Changes in temperature and bad weather can cause many pathologies in horses 🍂 Fortunately, brands offer us multiple care products to prevent and/or cure certain conditions 🔥 You want to prepare your ailment kit for winter ? Let's go ! 🌈
What are the problems we most often encounter in winter? 🧐
The cold and the arrival of rain/wind can be synonymous with several small health problems. Indeed, food is becoming scarce and the land is becoming softer, even muddy 🐴
This can lead to :
- A potential loss of condition in the horse with a change in diet which can sometimes be poorly assimilated by the stomach and/or liver.
- Scabs can form on the limbs , particularly the limbs with pink skin (such as on the balzanes) due to a bacteria which generally develops in moist soil. This is called mud fever or dermatophilosis.
- Rot or damage to the horse's foot/fork . By having its feet in damp ground, the hoof can encounter various problems such as frog rot, for example.
- Friction due to the material used. It is not uncommon to see scratches or rubbing marks on horses in winter. In fact, certain blankets can irritate the shoulders, chest or withers. Also, if you do not rinse your protection/equipment well before putting it on your horse, the sand can burn certain surfaces of its skin.
- A cold snap , after a session or a night that is too cold. Some horses are more chilly than others and can therefore become ill in winter.
- Swelling of the limbs/wheels due to inactivity of the horse which remains near its hay rack for example.
How can we prevent these various risks? 💖
Several products from different brands exist to limit the appearance of these various pathologies and keep the horse in good health by dealing with all these elements 🙌🏼
Firstly, it is essential to worry about the overall physical condition of the horse. If this requires veterinary advice , do not hesitate to ask for it as soon as possible, before the horse faces cold and extreme temperatures ✨
Our first recommendation concerns a healthy lifestyle at the liver and digestive level. It is essential that your horse is dewormed on a regular and controlled basis 🐴
For this, we recommend the use of Natural'Protect , a natural dewormer which limits parasites and respects the intestinal flora 🌈
Secondly, when you start changing your horse's diet , such as switching to hay and/or pellets, we recommend that you take a small course of food supplement to support the liver 😇
Administer for one month , in a handful of pellets or in your horse's usual ration, the dose corresponding to this food supplement ✅
If your horse is particularly sensitive , and only following deworming and then liver treatment, you can continue by helping the intestine in its daily functioning. Psyllium is a natural plant that will act to protect the walls of your horse's intestine, especially if he tends to ingest sand/earth 💕
With these 3 products, you should maintain good functioning of your little one's digestive system , and therefore limit the problems of loss of condition as the cold approaches 🥰
Let's now continue with the most common pathology in winter: mud fever . There are now many products that will allow you to prevent infection on your horse's limbs, or to cure it.
If you know that your horse is likely to be affected, or you see that the ground on which he lives is starting to become very humid, you can equip yourself with a prevention cream . Made in France, it will establish a protective film at the level of the pastern while disinfecting the skin to limit the establishment of bacteria 🔥
Unfortunately, if your horse is already affected , we recommend using a healing ointment which will nourish the skin and soothe the itching. You should definitely not remove existing scabs when you apply this product, it will simply heal skin irritations and close small wounds. If necessary, you can also use this product for prevention ✅
The hooves are also the first in contact with the ground and humidity 🌧
The sole may become more fragile and soft , which can potentially make the hoof more sensitive. The horse then risks having reactions when walking on gravel, for example. But the fork can also be affected and rot from being in contact with the mud. 🍂
As autumn approaches, we recommend switching from a blond ointment to a black ointment which will evenly protect the entire wall as well as the underside of the hoof ✨
And to prevent or cure a damaged fork , the Hoof solution is our best ally. He constructs a sort of bandage between the horse's frog/sole and the slush or litter of his stall. The hoof is thus healthy and, as they say, “no foot, no horse!” ❤️
Friction is fairly regular in winter. To prevent them, we can therefore equip ourselves with a healing cream which will protect the area of irritation and promote skin reconstruction on the wound 🙌🏼
The hair will grow back more quickly and the skin will be protected after application 💕
If you notice that it forms more of a small wound than a simple friction, you can first use a spray based on aluminum powder . The latter will constitute a real dressing on the little sore and will limit bacterial attacks or infections ✅
In winter, limit large sessions in the evening if you do not have a drying rug and your horse is not clipped/tends to sweat a lot. However, this can also happen if the horse has not managed to grow enough hair to protect itself from bad weather or the cold, so you must be very vigilant about its overall physical condition .
To support your horse and limit cold spells , you can supplement it with Nutrigarlic which will strengthen its general condition 😇
And finally, we can address the issue of limb engorgement . With the distribution of hay and slush, horses tend to stay near the rack and/or shelters. Since the ground is more delicate to move around on, they walk much less during the day and this can lead to swelling in their paws 🙈
To help them gain comfort , you can apply a specific clay which will improve blood circulation and tighten the tissues ❤️
If your horse lives in the box , or you like to take time during grooming or your preparation phases before session, you can opt for Back On Track gaiters .
Thanks to their ceramic textile , the gaiters will produce heat which promotes blood circulation , limb recovery and relief of tension 🥰
