Seeing the leaves turn colors sends a signal that changes are happening. But it’s not just about the differences outside, it’s also about your horse and how to care for him. Every fall presents a new approach when taking care of your horse. Although environmental changes are subtle, they can still have an effect on how your horse functions.
Vaccinate
Your veterinarian should help you stay on top of this, but often after the first freeze it’s good to vaccinate your horse against various viruses and diseases that pop up. Moreover, deworming is good to do year round, though infective parasite counts do rise in the fall. So keep the horse on a schedule for sure, and talk to your vet about making adjustments given the changes in the fall.
Overall health
As long as we’re talking vaccinations, it’s a good idea to use fall as a time to get caught up on any other routine physical health maintenance. You could have his teeth and hooves checked, or have a solid sheath cleaning. After all, it may not be as fun to do this during the harsh conditions of winter.
Blankets
Although the temperatures of fall are usually a welcome pleasure after a hot, humid summer, it’s a great time to get prepped for the winter and especially so if a freeze arrives early. Blankets can be popular ways to keep horses warm, especially for show horses, but they aren’t necessary. It never usually gets too cold for horses to be outside even in the winter, so the ones who might really need it are those with a short or light hair.
Food
In the summertime, we all are probably a bit more active, and it’s the same with your horse. So if the riding season is quieting down, you probably want to cut back on his calories. If you keep giving your horse the same amount of food you gave him in the summer, he’s going to put on unneeded fat.
Water
Colder weather makes drinking water a little more cold, and that’s less appealing to horses so they tend to drink less. But that can be a problem because it can lead to dehydration and colic. Electric warming devices are available, but you can also talk to your vet about adding electrolytes into the horse’s diet.
Acorns
When the acorns start falling, horses like to indulge on this seasonal treat. Too much of anything can be bad for them, so keep an eye on behavior and if there are any symptoms that could affect their health.