Horse care tips

Take your horse's rug off every day to check for rubs or sore spots, then refit it. Check the forecast daily to decide whether a rug is needed at all.

Sticky yellow bot fly eggs on your horse's legs? Scrape them off with a bot knife to help break the bot fly's life cycle.

In wet months, check your horse's lower legs daily for scabs, heat or swelling. Treating mud fever as soon as it starts gives the best chance of success.

When washing mud fever, use warm water and a very dilute antiseptic — never cold water, and never neat antiseptic on the skin — then dry the leg thoroughly.

Barrier creams can help prevent mud fever before turnout — but only apply them to clean, dry skin, never over existing sores.

Thick feathers make it hard to get legs properly dry. For a horse with mud fever, clipping the legs may be needed to clear it up.

To judge if your horse is cold, feel its neck, withers and body — not its legs, ears or face, which naturally run cooler.

Rug for your horse, not for how cold you feel. Over-rugging can cause sweating, discomfort, weight gain and skin problems.

Keep a spare rug so you can swap it if one gets soaked through.

Don't keep a horse rugged 24/7. On dry or milder days, let it have fresh air and sun on its back.

A clipped horse has lost part of its natural insulation. It may need a rug when temperatures drop below about 5°C to stay comfortable and hold its weight.

Check clipper blades for heat as you work, oil them regularly, and stop for a break if they get hot. Clean, dry coats and sharp blades make clipping easier.

For a horse with sweet itch, buy a full-body fly rug and a spare, so you can wash and rotate them.

Regular grooming is your best skin check. You'll notice lumps, scabs, rubbed patches or heat early, while they're easy to deal with.

Grooming can strengthen your bond. Try different brushes on different areas to find what your horse enjoys most — preferences vary.

Horses with PPID often struggle to shed their coat. Clipping in warmer months can keep them comfortable — then use rugs if the weather turns chilly.

Protect pink skin, especially on the face and heels, from sunburn. Test any sun cream on a small patch first, or use a fly mask with UV protection.

Zebra-striped fly rugs have been shown to reduce fly landings — the thin, irregular stripes seem to confuse flies.