Not riding? Or cutting back? Turning away?

27 March 2020

Horses doing little or no work may not need shoes, but newly unshod hooves may need a bit of support to keep strong and healthy. Help harden the outsides with Organic Cider Vinegar, diluted 50:50 with water and swabbed or sprayed onto clean, picked and brushed soles, frogs, white line, bars and clefts. Support from the inside with one of our forage balancers containing seaweed, such as Total Eclipse (most economical as fed in small amounts) or Simple Balance + which is a very palatable, pelleted forage balancer. Or add Pure Ocean Seaweed at the rate of 10g per 100kg of ideal weight. Horses that are turned away may need very little care other than regular checks but a small daily feed will ensure that they are keeping well, don’t turn feral and is an excellent guide to health – one of the main indicators of being unwell is lack of appetite. And it is a nice thing to do, helping maintain a bond with your horse. Give a daily measure of your favourite forage balancer from our range, mixed with your horse’s preferred chop – Organic LucieStalks is low calorie, as also is Timothy Chop. Dampen well and you are good to go! A Salt Lick Tub can be left for the horse to use at will. All horses should have access to salt. There may not be scientific evidence that they are able to self-regulate but for sure us horse owners have observed that they do seem to use salt licks and more so in hot weather and when they have been sweating. If nothing else, it is some environmental enrichment! Keep on enjoying your horses, caring for them and loving them, even if you have elected not to ride so much. And most of all, keep yourself safe from the virus by following all the guidelines.