winter skin health
It’s time to shine with winning skin care
The winter competition season means many horses now work all year round and ambitious riders know that whilst winning is usually all about performance, a gleaming coat will always help to catch the judge’s eye. That healthy coat is always more than skin deep though and we’ve got some advice on how you can help your horse to shine…
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The skin is made up several layers of cells with different functions. These contain specific structural lipids and proteins designed to protect the horse and regulate other aspects such as skin hydration. Additional secretory cells produce natural oils to keep the skin soft, moist and pliable. Externally, the horse’s hair shields the skin from UV light, weather and traps air to provide warmth. A healthy skin and coat can help reduce allergen penetration and potentially ease inflammation in conditions like sweet itch. It can also ward off microbial attachment and invasion, which is turn may reduce occurrence of bacterial and fungal skin infections such as mud fever. The stress of a high workload coupled with things such as clipping, sweating, brushing and daily washing off can diminish the skin’s natural protective properties and enhance the need for extra care. Caring properly for the skin and coat is no less important than looking after joints and feet, where the use of supplements is well established.
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Skin care tips • Don’t skimp on grooming and provide regular healthy exercise. • Provide a suitable diet as a foundation and for ongoing support. • Keep your horse well hydrated. • Redress the balance for hard-working horses by using a tailored skin supplement, which will enable the horse to adapt better to its environment.
• Choose supplements containing a combination of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) such as linoleic acids, that are known to help manage skin condition in horses:
• Flax oil (also known as Linseed) contains high levels of Omega-3 alpha linoleic acid (ALA), to help improve moisture retention and skin condition.
• Starflower oil (also known as Borage) contains a source of Omega-6 gamma linoleic acid (GLA) to support the body’s natural inflammatory process.
• Pure salmon oil contains omega 3 fatty acids, to help reduce scaling and scurf.
The structure of the horse’s skin is complex and plays a number of important roles in his health
Is your horse prone to mud fever?
Gentle, broad spectrum cleanser
Ideal for mud fever or rain scald
Supplied in a convenient 500ml pump bottle
Cleanse away dirt & bacterial contamination in one easy step
For further information, contact us on 01909 735000 or visit
www.robinsonhealthcare.com
www.theequinesite.co.uk
Equine Page 31
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