Goodbye summer, hello fall👋  Things to consider heading into the new season🍂

Proper Horse care is critical to the overall health of the horse. Improper feeding or nutritional requirements can cause colic, reduced performance, lameness and also increased susceptibility to infectious diseases and conditions. By ensuring your horse’s needs are met will increase his love and attachment for you, but also his overall performance. It is vital to remember horse care may differ in different seasons.

● Provide Adequate Shelter

Providing adequate shelter throughout the Fall Season is a must. With the temperatures decreasing you want to ensure your beloved four-legged friend is kept snuggly and warm. You may realise your horse’s behaviour will change when entering the Fall Season as they will begin to look for heat by huddling together to decrease heat loss. When checking on your horses in barns ensure there isn’t any opendoors or windows to cause large drafts. Another precaution you should be aware of frozen doors, ensure to clean out beneath doors or use de-icing products.

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● Maintain Fitness Levels during Fall Season

Maintaining your horse’s fitness levels during Fall Seasonis extremely vital, as most horses will be ridden less. Therefore implementing daily ten minute exercises, such as stretches or lead exercises, will conserveyour horse’s physical capabilities. Also by maintaining your horse’s fitness you will prevent any cardiovascular disease or simple stiffness, which could develop into serious injuries. After the strenuous exercise allows your horse to have a cool down period, make sure they cool down steadily and wrap ablanket over them, to maintain body heat. To ensure your horse is receiving its daily exercise you can include your ten minute exercise into your daily routine, as the horse prefers to follow a set out routine.

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● Review Nutritional Needs and Plans

As we move into the Fall Season, there are less amounts of grass present for the horses to feed on, therefore reviewing your horse’s plan may be a smart idea. Feeding horses in the Fall time can be difficult but can be easily managed. Horse owners should plan in advance to prevent food shortages. By preventing malnutrition in the horse, we can intervene in any serious conditions or diseases. Specific things to check when giving it to your horse, for example, quality of hay, grain,supplements or medication. A good way to maintain the nutrition levels of your horse is to increase their food portions or potentially add high fat food such as linseed. Linseed is ideal for winter time, as it is high in protein but low in fat, therefore meaning your horse will not gain weight.

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● Maintaining Hoof Conditions during Fall Season

As we enter the dryer season, you should ensure,the hoofs are hydrated and are maintained. A quick tip on how to hydrate your horse’s hoofs is by creating puddles and allowing them to soak their hoofs while enjoying the splashing in the puddles. Hooves need to be trimmed and maintained every six to eight weeks to prevent cracks and breakage.

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Variety of Activities to do with your Horse during Fall Season

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The simple importance of activities and exercises is to brighten up the mood, to increase the endorphins and increase dopamine and serotine levels, just like in humans. By carrying simple physical tasks, it can allow your horse to de stress and become less anxious. Most importantly these simple physical activities can maintain your horse’s fitness levels and prevent cardiovascular diseases.

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● Take Time to Improve your Bond with your Horse

As Summer Season is usally quite busy and hectic, as we run from one show to another or constantly working on improving your skills. You may feel like you are not bonding with your horse, therefore this Fall you could plan to have some bond building activities to enhance the attachment. Some ideas to try to improve the bond is simply spending more time in the barn, not improving any skills or training but having fun and bonding.

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● Have a Fall Themed Photoshoot

One great idea is to have Fall themed photoshoot, you can include as many Fall props, such as pumpkins, ghost figures, brown leaves. Perhaps maybe you want a professional photo shoot or just something to paint a smile on your face. You may also decide to use a costume to dress up your horseand yourself. This would be a great activity to bond with your horse as it will allow you to have some quality time by getting your horse ready by styling their hair or costume.

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● Head into the Woods

To experience the Fall atmosphere, you may wish to decide to take a trip into the woods, to admire the beautiful vibrant nature. This also can be deemed as a bonding activity and caring responsibility, as the horse is exercising which can prevent several diseases, but also enhances the attachment bond between the owner and the horse. You may wish to ask a friend to join you on your adventure through the glorious mix of reds, oranges, and yellows in the woods, it would allow your horse to socialise but also be able to relax in the company of another horse.

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