Let’s face it, no equestrian puts Winter as their favourite season! There’s definitely positives to the winter season such as winter training opportunities, but the dark nights, cold temperatures and distinct increase in mud, leave most of us pretty glum for these months of the year.
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We’re welcoming Emily Davis onto Team Tunnah this morning to bring some of the top tips for if you’re considering whether or not to Stable your horses. Keep reading on to enjoy four of Emily’s top tips
4 reasons to consider winter stabling for your horse…
- Stabling provides owners the opportunity to always be one-step ahead of the ever-changing British weather. Although your horse can withstand temperatures much lower than humans, sometimes the natural sheltering their field offers, such as trees and shrubs just isn’t quite enough to keep them comfortable. You may find that a stable is no warmer than outside, but the ability to have straw bedding, feed, fresh water and protection from chilling wind and snow could make all the difference. This teamed with the ability to keep the stable properly ventilated with adequate drainage, clean and as dust-free as possible will secure the health of your horse and let them be the best version of them they can be.
- It’s in your horses nature to graze for most of the day and when turned out during the colder months you may find their appetite grows even more. In order to keep themselves warm, horses depend on the breakdown of food, exercise and shivering to generate internal warmth, meaning they need more energy meaning (unfortunately for us!) more luscious forage. Internal stables can act as a solution if you have limited access to such forage by offering the means to effortlessly control your horses’ diet and monitor their weight and nutrition through reduction in energy requirement.
- The health of our horse is always our main priority, however if we can match it with convenience for us as owners, then why not? Stabled horses tend to be clean, well-kept and easily-accessible when you want to ride and are less prone to injury than those who are left out with other horses. When met with an equally active outdoor routine, stabling can be equally beneficial for horse and owner.
- Like people, horses all have their own personalities, and no one understands their horse better than you. With each having their likes and dislikes, you can tailor stabling to work for their unique needs. If they like spending much of a day in the company of others, then you can stable them in a sociable space in which they can hear and see other horses. Whereas, if they prefer their own company then a quiet, isolated stall or location can provide the peacefulness that brings them ultimate comfort in which they can rest and feel safe.
So what does Emily recommend as her top five tips to keep our four-legged friends happy when you decide to stable your horse throughout the winter.
- Provide entertainment e.g. Treat Balls, Salt Licks & Jolly Balls
- Bore a hole through a swede or turnip and hang it on a string from the ceiling
- Spend time grooming your horse
- Make sure they can see out
- Put a stable mirror up
What’s your thoughts on stabling a horse over the winter? Is it something you’ve considered in the past? Leave a comment below to let us know what you think…
About our guest author
Emily Davis works at Cheval Liberte as community manager. Cheval Liberté have been designing, developing and producing stalls, stables and stable equipment since 1995, Driven by their passion for horses, Cheval Liberté was founded by both riders and breeders and since 2005 this passion has been implemented in the UK, with our North Wales company being the sole importers of Cheval Liberté products for distribution and erection throughout the UK & Ireland.
