Winter prep: the jobs worth doing before the weather turns

The facts

Published

Your Horse, 22 October 2026

Routine changes

Phase in over 10 to 14 days

Why gradual

Reduces stress and the colic risk from abrupt diet change

Winter parasites named

Redworm, tapeworm, bots

Taps

Do not use boiling water on them

Most winter changes arrive at once. Horses come in at night after a summer out, grass gives way to hay, and the hard feed changes too. The advice is to spread those adjustments across 10 to 14 days rather than making them overnight, because sudden dietary change raises the risk of colic as well as unsettling the horse.

Fields are the other thing that cannot be fixed in December. Rest and rotate paddocks rather than letting one get hammered, which guards against overgrazing and compacted ground. Drainage matters: the ideal paddock sits on higher ground with a gentle slope, gravel under footings lets water soak away, and a pipe can carry water off the pasture. Clear any ditches nearby so they are not blocked. Gateways and other heavily used spots can be treated or surfaced before they turn to bog.

On the yard, clear gutters and downpipes of debris and sort any repairs. Rainwater collected in butts can be used for soaking hay, washing barrows and tools, or filling buckets, as long as it is kept clean. Check your bulbs and replace tired ones, and if the wiring looks wrong get an electrician in, because poor electrics are a fire risk. Keep a torch and a head torch in more than one easy-to-reach place. Lag taps and pipes with insulating foam or old clothing. Boiling water is not the answer to a frozen tap, as it can crack the workings inside.

Last, the kit. Turnout and stable rugs should be sound and, just as importantly, findable. Decide now where wet, muddy rugs will hang to dry. Set aside coolers and exercise rugs too. And dig out your own waterproofs, hat and gloves, and check your wellies for holes, before the first properly cold morning.

What this means for you

Owners changing routine now

Build the switch to night-time stabling, hay and new hard feed over 10 to 14 days.

Anyone with limited turnout

Rest and rotate paddocks, clear ditches, and surface gateways before the ground goes.

Yard owners and sharers

Gutters, bulbs, torches and pipe insulation are the jobs that save you in a January blackout.

Horses at autumn worm risk

Redworm, tapeworm and bots are the parasites flagged for this time of year.

What to do

1. Write out the feed and turnout change you want in place, then work backwards 10 to 14 days

   Today

2. Walk the fields and ditches and mark the gateways that need treating or surfacing

   Before the next heavy rain

3. Test yard lighting, replace worn bulbs, and put a torch in two separate places

   This month

4. Lag taps and pipes with foam or old clothing

   Before the first frost

5. Pull out rugs, coolers and your own waterproofs and check them for damage

   This week