Internationally certified riding instructor, trainer, and coach. Writer, podcaster, and lover of all things equine. My goal is to help women transform their relationship with their horse and, ultimately, themselves - one breath at a time.
November already? It's time to think about winter horse care!
It seems impossible that it's already November. I spent the first of the month in bed with a reaction to my second Shingles vaccine - a temperature of 101, headache, chills, aches - not fun! Today I worked from home, but took feeding duties back over from my husband who's fed for me the last couple of days. The horses are getting fuzzier by the minute, and Laddie was caked in mud. I always take this as a good sign, since it means he was able to roll AND get back up - always good for a 32 year-old horse to be able to do! Bella is far less inclined to get coated in mud - probably because she has a nice fine Thoroughbred coat and is easier to groom than Laddie, who resembles a Yak in the winter :-)
This is a picture of the two of them from last month. Laddie is in the foreground - he doesn't look bad for 32, but I'd like to get some more weight on him before winter.
I'm feeding him Blue Seal Sentinel Senior and Manna Pro Senior Weight Accelerator. I love the Sentinel because it soaks down well, which is great for an older horse. My vet and dentist are coming to do their teeth next week, so that will help his weight as well.
Bella has the opposite issue - she can stay "well-upholstered" on air (kind of like her owner :-). She is also on the Sentinel Senior, but is NOT on the Weight Accelerator!
Because the weather can be variable (to put it mildly) in VA in the fall, I'm probably going to give Laddie a Bib Clip, which will help him not get too sweaty in the 70 degree days we can get in October and November, but still keep him comfortable when it cools down.
That's about it for this week. Next week I'll try to get a few pics of the horses getting their teeth done.
Hit reply and let me know what you do to prepare your horses for winter - I'd love to hear from you!!
Best,
Penny
The Horsey Life
Internationally certified riding instructor, trainer, and coach. Writer, podcaster, and lover of all things equine. My goal is to help women transform their relationship with their horse and, ultimately, themselves - one breath at a time.
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