Revive Animal Therapy

19/12/2025

05/12/2025

Behavioural changes in winter 🐴

It is widely accepted that winter and the cold just makes horses “fresh” but I want to give you some deeper ideas to think about before you set about working your horse harder to offset this.

Behaviour doesn’t deteriorate because horses feel good, behaviour deteriorates because they feel worse. Explosive behaviour, “freshness”, rearing, bucking, biting, grumpy faces, tail swishing, barging, being mean to other horses, being difficult around hoof handling, to rug and to tack up are all signs your horse is struggling.

If your horse’s behaviour changes during winter it is because things in his environment and/or his body have changed.

We’re generally looking at their basic needs not being met and/or they’re experiencing more pain or discomfort than they do in the warmer months.

If a horse’s behaviour deteriorates with the cold weather despite nothing else changing we are highly likely looking at a pain issue. I see horses with cribbing or wind sucking behaviours that hugely increase in the winter months despite them still living out 24/7, they are using it as a stress-relief because their bodies are struggling more.

Here are a few points to think about when assessing your own horse’s situation:

🐴 Cold - if your horse has orthopaedic issues they are probably going to feel worse in the cold. This is why I think behaviour deteriorating in winter can be so indicative of pain/discomfort. I used to be such a “never rug an unclipped horse” person, but I now have 2 older unclipped horses with orthopaedic issues who I keep well rugged as I notice a difference in their comfort levels when I don’t.

Coping is not the same as thriving and if you have a question mark about your horse it is worth trying to keep them warmer to see if their behaviour improves. Overweight horses can get a really harsh deal here, leaving horses to deliberately get too cold to get weight off them may be counterproductive, especially if they’re already struggling with orthopaedic issues, try to assess the horse in front of you.

If you have a clipped horse and it is very cold it is worth keeping a rug over them until they are warmed up when you ride them.

Horses who are moving less and eating less fibre will have a harder time staying warm.

🐴 Mud - It is unfortunately something most of us have to deal with in UK winters, hello fellow clay-land dwellers. Moving through thick, sticky mud or across wet, slippy mud is hard on their bodies. Just think how hard it is for your to trudge through in your wellies. Again any horse who is already struggling with physical issues is going to feel the strain and fatigue from moving around through mud and this could exacerbate their issues and cause a deterioration in their behaviour.

Extra fun is when your deep mud turns to rock solid ruts in the ice for your horse to navigate.

We could think about creating mud-free areas, moving onto rested fields or turning out in the yard or arena etc.

🐴 Less movement - Perhaps like many people you are having to keep your horse stabled more than you’d like, your horse is in a smaller turnout space or he is just not inclined to move as much because he is parked at a hay bale and all of the grass has gone. Every system in the horses body thrives on movement to stay healthy so you can see how we can quickly run into issues when we are forced to restrict it.

If you need to add extra movement to your horse’s day it is much better to focus on calm movement like hand walking together and enrichment activities. This is much healthier for your horse than having their mouth/face yanked about because they’re too over threshold to contain themselves on the lunge. Being able to mooch and have a good roll in the arena can go a long way to helping them feel more settled.

🐴 Social concerns - if horses are being stabled more this means they’re spending more time alone and feeling isolated from their herd, this can be really stressful for horses. There is also the added stress of their friends being turned out/brought in at different times. Creating a plan so field mates aren’t left stressing without each other can really help. If two horses are good friends you can hand walk them together and let them groom each other too.

I won’t stable either of my horses any more, when they are “in” they are in a corral or large indoor pen together. Being together and having space to mooch between hay stations meets their needs so much better than individual stabling.

🐴 Weather stress - the weather in winter is generally more unsettled and naturally puts horses more on edge. High winds and relentless rain add to a horse’s stress load.

🐴 Gut health - there are so many factors that affect gut health. Seasonal hormonal changes, changes in diet such as moving from grass onto more hay, changes in the grass itself and higher-stress levels as discussed in the previous points. We want to make sure our horse’s have access to appropriate forage 24/7 so they are getting plenty of fibre, then we need to consider how to support them nutritionally and supplement where appropriate.

So there are several ideas to think about before you reach for your gloves and the lunge line, a horse exploding on the lunge is slamming loads of brace and stress into their already compromised body. There are other ways you can better support your horse which are healthier for his body and his mind. Let’s address the cause the best we can instead of just trying to manage the symptoms. 🐴

01/09/2025

Friday focus…choosing winter forage!

It’s that time of the year when many of us will be ordering our winter forage or thinking about doing so!

The forage our horses eat supplies the majority of their energy, so choosing wisely will be particularly helpful when managing any weight or health issues. This is what they eat the most of alongside grass, so it is this that will make the biggest difference!

As with any part of your horses ration, there are lots of factors to take into account. Are they good or poor doers? Do they need to lose, maintain or gain weight? How much exercise do they get and what are their energy requirements? How long are they stabled and do they have access to grass? Do they have any health concerns or respiratory issues?

For both hay and haylage, the early cuts can be highly nutritious, so would be more suitable for those with higher energy requirements and those that struggle to maintain weight. Sourcing forage higher in digestible energy (calories) will help save money on bucket feeds for the poor doers!

The later, 2nd or 3rd cut, stalkier types should be sought for the good doers as the digestible energy (calories) will be lower than the more nutritious first, early cut types. A few points for thought are below!

Hay

• Meadow hay can be more nutritious that single species hay such as ryegrass
• Hay can be more calorific than haylage
• Hay can be soaked, haylage cannot
• Hay can be dusty

Haylage

If you are feeding haylage, you need to feed MORE of it than hay, due to its higher moisture content, to ensure your horse is getting enough fibre! Hay is typically around 85-90% dry matter, whereas haylage is typically around 60-75% dry matter.

• haylage is a good option for those with respiratory issues
• it varies widely in nutrient content as does hay
• It is not ‘rocket fuel’!
• haylage can be suitable for laminitics
• it can be suitable for good doers!

Straw

• straw can make up 30-50% of the forage ration
• it is the best forage for donkeys and this should make up the main part of their forage ration
• it needs to be introduced very slowly to minimise the risk of an impaction
•full dental function is vital as it takes more chewing, so it would not suitable for those that have compromised dental function
• Oat, wheat or barley straws are all ok to feed, the main priority is that it is nice, clean straw
• Straw can be great to bulk out the rations for good doers and slow down the quick eaters as it takes more chewing

There is so much variation in the nutrient content of forages and it is not safe to assume that hay is better than haylage for laminitic types or that meadow hay or haylage is safer than ryegrass hay or haylage. It is also not safe to assume that the digestible energy (calories) is lower in hay than haylage!

Getting a good forage supplier, preferably one that specifically makes forage for horses will make all the difference if you are feeding for weight and / or health issues. Talk to them and discuss your horses needs with them, they will be able to help you choose the most suitable forage for your horse. Most of these suppliers will have an analysis of their forages for you to look at. You may pay a little more for the right forage, but if there are health or weight issues, the little extra you may pay, is well worth it.

25/08/2025

I’ve often thought this as I was taught liberty work under the name free schooling and it was Free. Schooling. Not just being chased loose around an arena. The horses I learnt from had free choice but often followed the requests from the human, but the humans also followed requests from the horses. It was a conversation, back and forth. It was beautiful and rewarding for all. The horses were relaxed and playful. And it made not just the relationship stronger but the language. The understanding between them. And isn’t that the point?