A Bitter Spring - Horses and Dealing With Cold Weather

Sadly, winter isn't over just yet!

It's getting brisk outside again, with up to 6-7 feet of snow falling in some areas of the U.K.! So we thought now's about as good a time as any to remind you about what you can do to stay prepared and ready to battle these Arctic conditions, to make sure your horse is as warm and toasty as you are, and nice and healthy throughout this last little winter stretch.

Winter Tips (And yes, we know it's supposed to be SPRING already!) 

Keeping your horse healthy during cold, wintry weather requires a bit of planning precaution. During spates of extreme weather such as we've been having recently all across Britain usually make it difficult to turn out your horses, and isn't advised until it has settled. But usually a horse, when it has a choice, will often choose to remain outside, even in the coldest conditions, due to their thick winter coat.

However, if you choose to keep your horses outside during the winter, it is still your responsibility to give your animals some form a shelter; a place where they can get out of the wind and snow if need be.

Perhaps the main concern with turnout in icy conditions however, is for stabled horses, who are much more prone to injuries due to slipping. 

As for exercising your horse during this time, you need to be careful about cooling him down afterwards without getting chilled. Deep snow can be hard on your horses’ tendons, so ride in good footing. 

Apart from that, with a bit of good prep and a keen eye, you can weather these last few winter storms and your horses' natural instincts and self-preservation tactics in the face of harsh conditions will take care of the worst and with a bit of common sense and organisation, the two of you can make it through the other side to a bright beautiful Spring and with any luck a stunning summer - we've certainly deserved it!

ALSO - For information on Winter Rugs for that extra bit of warmth, be sure to check out TicTac Equestrian

To rug or not to rug - advice on winter horse rugs

For a great selection of rugs,
check out the Tic Tac Equestrian store

Horse rugs form an essential part of proper modern horse care, and a lot of thought needs to go into deciding when and on what occasions to use different types of rugs. However, this doesn't need to be confusing and does not take long to get into a useful routine. 

To help you with this area of horse care, we've compiled a series of helpful tips, highlighting notable differences between all common rug types and when or when not to use them: 

Turnout Rugs

A horse turnout rug is generally used throughout all seasons (with the exception of the middle of summer) to keep the horse warm and dry out in the pasture. Of course, horses are naturally built to withstand winter weather by growing thick coats and as a result, they have the ability to stay warm in the winter without the use of turnout rug, if they aren't clipped. However, many horse owners tend to use rugs anyway.

Winter Turnout rugs

Throughout the winter, you will likley need a turnout rug that is much thicker; one which is both windproof and waterproof to keep your horse warm in all conditions. For a full selection of winter rugs, feel free to visit the Tic Tac store.

Spring/Summer rugs

On milder days, your choice of horse rug will need to be less thick, as there is less need for maintaining a horse's body heat. Many rugs that fall into this category are generally just meant to keep off summer showers and breezes although some of these, which have extra layers underneath, can still be used in the winter.

Stable blankets are also an essential piece of horse equipment to ensure comfort, care and protection throughout the winter months and as the name suggests, they are designed primarily to be used in the stable to keep the horse warm. Stable horse rugs are generally not waterproof, however, these can be used underneath a turnout rug to increase warmth.

As for other types of horse rugs, fly sheets help to keep off flies in the summer which can cause irritation or even lead to potentially serious diseases in horses. Whereas Show Rugs are used to protect a horse’s coat before a horse show to ensure that you don’t have to do any extra grooming.

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!!

Horse Hoof care tips

We're all ready for a bit of rough and tumble come winter time. Our skin can feel the wrath of winter winds, while our extremities run the risk off snapping off due to the cold! Ok, an exaggeration perhaps, but when it comes to the horse, there are plenty of things to make sure you keep an extra special eye on over the winter months. And one of those is the horse's hoof. Hooves on horses and ponies are prone to damage and infection, especially in the wet winter months. 

So, we've stuck together a few tips to help you take good care of your horse's hooves this winter.

Pick out your horse's feet - A little basic perhaps, but it is easily the single most important thing you can do for your horse's hooves. Each time you clean your horse's hooves, take an extra couple of minutes after you've pried out any packed debris to gently clear the crevice of the frog, and scrape any remaining bits of matter off the sole, with the tip of the pick. You want to be able to see the sole's entire surface, so finish the job with a stiff brush. Some hoof picks come with brush attached, or you can buy a brush separately and inexpensively.
When picking out the feet, look for signs of...

• Thrush -  its early stage is simple to treat and is indicated by a foul smell and dark ooze from the cleft of the frog. Later, the frog becomes cheesy in texture. Some horses--especially those with upright, narrow feet with deep clefts that tend to trap more dirt, debris, and manure--are predisposed to thrush even when well cared for. If you think your horse has an early case, ask your farrier to check.

• Puncture - If a nail or other object pierces your horse's sole and then falls out, the entry wound will probably be invisible by the time you pick his feet and you'll be unaware of it until it causes an abscess. In some cases the object remains in place, to be discovered when you brush the last bits of dirt from the sole. DON'T PULL IT OUT. Put your horse in his stall (protect the punctured foot, and help the foreign object stay put, with wrapping and duct tape, or with a slip-on medication boot), and call your veterinarian right away. An X-ray of the foot can show how far the object has penetrated and which structures are involved. (If you pick your horse's feet out regularly, you'll find the problem within a few hours of its occurrence.) Then your veterinarian can remove the object and advise a course of treatment.

• Cracks - Some cracks are superficial; others can worsen without appropriate shoeing. If you notice a crack in your horse's hoof, call your farrier and describe its location and size so he can decide whether it needs attention now or can wait until the next regular shoeing.

• Abscess - If your horse's digital pulse feels stronger than usual and/or is foot is warmer than normal to the touch, this could be because of an abscess inside the hoof from a badly placed shoeing nail, a bruise, or an overlooked sole puncture. Your routine check can alert you to the problem and get your veterinarian or farrier involved before your horse. If you find increased heat and a stronger-than-usual digital pulse in both front feet, and if he's shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot, call your veterinarian immediately. These are signs of laminitis, an inflammatory condition that can cause severe hoof damage--and, if not treated promptly, can even be fatal.

Learn how to remove a shoe - yes, you! Many farriers are glad to teach clients how to do this (and may even have used tools you can buy inexpensively). If you can remove a sprung or shifted shoe, you may save your horse unnecessary pain and hoof damage and make life easier for your farrier or veterinarian.

Try not to turn out in deep, muddy footing - Hours of standing in mud may encourage thrush or scratches (a skin infection in the fetlock area that can cause lameness). Mud is hard on shoes, too: The suction of deep mud can drag off a shoe already loosened by alternating wet and dry conditions. Mud also makes picking up his feet a harder job; if your horse is slow about getting his front feet out of the way, he may end up pulling off the heels of his front shoes because he's stepping on them with his back toes.

Winter care for the competing horse

As we think about popping on our Christmas jumpers, preparing for the almost inevitable Winter White-out, it's important we don't forget about our horses either! Especially show horses, whose health is of the utmost important, particularly over the cold confines of these winter months. 

Horses and ponies do require some additional care and attention through the winter but are genuinely much better equipped for the seasonal changes than we are! For instance, your horse, unless you clip him, does in fact do his own winter preparation. Horses can grow thick coats of fur that help ward off the cold, wind, rain and snow. As an owner, it's up to you to provide a suitable atmosphere and environment in which to hole up in over the winter, as well as all of the important care, feeding and exercise to keep you horse healthy throughout the winter.


Water intake - Proper intake of water is essential for horses during the winter. There is a greater risk of dehydration due to decreases in water consumption - unfrozen, even warmed, water will increase hay intake and stimulate water intake.


Blanketing - If your horse is not clipped, then the blanket might compress a horse's natural winter coat and upset his natural thermostat. If it's raining,  there are few blankets that will stay dry and help contain the horse's body heat. Even heavy rugs allow water to under-run them. And it is worse to have a soaking blanket on a wet horse than none at all.

Diseases caused by inactivity - Horses in box stalls will tend to get stiff legs, and run the risk of going lame from lack of exercise over the winter months. And in older horses, any conditions such as arthritis could worsen. Horses in these kinds of conditions are also more prone to common conditions such as colic, and respiratory problems due to the lack of fresh air. 

Pasture or stall? There are many opinions on this, but it's not always a case of one over the other. For example, if you have both stall and pasture, your horse can surely get the best of all worlds, if you work them in well together.

As for Exercise - Generally there is no reason to alter your riding routine because of the winter weather. As a loose rule of thumb - your horse can take it if you can. But it is recommended that you shouldn't ride in the winter, in order to give your horse some time for well-deserved rest and rehabilitation after long periods of competition.

It shouldn't take too long, after a decent bout of rest, to bring a previously well-conditioned and seasoned endurance horse up to condition. However, much younger horses, or horses that aren't well-conditioned or used to competing in endurance riding will likely take a little longer to get back in great riding condition.