Results of September Survey on Horse Worries

The results of our Survey are posted opposite this blog. I suppose it’s no surprise that windsucking is the Number One worry. It is an unpleasant habit in a horse and is obviously very common. Unfortunately there are no guarantees of curing a windsucker but it can be helped so click here for more info.

Winter care and winter rugging of horses and ponies are top of readers’ agendas at the moment. It’s always difficult in Spring and Autumn to know when to put on the rugs. I’m still putting on the light waterproof Summer rugs but the horses and ponies are getting noticeably more hairy. The trouble is, it can still be very warm during the day time, sometimes 17 degrees, and I don’t want them to sweat under heavier rugs. Click here for more info.

Sensitive feet and stone bruises came next in the list. Some horses and ponies just seem prone to sensitive feet, whether they’ve had laminitis or not. Two of my laminitis candidates both have sensitive feet but a horse which has never had laminitis is always sensitive after the farrier has been. Some horses will go slightly lame after the farrier has pared back their feet but this usually gets better within a few days. If it doesn’t, be sure to call the farrier back to check what is wrong. Click here for more info about treating stone bruises and abcesses in the feet.

Laminitis is always a worry for horse and pony owners, especially if you own a fat, little native breed type pony. Don’t believe people who tell you that they will only get laminitis in Spring and Summer. My 178cm horse got it in December once, although it was a very mild December. If the grass on your lawn is growing fast and very green, watch out for laminitis. Restrict the grass amount and give the animal more hay instead. Click here for more info.