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| Last week we talked about fitting your future winter blanket.
This week we'll talk a bit about purchasing a blanket that is suited to the climate.
A non-waterproof blanket might come in handy in the dry deep of winter, but in spring and fall, the wet snow and rain will leave your horse miserable.
Look for blankets that advertise waterproof as well as breathable - it means the damp air off your horse can still escape. Stitched seams along the back can be sources of leaks - if your horse often shows up wet through his back seams, consider using tent waxing (found at a sporting goods store) to block those leaks.
Try looking for a blanket that has a high *denier*, that is, number of threads per inch. The higher the number, the less rippable the blanket material will be (a good quality winter blanket will usually be 1000-1200 denier).
A common lining is nylon, which can help prevent blanket rub as the nylon slips more easily across the horse's rub points (mainly point of shoulder and withers).
Wool is often used as a lining for a winter blanket, but be careful as wool or fleecy linings can pick up straw, shavings and dirt from the ground.
The wool also pulls hair out when shedding season arrives, which is great for the horse but bad for the washing machine!
Next week? |
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Past articles are all available in the
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| Last week we were ready to check our horses over carefully from head to toes and tail.
It is a good idea to do this with a brush and your hands. Starting at his head, check for cuts, scrapes and bumps on his muzzle, ears or near his eyes - injuries here may need extra care in the cold. Pay special attention to his legs - small swellings are not as noticeable when he has thick hair on his extremities.
Watch for signs of mud fever (scratches, greasy heel, pasture dermatitis, etc - postings on this can be found on Horse Talk). This is usually found on the back of the pastern and looks like scratches. It can have several causes, and will not heal well without help as the area dries then cracks again and again.
Another important area to check is his back - if your area offers more rain and wet snow than cold and ice, you will need to look out for rain rot or rain scald.
This is usually characterised with small bumps on his topline, and can usually be prevented by regular grooming, which breaks up the little clumps that hair form when wet on a regular basis.
If uncared for, bacteria builds up in these clumps, and the hair clumps can scab and fall out.
Check also for other injury sites, like cuts from ice, wire or other causes, swellings or tender areas, bites from other horses, anything that may need some TLC to heal with the colder temperatures.
While it may take a bit of time each week (or daily if you can!) to go over your horse, if you spot an injury soon after occurence and can treat it right away, it will be worth it!
Next week, we'll briefly cover shelters for your horses.
If you have tips or questions you'd like to share with other local equestrians, please mail them to kristi@hiway16.com |
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| Well, I might as well start on the ground, seeing as most of us aren't riding at this time of year anyway.
Winter is a good time to brush up on our horse's ground manners, and a great time to start playing with those young horses that will be going into some sort of training next year.
You can start on the ground with your horse in a halter and lead, preferably in an enclosed area with safe footing. If at all possible, work inside, like in a covered round pen or arena, or even an alleyway in the barn.
This has several advantages, one being simply that it is more comfortable for you than to be outside in the freezing cold weather! Seriously though, safe footing is important any time you are working with your horse, to avoid injuring your horse or yourself.
Remember that when you are leading your horse, you should stay near his head/neck area. Too far in front of him can allow him to run over you (which he just might do if he is startled!) and too far behind him, like back at his shoulder, can allow him to step over top of you should he decide to move towards you.
Start your walk by shifting your upper body forward - this gives your horse a body language cue that he will start to look for.
Cluck to him and start walking - assuming he already knows how to lead, he should step out with you. If he doesn't lead well, you may need to gently swat his hind end (not hitting with force) with the end of the lead rope as an encouragement to step away from the annoyance.
As your horse starts walking with you, keep your eyes up and shoulders back. This gives you a bit of a confident lead horse stance, and the horse is more likely to follow your judgement.
By removing the forward cues (body forward, tugs on the lead, clucking, etc), we reward him for stepping out with us. As you walk together, monitor where his attention is - if he is paying no attention to you at all, you can be in danger of being stepped on, so consider doing something to get his mind back on you, like asking him to stop.
In next week's column, we'll talk about stopping and other maneuvers you can do from the ground to make your horse safer and more fun to work with. |
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Western, English, Penning or Trail riding, all equine sports have a voice on Northern B.C. Horse.
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