Riding Hat Protection with The Saddlery Shop

When horse riding there is nothing more important than your safety. Riding hats are especially designed to protect your incredibly important head and their is no piece of equipment for equestrian pursuits more crucial! A horse riding hat or helmet with a hard shell and protective lining will protect the wearer’s head if they fall from a horse or if you are kicked. It’s crucial to always wear a riding hat, not only when you are riding a horse, but it certain circumstances when you are handling a horse from the ground. Not only is your hat vital to your safety when riding, second to your horse and your saddle, your riding hat is one of your most expensive pieces of equipment so it pays to look after it wisely. The padded Sherwood Forest Hat Bag from The Saddlery Shop is an ideal way to transport and store your riding hat. This riding hat bag looks good as well as being practical, with a large padded compartment for the hat and separate compartment for accessories accomodating any size of type of riding hat. The Saddlery Shop also offers a wide range of top brands of protective riding hats including such as Gatehouse, Champion, Dublin, so why not visit the website today www.thesaddleryshop.co.uk

Equine Hoofboots at The Saddlery Shop

The Saddlery Shop offers a huge range of equine hoof boots building up a trusted reputation over a number of years. The Saddlery Shop is recognised as the country’s leading equestrian barefoot retailer holding the largest stocks of hoof boots and accessories in the UK! In addition The Saddlery Shop is a respected authority on booting barefoot horses. The Saddlery Shop aim to have all the information you as a barefoot horse owner would need in order to choose the best hoof boot for their horse. Offering free specialist hoof boot advice by email or telephone from one of our booting experts, including Lucy Nicholas the author of 'The Barefoot Horse'. The Saddlery Shop is proud to provide optimum customer service to our barefoot horse owners so our hoof boot enquiries are treated as priority and usually answered within 4 working hours! To see the huge range of equine hoof boots, books, cushioning pads and inserts and equine barefoot maintenance tools such as rasps visit the website www.thesaddleryshop.co.uk.

Muddy Issues!

After extreme wet weather, countless yards are trying to cope with muddy conditions with a large amount of rain nationwide leaving us paddling in the mud at the yard and in fields. In this situation a decent pair of Wellington Boots is an absolute investments so why not check out the range The Saddlery Shop has available today? Sadly in addition to ruined grazing and squelching around many equine owners are also having to deal with skin conditions developed by our horses and ponies as a result of the boggy conditions. Skin Problems Mud related skin conditions known as pastern dermatitis, mud rash or mud fever occurs in horses and ponies alike and is often associated with equines standing in mud and wet conditions. Mud caused skin conditions can range from mild skin irritation to painful infected sores which can cause swelling in the limb and lameness. Treatment Treatment of mud induced conditions involves minimising exposure to mud, removing and cleaning any scabs or lesions and keeping the limbs as dry as possible. Stabling horses on clean, dry bedding and clipping around the lesions can help alongside using a medicated spray or cream and a health supplement. The Saddlery Shop offer NAF Mud Guard a specialist supplement for horses living in wet, muddy and challenging conditions offering nutritional support for skin. This supplement designed for horses prone to mud fever when used in conjunction with topical barrier creams can provide a high level of protection for your horse or pony against bacterial and fungal skin infections. Keratex Mud Shield Powder available from The Saddlery Shop is a very highly effective waterproofing & disinfecting powder for horse's legs.

Looking at Laminitis with The Saddlery Shop

The word laminitis often strikes fear into the heart of any horse owner as the all too common condition can lead to debilitating welfare problems and acute lameness in many horses and ponies. Frustratingly there is still much about the condition which is not fully understood but there are measures which can be put in place to help avoid and manage equine laminitis. What is Laminitis? The term Laminitis, describes the process of the laminae tissues becoming inflamed. This causes pain and lameness, can lead to tears of the internal bond between the dermal and epidermal laminae. In severe cases this tearing can be so acute that it can lead to the rotation or drop of the pedal bone. One of the factors we do know in relative certainty is that laminitis can result from improper nutrition, namely overfeeding. Many leading experts recommend that in order to try and prevent the condition the amount of sugars in the diet should be reduced such as reducing the level of concentrate feed provided, soaking hay offered and limiting turnout on rich pasture. Utilising correct body condition scoring can also help horse owners determine our horse’s weight, and whether they food consumption is correct for their type and their workload. Remember the problems general arise when the ingestion of pasture and feed is combined with a lack of exercise. This is simply because our equines do not burn off and use the sugary starches provided in their diet and it is a well documented link that increased risk of metabolic problems caused by obesity, can also lead to laminitis. Three Top Tips from The Saddlery Shop for Avoiding or Managing Laminitis 1.) Restrict your horse’s grain quantities and seek out a high fibre, low sugar, low starch alternative such as a forage rich hay. Always feed your horse in relation to their workload- remember they only need calories they are going to use! 2.) Limit your horse’s pasture time or if he is happier in the field restrict the area they have access to with temporary fencing or a grazing muzzle. 3.) Choose wisely about when you turn your horse out to graze. Studies have found that the risk of laminitis can be increased when horses are turned out on pasture which has been exposed to cold nights and sunny weather, especially if there has been a frost!