A British winter can present a wide variety of weather conditions; from gales and driving rain to hard frosts and snow. Many horses are kept outside all year round and need to be able to cope whatever the weather. There are a lot of factors to consider when assessing to what extent a horse can withstand the change in season and how the winter might be made more comfortable. Let's explore this in more detail:

Natural hardiness and weight fluctuations

Hooves may look simple from the outside but the way they work inside is fascinating.

It’s well worth understanding them a little more in order to appreciate how keeping a healthy hoof protects the whole horse from injury and lameness.

Every horse or pony is unique, with different needs and preferences for diet, exercise and lifestyle according to their age, breed, gender, temperament, condition and life experiences.

Understanding these needs is important when caring for any horse, but for those who’ve become sick, injured or out of shape, that knowledge is a valuable tool in choosing the right treatment to support recovery.

Redwings Horse Sanctuary assists multi-agency operation to round up 34 horses from the Moor.

Download our new guidance on healthy weight management.

We’re sending a serious warning to horse owners and firework enthusiasts as we remember losing a much-loved horse after she was spooked by fireworks last year.

Thoroughbred mare Cinders was found unable to walk early one morning in November 2014 at Redwings Ada Cole. A nearby fireworks party the previous evening had panicked many of the horses, as could be seen by the churned up paddocks where they had galloped around in alarm.

Final quarantine zones lifted at our Piggots farm.

Although horse care is usually easier and more enjoyable in the summer, there are still a number of welfare issues that can make warmer months challenging in their own way. As the number of prolonged periods of very hot weather seems to have increased in recent years, it is important that horse owners and carers are aware of how to keep their equine happy and healthy throughout the summer season.

A devastating case of atypical myopathy in Norfolk prompted us to raise awareness of the dangers to grazed horses. Atypical myopathy (AM) is caused by the ingestion of the toxin hypoglycin-A commonly found in the seeds of sycamore trees, leading to the destruction of muscle tissue including the heart. It is thought that bacterial or fungal toxins prevalent in mild climates (autumn and spring) are additional attributing factors for AM.

Owners convicted of numerous animal welfare offences.