Winter is here: let’s get ready for spring!

As we find ourselves in another Lockdown here in England, you’ll probably have noticed all the attention has swiftly turned back to exercise and keeping fit! Cue the return of Joe Wicks, online yoga and home gyms being dusted off once again. One key difference between the last lockdown and this one is the unlimited exercise allowed outdoors.

While some restrictions remain on what we can do with our horses, this is also the time of year that experts warn about spring obesity. It may seem a long way off, but we’ll be back to too much grass in no time. What we do now to keep our horses in good shape throughout winter will help them to go into spring at a healthy weight.

One of these actions is, of course, regular exercise, but for those non-ridden and retired equines just like ours here at Remus, sensible feeding is also very important to help them shed any unnecessary pounds.

A recent article in Horse & Hound outlines some important points; from understanding that winter grass does still contain calories and should be rationed if appropriate, to soaking hay to reduce sugar content.

Winter is tough for everyone but making small tweaks to your horse’s routine and management will help him stay safe and healthy into the new year.

Read Horse & Hound’s article in full here.

If you’d like to help with our animals food over winter, please visit our online shop or make a donation.