Changes in temperature and bad weather can lead to various pathologies in horses 🐂 Fortunately, brands offer us multiple care products to prevent and/or heal certain ailments 🔥 Do you want to prepare your first aid kit for winter? Let's go! 🎈
What are the most common issues encountered in winter? 🤔
The cold and the arrival of rain/wind can be synonymous with several minor health problems. Indeed, food becomes scarce and grounds become softer, even muddy 🐴
This can lead to:
- A potential loss of condition in the horse with a change in diet that can sometimes be poorly assimilated by the stomach and/or liver.
- Scabs can form on the limbs, particularly on the limbs with pink skin (such as around the socks) due to a bacteria that generally develops in damp ground. This is called mud fever or dermatophilosis.
- Rot or damage to the hoof/frog of the horse. With the feet in damp ground, the hoof can encounter various issues such as frog rot, for example.
- Friction due to the equipment used. It is not uncommon to see scratch or friction marks on the horse in winter. Indeed, some blankets can irritate the shoulders, chest, or withers. Also, if you do not rinse your protective gear well before putting it on your horse, sand can burn certain areas of its skin.
- A chill after a session or a night that is too cold. Some horses are more sensitive to the cold than others and can therefore become ill in winter.
- Swelling of the limbs/moles due to the inactivity of the horse that stays close to its hay rack, for example.
How to prevent these various risks? 💖
Several products from different brands exist to limit the occurrence of these various pathologies and keep the horse healthy in the face of all these elements 🙌🏻
First of all, it is essential to worry about the overall physical condition of the horse. If it requires a veterinary opinion, do not hesitate to ask for it as soon as possible, before the horse faces the cold and extreme temperatures ✨
Our first recommendation is about a good hygiene of life at the hepatic and digestive level. It is crucial that your horse is wormed regularly and monitored 🐴
For this, we recommend using Natural'Protect, a natural dewormer that limits parasites and respects the intestinal flora 🎈
In a second phase, when you start the diet change for your horse, such as switching to hay and/or pellets, we recommend doing a small supplement course to support the liver 😇
Administer for one month, in a handful of pellets or in your horse's usual feed, the corresponding dose of this dietary supplement ✅
If your horse is particularly sensitive, and only after the deworming and then the liver treatment, you can continue by supporting the intestine in its daily functioning. Psyllium is a natural plant that will protect the walls of your horse's intestine, especially if it tends to ingest sand/soil 💕
With these 3 products, you should maintain a good functioning of your dog's digestive system, and thus limit the issues of weight loss as the cold approaches 🥰
Now let's move on to the most common pathology in winter: mud fever. There are now many products that will allow you to prevent its infection on your horse's limbs, or to cure it.
If you know that your horse is likely to be affected, or if you see that the ground it lives on is starting to become very wet, you can equip yourself with a prevention cream. Made in France, it will establish a protective film at the level of the pastern while disinfecting the skin to limit the establishment of bacteria 🔥
Unfortunately, if your horse is already affected, we recommend using a healing ointment that will nourish the skin and soothe the itching. You must not remove the existing scabs when applying this product; it will simply heal the skin irritations and close the small wounds. If necessary, you can also use this product as a preventive measure ✅
The hooves are, after all, the first to come into contact with the ground and moisture 🌧️
The sole can become more fragile and soft, which can potentially make the hoof more sensitive. The horse may then have reactions when walking on gravel, for example. But the frog can also be affected and rot from being in contact with mud. 🌲
We recommend, as autumn approaches, to switch from a light ointment to a dark ointment which will allow for homogeneous protection of the entire wall as well as the underside of the hoof ✨
And to prevent or heal a damaged frog, the Hoof solution is our best ally. It builds a kind of dressing between the horse's frog/sole and the mud or bedding of its stall. The hoof is thus healthy and, as they say, "no foot, no horse!" ❤️
Friction is quite regular in winter. To prevent it, one can equip oneself with a healing cream that will protect the irritated area and promote skin regeneration on the wound 🙌🏼
The hair will thus grow back more quickly and the skin will be protected after application 💕
If you notice that it forms more of a small wound than just a simple abrasion, you can beforehand equip yourself with a aluminum powder spray. This will serve as a true dressing on the little injury and limit bacterial aggressions or infections ✅
In winter, limit long sessions in the evening if you do not have a drying blanket and your horse is not clipped / tends to sweat a lot. However, this can also happen if the horse has not managed to grow enough coat to protect itself from the elements or the cold, so you must be very vigilant about its overall physical condition.
To support your horse and limit cold shocks, you can supplement with Nutrigarlic which will strengthen its general condition 😇
And to conclude, we can address the issue of limb swelling. With the distribution of hay and mud, horses tend to stay close to the feeder and/or shelters. Given that the ground is more delicate for moving around, they walk much less during the day and this can lead to swelling in their legs 🙈
To help them gain comfort, you can apply a specific clay that will improve blood circulation and tighten the tissues ❤️
If your horse lives in a box, or if you enjoy taking time during grooming or your preparation phases before a session, you can opt for boots Back On Track.
Thanks to their ceramic textile, the boots will produce heat that promotes blood circulation, the recovery of the limb, and relieves tension 🥰
