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Seasonal Horse Care

Seasonal horse care includes special care topics for summer, spring, winter, and fall since every season has its own horse management concerns. For instance, spring horse care involves introducing horses to lush pasture safely, spring cleaning the barn, cleaning tack areas, removing blankets, changes in feeding requirements, etc. Meanwhile, winter horse care involves possible changes to nutrition requirements, buying and using blankets, changes in shoeing or hoof care for dealing with snow and ice, how to stay warm while riding, tips for grooming the muddy winter horse, and more. Summer horse care involves added fly control and pest control methods, increasing hydration for the hot weather, showing tips for those in the midst of their show season, how to cool off a hot horse, bathing tips, keeping the horse safe while trailering in hot weather, etc. And fall horse care helps people start prepping for the colder months, such as stocking up on hay, bringing horses in during early cold snaps, whether to clip a horse in preparation for winter blanketing, dealing with possible hunters while out on the trail during hunting season, and many other topics. With the plethora of seasonal horse care topics, readers turn again and again to Horse Illustrated as the seasons change for all of the most pertinent horse care information.

The Science Behind Blanketing Horses

As winter rolls around, every equestrian begins frantically watching the weather. Snow, rain, mud, sudden temperature drops—you never know what…

2 weeks ago

Proper Hydration Maximizes Your Horse’s Nutrient Intake

Horses require a precise balance of nutrients to maintain health and performance, but the one that’s often easiest to access—water—is…

5 months ago

How Hot is Too Hot to Ride?

For many riders, summer brings the most time to spend in the saddle. Days are longer and horse activities abound.…

5 months ago

Fly Spray 101

Tack and feed store displays are overflowing with fly spray bottles. There are numerous options available with different active ingredients,…

6 months ago

Expert Tips for Feeding Healthy Horses All Winter Long

Throughout the winter, horse owners in northern climates often face the unique challenge of keeping their companions well-nourished and comfortable…

10 months ago

Best Horse Blanketing Practices

Opinions about blanketing can be as varied as the weather itself, and horse owners are often confused when confronted with…

11 months ago

Is My Horse Cold? – An Excerpt from Keeping Horses Outdoors by Iveta Jebáčková-Lažanská

Is your horse cold in the winter? The following excerpt from Keeping Horses Outdoors by Iveta Jebáčková-Lažanská helps answer that question…

12 months ago

Winter Horse Pasture Management 101

Depending on whether you and your horses live in Maine, Kentucky, Montana, or California, winter in each area manifests itself…

12 months ago

10 Ways to Banish Flies from the Barn

It’s almost summertime—there’s more time to ride and more time to spend outside with your horse. Unfortunately, the warm weather…

2 years ago

Feeding Your Horse in the Winter

As temperatures drop, feeding your horse presents a new set of challenges. Instead of grazing all day on nutritious green…

2 years ago