Old ponies need to keep warm

Chester is around 26 years old and isn’t as agile as he used to be.   When the weather is cold or wet he has to be rugged up and kept warm.   When ponies are young and plump and active they can stand bad weather but even so this is only if they have a large enough field with some natural shelter.  An open shed would be even better.   We often see horses standing in small paddocks and they are alright for a quick turnout but no good for permanent grazing if there is nowhere to get out of the wind and rain.   Horses are used to being on the move and grazing as they wander.   Like us they keep warm by being active.   Even though Chester has plenty of room and has two fields to roam in if he wants to do so, he tends to stay close to his stable when it’s cold.   When he was younger he was full of beans – nowadays he’s thinking more about the next feed than he is about his lady friends!

Don’t forget to check your horse’s rug every day.  It needs to be taken off and the back checked for any signs of rubbing, a quick brush over is good and then put the rug back on.   Slip-on vests are available if the rug does tend to catch.   If the back or neck get sore then you can’t put the rug back on and have a real problem.    This may seem obvious advice but we once had a horse come in here with wearing a tattty old rug.  She was an oldster who came from a livery yard which on the surface looked to be smart and well run.   When we took the rug off it was a shocking sight, the poor horse had bare rubbed skin on her neck and hip joints.  The rug hadn’t been checked in months.    Even the vet was shocked by her condition .   Checking the rug yourself every day is essential .