Winter health tips
As it gets colder, there are some tips and advice we can provide for keeping your horses happy and healthy. Read below and feel free to contact us if we missed a topic you have a question on.
1. Blanketing: This decision has to be made based on what you and your horse need. Every horse does not need to be blanketed. Horses have a large colon that when fermenting hay creates a fair bit of heat. Keeping your horse full of hay helps keep them warm. They also have a thick winter coat that will elevate when cold to help create a warm layer of air around the horse. If your horse is adapted to the climate (not a recent transplant from Florida), has access to some form of protection from the elements and has plenty of forage then he/she will likely do well. However many of you have horses that don’t grow a winter coat very well or are recent transplants from a warmer state. These horses often will need to be blanketed. Other reasons for blanketing may be if you have a thin horse (young or old) that is having a difficult time maintaining their weight. Blanketing helps decrease the amount of energy used to stay warm. Or, you may have clipped your horse for the winter. These horses definitely need protection from the cold, even if stabled constantly. Other reasons may be to keep your horse clean and dry so you don’t miss riding due to a muddy horse. If you do blanket your horse, please keep in mind these several things. You do not want your horse to sweat under his blanket. If it warms up during the day you may need to undress your horse. Also, if your horse is going to wear his blanket out in the elements then it must be waterproofed. It is not a good idea to have a horse out in the cold in a wet blanket. Also, check your horses body condition at least once a week. Because of the thick hair coat, put your hands on your horse so you can feel how much fat he/she has. It can be a big surprise when you take of the blanket in the spring and your horse is 100lbs lighter than you thought. This also allows you to watch your horse’s skin for sores or other problems. Make sure your blankets fit well so they don’t rub and keep your blankets clean. Even if it is cold outside, most horses will appreciate some time out of a blanket so they can roll.
2. Water: Horses need, absolutely MUST have, access to water all winter. This needs to be clean and unfrozen. Studies performed in the 90s showed horses will drink 40% more water if it is heated. However, if your horse has access to cold water he will chose to drink that, but drink less. So, the advice is to provide warm water and remove access to any cold water. This is critical in keeping your horse hydrated and to help prevent impaction colics. This time of year is when I see impaction colics the most as horses are eating more hay (low water content) and less grass (high water content) and at the same time are drinking less water because it is either cold or frozen. The average sized horse will drink 10 gallons of water a day if possible. Since we are feeding our horses more hay in the winter we really need to keep their water intake as high as possible. Also, horses can not eat enough snow to meet their water intake. Snow is very airy which means your horse needs to eat a LOT of it and it is also very cold which can chill your horse and increase his energy needs. So, if possible, try and find a way to provide your horse with at least some warm water. If you buy heaters or other electric units please keep the cords safe and replace anything that has frayed or otherwise suspicious cords.
3. Shoeing: If you aren’t going to be doing a lot of riding in the winter and you are in a snowy state, it may behoove you to pull your horse’s shoes in the winter. This allows the hoof wall to grow out some without having nails placed and gives the heels a chance to expand and contract more normally. This also prevents you from having to deal with snow build-up in the shoe. This can be dangerous for your horse and could cause injuries due to slipping. Some horses, unfortunately, do not do well out of shoes. If this is the case with your horse, consider putting snow pads on his/her shoes. This gives protection from the snow without allowing it to build into snow balls attached to your horse’s feet.
4. Shelter: How many horse owner’s have a shelter and feel as if their horse never uses it? Many. However, your horse will use the shelter if he/she feels the need. A general rule of thumb for size is a 12×20 feet for 2 horses and an additional 10×6 feet for every other horse. Research shows horses can stand up to -40°F when they have access to a shelter. Horses tend to seek shelter the most when there is precipitation combined with wind.
5. Exercise: You do not have to stop riding your horse because it is cold. He/she can handle the cold much better than you can. However, if you do ride it is important you properly cool out your horse. You may have to clip your horse or spend lots of time drying off your horse with coolers and/or toweling before you are done. Also, be careful where you ride so you don’t have any accidents from hidden ice.
6. Facilities: Keep an eye on your barn roof when there is snow fall. The roof should have trusses that can withstand 30 pounds/square foot of snow load. Ventilation often becomes an issue during the winter. Closing the barn at night may help keep it somewhat warmer but allows for ammonia and other fumes to build up in the air. Keep your barn as clean as possible and have it as well ventilated as you can. If you have issues with ice on the ground, you can use sand or straight salt. Your horse should not have access to these to eat as sand can cause colic issues. For the future, you may want to determine why you have ice build-up in certain areas and resolve those problems.
So, adapted horses with plenty of hay to eat and fresh, warm water to drink will do well over the winter. You will find that most of them will prefer to be outdoors.