(352) 472-1620 vets@springhillequine.com
A Deep Dive Into Hay

A Deep Dive Into Hay

Jun 3, 2024 | Hay

Whinny’s Wisdoms

Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic

A Deep Dive into Hay: Selection, Evaluation, and Storage for Optimal Equine Health

Greetings, esteemed equestrians and discerning horse enthusiasts! Whinny, your resident field mouse investigator, returns with a comprehensive exploration into the world of equine forage – hay. While the average farmyard observer might see just a pile of dried grass, we delve deeper to understand the intricacies of hay selection, evaluation, and storage for optimal horse health. Since hay forms the foundation of a horse’s diet, ensuring its quality through proper management is essential for responsible horse care. 

Deconstructing the Haystack: Grass Species and Nutritional Profiles

Beyond the basic categorization of “hay,” a multitude of grass species exist, each offering a distinct nutritional profile. Let’s dissect some prominent players:

  • Alfalfa: This nitrogen-fixing legume boasts exceptional protein (20-25% crude protein) and calcium content, ideal for supporting growth in foals, pregnant or lactating mares, and performance horses. Alfalfa is low in sugars which can make it a good option for horses prone to issues with sugar. However, because of the high calorie content it should only be a portion of the roughage for overweight horses (pronounced easy keepers). 
  • Timothy: The “gold standard” for many, Timothy hay offers a balanced combination of fiber and moderate protein (10-14% crude protein) levels. This makes it a staple for adult horses in moderate work or maintaining weight. Being a grass hay, sugar content can vary a lot based on conditions at the time of baling.
  • Orchardgrass: An increasingly popular option, Orchardgrass hay provides a balance between fiber and protein (10-15% crude protein) content. This makes it suitable for a wider range of horses, from performance animals requiring sustained energy to those needing weight gain compared to Timothy hay. It’s also palatable and easily digestible. Orchardgrass, much like Timothy, can have highly variable sugar content.
  • Bermudagrass Hay: A warm-season favorite, Bermudagrass hay is known for its high digestibility and fiber content. This makes it well-suited for horses in lighter work or residing in warmer climates, like Florida. It has a lower calorie content than the other three options here so can be a great option for overweight horses.

The Art of Hay Evaluation: A Multi-Sensory Approach

Identifying high-quality hay goes beyond just grabbing a random bale. Studies have shown that touch and smell can readily identify quality hay. Here’s how to transform into a hay evaluation extraordinaire:

  • Visual Inspection: Fresh hay boasts a vibrant color – green for legumes like alfalfa, golden brown for grasses like Timothy or orchardgrass. Avoid hay with excessive dust, signs of mold (indicating moisture damage), or a bleached appearance (signaling sun exposure).

  • Tactile Assessment: Dive in (figuratively, of course!) and feel the hay’s texture. High-quality hay should be pliable and soft, not brittle or dusty. The stems should snap with a slight bend, not crumble.

  • Olfactory Exploration: Engage your nose! Fresh hay should emit a pleasant, grassy aroma. Musty odors point towards spoilage from moisture or mold growth, while a sweet smell might indicate excessive sugar content.

  • Botanical Scrutiny: Keep an eye out for excessive weeds or signs of pests like insects or rodents (ahem, not that I would know anything about that). These can impact the hay’s palatability and potentially harbor contaminants.

Whinny Wisdom: Feeding hay in slow-feed hay nets will keep your horses occupied for longer without increasing their calorie intake, reduce wasted hay significantly, and keep their hay off the ground which will reduce their exposure to environmental contaminants like botulism, EPM, parasites, and more!

Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic

Hayven Secrets: Storage Strategies for Peak Quality

You’ve sourced the perfect hay – fantastic! But the journey doesn’t end there. Proper storage safeguards quality and prevents spoilage. Here are some expert-level storage tactics:

  • Environmental Control: Location is paramount. Select a dry, well-ventilated space with protection from rain and direct sunlight. Moisture is the archenemy of good hay! Aim for relative humidity below 60% to prevent mold growth. This can be tricky in humid environments like Florida. Buying less hay, so you can quickly rotate stock, can help.

  • Off the Ground: Don’t let your precious hay become a buffet for moisture and hungry critters like yours truly. Store bales on pallets or platforms, allowing for air circulation around them.

  • Bale Management: Consider the practicality of bale size. While large round bales might seem economical, they expose a larger surface area to potential spoilage and require specialized feeders to minimize waste. Small square bales offer greater manageability and reduce waste.

  • First-In, First-Out (FIFO) Implementation: Ensure a steady supply of fresh forage by adhering to the FIFO principle. Use older hay first to maintain a consistent quality for your horses. This principle should be used with everything your trusty steed consumes!

Conclusion: Hay There, Healthy Horses!

By understanding the intricacies of hay selection, evaluation, and storage, you will empower yourself to provide your horses with the optimal fuel for peak health and performance. Remember, a balanced diet starts with high-quality roughage, and a keen eye (and nose!) can make all the difference. Got more hay questions? My esteemed doctors and technicians can give you answers! Give us a call to schedule a nutrition consultation today! 352.472.1620.

Until next week!
~Whinny

P.S. If you want to learn more about equine nutrition, check out this video on my YouTube Channel about different types of feed! It’s something every horse owner needs to understand, just like hay. Make sure you explore my other videos while you’re there!

Whinny’s Wisdoms is the official blog of Whinny the Clinic Mouse at Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic in Newberry, Florida. If you liked this blog, please subscribe below, and share it with your friends on social media! For more information, please call us at (352) 472-1620, visit our website at SpringhillEquine.com, or follow us on Facebook!

Subscribe to Whinny's Wisdoms

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

More Adventures of the Horse Doctor's Husband
Foals and Ascarids

Foals and Ascarids

May 20, 2024 | Ascarids, Foals

Whinny’s Wisdoms

Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic

Spring is moving into summer, the rains are coming, and lots of new foals are running around fields. Some of these frolicking fillies are harboring some extra passengers though…

Let’s wriggle into the world of roundworms, known to smart medically-minded mice like me as ascarids!

What are Ascarids?

Ascarids are small parasitic worms that live in the intestines of horses. They are called roundworms because, well, they have a round shape. These worms can grow to be several inches long and can cause health problems for foals. However, it’s not like foals are out there gobbling up full-sized worms in the grass (though I wouldn’t put it past them!). So let’s go over the lifecycle of these pesky parasites, and how they wind up in our horses.

  1. Egg Production: The life cycle of equine ascarids begins with adult female worms residing in the small intestine of the horse. These fecund females produce large numbers of eggs, which are then shed into the horse’s feces. 
  1. Environmental Contamination: Once the eggs are passed in the feces, they contaminate the environment where the horse lives. This can include pastures, paddocks, or stalls where horses graze or spend time.
  1. Egg Development: In the environment, under suitable conditions of temperature and humidity, the eggs develop and mature over a period of several weeks to become infective larvae. This is dependent on temperature and humidity, but these eggs are quite robust and can often overwinter and remain infective on a pasture into the next foaling season. 
  1. Ingestion: Foals become infected when they inadvertently ingest the infective larvae while grazing, eating contaminated feed or water, or through grooming behaviors where they ingest soil or other environmental material containing the larvae. We all know foals put their mouths on everything, so this part isn’t very hard!
  1. Larval Migration: Once ingested, the eggs hatch and larvae begin hepato-tracheal migration, arriving in the lungs about 1 week post infection. Here, they penetrate the alveoli and bronchioles, where they remain for another 2 weeks before they are coughed up into the pharynx and swallowed to return to the small intestine as more mature larvae. The first intestinal stages appear 3–4 weeks post infection.
  1. Maturation to Adult Worms: Inside the intestines, the immature worms continue to grow and develop into adult worms over the course of several weeks to months. Once mature, they begin producing eggs, completing this crazy, complicated lifecycle and perpetuating the infection.
  1. Egg Shedding: Adult female worms release eggs into the horse’s feces, restarting the cycle by contaminating the environment with new infective eggs.

Symptoms of Ascarid Impactions

 When foals have a lot of ascarids in their intestines, they can actually lead to obstructions. Literally, a road block of worms! This can actually happen with live worms OR with dead worms after the foal has been given a dewormer. This is one of those (many) times when consulting with that veterinarian that you have a great relationship with about the best deworming protocol gives you the best shot at getting things right.

Sometimes even when we do everything right, those poor babies still end up with ascarid impaction. Here’s what that might look like:

– Swollen belly

– Not eating well

– Diarrhea

– Weight loss

– Lethargy

– High heart rate

Preventing The Impaction

There are some things that can be done to help prevent foals from getting infected with ascarids:

– Keep the environment clean: Regularly clean up manure and bedding to reduce the number of worm eggs in the environment.

– Deworming: discuss the protocol with our doctors, but often times they’re going to have you give dewormers every few months in a specific order and dose

– Fecal Egg Counts: if there is any question, just like with adult horses, we take a sample of poop and put it in our fancy machine to tell us how many and what type of parasites we have

– Quarantine new foals: Keep any new animals separate from others until they can be dewormed and checked for worms or other issues by our doctors.

Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic

Treating Ascarid Impactions

Here’s the scoop: these worms, when they get stuck, often have to be surgically removed. The surgery works a lot like other colic surgeries. Following surgery, the foal will be monitored closely at the hospital. It’s important for the referral docs to slowly reintroduce the foal to food and watch for signs of infection. This can often be a time and money-intensive process, but foals typically recover well from this surgery and go on to live happy, normal, lives.

Whinny’s Wisdom: Ensuring access to transportation for horses is paramount for all horse owners, but particularly crucial for those with higher-risk animals such as foals. Transportation facilitates timely access to veterinary care in case of emergencies, ensuring prompt treatment for any health issues that may arise.

Remember, failure to plan is planning to fail! If you are raising a foal, make sure you have a plan and a schedule worked out with your veterinarian to minimize risk on all health fronts. Foals are hard enough as it is, so don’t miss out on an opportunity to set yourself and your foal up for success!

Love and cheese,

Whinny

P.S. If you want to learn way more about parasites and deworming than this mouse can tell you, check out our podcast, Straight from the Horse Doctor’s Mouth! It’s free, and you can learn more than you ever knew you didn’t know by listening! Just click on the link to visit the Podcast Page of my website, or subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts!

Whinny’s Wisdoms is the official blog of Whinny the Clinic Mouse at Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic in Newberry, Florida. If you liked this blog, please subscribe below, and share it with your friends on social media! For more information, please call us at (352) 472-1620, visit our website at SpringhillEquine.com, or follow us on Facebook!

Subscribe to Whinny's Wisdoms

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

More Adventures of the Horse Doctor's Husband
Feline Hyperthyroidism

Feline Hyperthyroidism

May 12, 2024 | Feline Hyperthyroidism

Whinny’s Wisdoms

Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic

Whinny’s Guide to Feline Hyperthyroidism: Partnering with Your Vet to Keep Your Cat Happy and Healthy!

 Hello there, fabulous feline friends and their wonderful humans! (I know your cat is on your lap, no need to pretend they’re not!) It’s Whinny, your cheerful Springhill Equine clinic mouse, here to “whisker” you away into the world of cat health. Today, we’re diving deep into a topic that might sound a bit daunting, but fear not! With a sprinkle of knowledge and a dash of partnership with your vet, we’ll navigate through Feline Hyperthyroidism together.

Picture this: your sweet senior kitty, once a spry kitten, starts showing signs of weight loss despite having the appetite of a lion! It may start out subtle, and then one day you notice the furball on your lap is lighter than usual, and under the fluff you can feel ribs where you couldn’t before. Well, my dear cat-loving pals, this might be a classic case of Feline Hyperthyroidism. This condition isn’t new; it’s been around the litter box block for quite some time, especially in our older feline friends. But hey, just because it’s an oldie doesn’t mean we should ignore it!

Companion Animal Clinic at Springhill Equine

Uncovering the Signs

Let’s talk symptoms, shall we? Your furball might start shedding pounds faster than a cat chasing a laser pointer. Despite this disappearing act, their appetite might seem insatiable, leaving you scratching your head in confusion. Then there’s the restless nights, the unexpected hurling sessions, and oh, the constant trips to the water bowl! Another tell-tail sign? The yowling. These kitties are often vocal and loud. If your cat is displaying any of these signs, it’s time to whisk them off to your trusty veterinarian for a check-up.

Partnering with Your Vet

Now, my dear cat guardians, here’s where the magic happens – your partnership with your vet! Together, you and your vet will embark on a journey to uncover the purr-fect treatment plan for your feline friend. It starts with a thorough examination and some whisker-twitching blood tests to measure those pesky thyroid hormone levels. Things aren’t always clear cut on initial blood tests, so we may need to start with single values and move on to panels. Or, our docs can plan to run the whole shebang the first time. Go big or go home, I always say. Once diagnosed, we have some different treatment options. We can almost always find one that works for you and your feline.

Treatment Options

The most common medication prescribed to treat feline hyperthyroidism is called methimazole. This drug blocks the production of two different thyroid hormones; and as the name suggests, symptoms of hyperthyroidism are caused by too much thyroid hormone. As long as this medication is used appropriately, which means your kitty gets it every time they’re supposed to, it is just as effective as the other treatment modalities. Both oral and topical versions exist. With methimazole, we can adjust dosing easily and stop if we see any side effects. Most of the time kitties handle this drug just fine, but there is one side effect that will stop us in our tracks: facial itching. Less than 4% of cats taking methimazole experience this, but once they do, methimazole is a no-go forever.

Another option is feeding a prescription, iodone-deficient, therapeutic diet. A prescription diet called Hill’s Y/D is the only option for this, and the big thing to remember, my fellow feline enthusiast, is if you choose this treatment for your cat, you must be as strict as a drill sergeant that this is the ONLY food your cat eats. This is one of those all-or-nothing kind of situations.

Two more costly options are radiotherapy and surgery. Both of these occur at referral facilities and would involve further diagnostics before pursuing. While they are more expensive, they can both offer a good chance of permanent cure after recovery.

Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic

Bright Paws Ahead

But fear not, dear cat lovers! There’s light at the end of the litter box tunnel. With early detection and the purr-fect treatment plan, your cat can get back to chasing toys, lounging in sunbeams, and being the absolute ruler of their domain. So, let’s band together, humans and furry companions alike, and show Feline Hyperthyroidism who’s boss!

Until next week,

~Whinny

P.S. Have you subscribed to my blog? Don’t rely on Facebook to let you know when a new Wisdom posts, get it right in your email a day before everyone else gets it! Just scroll down to the big purple box and put your email address in it. You can do it, go on! Good human!

Whinny’s Wisdoms is the official blog of Whinny the Clinic Mouse at Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic in Newberry, Florida. If you liked this blog, please subscribe below, and share it with your friends on social media! For more information, please call us at (352) 472-1620, visit our website at SpringhillEquine.com, or follow us on Facebook!

Subscribe to Whinny's Wisdoms

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

More Adventures of the Horse Doctor's Husband
Stretches for your Horse

Stretches for your Horse

May 6, 2024 | Stretching

Whinny’s Wisdoms

Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic

Hey everyone, Whinny here! You probably know that stretching is a great idea to keep your body healthy, right? Same goes for your horse! Just like human athletes get ready for exercise with a warm-up, our equine athletes need to be prepared as well. Stretching can help to increase your horse’s flexibility, promote strength and balance, and reduce the risk of injury. It can help to loosen up joints, increase circulation through muscles, and enhance suppleness through the spine in his neck and back. If your horse is recovering from a musculoskeletal injury or neurologic disorder, your vet may also recommend specific stretching exercises as part of his rehab plan.

Stretches are great as part of your horse’s warm-up and cool down from exercise. They are most effective when your horse has been warmed up a little because his muscles will be more elastic and less prone to damage. The best times to stretch will be when your horse has done a short warm-up (about 10 minutes) or after he has finished exercising.

Plan on spending about 10 minutes on your stretching routine. Find a clear area on level ground that will give you and your horse a little room to move. Ideally, it’s great if you have someone else to hold your horse for you. Cross ties don’t work great for stretching, and you’ll need to be cautious if you choose to use them.

Begin with your horse standing square and balanced. Start slowly to get him used to the routine. Some of these positions may take some practice for your horse to understand how to hold them. You want him to enjoy the stretches and not be anxious, so asking for partial stretches in the beginning is just fine. Slow, gentle stretches are the most effective. It’s better to start with a small easy stretch and work on increasing the time and depth of the stretch as he becomes more comfortable. Pulling hard against a horse that is resisting you can cause injuries and make your horse nervous, so don’t fight with him. Just stop, give it a moment, and then ask for a lighter version of the stretch again. His flexibility and balance should increase over time, making it easier for him to perform the exercises. Repeat each stretch 3-5 times, allowing him a few seconds between stretches for his muscles to relax.

Here is a list of some basic stretches. You can do these stretches every day or perform different ones on different days. If your horse has any known musculoskeletal injuries, sites of pain, or difficulty balancing, be sure to talk to one of my docs before starting to make sure they are appropriate for him. Also, if you don’t feel safe doing some of these stretches for whatever reason, use your judgement to take care of your own safety and give them a skip if you aren’t comfortable.

Forelimb Stretches

  • Stretching the limb forward
    • This is great for stretching the muscles, tendons, and ligaments on the back of the limb, as well as muscles on the side of the trunk. Pick up the forelimb as you would to pick the hoof, then bring the lower limb forward and down until it is extended out in front. Keep the hoof low to the ground and if the horse strongly resists, do not pull against him to avoid damaging the soft tissues.

Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic

  • Stretching the forelimb backwards
    • This stretch focuses on the muscles in front of the shoulder and is great for horses with tense shoulder and chest muscles. Pick up the foot and place one hand in front of the knee. Your other hand supports the fetlock. Keeping the knee slightly bent and the hoof low to the ground but not touching, push the knee so the front hoof stretches towards the hind leg.

Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic

Hindlimb Stretches

  • Stretching the limb backwards
    • This stretch should only be performed on a horse that is well behaved for handling his hind limbs. Stand close to your horse (not behind him) and pick up the hind leg as if you were going to pick out the hoof. Slowly extend the leg back and downwards by pushing the fetlock out behind the horse. Don’t force this stretch or place any downward force on the hock.

  • Stretching the limb forward
    • Hold the back leg with one hand by the fetlock and the other hand on the foot or supporting the leg above the hock. Pull the leg forward until it is extended. Keep the foot low to the ground to avoid soft tissue injury, and don’t jerk back on him if he resists. A more advanced version of this stretch is the diagonal hindlimb stretch. Pick up the right hind leg from the left side of the horse, under his belly. Stretch the right hind leg down and forward toward the left front foot. Repeat with the left hind leg from the right side. Be careful to let go if your horse strongly resists and never force him.

Neck Stretches

  • Lateral stretches
    • Ask the horse to bend his neck to the left and the right. He may follow a treat to encourage this. The horse should bend his neck fluidly and evenly and your horse should bend his neck without tipping his head. Check that his ears stay even (see pictures). This may be difficult for some horses, especially if they have neck pain. If your horse tries to pivot his head to reach around, start with a smaller stretch, since the stretch is not as effective if he tips his head. Hold for 10-15 seconds if possible.

This next video is a demonstration of how NOT to do it! Notice the angle of the ears and head as he reaches for the treat. With his head nearly sideways, the stretch is not doing him any good.

  • Flexion (bowing stretch)
    • Stand near your horse’s girth, facing his head. Use a treat to ask him to stretch his head down to the level of his knees. The horse should bend evenly through the neck and round his back. Hold for 10-15 seconds. As he gets used to the stretch, you can ask him to reach between his knees or extend down between his fetlocks. He should round his back even more and may bend his knees a bit as the stretch gets deeper.

Back Stretches

  • Lower back flexion (hind end tucks)
    • Stand on the side of your horse’s hindquarters (not directly behind) and face forward. Use your fingers to scratch the muscle on either side of his hindquarters. He should round and lift his back, flexing the lower back and pelvis. Each horse will need a different amount of pressure to make him flex. Start with a light motion as some horses can be sensitive to this and you want gradual flexion.

  • Upper back lift (abdominal tucks)
    • Stand near your horse’s elbow, facing him. With your fingertips, apply firm pressure under the belly, a little behind where the girth would sit on midline. This will ask the horse to lift his sternum, contract his abdominals, and arch his upper back. You may need a little “tickle” with your fingertips or to press in your nails to get him to respond. Go slow and be cautious the first time you do this stretch. Watch the hind legs to be sure he doesn’t think you are a fly and kick forward at you.

  • Tail pull
    • Perform this one only if your horse is used to having his tail handled and you feel safe in the position. Hold your horse’s tail near the end. Standing behind him, steadily pull backwards at a slightly downward angle. You can lean backwards a bit and use some of your body weight for the pull. Hold for 30 seconds and repeat 3 times. Since the tail is connected to the spine and the muscles that stabilize it, this stretch can help to relieve pain and tension in the deep core back muscles. Many horses really enjoy the feeling of this stretch and will lean slightly forward to increase the traction to where they like it. Tail pull stretches have been shown in studies to decrease back pain in horses.

Lower Limb Stretches

  • Coffin joint
    • Holding the leg up by the cannon bone or pastern, let the hoof hang freely. Grasp the bottom of the hoof and gently twist back and forth like opening and closing the lid of a jar. The hoof should move an equal amount in both directions. This stretch encourages movement around the coffin joint and soft tissues surrounding it. It’s great to encourage free movement of synovial fluid inside the joint as well as flexibility of the joint capsule, tendons, and ligaments that stabilize the coffin joint and keep it functioning.

Until next week,
~Whinny

P.S. Our YouTube Channel is packed with great veterinary videos! There’s something for every horse owner, no matter what kind of horse you have! Make sure you like and subscribe so you don’t miss future videos 😊

Whinny’s Wisdoms is the official blog of Whinny the Clinic Mouse at Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic in Newberry, Florida. If you liked this blog, please subscribe below, and share it with your friends on social media! For more information, please call us at (352) 472-1620, visit our website at SpringhillEquine.com, or follow us on Facebook!

Subscribe to Whinny's Wisdoms

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

More Adventures of the Horse Doctor's Husband
Whinny’s Guide to Keeping Horses Cool on the Road

Whinny’s Guide to Keeping Horses Cool on the Road

Apr 29, 2024 | Trailer Safety

Whinny’s Wisdoms

Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic

Now, I, Whinny, wouldn’t claim to be an expert on horses. After all, I’m just a field mouse who’s taken up residence in a cozy corner of Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic. But between the hushed whispers of the vets and the whinnies of incoming patients, I’ve picked up a thing or two about these creatures. With summer coming, one topic kept cropping up – trailering in the heat.

Apparently, just like that shiny metal box humans call a car, the inside of a horse trailer can turn into a furnace on a hot day. Horses, unlike us nimble mice, can’t exactly pop open a window for some fresh air. And that’s where trouble starts.

Here’s the thing: horses sweat to cool down, just like humans. But unlike us, they need good airflow for that sweat to evaporate and keep them comfortable. Stuck in a stuffy trailer, that sweat just sits there, making things even hotter. My doctors say it can be 20 degrees hotter inside the trailer compared to outside – yikes!

And that’s not all. Did you know horses can’t cough properly with their heads held high? Imagine having a tickle in your throat but being unable to bend over and clear it! Apparently, the jostling of the trailer can send dust and hay bits flying, making a cough crucial. If the trailer doesn’t have enough space for a good head-low cough (or their head is tied too high), that tickle can turn into a serious respiratory problem down the road.

Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic

Speaking of down the road, even short trips can be stressful for horses. Studies, the kind my doctors love to quote, show that even a four-hour journey can send a horse’s stress levels through the roof. Their cortisol (the stress hormone) goes up, and their immune system takes a dive – not exactly ideal for facing new environments.

So, what can we do to help horses stay cool and comfortable on their summer adventures? Well, for starters, ventilation is key. Open all those vents and windows on the trailer, anything to get some air circulating. Think of it like my little burrow – nice and cool with plenty of fresh air coming through. If you can safely lock the dutch doors open, that’s even better. Just make sure you put a fly mask on them to protect their eyes from flying bits!

Whinny Wisdom: If the roof/ceiling of your trailer isn’t insulated, you might consider having some sort of insulation installed. There are several ways to do this, depending on how your trailer is designed. Spray foam, boards or panels, and liners are all options you can ask your local trailer shop about. An insulated roof makes an incredible difference in internal temperature. A good rule of thumb: if you can’t put your thumb on the ceiling of your trailer on a hot afternoon without getting burned, it needs some insulation!

Next up – water, water, water! Horses need to stay hydrated to regulate their body temperature. Frequent stops are a must, not just for filling up the gas tank but also for offering your equine friend a good long drink. A hose down might be appreciated too if possible.

Now, I may be a mouse, but even I know that ice melts. That whole trick of putting ice on the trailer floor to cool things down? Turns out, it’s a myth! The ice might cool the floor a bit, but it won’t do much for the overall temperature. Think of it like putting an ice cube in a hot cup of cocoa – sure, the ice itself will be cold, but the cocoa will still be steaming. Also, heat rises and cold sinks, so that’s a basic physics calculation.

There’s more to consider, of course. Trailer shade is important – parking under a tree or using a sunshade can make a big difference. Light-colored trailers absorb less heat, so that might be something to keep in mind for future trailer purchases (although, let’s be honest, that’s not exactly a quick fix).

Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic

Here’s a bonus tip I overheard my doctors mention – electrolytes! These are like magic potions for horses, helping them replenish what they lose through sweat. A little electrolyte paste before the trip and some offered during rest stops can go a long way in keeping them feeling their best.

Remember, a happy horse is a healthy horse. By taking these precautions and planning your trip for cooler hours if possible, you can ensure your horse arrives at their destination safe, sound, and ready for new adventures. And that, from this little field mouse’s perspective, is a win-win situation!

So, there you have it! A crash course in keeping horses cool on the road, all from the perspective of a very curious field mouse. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some delicious crumbs waiting on me.

Until next week,
~Whinny

P.S. Our YouTube Channel is packed with great veterinary videos! There’s something for every horse owner, no matter what kind of horse you have! Make sure you like and subscribe so you don’t miss future videos 😊

Whinny’s Wisdoms is the official blog of Whinny the Clinic Mouse at Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic in Newberry, Florida. If you liked this blog, please subscribe below, and share it with your friends on social media! For more information, please call us at (352) 472-1620, visit our website at SpringhillEquine.com, or follow us on Facebook!

Subscribe to Whinny's Wisdoms

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

More Adventures of the Horse Doctor's Husband