Page 176 - December_2023

VETERINARY VIEWS
Question: To clip or not to clip?
Clipping is an option to facilitate heat dissipation during exercise without impedance by long winter hair. As days lengthen after
the Winter Solstice, horses start to grow their summer hair coat. It takes at least 4 - 6 weeks to appreciate any change. By mid-February
or early March, a horse starts to shed out the old winter hair. If you were to clip away the winter coat as the summer one is growing in, the horse’s coat will look rather ragged – hairs won’t lay down flat and ends will be blunt. So as a general rule, stop winter clipping by the second or third week in January.
WARM UP AND COOLING OUT
Question: How is it best to warm up and then cool out a horse after a good workout in winter?
It is also important to warm up a horse
in a strong walk or slow trot for five or ten minutes before starting a rigorous work-
out. Tendons and ligaments gain elasticity
as the temperature of these tissues increases slightly with exercise. The muscles warm with increased circulation and gear up to function efficiently. An older horse may need longer to achieve suppleness and flexibility at the start of a ride. Also helpful is the use of stretching techniques before and after exercise to improve flexibility in any age horse.
The principles of cooling out are similar throughout the year. Slow a horse to a walk
for the last five or ten minutes of exercise to enable muscles to dissipate residual heat and
to bring heart and respiration rates down towards resting levels. In winter, it is especially important to dump that heat load from the muscles, so they don’t seize up when pulled to a sudden stop.
Question: What’s the benefit of using a rump rug or quarter sheet while riding?
A quarter sheet handily rolls up behind the saddle to be unrolled when a horse’s haunches are in need of cover in cool or wet weather. Rump rugs come in different materials with polar fleece or Gore-Tex materials being ideal. Covering the haunches with a rump rug keeps a horse’s working muscles from wet or chill. Even if weather is dry yet the air is cool, take advantage of a rump rug, especially if you stop for a rest. Keeping a horse’s muscles warm and allowing them to cool down slowly is good common sense.
FOOT CARE IN WINTER
Questions: Should I pull horseshoes in the winter? Is there an advantage to barefoot? Short days, cold temperatures, and
potentially slippery footing make it harder to
exercise a horse outside an arena or covered area in winter. It is often good strategy to have a farrier pull the shoes. This allows the hooves to “rest” from the weight of the shoes and for the hooves to achieve a more natural, expansible state. Some horses with thin soles or fragile hooves may not do well without shoes or boots.
Boots protect the hoof capsule from wearing down and protect soles from bruising; they are easily applied and removed for a single ride. Barefoot hooves easily shed ice and snowballs that occasionally collect in the feet when horses are turned out. It’s still necessary to arrange a regular trimming schedule with your farrier; usually intervals of hoof care every six to eight weeks maintain the integrity and health of the foot.
Question: Are traction devices on horseshoes appropriate to prevent slippage on snow and ice?
Borium caulks or metal studs added to the ground surface of horseshoes improve traction on slippery terrain. However, there is a trade-off – ground may vary from areas of good traction to slippery causing a horse’s foot to stick too long in places. As caulks or studs grab the ground while a horse’s body continues forward, this can result in strains, sprains, and more serious joint, tendon, or ligament injuries.
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This allows the hooves to “rest” from the weight of the shoes and for the hooves to achieve a more natural, expansible state.
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174 SPEEDHORSE December 2023