This page is on how to look after a horse in Spring and summer......... Please also read the Laminitis page to familiarise your self on this terrible disease. As we approach spring Laminitis is the danger period. Although it can effect horses and ponies any time of the year so sad when Shrek was put to sleep from Laminitis one December a few years back :-(

This was ourShrek.

Caddy and Dimby both wear fly rugs in the spring and summer to keep the flies away. your horse will hate flies and sometimes the fly bites can be nasty. I also use a fly spray (this is specially designed for horses) from my local tack shop or you can buy it on line from http://www.robinsons-uk.com/ you can also buy fly rugs and masks at a reasonable price from here.

You may also want a light weight waterproof rug should our British spring and summer turn a bit chilly .

Caddy wears a Gurdian mask . Caddys eye mask is to help prevent his eyes getting anymore damage from the sun and these as far as I am aware Guardian masks have the highest UV protection here is the link http://www.guardianmask.com/

The mask has 2 discs that help prevent rubbing and also removable for washing or replacing. Caddy has had his mask for nearly 3 years now and his uveitis has not got any worse. No I do not get paid for advertising this I just think that this has really prevented Caddys eye sight getting worse

Symptoms of Uveitis are:

Increased tearing

Squinting

Sensitive to sunlight

Redness and or swelling of the tissues surrounding the eye

Cloudiness or discolouration of the eye

You may not think your horse is in pain but he will more than likely have an headache to a severe

migraine, A vet needs to be called as soon as any of the symptoms appear to avoid further damage

and more pain for your horse. Remember your horse can easily become blind from this if left 

untreated

If your horse has any pink around his nose, lips or around his heels then he will need a complete sunblock to prevent sun burn. Caddy has a pink bit on his nose and his mouth so he has sunblock applied twice a day. I make sure it is waterproof so that it doesn't come off when he is drinking water. If he has pink areas near his eyes and or ears I would recommend  using a good full face mask that covers his ears and has a high UV to help prevent sun burn. This horse has a sunburnt nose!

It is very important that your horse always has clean drinking water in his field, as he can drink up to 10 gallons ( over 37 litres ) a day or more. Each horse is different some may drink more or less. But you should always make sure that  your horse is not without enough clean drinking water, remember this is vital! 

Caddy and Dimby have a salt lick in their field this is to ensure that they are  getting enough minerals that they need, because in the spring and summer we  do not feed them like we do in the winter so they need a mineral replacement.

If we have a dry summer or you have little grazing then you may need to give additional forage in the form of hay as horses are constant grazes and need to have forage.... but also remember that we don't want to over feed either as fat horses are just at much risk of health problems as thin horses. But at the same time you don't want to starve it as this can cause all sorts of

complications. If you are not sure what to do speak to your local feed merchant or I have in the past contacted  Dodson and Horrell for advice

 http://www.dodsonandhorrell.com/

I have on horses Health page a bit on over weight horses and underweight horses

  http://www.tonette.co.uk/photo_album1.html

This tool is what I use for poo picking and it really makes it easier...... always poo pick this is to help prevent your horse getting worms Also it will help to keep the weeds down in your paddock. Ideally you should poo pick daily, but if you are not able to do this then no longer than every 3 days. If you have to get rid of your own muck heap (poo pile) you could either: Bag it up and sell it, ask your local allotment if they want it or some farmers will come and take it away for you at a cost   

When you poo pick always look out for ragwort. I always get ragwort as soon as I see one. Believe it or not this plant can cause serious illness and even death to your horse. Please click on this link it will give more pictures to spot this dreaded plant and it also tells you the damage it can do

www.horsetrust.org.uk/pdfs/noragwort.pdf  

Horses will eat this if they are hungry, it is very toxic to them I cannot tell you how important it is to get this up. You can buy a special ragwort tool but I bought mine from a DIY shop just a normal big weed tool that is half the price of a ragwort fork but it does the job. Ragwort is poisonous to us humans too, so wear gloves! 

Ragwort has crinkley leaves and grows very tall, you will see them often in the English country side or at the side of roads growing.  You should  never have any in your field this is part of looking after your horse to make sure that you don't...... it is your horse so your responsibility. Yes I agree it is a pain to keep on top of it, but if you dig it up in the spring then you shouldn't get so much as the summer develops.

  Ragwort in early growrth

Although it has a bitter taste to horses, some horses develop a liking for it and others will eat it if there is nothing else to eat. Death from ragwort poisoning can be prevented if we get rid of it as soon as it comes through, if you have a lot of ragwort you can get a specialist in to spray it for you, this would also get rid of other weeds too.  For me I have to dig ours up because Dimby has had laminitis and  Caddy tends to put weight on so we don't want over rich grass. While I am poo picking I look out for rabbit holes and fill them in and any other dangers in the field.                    

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Always remember to keep checking your paddocks and even when you are not riding still spend time with your horse grooming him :-) don't forget to check him over daily ( at least twice a day) and pick his feet out .....it is better to find a problem as it starts before something gets too bad :-( 

email tonette777@gmail.com