26 January 2023 - Flipbook - Page 78
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HORSEWEEK
FARMWEEK
MARCH 09 2023
EQUINE MANAGEMENT NOTES
CLASS 1: Soul-Be Courtney and ‘The Dark
Knight Rises’ on their way to winning Class
1 at Hazeldene’s Arena Cross-country
competition. (FW10-563NN)
BLUE RIBBON: Hannah McInnes and ‘Hugo’
came second in Class 3 at Hazeldene’s Arena
Cross-country competition. (FW10-564NN)
Stepping up to
the challenge
at Hazeldene
H
AZELDENE Farm,
Ballynahinch held
the second of their
Arena Cross-country
competitions on
Sunday, with a great turnout
of 68 competitors riding
a course of inviting yet
technical fences, across
classes ranging from 50cm up
to 1m. There was something
for everyone to step up to the
challenge.
Organisers were impressed
to see some new faces
making long journeys from
Monaghan, Tyrone, Derry
and Cookstown!
Thanks are extended to all
for their support.
Sincere thanks must also go
to the sponsors for providing
prizes: Baileys Horse
Feeds and Stuart McEwen
Veterinary Physio.
JRS Photography captured
all the jumping action on
camera for anyone wishing to
have a memento of the day.
Next up at Hazeldene:
Sunday, March 19 will
see an Arena Event
(cross-country and show
jumping) being held, also
incorporating a ‘Balmoral
Star of The Future’ qualifier.
Details of the qualifier are
on the Balmoral website.
All entries to Julie on 07534
474288.
RESULTS
Sunday, March 5
Arena Cross-country
Class 1 - 90cm: 1) Soul-Be
Courtney, The Dark Knight
Rises; 2) Eve McDowell,
Nakuti; 3) Conor Savage,
Hayes Bill; 4) Robyn Rice,
Holiday Kruising; 5) Charlotte
Betts, Hacker.
Class 2 - 70cm: 1) Margery
Warnock, Butterfly Charm;
2) Alex Greer, Phoenix Spark;
3) Meave Linehan, Cindy;
4) Alex Hemsley, Vinnie; 5)
Cheryl Smith, DS Little Red
Fox.
Class 3 - 50/60cm: 1)
Phillipa Baird, Charlie; 2)
Hannah McInnes, Hugo; 3)
Rachel Adams, Yogi; 4) Emma
Weir, Cookie Don’t Crumble.
RUNNERS UP: Alex Greer
and ‘Phoenix Spark’ claimed
second place in Class 2 at
Hazeldene’s Arena Crosscountry competition. (FW10562NN)
THINK
TWICE:
Overrugging
could be
detrimental
to your
horse’s
health and
welfare.
(FW10500NN)
Rugging horses in Spring
CLASS 2: Margery Warnock and ‘Butterfly Charm’ took
first place in Class 2 at Hazeldene’s Arena Cross-country
competition. (FW10-561NN)
PICTURES: courtesy of JRS Photography
CLASS 3: Phillipa Baird and ‘Charlie’ won Class 3 at
Hazeldene’s Arena Cross-country competition. (FW10-560NN)
WITH March signalling the beginning of
meteorological Spring, the weather should
start to get marginally warmer. However,
nighttime temperatures can continue to
remain low. This presents a difficulty when
striking the balance when rugging our
horses and ponies.
Coat development in horses is controlled
by a reaction to variations in daylight
hours. As winter arrives and daylight hours
shorten, a surge in melatonin production
stimulates the growth of thick winter coats.
Correspondingly, as daylight increases
in January and February, the horse’s hair
follicles are already priming a summer coat.
Horses that have been clipped over winter
will need to be rugged to protect them
from getting cold. However, there has been
an increasing trend in recent years to add
more and more layers of rugs, which could
be detrimental to the horse’s health and
welfare.
Horses have a much lower critical
temperature compared to humans, so
just because we feel cold, it doesn’t mean
our horses or ponies are. The horse’s
thermoneutral zone is generally accepted as
being between 0°C - 25°C, although variation
does occur both across and between
breeds. This means that between these
environmental temperatures, horses can
easily control their body temperature, at
around 38°C. The lower critical temperature,
between 0°C and 5°C (depending on the
horse), is the environmental temperature at
which the horse starts to feel cold.
When this happens, the horse has several
ways to stay warm:
- Closing blood vessels in the skin will
retain heat.
- Increasing their metabolic rate means
horses will use more energy to keep
themselves warm. This process also allows
reduction in any excess weight gained
through the summer months.
- Reducing the temperature of their limbs
and other extremities allows horses to keep
their core temperature at 38°C.
- Eating forage throughout the day keeps
the horse warm. As fibre is broken down in
the digestive system, heat is created.
- If horses have their winter coat, air
trapped between the hairs will also help
insulate them.
Horses may be clipped over winter, so
that they can perform exercise without
sweating excessively. Clipped horses will
need to be provided with rugs to help them
keep warm, as their winter coat has been
removed. However, when we add extra
layers or thicker rugs when the horse does
not need them, it can cause issues. Rugging
your horse when not needed, or providing
extra or thicker rugs, can cause them to
sweat and cause irritation and potentially
dehydration. The horse will continuously
try to cool their body down and this can
place stress on their system and make them
feel uncomfortable.
If an incorrect weight of rug is used, it can
override the horse’s natural ability to selfregulate their temperature, as their hair is
flattened and cannot trap air. Horses who
are overweight and over-rugged will not use
their metabolic system to keep warm and
therefore not lose the necessary weight and
can be at increased risk of laminitis.
One study investigating over-rugging of
horses, found that horses started to sweat
when extra rugs were added, and the underrug temperature reached 33°C. The authors
concluded that horse behaviour, respiration
and rectal temperature did not change, even
though horses were undergoing thermal
challenge (1).
Different weights of rugs are available,
ranging from light, medium and heavy. As
the temperature starts to rise, a lightweight
rug may be most appropriate. Other factors
which should be considered when choosing
a rug include the breed, age, shelter
available, health status, access to forage
and body condition score of your horse or
pony, along with the daily weather. It may
be necessary to have different options
available depending on these factors. The
horse’s rug should be fitted correctly and
removed at least once per day to check for
any injuries, skin conditions or sweating.
If you have any concerns about the health
of your horse, veterinary or professional
advice should always be sought.
REFERENCES
(1) Marlin, D., Bartlett, E., & Cameron,
L., (2022). The Short-Term Effect of OverRugging Horses. [online] Dr David Marlin.
Available at: https://drdavidmarlin.com/theshort-term-effect-of-over-rugging-horses/
[Accessed 1 Mar. 2023].
Mejdell, C.M. et al. (2020) Caring for
the horse in a cold climate - Reviewing
principles for thermoregulation and horse
preferences. Applied Animal Behaviour
Science. Vol 231.
www.bhs.org.uk. (n.d.). Rugging | The
British Horse Society. [online] Available at:
https://www.bhs.org.uk/horse-care-andwelfare/health-care-management/seasonalcare/rugging/.