Take the stress out of Spring

Spring can be a worrying time for many horse owners as routines change. Horses are routine animals who do best when a structured routine is in place, sudden changes to this routine can have a negative impact on health and behavior. We as horse-owners can do our best to support our horses during these times of change. Here are the main changes we may see during spring:

Worming

Prior to being turned out, it is good practice to test and treat for parasites. As resistance in wormers is becoming increasingly common we would always recommend to test first and only treat horses who require it.

There are two tests you can carry out in spring, an EquiSal Tapeworm Test which is a saliva swab to detect if your horse has a tapeworm burden, and a Faecal Egg Count (FEC) to test for a roundworm burden by counting how many eggs are present in a dung sample.

We would recommend doing a tapeworm test first, if your horse comes back positive for a burden one of our in house SQPs would then advise you on the most suitable way to treat this. If your horse comes back negative for a tapeworm burden we would then advise doing a faecal egg count to see if your horse needs worming for roundworm.

View Our Annual Strategic Worming Plans

Increased Turnout, Spring Grass & Diet

During Spring months the grass can become very lush and high in sugar. A sudden introduction to grass can disrupt the gut microbiome, to support this you can feed a supplement from our digestion and gut category, to help support your horse's stomach during these changes, and you may also want to consider feeding a product such as Gut Sponge by Protexin as this will help to firm up any loose droppings by supporting the hind gut. Where possible you should introduce your horse to the grazing gradually and limit it where necessary to try and avoid other health concerns such as Laminitis. If you have health concerns regarding your horse and Spring grazing it is always best to discuss this with your vet.

As your horse's routine changes you may want to look at your horse's diet. It might be worth considering feeding a multi-vitamin if your horse gets less hard feed over Spring and Summer, to ensure your horse is getting enough vital vitamins and minerals in their diet. Additionally if your horse's workload changes you will need to adjust feed accordingly, you may also want to look at including a supplement tailored to your horse's changing needs, such as a joint supplement if workload increases.

Skin, Coat & Cleaning

As the weather warms up your horse will begin to shed their winter coat. You can help with the shedding process by grooming regularly, turning out without a rug on or where required, clipping thick hair. You may also want to give your horse a bath to help remove any dead skin and scurf which has built up over winter.

Spring is the prime time to start protecting your horse's skin. If your horse suffers from itchy skin over summer months you can consider starting them on a supplement now to help build up some resistance before biting insects and midges become a problem. You may also want to think about applying a soothing and replenishing lotion to problem areas to help protect and support these patches of skin.

You may also want to consider clipping your horse during Spring. More research shows clipping during Spring doesn't damage the summer coat and many horse owners clip year round for various reasons such as welfare, comfort and competition. Covercoat blades (Liveryman A5 Wide Coarse 4.8mm) are ideal for using during spring as they leave a good covering of hair but take off enough of the coat to help keep your horse comfortable while shedding or if you need to remove hair due to a medical condition such as Cushing's disease. You may also want to use a grading comb pack paired with a narrow A5 blade, to trim and tidy areas without taking off much of your horse's summer coat, ready for the show ring.

Now you have caught up with our ways of helping to reduce stress this Spring during the many routine changes you may face, remember the light nights are here and warmer weather is on the way! We would love to hear from you in the comments below!

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