Spring Wellness Strategies for horse owners
Date: 1 Sep 2025
Spring brings both opportunity and challenge in horse management. As pastures rebound and competition calendars open, it’s a critical time to refine health programmes, optimise conditioning, and minimise seasonal risks.
Nutritional Transitions
Experienced owners know the dangers of rapid pasture introduction. Early spring grass is high in non-structural carbohydrates, increasing laminitis risk in insulin-resistant or easy-keeping horses. Controlled grazing, strip fencing, or muzzling can help manage intake, while balancing pasture with hay maintains gut stability. Monitor body condition closely – spring often demands subtle feed adjustments rather than dramatic changes.
Hoof and Musculoskeletal Health
Softer ground can alter hoof wear patterns and exacerbate issues like thrush or white line disease. Collaboration with your farrier on sole depth, heel support, and breakover is key to maintaining soundness as workloads increase. Hoof balance x-rays at the beginning of the season will help with forward planning.
Horses returning to regular training may also present with stiffness or asymmetry, which requires assessment by your veterinarian. Physiotherapy and structured conditioning can prevent minor issues from becoming performance-limiting.
Parasite and Preventive Care
Spring parasite control should be evidence-based. Faecal egg counts (12 weeks after the last worm treatment) allow targeted deworming, preserving drug efficacy against resistance.
Ideally, vaccination programs are synchronised with competition schedules. Core vaccines – Tetanus and Strangles are recommended for all horses, with Herpes for breeding and competition horses.
Respiratory and Dermatological Concerns
Pollen and fungal spores are common triggers for equine asthma in the spring. Environmental dust reduction (soaking hay for 30-60 minutes, improving stable ventilation) remains first-line management.
With shedding coats and humid conditions, vigilance for dermatological concerns is essential. Rain scald, dermatophilosis, and fungal infections thrive during spring. Proactive skin hygiene and tack disinfection protocols are advised.
Condition and Performance Monitoring
For horses coming out of lighter work, incremental conditioning is non-negotiable. Use progressive loading – long, slow distance work to rebuild aerobic capacity, followed by strength and suppling exercises. Hill work, pole exercises, and cross-training can enhance musculoskeletal resilience.
Weekly workload increases should be of no more than 10% in duration or intensity.
Dr Catherine Pemberton, BVSc
Back...