{"id":8201,"date":"2020-06-19T09:11:00","date_gmt":"2020-06-19T08:11:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/?p=8201"},"modified":"2021-07-23T09:31:49","modified_gmt":"2021-07-23T08:31:49","slug":"horse-vacation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/horse-vacation\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Things You Need to Prepare for When Your Horse is Going on Vacation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s well into summer now and <\/span><\/i><b><i>a lot of horses are going to spend the rest of the season in the paddock<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. This is something you have to be well prepared for, especially if your horse lives in stables all year round! In this article, I will give you 7 things you should prepare before your horse goes on vacation. &#x1f3d6;<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<div id=\"toc_container\" class=\"no_bullets\"><p class=\"toc_title\">Table des mati&egrave;res<\/p><ul class=\"toc_list\"><li><a href=\"#1-8211-Have-a-dietary-transition-period-of-8-to-10-days\">#1 &#8211; Have a dietary transition period of 8 to 10 days<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#2-8211-Letting-your-horse-out-in-the-paddock-before-vacation\">#2 &#8211; Letting your horse out in the paddock before vacation<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#3-8211-nbspLet-your-horse-out-in-the-paddock-in-small-groups-x1f46f\">#3 &#8211; &nbsp;Let your horse out in the paddock in small groups &#x1f46f;<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#4-8211-Find-the-right-fly-repellent\">#4 &#8211; Find the right fly repellent! <\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#5-8211-Put-a-full-body-mesh-rug-and-a-fly-mask-on-your-horse-x1f468x200dx1f680\">#5 &#8211; Put a full-body mesh rug and a fly mask on your horse  &#x1f468;&#x200d;&#x1f680;<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#6-8211-Gradually-decrease-your-horses-workload\">#6 &#8211; Gradually decrease your horse\u2019s workload<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#7-8211-Get-the-farrier-for-your-horse\">#7 &#8211; Get the farrier for your horse<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n<h2><span id=\"1-8211-Have-a-dietary-transition-period-of-8-to-10-days\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">#1 &#8211; Have a dietary transition period of 8 to 10 days<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>&#x23e9; Learn more: <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/calculer-la-ration-de-son-cheval\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Cereal free feeds<\/a><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dietary transitions are not quite a habit that horse owners have acquired yet, but it is very important. A brutal change in your horse\u2019s diet is kind of like when you go on a trip to the other side of the world, we take some time to adjust\u2026 For your horse, it is the same, there\u2019s a risk of some \u201cdigestive problems\u201d &#x1f4a9;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What you have to keep in mind is that <\/span><b>you absolutely need to have a dietary transition period of 8 to 10 days<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are a few diets you can adopt:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><b>1\/ <i>Feed your horse the same concentrates<\/i><\/b><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this case, no problem, just remember to <\/span><b>gradually decrease it\u2019s portion every day<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Less activity = less food! If you\u2019re not careful, <\/span><b>your horse can get too fat<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><b>2\/ <i>Feed your horse concentrates which are different from the usual ones<\/i><\/b><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this case <\/span><b>start gradually mixing the new concentrates and the old ones<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to have a smooth transition.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><b>3\/ <i>Don\u2019t feed your horse any concentrates and let it live on 100% fresh grass<\/i><\/b><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this case gradually decrease the daily portion of hard feed and <\/span><b>give your horse more hay<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> before you let them out in the paddock!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><span id=\"2-8211-Letting-your-horse-out-in-the-paddock-before-vacation\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">#2 &#8211; Letting your horse out in the paddock before vacation<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If your horse isn\u2019t used to being turned out in the paddock during the year, <\/span><b>they will be more chance of complications, therefore, it is important to have a smooth transition here as well.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The important thing is to <\/span><b>avoid your horse being a bit silly<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and hurting themselves. To start, let them loose in <\/span><b>a small paddock after you have done a good work session<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. If your horse is tired, they should be calmer and less prone to jumping around. You can put on bell boots and protections if you wish, just to be safe.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Saying this, don\u2019t overprotect your horse. Horses are expressive animals, and allowing them to express \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">behaviors specific to their species<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d is part of the definition of animal wellbeing. <\/span><b>It\u2019s important to let them convey their enthusiasm<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2026 their own way!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"362\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/cheval_pre-1024x362.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-27219\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/cheval_pre-1024x362.png 1024w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/cheval_pre-300x106.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/cheval_pre-768x272.png 768w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/cheval_pre-604x214.png 604w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/cheval_pre.png 1037w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><span id=\"3-8211-nbspLet-your-horse-out-in-the-paddock-in-small-groups-x1f46f\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">#3 &#8211; &nbsp;Let your horse out in the paddock in small groups &#x1f46f;<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If your horse is going to be on vacation in a group with other horses, they have to get used to being<\/span><b> with some friends first<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As I was saying in the <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/20-things-to-change-stables\/\">article on changing stables<\/a>, <\/span><b>social interactions are really important for our horses<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Unfortunately, we\u2019re often afraid of them getting hurt and we\u2019re not really letting them touch each other, or feel each other. <\/span><b>That\u2019s a mistake<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By forbidding the contact, we are creating these \u201csocially awkward\u201d horses. <\/span><b>If they never had any interactions with other horses, they can\u2019t know how to \u201clive in society\u201d<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So let your horse be friendly to other horses! Let them smell each other and give each other kisses. A good start is to find a friend your horse gets along with and let them loose together.&#x263a;&#xfe0f;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image wp-image-4140 size-full\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"513\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/chevaux_bisous-1024x513.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-27218\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/chevaux_bisous-1024x513.png 1024w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/chevaux_bisous-300x150.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/chevaux_bisous-768x385.png 768w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/chevaux_bisous-538x270.png 538w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/chevaux_bisous.png 1037w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>Let your horses kiss each other !!! &#x1f60d;<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2><span id=\"4-8211-Find-the-right-fly-repellent\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">#4 &#8211; Find the right fly repellent! <\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There is a lot of different fly repellents available, be sure to test the repellant on a small area of your horse beforehand to see if your horse is not allergic to it. You wouldn&#8217;t that this can happen but it does!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s important to note that the action of fly repellent is pretty short because it gets diluted by your horse\u2019s sweat, you will have to reapply it often. <\/span><b>It\u2019s important to look at the dilution indications on the back of the bottle to ensure you are applying it correctly!<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cEvery year, veterinarians are called to save intoxicated horses.\u201d<\/span><\/i><br>&#8211; <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Marine Slove, Veterinary<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Learn more: <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/sweet-itch\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sweet itch<\/span><\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2><span id=\"5-8211-Put-a-full-body-mesh-rug-and-a-fly-mask-on-your-horse-x1f468x200dx1f680\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">#5 &#8211; Put a full-body mesh rug and a fly mask on your horse  &#x1f468;&#x200d;&#x1f680;<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><b>It\u2019s ugly,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> let\u2019s face it, but it&#8217;s still much better for your horse than getting bitten the entire day! By using <\/span><b>a full mesh (honeycomb) rug<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (which protects the neck and the stomach) your horse will be safe from aggressive insects like horseflies.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1037\" height=\"367\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/nidabeille.png\" alt=\"horse pasture\" class=\"wp-image-8202\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/nidabeille.png 1037w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/nidabeille-300x106.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/nidabeille-768x272.png 768w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/nidabeille-1024x362.png 1024w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/nidabeille-604x214.png 604w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/nidabeille-850x301.png 850w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1037px) 100vw, 1037px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The same applies for fly masks, your horse will look like an idiot but it will be safe from harm. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1037\" height=\"367\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/masque.png\" alt=\"horse flymask\" class=\"wp-image-8205\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/masque.png 1037w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/masque-300x106.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/masque-768x272.png 768w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/masque-1024x362.png 1024w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/masque-604x214.png 604w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/masque-850x301.png 850w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1037px) 100vw, 1037px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2><span id=\"6-8211-Gradually-decrease-your-horses-workload\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">#6 &#8211; Gradually decrease your horse\u2019s workload<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is similar to the dietary transition, we don\u2019t usually take enough time to prepare our horses for a halt in their training regimen, even though we should.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><b>To avoid myositis<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, you have to <\/span><b>gradually decrease your horse\u2019s workload<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Take advantage of the dietary transition to do so, which means<\/span><b> you have 8 to 10 days!<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Start by <\/span><b>decreasing the time at canter<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, without decreasing your session time. Lastly, <\/span><b>decrease the total session time<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. By the end of your 8 to 10 day transition, you should be achieving around a 20 minutes session.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1292\" height=\"740\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/APP_1.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8208\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/APP_1.png 1292w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/APP_1-300x172.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/APP_1-768x440.png 768w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/APP_1-1024x587.png 1024w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/APP_1-471x270.png 471w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/APP_1-850x487.png 850w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1292px) 100vw, 1292px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Learn more: <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/horse-myositis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">How to avoid myositis?<\/a><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2><span id=\"7-8211-Get-the-farrier-for-your-horse\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">#7 &#8211; Get the farrier for your horse<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lastly, get your farrier to <\/span><b>remove your horse&#8217;s shoes at least from the hind legs. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If your horse is going to the paddock with other horses, it is always safer<\/span> to do this, all 4 shoes preferably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If your farrier is coming to shoe your horse, inform them that your horse will be out in the paddock for the next month or so because he may adapt your horse\u2019s shoes!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When your horse doesn\u2019t have shoes, have <\/span><b>the farrier<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> trim the hoof so your horse is ready for its vacation!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#f2f2f2\">On the same topic &#x1f4da; : <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/back-to-work\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">7 exercises to get your horse back to work<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Have a great summer!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Camille Saute<\/strong><br><strong>Equisense Cofounder<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h6><strong>Illustrations<br><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fly icon, created by Gilad Fried from the Noun Project<\/span><\/h6>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s well into summer now and a lot of horses are going to spend the&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/horse-vacation\/\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":8211,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[6177],"tags":[6530,7011,7156],"yst_prominent_words":[7142,7137,7129,7151,10206,821,7152,7153,1052,10204,7132,7146,7144,7131,10209,7130,806,824,7154,10205],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8201"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8201"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8201\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30628,"href":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8201\/revisions\/30628"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8211"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8201"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8201"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8201"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=8201"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}