This time of year is when most horse owners start to look towards winter *sob sob* August bank holiday weekend is over and from here its unfortunately all looking colder and wetter.
Autumn is a great time to ride! Its actually one of our favourite seasons, there's less flies, you can wear your toasty boots and favourite jumper and all your hacking is filled with pretty colours. (let's face it, nobody really enjoys riding in 30c heat!)
Over here at Alchemist's Garden HQ we've been stock piling hay, shavings and repainting our stable block ready for winter! Its great to get organised before the colder weather sets in.
Here are our top tips for Autumn!
1) Get your stables organised
Theres nothing worse than getting to winter and panicking that you didn't buy enough hay, straw ect. Check your nets for holes, check your field fencing and have a good clear out. Go into winter prepared and organised - autumn is your time to do this!
2) Check your rugs!
Has your horse grown!? maybe you need to invest in a size up! Maybe you threw that medium weight in the cupboard last February and haven't looked at it since, and totally forgot how your horse trashed it on a fence. Getting your rugs washed, reproofed and repaired is essential for a drama free transition. That way, when you decide to clip (if you decide to clip!) you've got lovely clean rugs ready to GO!
3) Do you need to check your horses diet?
The transition between summer and winter can mean that you need to revise your horses feeding regime before the change in weather. Use autumn to implement any feeding changes you may make. If your horses is living out through the summer, its likely they will be coming in over night soon. Or maybe there is just less grass available to your pasture kept horse? Speak to a nutritionalist for qualified advice on what you can do at this time of year to keep your horse in optimum health.