More advice from LINDA BELTON of George Veterinary Group’s Equine Clinic.

With the dark nights and wild winter weather truly with us, there may just be some time to put together a health plan for your horse.

The idea that prevention is better than cure certainly holds true, and a bit of forethought and planning can help.

With the time pressures many working horse owners have, improved organisation doesn’t go amiss, either.

Some issues relate individually to your horse. Annual vaccination is one.

Put the due date in the calendar now, so it doesn’t get forgotten, and use this date to get your horse’s teeth checked and rasped.

Some horses may require their teeth rasping more often than once a year, depending on their individual jaw conformation, any dental abnormalities and the type of work they do.

We can discuss this at the initial check and put future dates for teeth checks into the plan, depending on what we find. Likewise, some horses may require vaccination for flu more often than annually, depending on the rules of the governing body under which you are competing.

Basically, any competitions that are run under FEI rules require all horses to have received a flu vaccination within the last six months, so check you have everything in place.

Herpes boosters are usually given at six-monthly intervals, but this may vary with individual yard set-ups.

Other areas to consider for your plan include:
Farriery
Don’t wait until your horse is desperate to be shod before calling your farrier.

Your horse’s shoeing interval is governed by hoof growth, not shoe wear. Most horses need their feet trimming every five to six weeks, so put the dates on the planner and book up with your farrier in plenty of time.


Worming
This is best sorted out on an individual basis, taking into account your particular horse, the pasture management where he grazes and the care and management of the other horses on the same pasture.

A one-size-fits-all approach is not the best. We should use wormers responsibly to ensure they remain effective for our horses.

Give us a call for advice on the best way to worm your horse to keep him healthy.
Clipper care
Keep clipper blades well sharpened and disinfected between horses.

Sharp, clean blades reduce the risk of skin problems, post-clipping.

Get blades sharpened at the end of the clipping season, so they are ready for the next autumn.

This avoids the temptation to ‘have a go’ with last year’s blades!


Feed and Forage
Ensure feed bins are thoroughly emptied and cleaned so no mouldy bin ends remain.

If storing quantities of hay/haylage or straw, make sure you use oldest first, rather than stacking the new delivery at the front of the barn.


Rug cleaning and repair
Get this done as soon as you can, at the end of the winter. Leaving rugs covered in grease and dirt is not great for hygiene, and you never know when you may need the rug again quickly.

Rugs don’t all have to be commercially cleaned.

A suitable disinfectant, scrubbing brush and elbow grease, along with some sunshine, does a good job too.


Weigh tape
Get hold of a good weigh tape and get into the habit of using it every month to monitor your horse or pony’s weight.

If they get too fat during the winter, you increase the risk of problems when the spring grass comes through. The earlier you spot unexpected weight loss, the easier it is to correct.

To make the plan more exciting, some fun dates such as competitions or sponsored rides make good additions.

Maybe it’s time to start looking forward to next spring already!