1. Championships concern
Campaigners have warned “horses will die”, in response to the rescheduled World Endurance Championships’ transfer to the UAE. The occasion will happen at Boudheib Worldwide Endurance Village (BIEV), in February. The occasion had been attributable to run in Verona in October however the FEI known as a cease this as horse and rider security “couldn’t be assured”. A Clear Endurance spokesman stated that they had excessive hopes the FEI would attribute the championships to a venue that not solely extra carefully resembles the terrain the horses have been ready for, but in addition “lacks the detrimental associations when it comes to horse welfare and rule infringements the UAE has been identified for previously”.
2. Previous traditions and horse lameness
On this week’s journal (8 December), H&H’s showjumping columnist Graham Fletcher shares his ideas on the rising instances of horse accidents. Graham says it appears accidents to horses are extra frequent as we speak than they have been three or 4 many years in the past – and he stated tendon accidents have been uncommon in his competitors days, regardless of how a lot leaping the horses did. “Prime horses are so exhausting to seek out these days that I can perceive individuals erring on the under-jumping facet. But that concept is confounded by one of many present high combos, the good John Whitaker and Equine America Unick Du Francport. Regardless of doing extra exhibits than most this 12 months, ‘Frank’ has saved his enthusiasm and freshness – a credit score to how he’s been produced and managed,” stated Graham, who added that because the horse world adopts trendy concepts, possibly we shouldn’t discard profitable traditions, however take from each.
3. Frosty grass
Because the temperatures plummet, many house owners might be waking as much as exhausting frosts, which raises the age-old query, is it secure for horses to eat frosty grass? Vet Kieran O’Brien of Penbode Equine in Devon says horses residing out in winter can “fortunately eat frosted grass each morning for weeks on finish with out struggling any adversarial impact” and “proof that grass causes colic is barely circumstantial”. Keiran says grass might be quickly warmed up within the horse’s mouth throughout chewing, and be warmed additional because the grass travels down the oesophagus to the abdomen.
Learn what else Keiran needed to say, plus tricks to forestall winter colic
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