Spring hasn’t hit most pastures yet, so horse owners are still feeding a lot of hay … it’s simply a more expensive time of year to keep horses. | Photo: iStock

I’ve been curious—even a bit anxious—about how COVID-19 closures and cancellations will directly impact horse owners and their horses. As people are laid off from their jobs or must shutter their businesses in the face of decreased profits or inability to operate, they must find a way to cover their living expenses, as well as their horses’.

Spring hasn’t hit most pastures yet, so horse owners are still feeding a lot of hay … it’s simply a more expensive time of year to keep horses. It’s also tax season, and some owners owe the IRS.

“The timing is awful,” said emergency planning expert Rebecca Gimenez-Husted, PhD, who is based in Georgia. “There’s very little grass yet, and spring grass is so dangerous for laminitis