A stable fire must be one of every horse owners worst nightmares. The following is some advice on how you can limit the risk of fire breaking out at your premises:

Building Construction

• Construct your stables from materials that do not burn or ignite easily
• Suitable materials would include steel frames and block, brick or stone walls
• Timber should be kept to a minimum
• Cement floors are ideal
• Install electric safety switches

Fire Exits

• Stable doors should be at least 1.3 metres wide to allow a horse to easily removed in a hurry
• In indoor barns the aisles and exits should be a minimum of 2 metres wide
• Sliding doors are preferable to swinging doors on main exits
• Large equestrian complexes should have enough exits to allow large numbers of horses to be removed quickly

Fire Equipment

• Each 200m2 of stabling should have at least one 13A rated fire extinguisher. No part of the stable should be more than 25m from an extinguisher
• A hose should be on hand that can reach every stable and has a good water delivery.
• Hoses and fire extinguishers should be protected from frost
• Fire sprinkler systems should be considered for larger establishments

Bedding and Feed Storage

• Hay, straw and horse feeds should be stored separately from the stables
• The use of hay lofts above stables increases the risk of fire

Tack Rooms

• Fires often break out in tack rooms due to them containing electrical equipment such as kettles, heaters and cookers. They should be away from the main stable block.
• If cookers are provided a fire blanket is recommended

Smoke Detectors

• Smoke detectors should be installed in stables and storage areas to warn of a fire breaking out

Electrical Equipment

• All electrical installations should be in good condition and certified and tested regularly by a qualified electrician
• If heat lamps are used they should be purpose made and fitted out of reach of the animal. Circuit breakers should be installed.

Smoking

• The smoking of cigarettes should be banned from all stable and storage areas. Signs should be in place to ensure that all staff and visitors are aware that smoking is not permitted.

Fire Procedures

• Staff and liveries should be aware of the yard procedure in case a fire should break out.
• If useful the full address, telephone number and map of the premises should be kept near the yard phone of there is one.

Five year old mare Pandora has an unusual condition for a horse. She is allergic to all types of grass.

Her owner Emily Pearce first noticed the problem when she found a large lump on the mares flank. At first she thought it may be a fly bite but after treatment didn’t cure it she consulted her vet who diagnosed the problem after a series of allergy tests.

Pandora was destined to live her life inside but thankfully a specially designed blanket has given her freedom.

The mare is fed a special diet of sugar beet, chaff and oil along with about 12 anti-histamine tablets per day.

Horses, ponies and donkeys can suffer from a variety of eye diseases including ulcers, fungal infections, swollen eye lids, blindness and cataracts.

It is important to have a vet check your horse if you suspect any kind of eye condition. Not only will the eye require attention but the symptoms can also be a sign of other serious medical problems.

Types of eye disease in horses include:

• Neoplasia of the Eyelids
• Corneal Ulceration
• Fungal Ulcers
• Corneal Abcesses
• Equine Cataracts
• Uveal Tract Disease
• Glaucoma
• Retinal Disease
• Sudden Blindness

Eye disease can be painful so it’s important to have a vet check your horse if you suspect any kind of eye condition. Not only will the eye require attention but the symptoms can also be a sign of other serious medical problems.

For the safety of the animal it is best to bring them into a stable or enclosed area whilst the problem is diagnosed and treated. Maybe provide a quiet companion to keep him company.

Treatment of equine eye conditions can include laser eye therapy, surgery or antibiotics.

Blind Horses

For many people, the biggest fear is that their horse could lose his sight. They assume that this brings an immediate death sentence for the animal. This need not necessarily be the case.
Before making a decision about having your horse put to sleep give him time to adjust to the darkness. You may just find that he adapts quickly to his new world.

Many horses that have gone blind adapt well to their disability and go on to lead long and happy lives.

With increased feeding and bedding costs, winter is always the most expensive time for keeping horses so we’ve rounded up some top tips to help you save money this winter.

1, If you have storage space buy green hay straight off the field in summer. It’s much cheaper than paying winter prices when demand has increased.

2, Don’t waste money on hard feed if your horse doesn’t need it. Most horses do very well on good quality hay or haylage alone.

3, Learn how to repair your damaged horse rugs and equipment rather than replacing them. Most repairs can be done by hand if you don’t have a sewing machine.

4, Organise a tack swap with your friends. It’s a great way of clearing out unused equipment as well as gaining stuff you need.

5, Clean your own dirty rugs with a hose, a stiff brush and some horse shampoo rather than sending them off to a professional.

6, If you can’t afford to keep several horses then don’t. Sell some to bring the number down to a manageable level.

7, Ask local sawmills if they can provide you with shavings. Make sure they are dust free softwood and not redwood shavings.

8, For paper bedding try asking a local company if you can take their shredded paper away. It will save you both money.

9, Turn off lights when not in use. If using an indoor school switch on half the lights only unless you need good lighting for jumping etc.

10, If you are on full or part livery consider doing more of the jobs yourself. Alternatively consider grass livery with shelter for hardy types.

11, Turn your horse out for as long as possible every day to avoid soiling expensive bedding.

12, Consider letting your horse go barefoot. This may be temporary if you don’t ride over the winter or permanent if your horse copes well being ridden without shoes.

13, Keep up good levels of basic horse care. A well cared for horse is less likely to need veterinary treatment.

If you have top money saving tips please share them with our readers.