Autumn, a stunning time of the year, but it also means that winter is just around the corner.

Tossing up what to do with that one colt foal that needs to be weaned but also needs a friend? If you castrate it now it can stay with the other horses without having colty behaviour and he can become a well socialized animal.

As we all know, the wetter autumn months can be a challenge with hoof quality and mud fever. Pull the horses shoes if not needed to reduce the amount of dirt in the horse's feet and keep them trimmed to avoid cracks in the hoof wall. Mud fever seems a yearly problem for some and never encountered by others. Try to keep the horse's leg free of wet mud, prolonged standing in muddy areas or badly churned up paddocks are high risk factors. Taping off gates or moving the horses along can prevent problems.

In preparation for winter we move the horses to better paddocks, feed extra hay, add a hard feed and some get rugged. All to compensate for the higher energy need to keep warm during winter. Often forgotten are the horse's teeth. Uneven wear and tear over the years reduces the horse's ability to chew the roughage provided, leading to poor energy extraction from the diet and often a drop in body condition score. Get your horses teeth checked by us before winter can save you a lot on the amount of food the horse needs over winter.