Horses are commonly housed in individual boxes. While this may be convenient and prevent injuries from other horses, it may also be detrimental to the horse’s welfare, especially if access to pasture is limited. A paper by Alice Ruet and colleagues investigated the effect of various management practices on the display of behavioural indicators of compromised welfare in housed horses.

“Don’t let those mares sit all fall and winter, with untreated conditions such as a uterine infection,” says Dr. Tracey Chenier, theriogenologist and researcher from the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph. “Have a thorough veterinary evaluation to help ensure her uterus is clean and she is healthy and cycling early next year, for the best chance of a positive outcome.”

Clipping is one of those jobs that many horse owners despise — it’s messy, time consuming, and too often can be stressful for both horse and owner. But you don’t have to dread clipping your horse. If you know how to use the clippers correctly and keep the horse calm and relaxed throughout the experience, you can end up with a horse that looks like he’s been to the groomers, rather than just having survived a fight with a lawnmower.

Whether or not to blanket a horse is an often-debated question and there are many logical and justifiable reasons to go either way. In normal weather conditions, many horses do not need a blanket, especially if they have access to food and shelter and have grown a healthy, thick winter coat. But for horses with special needs such as older or geriatric horses, pregnant mares, horses with compromised health conditions, or horses that have been clipped, blankets are certainly appropriate. Consideration should also be given to the horse’s breed, hair coat quality, feeding routine, and its acclimatization to the existing conditions.