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Why this year’s bumper acorn crop is dangerous for horses – and other things the horse world is talking about

Horse & Hound’s daily debrief, brought to you every weekday
Sarah Jenkins Sarah Jenkins

    • Bumper year for acorns poses challenges

    As if horse owners didn’t have enough to do at this time of year, a mast year for acorns is adding to the chores. Owners around the country are detangling extra electric fencing to keep horses away from heaps of acorns, or spending hours filling up wheelbarrows with piles of them having raked for England. In this article we explain why it’s a bad year for them, how they can affect your horse’s health and what needs to be done.

    Read more about the danger of acorns

    The issue of over-rugging

    While tackling seasonal issues, the often controversial topic of rugging, over-rugging, when to rug and when not to rug has come back into vogue. H&H has reported vet views on the topic for many years, discouraging the practice of rugging for the sake of it, or as a result of anthropomorphising our horses. Vets are always reminding us that horses should be losing weight over the winter, coming into the spring lean enough to not face weight issues as spring grass comes through. It really isn’t cold enough for a rug in many parts of the UK right now.

    A vet’s view on the man-made welfare problem of over-rugging

    The trouble with Whatsapp messages forming contracts

    Horse buyers and sellers have been warned against unintentionally entering into contracts via online messages – following a High Court ruling.

    In the case of Jaevee Homes Ltd v Fincham, the parties discussed a construction project via WhatsApp, but never signed a written contract. After a payment dispute arose later, a judge ruled that a binding contract had been formed based on these communications because essential elements of a contract were included such as an offer, acceptance and terms.

    Equine lawyer Hannah Bradley, partner at Aria Grace Law CIC, told H&H that although this was not an equine case, it sets a precedent and provides “important guidance for those who negotiate sales via messaging platforms”.

    “This applies for social media messaging like Facebook, WhatsApp or text; where despite the informality, you can form a legally binding contract,” she said, adding that it is common in the horse world for buyers and sellers to use these platforms to exchange photos, negotiate prices or arrange viewings and vettings.

    Read further advice from legal experts

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    Sarah Jenkins
    Sarah Jenkins

    H&H editor-in-chief
    Sarah has worked at an equestrian journalist and editor since 2004 and has held the position of Horse & Hound Editor-in-Chief since 2014. She has reported for Horse & Hound from major championships including Europeans and World Equestrian Games. She has co-written books on horses and horse sport including The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of Horses & Ponies. She has owned and ridden horses since 1993, and worked for and trained with Olympic gold medallist event rider Leslie Law prior to going to university. While studying for a BSc at London School of Economics Sarah also worked for top British dressage rider Louise Spate.
    Sarah Jenkins

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