This Summer has been confirmed of being wet. No only in Canada, almost everywhere in the world the summer has been really wet and sometimes cold. 

Today I will reflects on a few things we have to be careful when it is wet and cold outside.

1. If it his raining and there is a cold wind outside be careful if you or your horse are sweating to cover yourselves. Rider should always keep a light long sleeve sweater in the car, or at the barn. Same thing for the horse, a quarter sheet or sheet after his long work is a good idea to have.

2. Wet weather means usually mud, check legs and hooves of the horse often, has to much humidity can help to develop diseases and abscesses. (Such has mud fever, the hoof can loose is strength and break more easily).

3. Wet weather means worms, do not be afraid to see that if your horse has been losing some weight to deworm him two weeks in a row. Also try to not feed him any type of food (including hay), around mud. If you have a shelter or a non muddy area feed him in these places.

4. If your horses has shoes, be careful ground and roads can be slippery do not hesitate to ask someone how screw on corks work. For horses without shoes be careful has well.

5. Rain and sun = mosquitoes and fly like West Nile or Equine Encephalitis (EEEV)(EEWV). Flyspray daily your horse in insure he wears a fly mask.

6. If you have no indoor facility for riding try to not ride your horse if its poring rain. Rain is not good for equipment. If you can a kind of quarter sheets who protects your equipment while riding give it a try.

Next week we will be looking at hot summer days with your horse, and also a article on horse feed:)

Feed measuring cup in pounds!

A lot of scoops or cups for measuring horse feed are in quarts but most feeding compagnies uses an indication in cups or sometimes pounds. And you can try converting pounds in cups or in oz, but it will not really work out because it is usually measurements for liquids. Today I am going to show you where you can buy or simply make out of a used bottle and a Sharpie marker your own pound cup.

Buying your pound feed scoop :

The famous animal food brand Purina actually gives cups that are in pounds or available for purchase a your Purina dealer but you can't find them everywhere.

Pool company's usually carry 1 pound scoops to mesure chlorine tablets or softening chemical. They can be found in pool stores or hardware stores.

The company SureScoop made a special feed scoop with pound indications. A whole cup filled at the rim is 1 pound and a half. 

In all these cases you might have to pay so I found a way to make your own scoop for free.

Making your own pound feeding scoop

You will need :

* Juice bottle of this type

* A pair of strong scissors

* A Sharpie marker

* A weight scale 

* Some horse grain

Take a juice bottle that has this kind of square rectangular shape-base. Keep the lid and screw it on. (Tropicana or Apple Cider bottles will do the thing)

Cut the bottle with the scissors to give it a scoop shape.

With the weight scale weigh the amount of grain you need to get to 1 pound, and again to get to half a pound.

Put the grain in the the cup and draw a line with the Sharpie marker :)

This week-end we will have an article about the wet summer we had and the precautions we have to take for rider and horse.