Winter's on Its Way (and It Might Be a Soggy One)

Right, let's talk about the season everyone loves to complain about: winter.

Word on the grapevine (well, from the actual weather forecasters) is that this year could be more "rain and storms" than "biting frost," at least to start with. Good news if you hate frozen troughs, bad news if you already know exactly what your gateway looks like after three days of rain.

Either way, now's a good time to get sorted before the yard turns into a swamp.

Mud - the eternal enemy

You know the drill: gateways go first, then the whole field starts looking like a battlefield. A bit of prep now saves a lot of misery later:

●        Chuck some matting, boards or woodchip down at gateways and by the water trough before it all turns to soup

●        Fence off a bit of field now so you've got somewhere half-decent to turn out later in the season

●        Give your fencing a proper once-over while you're at it - anything wobbly from last year's storms won't magically fix itself

Rugs: don't just grab the thickest one

If it really is a mild-but-wet winter rather than a proper freeze, your horse might not need the big heavy rug straight away. A good waterproof, breathable rug does more good than one that just traps them in a damp, sweaty cocoon all day. Have a feel underneath every so often and adjust based on the actual weather, not just because the calendar says "winter" now.

Sorting your turnout rugs for the season? Our Winter Collection is built with exactly this in mind - keeping the wet out without overheating your horse.

Water - don't forget it

Horses tend to drink less once it turns cold, so keep an eye on troughs and pipes so they don't ice over or sit there getting grim. Simple one, but easy to forget once you're busy dealing with mud and rugs.

Sort your kit while you still can

Before it's all rain and no daylight:

●        Wash and reproof your rugs (Nikwax TX Direct is great for this) rather than digging them out mid-storm and hoping for the best

●        Give the horsebox or trailer a check over if it's not getting used as much this time of year

●        Sort tack and travel gear now, while you've still got decent daylight to actually see what needs doing

The bottom line

Nobody really knows exactly what this winter has planned, but "wet and grim" seems like a safe bet either way. A bit of prep now on mud, rugs and kit means you're ready for whatever it throws at you, instead of scrambling once it's already knee-deep out there.

Stay dry out there, and good luck to your gateways.