Our horses know it too; horses are instinctive, sensitive beings who live in the rhythm of nature. Each seasonal change provides a noticeable guideline for a horse's overall health, specifically how (if in the wild) they would naturally maintain their health, and importantly, how they'd avoid illness. As a result, each season relates to different system requirements where the related major organs need to be in optimum health to provide the necessary protection as the seasons change.

This physiological function is hardwired into their DNA to instinctively respond to the changes in the seasons, adapting to the way these changes connect to their physical, emotional and mental health. These are all regulated by cycles of light (day) and dark (night), sunlight, and temperature. Their circadian yhythm - the 24-hr cycle in the physiological process of all living beings - determines their sleeping and feeding patterns, brainwave activity, hormone production, cell regeneration and other biological activities.

A horse living in the wild instinctively knows that staying healthy as each season changes is essential for them to respond to their changing needs regarding nutrition, movement, quality rest and play, muscle recharge - all important elements as the seasons change. One of the most obvious ways in which a horse responds to these changes is via their feeding patterns - wild horses typically follow the feast/famine syndrome, thriving on green pastures through the summer to build the body fat stores, which enable them to better manage the winter's 'hungry gap', surviving on whatever sparse forage they can find in winter. Our domesticated horses have the benefit of us humans to manage the winter hungry-gap for them, but even with us in control, we should still be mindful of adjusting feed regimes accordingly to work with the seasons.

Here in the UK, even though we’ve got four official seasons, in reality we experience five - Spring, Summer, Indian Summer, Autumn and Winter. Traditional Chinese Medicine also follows this believe, known as the Five-Element Theory, also called the Five-Season Theory. Where we call it Summer and Indian Summer, TCM calls it Summer and Late Summer.

The Five-Season Theory follows the understanding that all living beings are intertwined with nature, and that depending on the season, specific organs of the body require purifying and toning at that time of the year to support the body’s balance, with the body’s state of health responding accordingly.

• Spring - Liver
• Summer - Heart/Small Intestine
• Late (Indian) Summer - Spleen/Stomach
• Autumn - Lung/Large Intestine
• Winter - Kidneys/Bladder

That said, for our horses we probably need to adjust this slightly to take into account the autumn coat change, so we should add Liver into Autumn as well.

To summarise, when any organism, whether human, horse, dog or whoever, is balanced and in tune with nature, the body experiences health. When it's out of balance and 'polluted', the body experiences ‘dis-ease’ of one sort or another, the word ‘dis-ease’ simply meaning that the body is not at ease.

For us, this means that by working alongside the seasons we can help our domesticated horses stay in tune with that natural way of things and remain healthy and balanced.

Spring

As the earth tilts so that the sun is directly over the equator, this signifies the start of the Vernal, or Spring Equinox.

Spring represents renewal and regeneration, making it the most embraced and significant among the changing seasons.

It marks the beginning of new life in the natural world, and following winter’s typical hungry gap with forage starved of nutrients, accompanied by winter’s illnesses and allergens, the liver has been working overtime to keep the system detoxed and healthy. This means Spring is the time of year to detox, cleanse and boost the health of the liver. It’s also the time of the Spring coat change which puts enormous extra strain on the liver, so all the more reason to support it.

• After a winter of hay, introduce fresh spring grass slowly and be mindful of the laminitis/colic risk, especially for our EMS horses.
• Changes in the grass chemistry can affect the chemistry of our horses so if you’re not feeding one already, consider a mineral balancer.
• It's time for the Spring tree pollens and midges, which can wreak autoimmune havoc on affected horses. syndromes.
• Our mares who know exactly when spring arrives, as they come into season and their hormones are raging to find a mate! 😉
• The spring sun also encourages parasite eggs to hatch, which can have a dramatic impact on our horse’s digestive health and nutrient absorption.

Summer

The Earth assumes its most direct tilt into the Sun at the Summer Solstice, and energy levels are now at their highest, thriving at this time of year. To support the energy demands, this is the time of year to cleanse and tone the heart, purify the blood and stimulate circulation.

• It’s hay season!
• High summer means it’s hot out there! On the hotter, more humid days, beware of grass pollens triggering respiratory havoc for those affected horses.
• Horses can lose substantial quantities of minerals in sweat, so adding salt to the feedbowl is all the more important.

Indian Summer

Indian Summer days may be hotter and muggier, high in humidity and with a feeling of heaviness in the air. This is the time to boost the metabolism and cleanse the gut system. This is also the time when the allergenic effects of grass pollens can hit the hardest.

• Gradually the intense heat of summer should start to lower, and the daylight hours noticeably shorten. The autumn coat change is just around the corner, so time for liver support.
• If you’re seeing coat quality issues during the coat change, this might be time to consider a full-body detox with our OptimaCARE detox programme. It's also not a bad time to think about a detox to prepare the body for what winter may throw at us.

Autumn

Preparation and elimination are the traits of this season - this is the time to tone the lungs as a preventative for winter allergens, and the hindgut which is not only the horse's body's central heating system but also produces the vital nutrient metabolites to help the horse thrive through winter.

• As the days grow shorter and temperatures drop, the nutritional value of our grazing plummets. Time to consider replenishing the diminishing forage vit.E and EFA levels.
• Beware autumnal falling leaves and acorns as they can represent a toxic risk.
• Time to check turnout in readiness for winter, and have hay supplies in place.
• In some areas in the UK we may get the first hard frost, aka 'killing frost’, which is hugely beneficial as it can kill many equine parasites.
• Keep an eye out for winter respiratory issues and stiff joints due to changes in air temperatures.
• Some horses may need time to adjust back to a hay diet, which means they might be at higher risk of impaction colic.
• As if we need reminding - Mud!

Winter

The cold and darkness of winter forces us to slow down, replenish energy and conserve strength. Winter can be a tough time for toxin overburden, so now is the time to focus on toning kidney function as they excrete all the water-soluble toxins. The kidneys are also responsible for regulating just about everything in the body, but probably the most vital regulation is the water:salt balance which affects the critical cellular osmotic pressure, hence why adding salt into the equine diet at this time of year is vital.

Once we hit the ‘depths’ of winter we're at just 7-hours of daylight each day, and now at risk of freezing temperatures, which means horses are less likely to drink icy cold water. This brings the very real concern for the risk of impaction colic. So all the more reason to feed salt which will encourage them to drink.

• Consider soaking feed with warm water to aid hydration.
• Check body condition - horses burn up to 15-20% more calories trying to maintain their internal body temperatures, with older horses in particular having to work harder to thermo-regulate in the winter months.
• Keep your horse’s internal furnace burning by upping the hay volume. The hindgut is the horse’s central heating system, and the more fibre that’s digested in the cecum of the hindgut by bacterial fermentation, the more warmth is generated.

Finally, by the time we hit the end of February the daffs should have been out already, and we’ll be seeing nearer 11-hours daylight again. Before we know it, the first signs of Spring will be around the corner again 😉