The winter weather is fast approaching, meaning it’s time to start thinking about all that goes along with winter horse care and even stable management. Maintaining your equine athlete's muscle health is very important all year round for top performance and overall physical health and well-being.
Throughout the year there are many factors including weather and temperature changes that could possibly be impacting your horse's muscle health. Cold weather, especially at its peak, can decrease not only skin temperature but can also muscle temperature.
As we begin to pull out your heavier-weight rugs, we should keep in mind that there are a few simple things that you can do daily to help your horse’s muscles when the temperature does drop.
Here are some tips to keep your horse comfortable during winter:
Effleurage
One of the greatest things you can do to help your horse’s muscles warm up before a ride is to perform a stroke we call “Effleurage” in the therapy world. This is best performed right after grooming and before saddling up our horse(s). Simply use the palm of your hand with light to medium pressure to make long slow strokes from the withers, along either side of their spine, and to the hind. Repeat this stroke 5-10 times on each side. By doing this technique, you are warming the tissues of the Longissimus Dorsi muscle, which runs lengthwise on the side of the spinal column. After saddling, you can also perform Effleurage on the neck, the limbs, and the hind to aid in helping warm up the muscle fibers throughout the rest of the body.
Warm Up and Cool Down
We all know we should warm up our horses (and ourselves) before every workout, but in the winter months, it is even more important to make sure to warm up gradually. I recommend at least 5 minutes of walking. If you have a 'hot' horse or one that just seems to be feeling his grain or even the cold a bit more than usual, this can be done on a lunge line or (my favourite) hand walking. I like hand walking personally because it allows the rider to warm up in that time as well. Cooling down is equally important, and horses should walk briskly for at least five minutes to fully cool down before heading back to their stable/field.
Dealing with Sweat
Make sure you have the proper equipment to handle a sweaty horse especially if you’re pursuing intense training sessions during the winter. My favourite option is to immediately pop on a fleece cooler, this keeps the horse warm while their sweat is drying. Once your horse has dried, you can take the layers off, groom, and throw their normal rug on (that is if you choose to rug your horses during the winter months). Also, keep in mind that a horse that sweats has lost water and electrolytes, so remember to keep those water buckets full, as you may have a thirsty pony/horse.
Nutrition
In the colder weather, horses utilize their feed to stay warm over both the short and long term. Within minutes of eating their meal, a horse's digestive processes start to generate body heat. Over the long term, the calories which are not immediately converted to energy that supports bodily processes are then stored as fat, which then helps to insulate against the cold. As the pastures begin to provide less forage and grass loses some of its nutritional quality in the colder months, horse owners should plan to supplement with another forage source such as hay, cubes, or a complete pelleted feed.
Physical Therapy
Equine Physical Therapy is an excellent way to keep your horse’s muscles healthy and active throughout these winter months. Physical therapy increases blood circulation, stimulates muscles, and increases anaerobic capacity. As a result of this, it is a wonderful substitution for exercise. Physical therapy sessions have been proven to help prevent injuries due to inflexibility in cold muscles and can help ensure your horse’s body returns to competition readiness in the least amount of time possible come springtime. Hannah Egan-Equine Therapy is happy to book appointments throughout the winter months.
Hannah
Massage is not a substitute for veterinary care. We work closely with you, your vet, & farrier to fully benefit the whole horse. We are happy to answer any questions you may have or book an appointment, email Hannah at hannahegan.eq@gmail.com
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