Weekend Wellness, by Kentucky Performance Products: Are You Ready for Spring?
Spring is nearly here — are you ready? Here are some tips to make sure you keep your horse healthy as the seasons change:
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Are you ready for spring?
Below is a list of spring horse care reminders you should consider while gearing up for the busy season ahead.
• Slowly increase pasture time to reduce digestive upset.
• Begin with short grazing periods of 15-30 minutes per day.
• Slowly increase by an additional 15-30 minutes per day until horse is grazing 3-4 hours daily.
Take extra precautions for sugar-sensitive horses.
Sugar levels in grasses increase during the spring. Stop grazing completely when days are warm (60° F or above) and nights are cold (40° F or less).
Limit intake with a muzzle and graze in the early morning when days and nights are BOTH warm.
Keep an eye on your horse’s body condition.
With increased training in the warmer weather, to more time out on pasture, your horse’s body weight can fluctuate.
• Monitor your horse’s weight so they don’t get too thin or fat.
• Increase or decrease their intake levels as needed.
Schedule Spring vaccines.
Vaccines are an important part of your horse’s preventative health program. Talk to your vet to get your horse scheduled for their spring vaccines.
Run fecals and set up deworming to aid in parasite control.
Spring has one of the highest parasite infection rates. Make sure to run your annual fecals to check your horse’s egg worm count.
Clean blankets to be ready for next season.
Those dirty crusty blankets your horse has been wearing all winter are almost ready for storage! Make sure to get them properly cleaned so you will be ready for next season.
You can download a printable version of this graphic here.
About Kentucky Performance Products, LLC:
Choose Neigh-Lox® Advanced when digestive health is a top priority for your equine athlete.
Neigh-Lox Advanced provides a scientifically advanced blend of ingredients that work synergistically to maintain your horse’s digestive tract in peak condition by supporting both the gastrointestinal tissues and the beneficial bacteria that populate the gut. Maintaining a healthy digestive tract reduces the risk of colonic and gastric ulcers, colic, laminitis related to hindgut acidosis, and oxidative stress that damages digestive tract tissues themselves. Horses with a well-balanced GI tract have good appetites, absorb more nutrients from their diets, maintain a strong immune system, and stay healthier.
The horse that matters to you matters to us®. KPPusa.com
