Share "Equine New Year’s Resolutions"
It’s that time of year when everyone seems to be resolving to do
things differently. Whatever that means to you, we are putting a horsey
spin on resolutions as they relate to what we do with our equine
partners and our activities around the barn. Here are some resolutions
to consider if you’re trying to change things up for the New Year:
- Commit to a barn safety evaluation. Look around and
identify things that need repair such as loose boards, nails protruding,
broken crossties, or loose electrical outlets. This is also a great
time to revisit or create your fire evacuation plan. (link to fire evac
article) Make sure you have extinguishers around in key areas and that
they are functioning. You don’t want to discover your fire extinguisher
is no longer working when you need it most.
- Focus on nutrition. Take a close look at your horse and
determine if they require some extra weight, need to lose a few pounds
(like many of us this time of year!) or look just right. Also check to
see how your horse’s topline looks and utilize the TES tool (TES link)
to review how it should look. This is a chance to re-evaluate your
nutrition program.
- Work on an emergency fund. “Horses are extremely
predictable and always make good decisions”, said no one ever. We all
know that there is a high probability our horses will get injured or
sick at some point in their lives. And often it’s on a weekend or
holiday that incurs emergency vet fees. If you can put away some extra
funds to build up savings in case disaster strikes when you least expect
it, it will help soften the economic blow.
- Clean out your trailer, tack box or your mobile tack room (i.e. your truck or car). “A
place for everything and everything in its place” is a great mantra to
start the New Year off right. There is nothing more satisfying than
opening a neatly organized tack box or getting rid of the extra
horsehair in your vehicle.
- Enjoy your time together. No matter what you do with
your horse, commit to spending some quality time with them every day.
Riding, groundwork or even just some grooming to see what lurks under
that winter blanket or shaggy coat will strengthen your bond.
The feed room is proudly brought to you by Nutrena and Cargill Animal Nutrition. Learn more about us here. You can see the original blog post here.
