How Climate Change is Affecting Our Horse Industry

and continuous access to freshwater. Horse properties located in areas that are becoming wetter or snowier will need to address excess runoff icy footing freezing waterlines and horse waterers space for stockpiling snow effective drainage in pens pastures and arenas and ensure that stormproof shelters are available. Some regions will experience both drier and wetter weather so property owners may need to plan for both.
Depending on the weather grazing pastures may require fewer horses faster rotations or different grass species to prevent overgrazing or mud. Using a sacrifice area or dry lot rather than leaving horses on pasture 247 helps prevent pasture damage. Different weather may support more weeds or new weed species so managing pasture weeds by mowing handpulling or chemicals may be necessary. Planting trees around horse properties and in pastures provides shade shelter and cooler temperatures for horses and humans. Trees help maintain soil moisture in drought and absorb excess rainfall from storms.
As internal equine parasites worms proliferate due to drug resistance and new weather regimes additional manure management may be required. Picking up manure daily stockpiling it on a concrete pad with a covered roof and regularly removing the pile from the property is integral to reducing internal parasites and biting bugs. Seeding manure piles with predator flies that eat parasite larvae effectively interrupts the parasitefly cycle.
Improved Horse Management 
In these uncertain times good horse husbandry practices can prevent unnecessary horse health issues. Unhealthy horses can be costly and timeconsuming. Obese horses are more likely to founder suffer from respiratory diseases require veterinary intervention and need grazing muzzles while thin horses require additional blanketing feed and supplementation all of which are expensive. Keeping your horse at optimal body condition a Henneke equine body condition score of four to six costs less in feed supplements and veterinary care plus encourages athleticism and overall horse health. Having your horses teeth checked annually ensures proper chewing and digestion of hay which decreases hay waste weight loss the need for expensive supplements and the potential for colic.
Protecting horses from biting insects is also important as diseasecarrying flies migrate to new areas. Fly sheets fly boots face masks plus chemical creams and sprays can all help reduce bug bites break the internal parasite cycle and reduce the spread of disease. Biting flies and parasites have interlocked cycles and a veterinarian can help determine the best internal parasite deworming schedule and products
for your horse and region. A veterinarian can also provide advice about suitable vaccinations to protect your horses from diseases that may be spreading into your area. For example in Western Canada West Nile virus WNV and Potomac Horse Fever are popping up in different locations and vaccines are available for both.
Managing horses feet teeth and weight are everyday concerns however with changing weather good husbandry becomes more important. Longer droughts will dry out hooves which may require moisturizing while wet or fluctuating weather may increase hoof growth and diseases necessitating regular hoof care. Developing a regular yearround hoof care schedule with a knowledgeable farrier will help.