What kind of holiday decorations are okay to use around the barn? Photo by Paul Franz, from Flickr.com, under the Creative Commons License
One of my favorite things to do during the holiday season is break out the decorations. There’s something about all of the wreaths, greens, red bows and sparkling Christmas lights all over the place. Holiday decor brings cheer when everything tends to look a bit drab outside. And while I have fun decorating all around the house, I also want to help spread the holiday spirit around the barn as well.
But then I have concerns over the safety of hanging greens or lights in areas that the horses could potentially reach them. Because for my horse, Rufus, putting his mouth on anything he can reach is part of his natural state of being. I’m pretty sure that it’s not a good idea for Roo to get his mouth on any Christmas decor I might hang up.
So when it comes to decorating for the holidays around the barn, I wondered if there are certain guidelines that I should follow to keep my barn and horses safe. Head over to The Horse to read up on some advice on the safety of holiday decorations around the barn, from Clair Thunes, PhD, and equine nutrition consultant.
And then check out some of the other headlines from this week in Horse Health News Presented by Absorbine.
Missed Your Horse’s Meal Time?: Ever have to excuse yourself from a function early so that you can get home to feed your horse? Yeah…me too. But a delay in your horse’s feeding schedule may not actually be a bad thing. Instead it might be of benefit to your horse. [Equus Magazine]
Understanding Round and Square Bales: How much do you know about the large round hay bales versus small square hay bales…which happen to the be two most common forms of hay that are fed to horses. Head over to The Horse to check out part 1 of their two-part series on this topic. [The Horse]
Stress in Horses: Do you know what kinds of factors contribute to your horse’s stress level? And what are some ways that you can help to reduce their level of stress? Check out this interesting article to understand equine stress and pick up some tips and tricks on how to reduce your horse’s stress. [The Naturally Healthy Horse]
Taking a Bite Out of Cribbing: Have you ever had a cribber living in the same barn as your horse? Or maybe, you’ve owned a cribber yourself? While no one is really sure what causes this behavior, there are methods to manage it. Check out this article, which discusses management techniques, as well as looking for the underlying cause leading to this type of habit. [The Horse]
