Ready or not, fall is here! This means cool, crisp, fall mornings with lots of happy horses! Fall is a great time to prepare for the winter that is ahead of us. Some things you didn’t get a chance to take care of during the summer should be taken care of now. Here is a list of things to run through at your farm:
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Do you have enough hay?
As many already know, the price of hay will go up from now until the first spring cutting due to storage costs. You want to make sure you have plenty of hay to get you through the winter. Horses need forage during the fall and winter to keep them warm. Unfortunately, fall grasses stop growing at this time of the year which will cause hungry and bored horses to eat dangerous and possibly poisonous plants that they wouldn’t normally eat. Make sure you can provide your horses with plenty of hay throughout the cool fall nights and the cold winter!
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Is your barn winter-proofed?
Are all of those repairs that were supposed to happen during the summer taken care of? Take care of all repairs now before the rain and snow hits! Are there areas in the pasture that get extremely muddy during the winter? You might consider putting some gravel down in those areas now to help reduce mud when the time comes. Also, fall is a great time to re-seed pastures.
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Do you have blankets for your horses?
Most horses that are healthy and are in their prime will not need a blanket to make it through the winter. However, older, underweight, or sick horses will need a blanket to help them through the cooler temperatures. Make sure you have enough blankets on hand at your barn to accommodate these horses.
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Are your horses ready for winter?
Go through your horse’s vaccination list and make sure you didn’t miss anything. Have your horse’s teeth checked to make sure they can eat without having any pain. After the first frost, deworm your horse to take care of any summer bots.
Fall is the perfect time to enjoy the weather and prepare for the cold! Run through this short list and you are sure to be set for the months ahead of us. We hope you found this Winter Prep For Your Horse Farm blog helpful!
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