avoid stomach upsets which can cause symptoms such as diarrhoea and colic. This is also a good time to get your horses teeth checked to ensure they will be capable of making best use of their new diet over the next few months.
Hay is an excellent way to provide horses with forage throughout their time spent indoors. However, care should be taken to reduce any dust present in the hay before feeding. This will help to avoid respiratory issues such as equine asthma being exacerbated.
At this time of year it is also important to consider toxins present on pasture when our horses are grazing. Acorns and sycamore seeds are a particular concern for our horse population. Where possible removal of acorns and sycamore seeds from pasture being grazed by horses should be attempted. If this is not possible then fencing off areas where these are present can be a useful alternative.
📞 If you have any questions or wish to ask for some advice please give us a call on 016973 25010.
