Spring at The Stable - Navigating it's beauty & battles

Days are getting longer. Flowers are blooming. Blue skies are filled with fluffy, white clouds. Pastures are turning green once again. Spring has arrived! Although this winter was a good one, I for one am quite content to wave goodbye to ole Jack Frost and welcome Springtime to our hills with open arms.

And while this is a beautiful season full of delights, spring with horses isn't always smooth sailing. Today let's take a peek into what is happening here at Amazing Grace Stables at this time of year.

Turnout Time!

As the grass is starting to grow, you can feel the horses' excitement. Sure, they like their hay, but nothing compares to the fresh, sweet grass of spring. So begins timed turnout: limited amounts of time out on the pasture. Why can't they be out full-time? It's for their health as well as the health of the pastures. Grass Founder, also called laminitis, and Colic can occur when there is a sudden change in a horse's diet. Going from dried hay to rich grass can bring a high risk of these problems. While this is not necessary for every stable, it has been the best option for us to avoid the dangers. We monitor the horses' time, slowly building them up to full turnout. This also allows the pastures plenty of time to have healthy, sustainable growth that will help ensure grass throughout the grazing seasons.

Springtime Care

  April showers unfortunately bring mud to the pastures and paddocks. Lots of mud. (It's the rather un-glamorous side of horses.) Mud can cause lots of problems such as slippery surfaces when riding, sores, and something called mud fever or scratches. My horse Dolly is very prone to mud fever (a sort of skin rash that develops around a horse's hooves). So we have to be extra careful to keep her hooves clean and daily apply ointments as a preventive.

Right now, our horses are also shedding their winter coats. It can make them itchy and can encourage them to roll in the mud. Extra grooming time is a requirement as Spring arrives to keep their coats clean and fresh.

Building Up

During the winter, our riding time has to be shorter and often less vigorous. With the change of season comes our time to get the horses (and me!) back into shape for riding. We always start slowly to avoid any muscle soreness or injury. It may begin with just 10 or 15 minutes of riding once or twice a day; sometimes a little more for my younger horse. It is very important to gauge each horse individually and tailor the riding schedules to their specific age and needs. I find that most of the time the horses eagerly await our time together. And finding one of my horses waiting for me at the gate when I come to ride is a highlight of my day!

Through it all, I'm getting more time with my horses, more time on their backs, so it's a joyful time. A season of new life, new growth, new experiences. A season where I can fall in love with horses all over again. Welcome Spring!