THE more we can mimic natural conditions, the healthier and happier our horses should be. In Ireland this is best achieved by allowing them exercise as a settled social group in an hazard-free, mixed-grazing area. In wet winter conditions complications around the inter-related issues of shelter and feeding arise.

As per ourselves and our homes, good insulation helps to cut down on the need for feeding and fuel. It might be best, as being most natural, to provide shelter from the worst of our weather via hedges that horses can safely browse. But man-made alternatives (field-shelters, walls, buildings and rugs) are often essential and readily available.