The flowers might not have started budding yet, but if you haven’t started getting your mount ready for the spring, you’re already late.

Steve Jones, associate professor and equine specialist for the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service said if you own a horse, you should start getting your animal ready by checking his feet.

"We need hoof care right off the bat," Jones said.

A carefully controlled exercise plan should be next on the agenda. A horse that has been turned out since fall will not be as fit as he was last time he was ridden. How long it will take him to get back in shape will depend largely on what kind of shape he was in when cold weather hit; a horse that was physically fit before taking a two- or three-month break can return to good form much more quickly than one that wasn’t