Winter stabling tips

Winter stabling tips

We all know as horse owners how hard it can be to keep your horse entertained during the winter months especially during periods of limited or no turnout - due to box rest for an injury or due to weather conditions and churned up pasture.

Horses can often become bored and this can cause or increase stable vices.

There are many things we can do to help improve our horses experience of being stabled.

 

Stable Management

  • Maintain a clean mucked out stable to reduce the potential of thrush from standing on wet bedding
  • Make sure clean, fresh water is always available
  • Have a good routine so that horses know what to expect and when
  • Use stable matting if possible to soften the impact on your horses legs
  • Have a nice deep bed so your horse can lie down and roll without injury
  • Keep buckets clean
  • Keep the stable well ventilated to help reduce dust and risk of developing coughs and other respiratory illnesses

 

 

Socialisation

  • A radio can help provide background noises for your horse.
  • Spend time socialising with your horse if they can’t go out - do some grooming or go for some in hand grazing or walking
  • Horses are herd animals so if possible allow your horse to socialise with others such as grooming each other over stable doors or being turned out in a lunge pen or menage together.
  • Horses generally are happier if they are in their stable with company so if this is possible keep your horse with another for company.

 

Exercise

  • Ensure your horse is being worked enough during periods of increased stabling so that they can let off steam
  • If you have access to a horse walker then put your horse on it whilst mucking out

 

Feeding 

Horses have a very sensitive digestive system that is designed to be what is known as a "trickle feeder". Horses have a relatively small stomach (approximately the size of a football), which works most efficiently when consuming small amounts of food on a regular basis. In the wild a horse’s natural lifestyle would involve miles and miles of roaming and grazing for over 16 hours per day equating to 30,000 chews on a daily basis. 

The horses stomach continually produces gastric acid and when forage is not supplied in high enough quantities, this can increase the pH of the stomach, resulting in a greater risk of damage occurring to the stomach wall. In addition, the simple act of chewing forage helps to neutralise the stomach acid. A lack of forage can lead to digestive upsets and even ulcers and colic.

Eating forage is also how horses keep warm from the inside out. A horse with forage will be much warmer than a hungry horse.

  • If possible the best option is to fed forage on an ad lib basis
  • If you need to limit your horses intake for example because they are a good doer then split into smaller more frequent feeds will help give your horse something to do.
  • If your horse is on a livery yard and there are people who are there at different times to you then arrange to top up each others horses forage to make it last longer
  • If you need to slow down your horses forage intake to make it last longer then use small holed haynets or trickle nets
  • Hang hay nets in different multiple places in your stable encouraging your horse to move round to forage
  • If your horse is on a restricted diet, consider feeding hay that is soaked to reduce the nutrient content without removing important bulk from the horse diet.
  • Grass or forage bricks an be hung in mini nets or placed in bowls or on the floor and provide a useful form of forage and natural treat for your horse

  

Entertainment

  • Horses are naturally inquisitive. Stable toys can provide good interaction and keep the horses occupied. Alternate toys regularly, to maintain novelty and interest.
  • Salt Licks or stable licks can provide some entertainment for your horse whilst also allowing your horse to gain the salt and nutrients needed in their diet
  • Put up a stable mirror if this is permitted at your yard
  • Hang swedes or other vegetables up in the stable to give your horse something to play with and eat
  • If your horse is a good doer you may want to use treats or toys that are lower in sugar

 

 

We sell a range of great products that we have featured below to help keep your horse entertained and make their stable time more interesting. 

 

Red Gorilla Drip Feed Toy

 Great value, hard wearing horse treat ball. 

• Stimulates natural grazing
• Can aid in relieving anxiety and stress in your horse
• Increases feeding duration to promote good horse digestion
• Reduces horse boredom
• Made from high quality, food grade material
• Helps your horse to flex and stretch downwards which may improve muscle tone & flexibility

The Drip Feed Ball comes in a choice of colours and can be purchased here

Carrot Ball

    

This was a BETA 2018 Innovation Award Entrant.

• its a rubbery soft texture not hard plastic like a treat ball
• reduces boredom in stable or field and increases dexterity 
• anti burst construction 
• can be hung up or put on floor
• inflated by a bicycle pump (comes with adaptor not pump)
• inflate loosely to start so carrots come out easily to show horse how to use the ball
• Hug and tug feature means the greater the pressure the firmer the hold and the longer the fun

The Carrot Ball can be purchased here (You can also see some of our customer videos of the Carrot Ball in action)

 

Stubbs Rock N Roll Ball

Combining a shape that is difficult to roll in a straight line, this dribble treat feeder will keep the horse very busy. The dispensing hole is 30mm diameter and suits most treats. With a separate built-in funnel, filling is easy and quick. There are no plugs, stoppers or other removable parts.

You can purchase these in here

Jolly Ball

 

The ultimate ball to relieve boredom and stress. Resists deflation from biting, punches or kicking. Needs no air to inflate.

Made from a revolutionary hard wearing material.

Scented or non scented options available in bright colours adding something different to your horses stable.

You can purchase these here.

 

Likit

The Boredom Breaker in a combination toy that includes a Likit Holder and a robust ball with inserts for two Little Likits. This can be purchased here

The Likit Holder is the easiest way to start using Likits, this clever toy is designed to be hung freely in the stable from the rope provided and used in conjunction with a Likit Refill (650g) (not included). These can be purchased here

Parrallax Hay Play

The Hay Play is the original spherical shaped slow forage feeder. Its unique design has thirty two flat faces that enable the feeder to roll around as the horse grazes from it.

The movement of the hay play challenges and entertains the horse and offers all the benefits of slow feeding without the need for additional treats or feed. The single piece construction makes it incredibly strong and durable.

You can purchase these here

 

Silvermoor Grassabix

The healthy forage block with neigh-naughtiness. This 1KG dried grass yummy blocks have been compressed for easy feeding, storage and handling. Net and Grassabix are sold separately.


TurmerAid bix to support healthy joints, aid digestion, Linseed bix helps maintain a healthy, shiny coat, promotes wellbeing and the Unicorn bix  are just minty for fun.
All bix are low in sugar so are suitable for laminitics.


You can purchase these here

Back to blog

Leave a comment

Please note, comments need to be approved before they are published.