Newsdate: Fri 23 December 2016 – 6:00 am
Location: SAN DIEGO, California

With house guests, elaborate dcorations and tempting treats, plus people coming and going, the holiday season can be very stressful for you and your horses.

Safe and sane winter holidays for horses

Follow these 10 tips to enjoy the holiday season while keeping it safe and sane for you and your horse.

Here are a few suggestions to keep you and your horses safe and sane during the holidays:

1. Keep visitors, expecially children under supervision if they accompany you to the barn and stable areas, and make sure children are accompanied by experienced adults during any interactions with horses,
2. If allowing guests to ride horses, make sure they are experienced riders and remind them of the basic rules of horse safety such as never standing directly in front of a horse because that is a blind spot for horses and they may spook,
3. If decorating barn and stable areas, remember barn fires often occur during cold winter months and follow fire safety rules to prevent barn fires by using lights and extension cords designed for outdoor use.
4. Consider using LED lights instead of older lights because they remain cool, use less energy and are more durable than traditional lights.
5. Inspect your light strings and extension cords carefully for frayed wires, cracks in the casing and other signs of wear before using them. Check periodically to make sure cords or wires do not become heated and make sure the last person out of the barn turns off all the lights or electrical appliances and equipment when leaving for the night
6. An alternative is battery-operated lights, which avoid the problems of extension cords entirely, although it is still essential to keep them out of reach of animals.
7. Every year, Christmas trees are implicated in house fires. Keeping the tree watered and being careful with lights and candles reduces the hazard, but keeping a decorated tree in the barn isn’t worth the risk. Artificial trees are generally safer—look for one labeled as nonflammable or flame-retardant—or just decorate your favorite live tree on the property (out of reach of the pasture.)
8. Make sure decoration are not toxic to horses. When you put something new in the barn, like a wreath or a string of garland, your horse will probably want to find out more about it, and horses often explore the world with their mouths. Don’t underestimate how far a curious horse can stretch to reach the object of his desire. Keep all decorations well away from stalls, crossties, pasture perimeters and anywhere else a horse might be.
9. Holly and mistletoe are both toxic if ingested by your horses or barn dogs and cats. Avoid these, or use fake ones from the craft store.
10. Holiday treats can be a fun addition to the barn this time of year, especially for busy boarding and lesson stables. If you hang edible decorations of any kind near stalls or horses, make sure they are in a central area instead of on stall doors. Your horse—or his stall neighbor—could be motivated to reach that stocking or edible decoration and eat it all at once, leading to possible colic or digestive problems. 

Enjoy the holiday season by keeping it safe and sane for your horses.