Spring is coming!

City people look to the groundhog yet we in the country turn to our horses.

This time of year, the trees are starting to bud and grow new life. The grass is a bright shade of green and high in sugars as the seed rises to the top of the blade. With this change in environment our horses are rejuvenated after a depressing and wet winter. The sugars in the grass give them heightened energy levels and weight is easier to keep on them if they are on pasture.

“Spring has sprung” is a fitting term with horses. In the spring horses are hyper and like to seemingly defy gravity! While lunging a horse in the spring I say I’m going to go “fly my kite” when referring to working young horses in the spring time. They live to leap, buck and play! It’s nothing malicious it’s just their way to burn off extra energy and sugars.

If the spring horse is worked regularly this time of year you won’t have to deal with the “kite” horse. They need an outlet and muddy pastures inhibit their natural needs to run and play to release the energy as they feel fit.

Think of the spring horse in this way, if you drink an energy drink, you would go crazy if you were stuck on the couch. Same idea applies to the horses this time of year.

Hormones are starting to awaken again as well in our mares come spring. All winter most mares reproductive tract is dormant and we don’t have to deal with their inner “dragon”. Most mares change as they come into heat and most are pretty bratty when they do. Their spring heat is their longest heat or so it seems. An herbal remedy I found that helps mares is comparable to midol for us humans and boy is it helpful! 1/2 cup of Aloe juice (can be purchased at Walmart) a day will help with reproductive pain and level mood swings.

Don’t blame your horse when spring comes and it turns into a hooligan. It’s natural they are just telling you they are ready to get put back to work! So go out, enjoy your horse! Good weather is on its way!