Equine Dental Issues

Photo - Rachel Cowan

Horses have big beautiful smiles, full of great big powerful teeth. However, in lieu of electric toothbrushes and mouthwash, it's up to you as a horse owner to make sure those gnashers are in tip-top condition!

There are a number of unwanted conditions that can arise as a result of poor dental care in horses, or general wear and tear. However, have no fear as there are a number of ways to combat these as well as a number of truly helpful organisations that have a few handy tips to keep your horse in good health!

The British Association of Equine Dental Technicians (BAEDT) have a plethora of helpful information on their website to help you properly identify potentially harmful conditions involving the teeth and gums of your horse, with plenty of tips on how to combat them.

Give them a visit - here 

Winter Feed Changes in Horses

Horses feeding in Winter Christmas time is always fun for horses. Winter weather means spending more time in the stall and as a result - less riding. As a result, it would make sense that a horse would need fewer calories over the winter. However, during prolonged periods of cold weather, a horse burns more calories to generate body heat and maintain its normal core temperature. In the past, some horse owners used to add corn to horse feed over winter to help them generate more body heat and reduce the stress and harsh effects of cold weather. Alternatively you can substitute two pounds of hay for each reduced pound of grain fed daily. When less than half a percent of the horse’s body weight is fed daily in grain, consider supplementing with a speciality feed. This ensures that the horse is still receiving the right amounts of vitamins and minerals at the reduced feeding rate.  Making sure that horses have good access to unlimited warm water can help encourage horses to drink more and prevent impaction colic. When a horse drinks cold water, they use extra energy to replace the heat lost and instinctively they tend to drink less. Making sure your horse has an adequate water intake ensures that the fibre in the digestive system stays hydrated, which allows it to be broken down by intestinal bacteria. This makes it much less likely to cause blockages. Mixing salt, mineral supplements, and electrolytes into a horse’s feed can also simulate a horse to drink more water. Regular exercise over the winter period can also aid the movement of the gut and reduce the risk of colic. It is also sensible to keep a watchful eye over the weight of your horse. An unclipped horse’s winter coat can make it difficult to check the horse’s body condition, the owner should use a weight tape or scale monthly to check the horse’s weight. This allows the owner to adjust the feeding program as needed and to keep the horse in peak physical condition and ready for warmer weather.

Rain Scald

Rainscald is a common skin disease found in horses during times of particularly bad wet weather. It is caused by a type of bacteria called D. Congolensis and commonly found in moist, tropical areas, but can  can also be found in wet northern environments such as our own.

Rainscald causes serious irritation of and infection of the skin, culminating in painful legions and scabs. Thankfully, the disease normally heals on its own, but scabs can be softened with benzoyl peroxide and chlorhexidine and removed in order to speed the healing process. Just ask your vet for more information.

When grooming the horse, be extremely gentle and avoid brushing from affected to unaffected areas, and avoid sharing grooming equipment with other horses. Typically the disease is not life threatening, nor does it impact the welfare of the horse, so treatments are more for the owner's sake of mind and cosmetic appeal of the animal.

However, in order to prevent rainscald, it is important to stop the spread of bacteria. Tick and insect control - another major cause for the disease to spread - is an effective way to stop the spread of the bacteria from one animal to another. Separating and quarantining infected animals will also help to stop the spread of bacterial infection. Keeping the animal in a dry, well-ventilated area out of the rain and wet conditions will stop the bacteria from growing.

Keeping Fit Over Winter and Losing Christmas Fat

Make sure your horses get plenty of Exercise this Winter

Forget Christmas shopping - want to know one of the toughest challenges of the festive season? Losing that winter weight of course! 

Now, one of the most satisfying things to do over Christmas is bulk up on the fat and devour pretty much everything in sight. But there comes a point where we need cut a few pounds and get everything back in working order. 

Horses are no different, so here's a few tips on how to use exercise to stay fit, healthy and in great shape over Christmas.

Trails are a great place to start. They help take the “boring” out of a really long ride, and the different terrain and obstacles are great for your horse, too. Some ideas:

Walk up hills - This builds your horse’s rear, and helps with canter work. Horses can walk up quite steep hills, but start out with smaller ones at first, and be sure to check the footing.

Trot over small, fallen logs - This will make your horse pick his legs up higher, building muscle. For a back-muscle workout, walk over small logs going uphill and downhill. This causes horses to pick up their shoulders and use their back muscles, therefore increasing self-carriage and collection ability.

Trot (slowly) downhill - This builds the back leg strength needed for jumping, and can actually help your horse jump higher and do better extensions. As an even harder workout, start out trotting downhill at a medium-slow trot, and then slow to a very collected trot. This exercise uses momentum to make it harder. Remember to only trot down slight to medium hills, never steep ones.

Trot and canter up medium hills - Horses will naturally trot and canter with a longer, loftier stride uphill, and so this will increase fitness for eventually doing the same back on flat ground. Also, you can add extra weight with saddlebags full of water bottles or weights for a cardiovascular workout, also good for the leg muscles.

Jump! - Jumping can improve fitness in any horse, no matter the discipline, and it is fun. Start low, and increase height gradually.

Always warm up and cool down before every ride, to prevent colic and pulled tendons.

If possible, ride every day - Never let a horse sit in his stall all week and then ride him hard on the weekends.

Getting a horse in shape takes time. It may take longer for older horses to get their muscular body to be healthy, so have patience!

Remember, always have fun with your horse - make sure that he is having fun as much as you are! As any rider knows, the ultimate goal of riding is to be a partner with your horse, not a dictator!!

Shelter for horses over Winter

Winter is a good time to consider installing a shelter

It's getting chilly out now! But don't worry, when it comes to sheltering your horse over winter, you won't need a draft-free barn with central heating. Believe it or not, Horses are far better equipped to endure the harsh winter months than we are! 

Having evolved over thousands of years from much harsher and wilder conditions, the modern Horse has no problem facing the rain, wind or cold during Christmas time and beyond. However, if it's a vicious case of all three (an average day in Glasgow then?!) then even the toughest horses do tend to head for shelter. 

If there is no shelter available, they turn their tail to the wind, lower their heads, shiver to keep warm and maintain their average body temperature and basically, as only horses can do, ride out the storm.

Despite this, Horse owners should not consider it cruel to leave horses outside in the winter weather, provided that they are in an environment that allows them to exercise to stay warm, has a wind break, and has an elevated place to stand where they are not up to their knees in a soup of mud, manure and urine. 

However, having a wind break - something to stop the force of wind, say a wooden structure or panel built into the hill - and some kind of shelter is much more important in especially cold weather, particularly the combination of rain/snow and wind, in order to help prevent wind chill. 

For more info on horse supplies and products, please visit Tic Tac Equestrian.

Stable Management

Keep your yard in order with proper Stable Management 

If you're lucky enough to have a beautiful four-legged addition to your family this Christmas, we have decided to give you a few tips to help you with your horses and stable management!

Stabling
Loose boxes are the most common form of stabling. Each horse must have room to lie down, stand up and be able to turn in comfort. The recommended minimum box size for horses is 3.66m x 3.66m (12ft x 12ft) and 3.05m x 3.05m (10ft x 10ft) for ponies. These are minimums and must take into consideration the size of the horse or pony.

Bedding
Bedding is essential to provide warmth, comfort and protection against cold weather and injury. It should be non-toxic and provide effective drainage to maintain a dry bed, and should consist of straw, wood shavings (or mixes), paper or chopped cardboard. Other less favoured alternatives include peat and sawdust, but these options are not ideal. Bedding must be dry and free of dust and mould, so ensure you have a good quality supplier.

Stable Hygiene
Droppings and wet bedding should be removed at least twice a day. Loose hay and feed should be swept out of the stable and both the stable and yard should be kept clean and tidy.

Fire Hazards
All electrical wires and light switches should be out of reach of both horses and rodents and be properly earthed. Piles of used bedding should be stored well away from the stable yard and smoking should not be allowed in the yard area. All fire extinguishers and fire alarms should be checked regularly and fire exits should be kept clear.

Winter Bedding for your Horse

Over the Christmas period, and Winter in general, is a prime time to think about the comfort and warmth of your horses as they spend longer hours in the stable and are generally more vulnerable to the effects of the seasonal weather.

Horse Bedding is a great place to start and high quality bedding for horses is, you'll be glad to hear, not too hard to come by.

High-absorption bedding will, as you might guess, absorb water waste much better and will also help reduce the level of ammonia odour that can build up in your horse or pony's stall. Also, the more absorbent the bedding, the less of it you will need, which means you won't have to dispose of quite as much, saving you time and effort in the long run.

Your horse's health comes first. Wet or even damp bedding can soften your horse's hooves, leaving them susceptible to a range of nasty bacterial infections so make sure you do your best to keep your bedding warm and toasty! 

All bedding should also be low in dust as this can cause respiratory problems in horses. On the other hand, if you use bedding that doesn't absorb quite well enough, this can lead to the release of excess ammonia, which can also irritate your horse's respiratory system as well as your own. However, practising good mucking methods will help combat the build-up of waste so that you can get the most out of your bedding materials, and your horse! 

What are Some of the Horse Bedding Choices?

Straw - Perhaps the most common choice for horse bedding over the years, although many horse owners today favour processed wood shavings instead. Straw is often relatively inexpensive although it might not as absorbent as other available types of bedding, but it does provide a soft, comfy bed for your horse.

Sawdust and Wood Shavings - Sawdust is high-absorbing, but best to avoid if your horse is prone to respiratory problems. Processed wood shavings, however, are generally much cleaner, not to mention low in dust and free of other harmful materials.

Rubber Matting - Many advantages such as being completely dust free, drains well and is warm. The initial cost to put in rubber matting can be high, but the recurring costs to maintain bedding can be very low. It is very safe for your horse. Many horse owners add a little bedding, such as straw, to make a bed comfortable enough for you horse to lie in or if the drainage under the matting is not adequate.

Shredded Paper and Cardboard - Inexpensive, absorbent and comfortable. It does, however, require a large amount in order to create a decent-sized bed. But paper and cardboard bedding keeps your horse cleaner than other bedding products and does provide warmth.

For more information on horse supplies and accessories, contact us at Tic Tac Equestrian.com