Use Winter Wisely
If a vet suggests that you 'Use Winter Wisely' for your horse or pony it means that it is a natural (and healthy!) way for a horse or pony to lose weight and reduce their risk of laminitis or cushing's come springtime.
Ideally horses and ponies should have healthy body condition throughout the year which means allowing them to follow natural fluctuations in condition; losing it in winter to make way for natural weight gain in the spring when the lush grasses arrive again. Unfortunately equine obesity rates are high in the UK and owners are often poor at recognising that their horse is overweight and miss the opportunity to take advantage of the drop in temperatures where more calories are used to keep the horse or pony's body temperature up and the ability to better control caloric intake.
Weight gain/obesity has a significant impact on whether a horse or pony will be impacted by laminitis or cushing's disease. If your horse is overweight or even good condition - allowing them to naturally lose weight over the winter is so important in helping to ensure good long term health. If you'd like advice on on the condition of your horse please call us on 01782 510502 and also look for posts in the coming days on how to check body condition yourself and tips to take advantage of the winter weather.
P.S. For elderly horses or those with poor body condition going into winter - the needs for these horses and ponies are very different and keeping weight on is crucial. We'll also be sharing tips for these circumstances...
-
Previous
-
Next
