Icelandic Horses are very short and stout. In fact, they have a stature more similar to that of a pony, but they are still able to carry full grown riders. More than that, these horses live much longer than other breeds, with some living as long as 50 years. While Borium can be an excellent traction device, it sometimes also is used to prolong the life of a steel shoe. This, Butler believes, is inappropriate usage because the shoe often wears out next to where the Borium is applied. This is partly to blame for high levels of obesity in the UK’s pony population and the challenge for owners is to know when to rug in accordance with their horse’s individual needs, exercise levels and weather. This means regular monitoring and avoiding the temptation to slip rugs on unnecessarily or getting into the habit of leaving a rug on without considering how seasons may have changed or how much more effective your new rug may be.

Many owners of warm or hot blooded horses tend to stable them overnight as shelter from the weather. Even in a stable, they will need a rug and additional energy in the form of extra feeds. There is no reason, however, why even a pure bred Arab or Thoroughbred cannot live out all year round with appropriate care. By providing a field shelter, a good quality winter rug and a well thought out diet, the balance between energy intake and energy output should be manageable throughout the colder months. Io non sono bravo a stilare classifiche di questo tipo: ma posso dire senza incertezza che è una delle migliori che abbia mai letto, e che era un sacco di tempo non ne leggevo una così buona. Almeno dai tempi dei migliori Le Carré. stars and a bit. You can tell from the start that this is going to be good. Herron is a good writer, and this is the first in his "Slough House" (Slough as in "Ow!"). This is Quality writing. Fewer than one book in ten that I read is this good. Lots of worthwhile quotes below...If additional traction is needed, Clark’s choice is Borium (a tube metal product), which is welded to the shoe in spots, often at the heel and sometimes at the toe. Borium, he says, is harder than steel and will outwear the shoe. However, he adds, it’s important that the shoe be shaped to the hoof and leveled before the Borium is added. Lamb didn't look any different, was still a soft fat rude bastard, still dressed like he'd been thrown through a charity shop window, but ... Lamb was a joe. We know that the Kabardas have been bred by the tribesmen in northern Caucasus since the 16th century. The breed is based on a combination of three other horses so that they could be kept in herds and move along the mountains. The negative aspect is that they can’t be removed or changed without removing the shoe. Once that is done, the stud can be punched free of the shoe and, if in good condition, the stud can be reused.

NB: "Slough" is not said "slow". In British English, it rhymes with "wow" and in American it rhymes with "flew". The verb rhymes with "fluff". No form rhymes with "glow". Therefore, the name "Slough House" is not said "Slow House". C'mon people! *shakes head*. On top of their incredibly impressive ability to withstand the Siberian winter, Yakut Horses are incredibly docile and willing, matching their cute stature.Care must be taken when using horses with traction devices, Clark warns. Sudden spins or turns can produce tremendous torque as the traction device anchors the foot to the ground. Thus, if your horse has additional traction on his shoes, avoid making very tight turns with him either under saddle or in hand. This is intriguing to me: "But previous lives never really disappear. The skins we slough we hang in wardrobes, emergency wear just in case." Here, Herron more or less calls Johnson a Nazi traitor, via the right-wing journalist who tells "Boris" -

Great visual: "A car appeared at the far end of the road, its headlights pinning them to their seats." I’m not saying Scott Thomas and Oldman could have phoned their performances as jaded spies in from their respective poolsides, or that the storyline could have been sketched on a spreadsheet, printed out and left in a dead drop in Regent’s Park for the director, but deja vu is my primary experience of Slow Horses.The "slow horses" of the book’s title are the intelligence workers at "Slough House" (sounds like slow horse, geddit?), an anonymous building where disgraced and fallen spies are sent to undertake menial and soul destroying tasks until they either resign or retire. The horse also needs a full mane and tail if he’s spending time outside. Standing with his rump to the wind, his tail protects his delicate underparts, and he can lower his head so it’s shielded from the wind by the rest of his body. Keep in mind that a horse with additional traction on his shoes can do things he couldn’t beforehand, but the rest of him might not be up to it. Even if your horse now has enough traction to climb the Empire State Building, he might not be in shape for it. Nor does additional traction mean that it’s okay to ride him for hours along a road or other hard, icy ground just because he won’t slip as easily. This invites a whole new set of problems. Fear lives in the guts. That’s where it makes its home. It moves in, shifts stuff around; empties a space for itself –it likes the echoes its wingbeats make.

River is still close to his grandfather, who was a spook of some renown, and it’s his reputation that stands between River and the door. Frostbite in an adult horse is rare and usually due to an accident such as falling through an ice-covered pond. There are also some plant toxins that hinder blood circulation, such as feeds contaminated with ergot, or endophyte-infected fescue grasses. If a horse eats these, circulation to extremities might be impaired and ears might freeze. Horses naturally lose a bit of weight in the winter in preparation for the spring grass but keep an eye on your horse’s weight – if you find they are losing a lot then you may need to increase their hay because this will help to keep them warm. Don’t forget that overweight horses are still susceptible to laminitis, even in winter.Icelandic Horses are typically really spirited and friendly. Despite their small size, they are known as having really big personalities, making them a favorite in Iceland’s tourism business. Dipping temperatures can be especially problematic for certain equine populations. Julia Wilson, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, executive director of the Minnesota Board of Veterinary Medicine and past president of the Equitarian Initiative, says, “Cold weather creates challenges for horses that are hypothyroid (thyroid hormone-deficient); their ability to thermoregulate is compromised. As a veterinarian, I tell owners that hypothyroid foals are severely at risk for hypothermia … Another group that can have problems (in cold weather) are obese donkeys that develop hypothyroidism,”