January 13, 2022

Abbey Equine's Top Horse Care Tips for Winter

welcome to abbey equine

Abbey Equine Clinic is located just outside the idyllic town of Abergavenny “The Gateway to Wales”. We are ideally located to provide high-quality veterinary cover across the valleys and Monmouthshire.

We provide 24hr 365 day personalised service for both home visits and at our state of the art, purpose built clinic. All our vets are experienced equine only clinicians, we are a small permanent team dedicated to providing the best care for your horse/pony/donkey.

If you think this sounds like the level of service that your horse deserves then register now online or give us call and come and visit the clinic for a tour of the facilities.

Equine Health plans

Access to water

A reduction in your horse’s drinking can have serious consequences including colic:

  • Ensure ice broken in all troughs
  • Add more water to their daily feeds- ideally warm
  • Preferred horse drinking temperature is 5-20OC
  • Using buckets with measured lines can help to accurately monitor how much your horse is drinking (a 500kg horse will drink between 25-30L in 24 hours)
  • Adding a small volume of salt to your horse’s feed can increase drinking

Laminitis

Frosty nights lead to a build up of sugar in the grass increasing the risk of developing laminitis

  • Reduce hours of turnout in frosty weather even if the frost has melted
  • Increase turnout during milder days >50C
  • Continue to soak hay and monitor intake
  • Monitor body condition score and control diet
  • Regularly check your horse’s comfort when walking and trotting on hard ground
  • If you notice any signs of laminitis (bounding digital pulses, warm feet, lameness) please call your vet ASAP

Parasites

This time of year our main concerns for parasites are tapeworm and encysted redworms

  • Small redworm activity is reduced <60C so worming at this time reduces the risk of re-infection after worming
  • We are aiming to reduce the amount of wormers we use (if not necessary) to prevent parasitic drug resistance and to avoid any disturbance to your horse’s gastrointestinal tract
  • Please contact your vet for further worming diagnostic tests and worming advice

Rugging

Appropriate number and thickness of rugs

  • Care not to over rug your horse’s, especially if not clipped
  • Horse’s are excellent at thermoregulation so often need less rugs than we think
  • Native breeds are designed to live in very cold temperatures and need less rugging than other breeds such as thoroughbreds
  • Overheating can be very detrimental leading to increased skin problems and excessive sweating can lead to dehydration

Routine

More hours in the box and reduced exercise can be detrimental

  • Exercise is vital to keep horses supple and reduce stiffness
  • It also helps reducing the risk of colic as helps to regulate gut movement
  • If your horse is requiring long periods of box rest please ensure they have access to good quality forage

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January 13, 2022

Abbey Equine's Top Horse Care Tips for Winter

Here at Abbey Equine we are so lucky to have such a beautiful view from the office. This cold, frosty weather is beautiful and many horse owners are breathing a sigh of relief from a break in the rain! However here are some tips we have for you to keep your horses fit and healthy this time of year.
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Let's talk

If you have any veterinary or administrative enquiries you can phone on 01873 840069 during business hours (Mon-Fri 9.00am – 5.30pm) or alternatively complete the form below and submit your enquiry. One of our veterinary, nursing or administrative staff will be pleased to respond to you by phone or email as soon as possible during office hours.

24hr Emergency No: 01873 840 069

Abbey Equine Clinic

Llansabbath Barns, Llanellen, Abergavenny, Gwent NP7 9BY
T: 01873 840 069
E: office@abbeyequine.co.uk

Abbey Equine Chepstow
Ride and Stride, St Arvans, Chepstow. NP16 6DN
T: 01291 444877
E: office@abbeyequine.co.uk

Opening Hours: Monday – Friday: 9:00am – 5:30pm
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Abergavenny Branch

Chepstow Branch