The arrival of September always means winter is creeping up, never a good thing. Although in the UK we usually get some more sunny and warm days the nights are getting colder and the days are getting shorter!
It is usually the time that I start getting ready for the mornings and evenings spent in the dark! The colder nights mean that Basil will need to come in at night soon too.
- When the horses are out in the day again this gives me the opportunity to give the stables a good clean. I need to de-cobweb the stables, clean the windows, disinfect and move the rubber mats.
- I will also start building up the beds in the stables so that they are lovely and cosy for the cold nights.
- This year the stables need painting (I hope I will get this done).
- The hedges around the edge of the field need trimming too this year - so I need to organise that to be done.
- All the gutters will need clearing out once all the leaves have fallen.
- The arena needs the last raking (with the chain harrows) because once the field is wet I can't take them into the arena as it also takes in mud!
- The horses will need their tapeworm test at the end of September/early October and maybe need worming too - depending on the results.
- The horses are due their annual injections at the end of October and amazingly the timing works with the dates Tommy has for his 3rd injections too. Which means that they can all be done together. This also means it will be time for their teeth to be checked and rasped. This has been booked in since last year although Basil will need more frequent checks now.
- I need to sort out the winter rugs to remind myself what each of the horses have and if they need new ones!
- The clippers need checking and probably the blades need sharpening too, which I probably should have done before now.
- I will check that I have plenty of salt for putting on the yard when it gets icy and snowy. As I didn't use any last year I think there will be plenty.
- We had some more hardcore put in the gateway earlier this year, so that is done. However, I usually finds this just 'moves' the mud further away!!
- I will need to keep Chesney's heels trimmed short and get back in the routine of checking them for mudfever. As Tommy does not have any white socks I hope that he won't be a sufferer. The skin under white hair tends to be more sensitive and less hardy and is often more prone to this condition. The advantage of them coming in every night means the mud dries and I can check easily. See my mud fever blog.
- In the past I have had to careful about Fidget getting Laminitis when the grass is extra tasty in the Autumn. See my Laminitis blog here.
- I will need to stock up on hay and will try to fill the 'haybarn' with as much as can be fitted in.
- I will soon need to start Chesney on his winter feeding regime so that he maintains his weight. I will start to give him oil again and sugarbeet. This year I am also planning to continue feeding him his Sixteen Plus cubes with the Hi-Fi Senior. Basil and Tommy are carrying plenty of weight so should be fine, but I will monitor them.
You can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram for updates on Chesney, Basil, Tommy and Daisy.
Until next time!
Jo
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