Wet Weather Horse Care

localized swelling heat andor lameness. If you think your horse has a tendon or ligament injury seek care from your veterinarian. Limit the amount of the horses activity in muddy areas to help prevent these injuries.
Changes to Insect Populations
A high presence of insects often accompanies wet weather and can be a nuisance to horses and their owners. Rainfall and ponding create moist muddy areas that become a breeding ground for flies mosquitoes and other types of insects. Mosquito larvae thrive in stagnant waters found in drinking troughs and puddles. Draining and managing surface water areas can eliminate ponding. Mosquitoes are vectors for many diseases that can affect both humans and animals. Protection and inoculation for mosquitoborne diseases such as West Nile virus is recommended for equines that live in areas with high mosquito populations.
Mud Mitigation
To help reduce impacts of rain on your horses it is important to implement mud management strategies when caring for and designing your facilities. When designing your horse farm site buildings on higher ground to help promote drainage. Similarly consider using natural grassy areas and vegetation slopes as diversions and buffers. Existing facilities can also be altered by adding ditches trenches and gutters to help route water to areas of less traffic. It is recommended to work with professional engineers when fixing drainage problems as it is easy to accidentally create a new problem somewhere else.
One of the most important things to consider when trying to reduce rainfall impacts is pasture condition. Turning horses out on pasture when the soil is wet causes soil compaction and damages plant root systems. The appearance of deep hoof prints standing water and bare ground is a sign that the soil is being damaged. One way you can reduce the amount of soil compaction and loss of grass is by designating a sacrifice paddock. A sacrifice paddock is a nongrazing area where horses are kept for an allotted time to help reduce impact on other pastures. Many horse owners use paddocks runouts corrals and dry lots to serve as sacrifice lots. Using sacrifice lots when the ground is extremely wet can help reduce the deterioration of grasses in grazing pastures.
Overall make sure you are maintaining good hygiene for your horses during rainy times. Frequent grooming and inspection are imperative in reducing rain impacts and preventing health issues from being exacerbated. If your horses coat is long use handson contact with